Case Study

Hertfordshire County Council

The Benefits

  • We deliver consistent cleaning services to a diverse and widespread portfolio of Council services through site-specific training, mutual support among the team, and a Mobile Supervisor supporting best practice.
  • Having a supportive, motivated team helps us to recruit and retain staff, even in areas where this can be challenging. To help the Council deliver good value, we introduced the Mobile Supervisor at no extra charge. Plus, they sometimes coordinate complimentary services such as deep cleans of carpets in libraries where stories are read to children.
  • We helped important Council services remain available for local people throughout the pandemic.
  • We introduced a more sustainable chemical-free solution wherever possible, radically reducing the carbon footprint generated by chemicals, packaging and transportation. Over 20 years, we have developed a strong relationship of trust, mutual respect and flexibility between our team and the Council that has grown with the benefit of time and experience.

The Challenge

To deliver a standardised quality of service across a wide variety of sites and locations. This diverse portfolio includes public libraries, day centres, care centres, youth centres, adoption centres, fire stations and workshops for community learning. Robust staff absence cover is also essential, especially at short notice.

We must recruit and retain skilled and committed staff, especially in areas of the region where staffing is most difficult.

Our service must demonstrate a commitment to sustainability wherever possible.

The Solution

We equipped our team with site-specific skills to match the Council’s diverse estate. Our staff training is accredited by the British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc). A care home requires a clinical style level of cleaning and hygiene, whereas in a fire station, we strike a balance between offices and team rooms, compared with more industrial areas for appliances and other equipment.

We have provided site-based staff with a Mobile Supervisor to keep our service responsive and resilient throughout the region. The Mobile Supervisor coordinates deep cleans, as well as regular quality audits, with the outcomes discussed at monthly meetings with the Council. Our staff also cover each other’s holiday or sick absences, as a self-supporting and flexible local network. To help keep public services running throughout the pandemic, we introduced a day janitor to maintain hygiene levels through touchpoint cleaning and antibacterial fogging.

To support sustainability across the estate, we introduced Toucan chemical free cleaning, that lets you make your own multi-surface disinfectant cleaner from just water, salt and electricity that kills up to 99.99% of germs. It’s safe and environmentally-friendly, and replaces 80% of chemical cleaners and the single use plastic bottles they are supplied in, eliminating the need for supply chain, with its packaging and carbon consumption.

These solutions are underpinned by contract leadership and relationship management, from two local Contract Managers and a Regional Manager for Hertfordshire, as well as the Mobile Supervisor.