ISS commences grounds maintenance at Wealden District Council

24 June 2013

ISS Facility Services Landscaping has commenced grounds maintenance operations at Wealden District Council following award of a five-year contract, which has an option to extend for a further two years

The win will see ISS undertaking core works throughout the District including grass cutting to verges, lawn and amenity areas; weed control; pruning and maintenance of tree and shrub areas; trimming established hedges; maintenance of beds, borders and hard surface areas; and ditch maintenance.

ISS won for, among other reasons, a commitment to invest in community working and new machinery. Effective liaison with customers and customer care is fundamental to driving service improvements and enhancing lives and communities and at the centre of the operating structure will be the ISS knowledge centre. This will act as a central point for all resident service requests and issues and from which services will be effectively co-ordinated and managed using realtime data.

ISS has also committed to the introduction of a Horticultural Apprenticeship Scheme, where trainees will learn practical gardening skills and techniques and have the opportunity to work on specific projects within the District. Whilst on the programme the apprentices will work towards Level II Horticulture.

"We are excited about the prospect of working with ISS to help maintain some of the green spaces in public ownership and the investment to the service they can bring," said Wealden Cabinet member Councillor Rowena Moore. "I must take this opportunity to thank our in-house grounds maintenance team for the high standard of service they have given over many years. They are now transferring to ISS and I look forward to seeing the same high standards maintained."

Phil Jones, MD, ISS Facility Services Landscaping said: "We're delighted to have won this prestigious contract with Wealden District Council. In the current challenging climate, we've worked hard to come up with an operational solution to deliver a quality service, which all stakeholders can be proud of.

''One of our first tasks has been to invest in new machinery and tools to ensure a reliable and effective service. We'll also be adding further value by our corporate responsibility commitment, and introduction to the contract of some of our more innovative solutions such as our knowledge centre, and our performance monitoring system, which will aid earlier identification of potential operational issues, improved communication and continuous improvement."

Meanwhile, the maintenance division of Manchester-based property investment company, the Mistoria Group, has announced the details of a recently secured out-of-hours emergency maintenance contract with a Manchester lettings firm. City Centre based company, JP Hay Lettings, has tasked Mistoria Maintenance with managing the requirements of more than 100 properties, with out-of-hours emergencies comprising anything from electrical failures to gas leaks, lockouts and burglaries.

With a dedicated team in place at all times to manage the call-outs, Mistoria Maintenance is to consider its service as filling a gap in the market. "Answering out-of-hours emergencies isn't a service many are eager to provide owing to the nature of the timing," said senior operations manager at Mistoria Maintenance, Caasim Kaaba.

"Essentially, many of these predicaments do occur during the night but our team is happy to respond and find a solution. We are, of course, delighted to have secured this contract with JP Hay Lettings and are continuing to increase the number of landlords for whom we can provide this level of service."

Commenting on the contract, Sam Hay, owner of JP Hay Lettings said: "Mistoria Maintenance had undertaken a small number of jobs for us prior to being offered the contract and we'd found them extremely professional. Cassim ensures all work is completed to a high standard and communicates well with the tenants.

''He keeps us informed of progress at all times. This is important because we can then relay that information back to the landlords. All work is guaranteed for a 12-month period and most importantly, Mistoria Maintenance has relieved our employees of the pressure associated with answering out of hours emergency call outs."

Inviron Technical Facilities Management has been awarded a two-year extension to its contract with Airbus UK at its main UK sites: Filton, in Bristol, and Broughton, in North Wales. Inviron is responsible for the planned preventative and reactive maintenance of Airbus UK's mechanical and electrical systems, including airfield maintenance, high and low voltage services plus building and fabric infrastructure.

Tom McGuinness, general manager, Inviron, said: "We're delighted to have been awarded this contract extension, which builds upon our successful partnership with Airbus UK. They can be assured that our teams will continue to provide a first-class service."