FEATURE LEADING THE WAY
We hear all about how Principle Cleaning have become the first organisation within the UK to attain the Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS), and how this achievement has helped the company going forward.
Responsible for cleaning iconic London buildings, including The Gherkin (30 St Mary’s Axe) and Shakespeare’s Globe, Principle Cleaning Services’ results are on display to thousands of London visitors and residents on a daily basis.
Principle Cleaning and its 1,700 strong staff must consistently deliver exceptional cleaning standards tailored to its customers’ needs throughout London and the surrounding areas, from keeping the 1,037 stairs in each stairwell of the Gherkin spotless to abandoning modern cleaning techniques in favour of old-fashioned elbow grease, in cleaning the authentic reconstruction of Shakespeare's original 1599 playhouse.
To demonstrate its commitment to cleaning excellence across all of its sites and differentiate itself from competitors, Principle Cleaning is the first organisation in the United Kingdom to achieve the Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS), which it passed with honours. Driven by ISSA and supported by BICSc Business Services (BBS), CIMS is a consensus- based management standard formed on principles that are universally considered to be the hallmarks of successful cleaning organisations.
“Principle Cleaning wanted to lead the industry by becoming the first UK organisation to achieve the Standard,” said Lilia Lamberto-Silva, Head of HR and Support Services at Principle Cleaning. “We believe in the fundamental values behind CIMS certification and what the ISSA and BBS are trying to achieve, and wanted to support this initiative.”
Focused on the unique issues faced within the cleaning industry, the Standard lays out compliance requirements that result in a well- managed, dependable cleaning operation focused on professionalism and a commitment to excellence.
44 | Tomorrow’s Cleaning September 2015 GEARING UP FOR
CIMS CERTIFICATION Lilia attended the UK and Ireland’s first ever CIMS “ISSA Certification Expert (I.C.E.)” seminar, held in Northampton in 2014. These workshops are geared to give attendees the knowledge they need to help their companies, or clients, prepare for CIMS certification.
“The workshop was a great learning opportunity and a chance to work in groups and share ideas. There were some very simple but effective ideas offered, and we were also given examples from CIMS audits that have taken place in America. I was then able to take these learnings and apply them to Principle Cleaning, so we could make what we already had in place even better,” said Lilia.
Once Principle Cleaning was ready for the certification process it was put through its paces with a comprehensive
on-site assessment, performed by an independent, accredited assessor who verified its compliance with the Standard. The auditor looked at the company’s processes and procedures in the following areas: tender and costing, benchmarking, contractual changes, purchasing, invoicing, quality control, training, HR procedures and health and safety.
“The auditors are ‘cleaning people’ who know the industry, have a great deal of knowledge of what it takes to run a successful cleaning company and are able to judge in a meaningful way. I would recommend anyone wanting to get an accreditation that is actually relevant to their cleaning business to get CIMS – the audit is completely relevant to what aspects should be considered in all different areas of the business,” Lilia said.
EXPERIENCING THE BENEFITS Achieving CIMS with honours has given the organisation a proud badge to wear, and is a key differentiating factor in standing out from the competition.
“Being the first company to achieve the Standard in the UK was very special, but to achieve it with honours was the icing on the cake. We are extremely proud of this achievement. It was a great confidence boost for our management team who took part in the audit and when we were awarded CIMS, it felt like a real team effort.
“By being able to tell our customers we are CIMS accredited, and achieved the Standard with honours, our customers can be sure they are getting cleaning excellence. Going forward, we suspect our CIMS certification will become an important part of the tender process,” Lilia concluded.
www.issa.com/cims
www.principlecleaning.com
twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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