A New Way to Provide Hard FM Excellence

Delivering Hard FM services through a single ‘generalist’ supplier is a common supply chain strategy, but that is not to say it is always fit for purpose. Partially completed planned maintenance programmes, a mounting backlog of reactive maintenance tickets and an alarming increase in the overall risk profile of the estate were persistent issues that plagued Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL)’s decision to outsource all Hard FM maintenance to a sole service provider.

Having experienced a repeated pattern of contractual underperformance, Quality Trusted Solutions (QTS) – a wholly-owned subsidiary responsible for the CNWL estates portfolio, saw that it was time to devise a lasting solution.

QTS engaged Hatching Ideas, a specialist provider of people and organisational development services, to support the design of a new kind of delivery model, one that would enable direct access to the best specialist engineering capabilities on the market – and bring about a greater degree of operational control.

QTS have established effective working relationships with a suite of service partners – each dedicated to the type of systems maintenance that formed their core business, whether it be Fire Safety, Water Hygiene, Electrical Compliance etc. Moving away from the traditional client/supplier hierarchy and towards a more collaborative partnership was essential.

This transformation project did not just involve supply chain and procurement – it also required a fundamental overhaul of people, processes and the technologies the Hard FM team would need to succeed in a more complex operational environment to improve delivery outcomes.

This presentation will be co-presented by Gill Stafford, CEO of QTS, and Rebecca Bridger, CEO of Hatching Ideas. They will cover their experiences of the programme which transformed the Trust’s ability to deliver Hard FM services whilst ensuring that staff felt engaged with, and empowered by, the change.