3 Tips for Getting Consistent Nationwide Asset Washing
3 Tips For Getting Consistent Nationwide Asset Washing
Many organisations have a nationwide contract for conducting regular washing of their assets. However, often the results are not the consistent service they think they are getting when selecting their supplier…and often they are not a nationwide supplier at all, despite their assertions.
Getting consistency is not difficult, but it is a process. The following 3 tips will help you with your existing contractors to ensure your goals, and their delivery start to align.
Tip 1. Set Communication Expectations
Organisations often report that their contractors are late, or aren’t on site when they said they would be. Yes, a lot of the problem is a far too relaxed contractor – but there are small things you can insist on to increase the chance of a happy working relationship carrying forward.
Over-communication is the secret recipe for success in nationwide washing contracts. You simply advise your contractor that they are to communicate with you using the following 4 common reports used in the industry –
· Daily 5x5 safety report (including photos)
· Weekly progress report
· Project completion sign off report (incl. images)
· Sign off rating (1-10 scale)
Reporting like this isn’t something you just do when things are going well or there’s some news to share. Regular and reliable reporting to all concerned parties is vital to the success of the project. Set out a simple schedule of what info and how often you require it, then hold the contractors accountable for maintaining it.
Tip 2. Request Proof of Any Safety Claims
All contractors will advise that safety is their highest priority. It’s been the favourite buzz word in the industry since the early 2000’s, so beware - you can’t just take it as a given that a contractor will have it sorted. Likewise does the mention of one of the dozens of pre-qualification websites, apps and services out there protect you (Like the old joke, how do you tell a rare wine? Look for one without an award or medal!).
The best method currently is to use what we call the Mobil Contractor Checklist. Note this checklist is not endorsed by ExxonMobil, rather it’s a checklist we designed after recent experience with a Mobil contract that we’re happy to share.
The checklist attached here is very different to others you may have used for one reason – it requires that contractors actually prove their claims. Documentation & paperwork is simple to get right, and any company operating to the required standard will have zero problems providing it. Implementation, however, is difficult and where many nationwide companies struggle to get consistency.
Click here to download the checklist.
Tip 3. Auditing
Many property or asset managers will report that their washing contractor is doing a great job for them. When asked further, they say that that they simply have heard no complaints, so it must be all good. If this is your situation, then having a simple audit process for H&S and Quality will confirm this for you by backing it up with evidence.
We’re all human, and even the very best tradespeople can become complacent and lower their standard over time. The purpose of regular auditing is to ensure this doesn’t happen.
A typical auditing template used in the industry is as attached, covering things such as site inductions, QA, communication and incident reporting. There are a few ways you can manage this but it’s simple to setup a process of random spot checks to independently verify the safety, quality and other factors are up to standard.
