Agenda item

To consider a report on the performance of the three Total Facilities Management contractors, in Mid, West and East Kent, since the last review.

1.            Mr Fettes introduced the report and presented a series of slides which set out additional performance data for the Total Facilities Management contracts across Kent, which added to the summaries of performance included in the restricted part of the report. This information included the deductions made in contract payments for performance below target level, data on statutory compliance and health and safety compliance levels and the volume of call centre activity. Key points highlighted were as follows:

a)   there had been no reportable health and safety incidents so far in the contract period, a good achievement across a contract of such a size; and

b)   a campaign to encourage all staff to log calls and give feedback on service received would support good service delivery and allow longer-term service planning.

2.            Mr Fettes and Mrs Spore responded to comments and questions from Members, as follows:

a)    Mr Fettes was thanked for his honest appraisal of contract performance, which it had not been possible to obtain from data collected for previous contracts. The sanction of financial penalties for poor performance was welcomed;

b)    Mr Fettes clarified that the statutory risk assessments undertaken at premises related to issues such as gas and electrical safety certification and checking for the presence of asbestos. Mrs Spore assured Members that there had been no health and safety incidents or insurance risk to the County Council;

c)    assessment and recording of non-statutory issues, for example, of general daily functions such as cleaning and security, included planned and unplanned activity such as routine and reactive maintenance. To achieve service excellence depended on good monitoring of both statutory and non-statutory issues;

d)    Mr Cooke added that performance monitoring of the Total Facilities Management contracts had highlighted the benefits to the County Council of having engaged more than one provider, as the ability to compare the performance of the three providers would encourage each to raise their game; and

e)    the improvement in performance evidenced in the current contracts, and the related reduction in the number of payment deductions needing to be made, was welcomed. The ability to monitor performance regularly allowed increased transparency.

3.             RESOLVED that the current performance of the Total Facilities Management contractors, and the existing County Council contract governance in place to manage and monitor the performance of the Total Facilities Management contracts, be noted.