The Tender
Ideal were awarded a contract to provide General Cleaning, following an open public tender process. As well as the Window Cleaning and Deep Cleaning Services to Advance Housing. For over 40 years; Advance have been assisting people with health issues, disabilities, and learning disabilities to live independently in the community. The provision of accommodation to rent, buy or share has been their activity and the provision now covers the Country.
Ideal made good use of the long lead in time. Also, we reviewed service levels and pricing on all sites, even though we were not contractually obliged to do so. Then ensured we provided a good cost for our services.
Our contract with Advance commenced in April 2014 and covers general Cleaning Services across a large geographic area. It encompassed Greater London, Kent, Essex, Staffordshire, Hampshire, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Somerset and Cornwall. As well as Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire in the midlands. All works are coordinated centrally and delivered locally from our Regional Offices; either by static on-site cleaners or by fully equipped mobile cleaning teams to pre-determined schedules. Window Cleaning is delivered by carefully selected Sub-contractors, with the service controlled and managed centrally by Ideal.
The majority of social housing contract are for the delivery of services to communal areas. The special requirements of the Advance contract requires staff to perform their duties in the tenant’s living spaces. Duties performed in living areas include cleaning of bathrooms, toilets and kitchens. Our staff will therefore come into contact with tenants and must be able to interact appropriately with them.
Our Service
All Ideal staff working on the Advance contract have been enhanced DBS cleared and all have undergone training in Safeguarding vulnerable groups, conflict resolution and maintenance of professional boundaries.
Our Regional Managers and Area Supervisors oversee the delivery of the services and provide support and guidance to the on-site and Mobile cleaning teams. They ensure tasks are carried out with due regard for Health and Safety and environmental concerns and audit the achieved performance confirming the work is being carried out to the agreed standards and in line with the relevant SLAs and KPIs. Every area is audited at least monthly with the results being transmitted back to the client as part of our monthly management reports. To ensure commonality of approach both companies ensure audits are also carried out jointly.
Ideal operates a dedicated Telephone and E-mail Help desk for the Advance contract which acts as a central communications hub for the Client, residents, Ideal’s Management Team, Supervisors and on site and mobile Cleaning Operatives.
In 2016 an additional tranche of 75 sites in Oxfordshire were awarded to Ideal at short notice following the failure of a previous supplier. Ideal were also requested to provide a programme of Legionella Control works involving the routine disinfection of communal shower heads, across all sites requiring such a service.
“This contract was recently re-tendered. Ideal retained the Lots previously held and were awarded a further large Lot in the Leicestershire area. The new contract commenced on the 1st April 2019”.
To visit Advance Housing and Supports website please use the following link: www.advanceuk.org
