CHANGE OF EMAIL ADDRESS
Please be aware that the gensec@abcdsp.org email address is no longer in use. For details of the new email addresses to use please go to our contact page.
ABCD Celebrates 30 Years With Awards, AGM And Lunch At Houses Of Parliament Hosted By Jim Fitzpatrick MP
British Cleaning Council member The Association of Building Cleaning DSPs (ABCD) – the membership association for managers of local authority cleaning and support services and their suppliers – recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with a special celebratory event at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London.
The event was also used by the ABCD to announce the 2019 winners of its Cleaning Teams of the Year awards, and to hold its 2019 Annual General Meeting.
Jim Fitzpatrick – MP for Poplar and Limehouse – was the ABCD’s host for the day and he led an entertaining and insightful tour of the House of Commons before joining ABCD members, award finalists, award judges and award sponsors for lunch.
Mr Fitzpatrick also took the opportunity to speak about the value of public cleaning and the important role which the ABCD plays before helping the present the ABCD annual awards which were divided into two categories.
First was the ABCD 30th Anniversary Award for Innovations to deal with Austerity in Local Authorities, sponsored by The British Cleaning Council, which went to Telford and Wrekin Council. Rotherham and Shropshire Councils were Highly Commended.
The judges said of Telford and Wrekin’s entry that in the face of budget cuts and increased competition they were constantly striving to do more with less and, through creativity and innovation, were successfully winning new clients and boosting their revenue.
The judges concluded by saying that Telford and Wrekin “…demonstrated that they are not afraid to think out of the box, and we would recommend to all ABCD members who are looking at how they can improve the services they offer to clients go an talk to Telford and Wrekin.”
The second award was for the ABCD Cleaning Team of the Year and was sponsored by Denis Rawlins Ltd.
This was won by Nottinghamshire County Council’s mobile cleaning unit, with Shropshire County Council and St Helen’s Council both highly commended.
On awarding the trophy to Nottinghamshire the judges said: “This team is called upon for backup when cleaning in schools and other establishments becomes a problem. Covering up to 60 buildings, they provide the service in a seamless way that minimises disruption. They fit into the existing cleaning teams, and then move on when the issues are resolved. They really are the A Team and provide a service that most other councils could learn from.”
Kim Phillips from the ABCD, who is also a British Cleaning Council member, said: “The standard of entries this year were once again of the highest quality and demonstrates how the public sector teams often go the extra mile when it comes to cleaning our shared spaces and our public realm. All the winners and highly commended entrants should feel very proud.
“I would also like to thank our judges and sponsors for their time and support, and Jim Fitzpatrick for being a wonderful host for the day and for being a true champion for what we stand for as an organisation.”
Simon Hollingbery from the British Cleaning Council said: “The BCC was very happy to sponsor the ABCD’s Innovation Award as it is new ideas and fresh approaches to tackling the challenges of modern day public sector cleaning, competitive procurement frameworks and deepening council cuts which drive improvements and raise standards.
“It’s also fantastic to have Jim Fitzpatrick so closely involved with the commercial cleaning industry.
“He is a passionate supporter of the sector and has regularly spoken out on key topics such as litter and waste, the Living Wage and the importance of training and skills, which are all vitally important to the BCC and its members.”
James White, Managing Director of Denis Rawlins Ltd said: “We are proud to continue our long association with the ABCD and were delighted to sponsor the Cleaning Team of The Year for the fourth year in succession.
“Further, everyone involved in these awards deserves recognition for their achievements, and it was great that we were able to celebrate their work in a place as significant as the Palace of Westminster and in the presence of someone as respected and committed to public service as Jim Fitzpatrick.”
Dates for the ABCD Diary 2019
There’s another busy year in store for the ABCD. Here are the key dates for your diary:
Deadlines for entries to be received for the Innovations Awards, and the Team of the Year Awards – February 15th
The Cleaning Show, Excel in London – March 19th to 21st
ABCD Branch Meeting at YPO in Wakefield – 29th March
ABCD NEC meeting– 4th April
Annual General Meeting and Awards Presentations at the House of Commons in London – 16th May
ABCD Branch meeting at YPO in Wakefield – 19th July
ABCD NEC meeting – 24th July
ABCD Branch meeting at YPO in Wakefield – 4th October
ABCD NEC meeting – 19th Nov
ABCD and Denis Rawlins – Cleaning Team of the Year Award 2019
Thanks to the continuing support and sponsorship of Denis Rawlins Ltd, the Association of Direct Service Providers (ABCD) is able to announce the award of Cleaning Team of the Year (CTY) 2019
We want to see as many ABCD members as possible take part in the award, and the winners will be announced at our AGM on May 16th 2019 in the House of Commons where we will celebrate our 30th Anniversary with a luncheon hosted by Jim Fitzpatrick MP.
The award will recognise and promote team achievement and provide an invaluable opportunity for information to be shared with other Councils, recognising the hard work and dedication involved in delivering much needed and valuable services to communities.
The award is open to all Local Authority members of the ABCD
How to Enter
Councils in membership of the ABCD as at April 2019 are eligible to submit an application for this award. Each application needs to be based around a 1000 word response. Authorities may enter a maximum of two submission only.
Please follow the guidelines as stated;
- A one page Executive Summary
- Background to the service provided
- Evidence of improvements achieved and challenges overcome
- How the initiative links to your own wider Council objectives
- Your targets for the future and the framework within which they operate
Also included in the 1000 word submission can be supplementary information such as a short biography of the team/employees involved (with digital/scanned photographs added to the body of the submission)
The submissions for Cleaning Team of the Year should show in all cases that the team as well as the points outlined above: –
- Deliver the best service possible
- Deliver in the spirit of continuous improvement
- Work as a team with other services and partners
Generally, successful submissions will: –
- Be clear, easy to read and well laid out
- Focus on content (pictures etc. can be used but content is paramount)
- Contain relevant, succinct appendices, e.g. from partners or customers
- Include an Executive Summary
And most of all, don’t forget the basics. The judges will be looking for clear evidence that your team meets the above criteria and examples of excellence and targets exceeded to select the winning entries. They will also take into account, any visible benchmarks of achievement such as independent auditor’s reports, achievement of IIP or ISO 9001 etc. Finally, the winning team should be able to demonstrate evidence of excellence in continually working to challenge internal/external benchmarks.
Presentation of Awards
Presentation of all the Award categories will be made at the ABCD Annual General Meeting in the House of Commons on May 16th 2019 as part of our 30th Anniversary celebrations
Do you think that your team fits the bill?
If so, make your submission by February 15th 2019
Finalists will be visited during March 2019
ABCD 30th Anniversary Awards
Thanks to the sponsorship support of the British Cleaning Council, the Association of Direct Service Providers is able to announce a special 30th Anniversary Award for Innovations in Dealing with Austerity Measures 2019 (IDAM)
We want to see as many ABCD members as possible take part in the award, and the winners will be announced at our AGM on May 16th 2019 in the House of Commons where we will celebrate our 30th Anniversary with a luncheon hosted by Jim Fitzpatrick MP.
The award will recognise and promote the innovative ways in which Local Authority Cleaning Departments have faced the challenges of Austerity during the period 2015-2019 and provide an invaluable opportunity for information to be shared with other Councils, recognising the hard work and dedication involved in delivering much needed quality services to communities.
The award is open to all Local Authority members of the ABCD
How to Enter
Councils in membership of the ABCD as at April 2019 are eligible to submit an application for this award. Each application needs to be based around a 1000-word response. Authorities may enter a maximum of two submission only.
Please follow the guidelines as stated;
- A one-page Executive Summary
- Background to the service provided
- Evidence of improvements achieved and challenges overcome
- How the initiative links to your own wider Council objectives
- Your targets for the future and the framework within which they operate
The submissions for the Innovations Award should show in all cases that the Cleaning Services department or section has faced the challenges of Austerity Measures in new and innovative ways which continue to deliver a quality service, as well as the points outlined above: –
- Deliver the best service possible
- Deliver in the spirit of continuous improvement
- Work as a team with other services and partners
Generally, successful submissions will: –
- Be clear, easy to read and well laid out
- Focus on content (pictures etc. can be used but content is paramount)
- Contain relevant, succinct appendices, e.g. from partners or customers
- Include an Executive Summary
And most of all, don’t forget the basics. The judges will be looking for clear evidence that your department meets the above criteria and examples of excellence and targets exceeded to select the winning entries. They will also take into account, any visible benchmarks of achievement such as independent auditor’s reports, achievement of IIP or ISO 9001 etc. Finally, the winning team should be able to demonstrate evidence of excellence in continually working to challenge internal/external benchmarks.
Presentation of Awards
Presentation of all the Award categories will be made at the ABCD Annual General Meeting in the House of Commons on May 16th 2019 as part of our 30th Anniversary celebrations
Do you think that your Innovations fit the bill?
If so, make your submission by February 15th 2019
Finalists will be visited during March 2019
Great news for the ABCD 30th Anniversary
Next year (2019) is the 30th anniversary of the ABCD, and we’re delighted to announce that to mark this special occasion, our AGM and Team of the Year Presentations will be held in the Houses of Parliament.
The Cleaning Industry Parliamentary Supporter, Jim Fitzpatrick will host a luncheon for us in a House of Commons Dining Room on May 18th 2019, and will invite the Local Government Minister (whoever that will be at the time) to join us for this auspicious event. This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to go to the place where all the decisions affecting Council work are ultimately determined.
We’re currently exploring sponsorship opportunities so that we can make this as affordable as possible for our members to attend, and the room size restricts us to 50 places.
Please pencil the date in your diaries and we’ll keep you informed of when tickets become available.
Bolton Win Cleaning Team of the Year Award at Manchester Cleaning Show
Bolton Council has been chosen has the ABCD Cleaning Team of the Year, emerging as winners from a very competitive field of runners.
The award, sponsored by ABCD and Denis Rawlins, is now in its second year, and the judges said Bolton showed ‘exceptional standards’ and were worthy winners.
The ceremony took place during the Manchester Cleaning Show and representatives from Bolton’s cleaning team were on hand to receive the award from sponsor James White.
There were awards also for Middlesbrough – Levick Court and Doncaster – Hill Top Primary
Bolton have merged catering and cleaning services to create a joint facilities service rather than risk losing cleaning, a non-statutory service. The outcome has seen processes used in catering introduced into cleaning services, creating better communication and resources for the 240-direct staff that are often lone workers. Results are significant quality improvements in delivery, new contracts, more staff engagement, and a positive new culture. The team were found to be very positive, keen to learn and extremely up beat.
The small team at Levick Court clean a residential home with residents that can be demanding and difficult. The facility is impeccably clean, and the team have amazing rapport with the residents, often seeming to be in the role of career as well as cleaning. This team go way beyond what would normally be expected.
Judges found there was a really great team at Hill Top Primary. The school looks very clean and the team are often praised for their flexibility and their ability to return a very clean school even under the most trying conditions, an example being last summer when the builders where in for most of the holiday period, yet the school opened up, after the summer holiday, looking fresh and in perfect cleanliness. As well as all staff being BICS certified, Hill Top was first Local Authority team to be ISSA CIMS accredited.
Elaine Bridge, from the senior management team at Bolton said: “Our cleaning team at Bolton Council are thrilled with this award and we are celebrating and sharing our success. It is especially valuable to recognise success and achievement during the challenges of austerity and when we need to transform and re-engineer traditional services. It is a combined effort which starts with our 250 direct cleaners who are the real heroes.”
James White, of award sponsors Denis Rawlins Ltd, said: “As, always this has been a humbling experience, I am always amazed by the people I meet and the stories they have to tell. Whilst there can only be one winner, all those recognised here are examples of the level of dedication and professionalism of ABCD members across the country. We should be proud of the work done by our member’s day in, day out, as they are, often unrecognized, the first line of defense for the health of our children.”
ABCD Ready for the Cleaning Show 2018
Why We Will be at The Cleaning Show
Patricia Wherton, Executive General Secretary
Local Authority and supplier members of the ABCD will be at the Manchester Cleaning Show on April 11th and 12th and you can come and meet us on the British Cleaning Council stand.
We’re taking advantage of the show to present our Cleaning Team of the Year Award, sponsored for the second year by Denis Rawlins Ltd, one of our supplier members. We’ve had some excellent entries to the competition, which was won last year by Rochdale Council for their innovative ways of dealing with increased business at the splendid Victorian Town Hall in the town.
The Cleaning Show this year also gives us the opportunity to have our Annual General Meeting at lunch time on April 12th, and to combine it with a visit to the exhibition so that members can come along and meet their current suppliers, and possibly some new ones as well.
The ABCD was established in 1989 in direct response to the introduction of Compulsive Competitive Tendering. How many readers are old enough and have been around long enough to remember that?
For the first time, local authorities had competition from the private sector in bidding to provide the cleaning services within their Council boundaries, and for local authority managers, this was a new and untested challenge which brought them together in deciding how to deal with it. Hence the ABCD was born.
In the almost thirty years since then, many more challenges have faced local authority cleaning services, and more recently these have come from several years for austerity measures following the 2008 financial crisis when many Councils contracted their services out in cost saving exercises as a strategy to deal with the squeeze on public spending. Also, the introduction of Academy status for schools, which has resulted in many deciding to either contract out or employ their own cleaning staff, and not use the services of the Councils any more has had an impact.
And yet the ABCD goes on. There are still enough local councils who have retained the business of cleaning to ensure that peer support for managers and provided through the ABCD remains an important feature, and enough suppliers who recognise that this inroad to direct service providers is a valuable relationship to have. We’re very grateful for their contribution.
So come along and meet us on April 11th and 12th in Manchester on the British Cleaning Council Stand.
European Federation of Cleaning Industries Produces Video to Accompany ‘Best Value’ Guide
The guide has been developed by the European Federation of Cleaning Industries (EFCI) and UNI Europa with the financial support of the European Commission and aims to assist buyers in their tendering process by highlighting the benefits of choosing quality services.
The guide aims to encourage contracting organisations to base their selection procedures on the economically most advantageous offer, rather than the lowest price tender.
It is easy to use, with sections independent of one another and the executive summaries at their beginning provide an overview of each one.