Full Internal and External Builders Cleaning Contract – Overbury PLC
Microsoft Campus, Thames Valley Park, Reading
Location
Overbury PLC
Customer
2 months
Duration
Our client for this project was Overbury, the UK’s leading fit out specialists. Overbury is part of Morgan Sindall Group, which is a publicly traded company with a turnover of £3bn for 2020. Overbury engages in the design, build, fit out and refurbishment of offices and higher education facilities around the UK. Some of their clients include HM Revenue & Customs, King’s College London, The University of Warwick, Deloitte, PWC, Good Year, ING and BBC.
Overbury had the task to completely strip out and transform Building 4 in Thames Valley Park, Reading, which was the UK Headquarters of Microsoft. The building was bought in a £100m deal from the London based real investment manager Valesco group and AIP Asset Management, a company based in Seoul, South Korea.
Our company was contracted to deliver a full internal and external post renovation cleaning, which included:
- NCleaning of windows and frames - internal and external
- NCleaning of office space and bathrooms - floors, walls and ceiling
- NDOFF steam cleaning of cladding and exteriorwalls and ceiling
- NDOFF steam cleaning of stone slabs
Describe the process of evaluation and preparation of the quote
Before sending a formal proposal to our clients, we ensured that we have the resources to deliver the project up to the agreed standards and snag free.
One of our project managers firstly met with the client to better understand their requirements and standards. He then created a detailed plan for the provision of the service. The plan included but not limited to: number of people employed including operatives and supervisors, access hours, breakdown of labour hours, materials and equipment to be used.
Titan Cleaners also specified what procedures will be used for the delivery of each service. We then estimated the cost for all the services, and we provided a formal quote to our client.
Describe the process of setting up the work, finding the labour, equipment, etc.
Before commencing work on site, our project manager created site specific Risk Assessment and Method Statement (RAMS). The RAMS include the hazards of the site, the risks of specific tasks, and the procedures that our employees must follow to ensure a safe delivery of the service. These was communicated and agreed with the Overbury PLC.
We would then familiarise all of the operatives involved in this project with the RAMS and ask them to sign. This would ensure people on site and random pedestrians are protected, and the number of accidents and near-misses is minimised.
We also hire additional temporary operatives through one of our partner recruitment agencies. We provided the requirements and the job specification, and they promptly found a suitable operative for us. It is part of our culture to formally interview all employees and subcontractors, to check their criminal record, and to inquire about references.
For the external cleaning of the building, we had to use access equipment. We called a site surveyor to advise on the most suitable machines for the job as there were obstacles on some of the sides. Also, before working with the DOFF steam cleaning equipment we invited a person from the hire company to inspect the cladding of the building and to recommend the most efficient cleaning method.
Organising this before the start date, helped us to efficiently plan and minimise delays.
Once we had the right number of operatives and suitable equipment at hand, we finally instructed everyone and started work on site.
Steps we undertook in the process of planning and engaging. How we conduct inspections, reports, regular checks and feedback to customers
To ensure that our promise is constantly delivered and the requirements of the Overbury PLC are met, for this project we involved:
– 1 contracts manager (reporting to company director and customer)
– 1 site supervisor (reporting to contracts manager)
– 12 site operatives (reporting to site supervisor and contracts manager)
Our project manager would continuously communicate with the site manager, so that every requirement, issue, or emergency is addressed. Our project manager would also be responsible for ensuring that the appropriate cleaning methods are implemented by all operatives across all floors. Regular on-site inspections helped to ensure that the performance of the operatives satisfied the customer expectations and standards. The project manager would examine each aspect of the work of our operatives by checking against a set of Key Performance Indicators. The reports were then presented to our client.
Titan Cleaners also appointed a site supervisor who would implement, control, and improve the cleaning procedures and processes so that the standards are met. They were also responsible for ensuring that operatives always have the necessary materials, substances, and equipment to deliver the service. The site supervisor would regularly liaise with the contract manager to discuss the appearance, attitude, and performance of our operatives. Moreover, they will suggest innovative methods for improving the quality of the service and adding value to our customers.
Our directors, managers, and supervisors organise weekly team meetings, where our company’s operations, targets, and procedures are discussed, and the appropriate action plans are established. We strongly believe that this part of our culture, facilitates a better delivery of our services, increased standards in the industry, and increased customer satisfaction. We think that the successful completion of this project is another proof.
List challenges (i.e. access, additional equipment and training, using agencies when we need additional labour, etc) and how we handle these
We are extremely busy during this time of the year, and we had to respond to a large number of requests for one-off jobs. A great proportion of them were from the estate agencies that we regularly work with as preferred suppliers. A substantial part of the requests was also from the University of Reading for the cleaning of student accommodations. So, we had to promptly react and recruit additional team members both CSCS certified and experienced in the deep cleaning of properties up to a high standard. Furthermore, we had to organise our existing operatives, so that we timely respond to new inquiries without compromising on deadlines, standards, and our promise to Overbury PLC.
Furthermore, some of our existing employees had to obtain CSCS and IPAF certification. It took a great effort for them to prepare and pass the exams, given the short notice. However, all employees obtained the required certificates. In addition, we trained and certified a few of our operatives to use the DOFF steam cleaning equipment, so that we can meet the deadline of the project.
Another challenge that we faced was the restricted access to the building. There were excavations and workers around and we had to plan for and perform the external cleaning of the cladding and the windows. With the help of a qualified surveyor, we were able to hire the suitable Mobile Elevating Work Platforms and complete the job without complications.
And lastly, due to the adverse weather conditions, we had to amend the agreed schedule with Overbury PLC and with a few of our clients.
In conclusion, even though we faced numerous challenges we managed to deliver a high-quality service, which was snag free and brought about ultimate satisfaction to the main contractor (Overbury PLC) and their clients.