SELECTING BEST VALUE DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN CHEAP
British Cleaning Council Deputy Chair Paul Thrupp reflects on a guide published by the EFCI & UNI Europa to assist both public and private organisations in purchasing quality cleaning services.
A few months ago myself, other BCC colleagues, contract cleaning associations, clients and trade unions from across Europe were invited to the launch of the ‘Selecting Best Value Guide’ in Brussels.
Supported by funding from the European Commission, the guide had been developed by a contract cleaning umbrella organisation the European Federation of Cleaning Industries (EFCI) and UNI Europa, the umbrella body for trade unions.
The aim of the document is to assist procurement teams when reviewing tenders to choose the best suppliers based on the overall quality of product, service and delivery, rather than simply focusing in on price. It also includes a useful interactive tool which enables procurement teams to understand their cleaning requirements, and score each section against the importance criteria they identify.
In my opinion it’s a good piece of work and that as a sector we should embrace the framework and guidelines it sets out. We should also take every opportunity to encourage current (and prospective) clients to adopt the methodology and evaluation tools when they themselves are involved in procurement.
Why? Well, we can all cite numerous examples when contracts have been lost due to the client simply focusing in on the price rather than the whole proposal. Someday I hope the penny will finally drop that the total price quoted is often inextricably linked to staff numbers, working hours, pay rates and terms and conditions.
Generally, margins within contract cleaning and similar industries are low, and costs for machinery and equipment are only a small part of the
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The Selecting Best Value Guide is a real asset to our sector, and I urge all to seek out a copy and find some time to go through it. After all, many of you reading this play a major part in influencing thousands of procurement teams across the UK and beyond, and you can help ensure that services procured are absolutely aimed at achieving a best quality cleaning provision for all stakeholders, including of course our front-line teams.
If you think it’s expensive
to hire a professional, wait until you hire an amateur.
charge. Labour and related costs make up the largest part of any cleaning contract proposal, and it’s important that we consider this.
As the guide highlights, to procure effectively, buyers must consider all factors when selecting a contract, including both the financial standing and the technical and professional ability of an organisation. Just as important are the management and support structures for the contract, and the pay rates and general terms and conditions for staff.
Furthermore, training plays an important role in a successful contract, so what element of cost is assigned to this area? If the training cost is low, how serious are the company about investing time in developing their teams to achieve a great quality? It’s simple to work out per person how much will be invested in this vital part of the delivery model.
It’s obvious that by procuring a quality professional service the client are fulfilling their legal obligations in terms of providing a sustainable, safe and hygienic premises, as well as extending the life of their building.
We also need to support the whole concept of Best Value by not submitting cheap proposals ourselves, ensuring that correct costs are allocated to supporting a quality service delivery.
If we ignore this it will result in margins going down together with staff being neglected by not supporting their development or core skill competencies. Meanwhile management and supervisory teams will run themselves ragged – which all adds up to an unhappy customer who will continually have problems with the cleanliness and hygiene of their premises.
To help promote and embed the principles of the Selecting Best Value Guide throughout the sector, the British Cleaning Council are planning to facilitate a series of workshops across the UK. Check our website, Facebook page or Twitter feed (@BritishCleaning) for details later in the year.
If you are interested in reading the guide before then, you can download it
fromwww.cleaningbestvalue.eu.
www.britishcleaningcouncil.org
twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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