Special Report Stop!Buyer beware…
Carl Robinson,marketing executive for cleaning and FMspecialist Nviro, shares his first-hand experience of delivering the exact criteria required to meet clients’ needs, and offers advice on the issues to consider when sourcing a reliable and professional cleaning contractor.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch, noth- ing in life is free, and you get what you pay for. These are all expressions used to high- light the folly ofmaking false economies, and there is no exception to this rule when it comes to choosing a suitable cleaning contractor. Do not be fooled into thinking that the
cheapest price is necessarily the best, as there aremany factors to take into consid- eration. For example, the ‘too good to be true’ offer is often achieved bymaking compromises on product quality, and re- ducing the time given to supervising opera- tives or in undertaking the cleaning itself. These are just some of the crucial ele- ments which, if neglected, canmake all the difference to the overall success of a clean- ing contract. A professional cleaning contractor should
be able to identify potential pinch points on the horizon for a new client and highlight these in the initial stages, even if the client has not yet specified them. A transparent and honest company would bemore than happy to point these areas out, even if it means adding cost to a tender proposal. Do not be scared of considering a higher priced pitch, as ultimately it couldmean a better overall deal. The reality is that no cleaning company
will clean your premises for free. Cleaning operatives need to be paid, specialist prod- ucts purchased and time invested into maintaining a successful contract.
Avoiding thewrong path
A good cleaning contractor will inspire con- fidence by demonstrating commitment and know-how, and a facilitiesmanager will probably get a good idea of the standard of service that will be delivered when they speak in person to the team, which in- cludes the cleaning operators who will be carrying out the work on a daily basis. Fa- cilitiesmanagers should assess whether the prospective contractor really does un- derstand the company’s needs and require- ments. They should have a good appreciation of what is required, especially if they have put together the work plan pro- posal.Without a good understanding of their client’s needs the schedule is far less likely to work in practice. Look at the contractor’s track record of
success, particularly with similar contracts and buildings. All too often the procure- ment process is purely a paper-based exer- cise where, nomatter how the submission is assessed, the cheapest price often wins. It won’t be until you get the new supplier on site that you will realise if amistake has beenmade, which can prove costly. It is hard to comprehend how a six figure
annual contract can bemade without even knowing who is going to deliver it. Few peo- ple would let someone clean their house withoutmeeting themfirst, so why should a company be any different?
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www.cleaninghub.net Movingwith the times
It is also crucial to remember that times have changed and cleaning contractors work very differently nowadays. Previously, clients would want a supplier to provide the service to specification, with no roomfor flexibility to bring in new innovations or im- provements. These ‘old school’ client/supplier relation-
Carl Robinson, marketing executive for cleaning and FM specialist Nviro.
ships are fast disappearing and being re- placed bymore engagement with the supplier to achieve good practice. Remem- ber, if you want to drive a supplier to work for nothing then you should expect little or no flexibility to accommodate extra require- ments. Hidden costs invariably push up the total overall contract price.
Meaty subject
When FMspecialists talk aboutMEAT they are not referring to culinary delights, but to Most Economically Advantageous Tender. Many will interpret this tomean the ‘cheap- est’ and opt for the lowest cost in order to make savings for the company. However, there are other factors which need to be taken into account tomeet all their com- pany’s needs. Essentially, a good FMspe- cialist will factor all of a potential client’s needs into a contract and price accordingly. Extra additions can include critical varia-
tions to a contract such as biennial carpet cleaning or stripping of floors resulting in the end cost being increased, because they are outside the original specification. By interpretingMEAT tomean taking the
most inexpensive option, organisationsmay ironically be doing the opposite by choosing something on paper which looks economi- cally advantageous, but is in reality a basic package which needs expensive add-ons just to come up to themark. Also, inmany cases, the cheapest price is
often achieved by using less effective prod- ucts, not including enough supervisory time, or not enough cleaning hours. Alternatively, a suppliermay say they will deploymore hours than they actually can or intend to.
In each of these cases the reality is they all
lead to low or inconsistent cleaning stan- dards, which in turn leads to an increase in client involvement and that is the last thing any company wants. Physical working hours are expensive and so companies should do their sums. If there are lots of hours being offered in the tender at a cheap price then something does not add up. I amnot saying that the cheapest price is always inappropri- ate but be realistic when budgeting for your company’s cleaning requirements. It is good to be armed with a detailed un-
derstanding of what you should be looking for in a potential
supplier.Make sure that everything has been included such as holi- day pay, auto-enrolment costs or potential TUPE costs. You do not want any nasty sur- prises further down the line, as it is very easy to blame the supplier and not yourself. Remember, they are running a business and need tomake a profitmargin fromsome- where, whether this is transparent or hidden to the client. If costs have been omitted from the proposal it is highly likely that they will save thismoney elsewhere by cutting cor- ners where you do not want themto or by charging for additional extras, which a bona fide company would have costed outmore accurately fromthe start but with the flexi- bility to accommodate at a later date. Gauge if the contractor knows their field
adequately by asking themwhat they know about public sector regulations (eg TUPE). How can they possibly know howmuch the contract is going to cost your company if they do not know howmuch the contract costs them?
Adding value
A potential client’s evolving needs can be met by understanding their goals and aspi- rations, and helping themto achieve them by providing value added services. This can be done via a renewed focus on ‘green’ ini- tiatives, or supporting the client’s local com- munity. Themore a supplier invests in the relationship with the client (and vice versa), the better the outcomes for all involved. Obviously, every facilitiesmanager wants
value formoney, as budgets are tight and savings have to bemade, but this can be- come amajor factor when securing a new contract. Clients therefore need to ask themselves, do the numbers really add up? Does the sumquoted realistically include everything that you are likely to have to pay for over the life of the contract? Even if the client builds in a contractualmechanism limiting the extent to which the price can rise, if the cost to the supplier increases by more than that figure, they can try to find another way of recouping that difference. It is advisable to look for an open and
transparent company who will be able to work with you if your budgets are squeezed and help youmake the best decisionsmov- ing forward.Nviro has already seen this due to its numerous public sector contracts which are under substantial budgetary pres- sures. However, a trusted partner with ex- pertise in the field will assist in saving you money on the cleaning contract but in the right areas, so as not to compromise on hy- giene and safety standards.
www.nviro.co.uk
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