Reassessing Custodial Contracts

The onsite Supervisor is the key person to conduct any Retuning of the contract.  Although we have already touched on the reasons for retuning, the most important one is to protect margins so that the customer is getting best value while the BSC is making as much profit possible.  

Over time, most contracts change and there is slippage in the hours as well as outcomes.  It may be a structural such as remodeling which can result in different floor plans or it can be an increase in tenant staffing resulting in more trash and more soils to clean.  A dense, highly used area may have become a conference room with low usage.  Some rest rooms may have triple the traffic of others requiring policing and deep cleaning more often.  

Retuning challenges the onsite Supervisor to take a fresh look at every worker, every run, every task and yes, every square foot that is being serviced.  It may be that a worker has become bored or stale in the same repetitive job.  It may be that one worker is simply faster than most others and finishes early with nothing to do.  It may be that the workload has become imbalanced and simply needs adjusting.  Whatever needs retuning, the Supervisor must be able to identify and fix such issues to the benefit of the BSC and the customer.

As the onsite Supervisor conducts time studies and compares the results to minimum requirements, he/she may identify a faster, better way to fulfilling the contract.  Oftentimes this requires reassigning workers and perhaps even retraining them.  Once the retuning has been completed, the total hours and results should be compared to verify that the changes actually accomplished the intended goals.

Retuning can not only reinvigorate the contract but allow the BSC to identify weaknesses and processes that were negatively impacting the bottom line.  Such tasks are why Supervisors are so important to the success of any contract.  

Your comments and questions are always welcome.  I hope to hear from you soon.  Until then, keep it clean…

Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678.314.2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net.