What To Look For In A Facilities Maintenance Supplier

May 11th, 2016 - by Blueshark Design

The major benefit of using a facilities maintenance supplier is that instead of having to deal with plumbers, electricians, cleaners and a dozen other trades, you have one point of contact for reporting a problem. But there are some things to watch out for.

First – liability insurance. Many organisations, both public and private, insist on certain levels of public liability insurance for contractors. You should look for at least £5 million. £10 million is better.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks can be extremely important if your premises are used at any time by children or vulnerable persons. Look for a company that can supply DBS checked maintenance people.

Quality control and communication really matter. You don’t want to have to chase people up; it uses far less of your time if the maintenance company makes a courtesy call to ensure you’re happy with the job, and immediately offers to rectify things if you have any niggles.

Take a look at the company’s fleet. It’s not a good sign if this consists of a bunch of repainted vans, or worse, hire vehicles. Apart from anything else, if you have an emergency maintenance requirement, you don’t want to hear that the heating engineer is on the hard shoulder of the M25 waiting for a recovery vehicle. Look for newish vehicles, with a company livery.

National Coverage

If you are a national organisation, it’s no good getting someone who is largely regionally based, and for whom you are an outlier. Look too, for a company that offers an end-to-end service. For example, you may need both maintenance and cleaning – it’s far easier with a firm who can supply both.

UK Commercial Group can supply a managed facilities maintenance supplier across a range of trades and can be used to deal with emergencies. The faster you can get back to “Business as Usual” the better for your organisation.

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