As featured in Public Sector Building magazine and FM World /March 2013
Airmec wins the day with Welsh
authorities
Asset register and new inspection regime to reveal opportunities to reduce risk and costs of essential air services
Essential air and water services provider Airmec has been awarded a local authority contract to manage inspection and cleaning of kitchen canopies and associated fans and ductwork facilities at schools and social and care centres across the Vale of Glamorgan and Swansea.
The Airmec tender won the day because it looked beyond a simple replication of the service levels delivered by past providers, and will create for the authority a complete asset register, enabling council managers to predict, plan and budget for maintenance and remedial work more accurately, as well as to develop an understanding of the actual, rather than assumed cleaning requirements, across the a total of more than 120 sites for the two authorities. The City and County of Swansea and the Vale of Glamorgan Country Borough Council l are both members of the Welsh Purchasing Consortium.
While Airmec will initially work to the existing annual inspection and cleaning regimes, ensuring there is no break in service, it’s approach is to seek from day 1 to find opportunities for improvements. So the firm will also undertake interim grease checks for independent analysis. This will enable it to assess the rate of build-up site by site and construct a true picture of the cleaning requirements. Cleaning intervals and inspections will then be adjusted accordingly site-by-site. “Some sites may need more frequent cleaning, some may be suitable for longer cleaning intervals. Getting it right will maximise safety and minimise costs, but until you have measured the actual rate of grease build up, you cannot deliver these benefits. “said Airmec managing director Andrew Steel.
The Airmec approach is in line with its overall philosophy of providing turnkey project management services for its customers, and turning the obligation to undertake routine inspection and cleaning work into an opportunity to develop and improve the quality of service, manage risk better and identify new opportunities.
The two contracts are for three (Swansea) and four (Glamorgan) years with options to extend. Consequently Airmec has invested significant time on detailed site surveys on all premises to create an asset register that will provide a platform for project management and give the Authorities a permanent record of both their assets and the improvements they are achieving.
The asset register details past visits, as well as technical specifications of the installation, condition reports and recommendations for repair or and remedial work, such as adding new access doors. Inspectors have also noted the current grease readings, the first step in developing an understanding of the rate of build up on each site that will, in turn, facilitate more cost-effective project planning.
Vale of Glamorgan strategic planning and performance officer Mary Hesford said: “Airmec is laying the foundations for effective and better-planned management of these services for years to come, and we are confident that theirs is therefore the most cost-effective solution for the people of Glamorgan.”
Asset register and new inspection regime to reveal opportunities to reduce risk and costs of essential air services
Essential air and water services provider Airmec has been awarded a local authority contract to manage inspection and cleaning of kitchen canopies and associated fans and ductwork facilities at schools and social and care centres across the Vale of Glamorgan and Swansea.
The Airmec tender won the day because it looked beyond a simple replication of the service levels delivered by past providers, and will create for the authority a complete asset register, enabling council managers to predict, plan and budget for maintenance and remedial work more accurately, as well as to develop an understanding of the actual, rather than assumed cleaning requirements, across the a total of more than 120 sites for the two authorities. The City and County of Swansea and the Vale of Glamorgan Country Borough Council l are both members of the Welsh Purchasing Consortium.
While Airmec will initially work to the existing annual inspection and cleaning regimes, ensuring there is no break in service, it’s approach is to seek from day 1 to find opportunities for improvements. So the firm will also undertake interim grease checks for independent analysis. This will enable it to assess the rate of build-up site by site and construct a true picture of the cleaning requirements. Cleaning intervals and inspections will then be adjusted accordingly site-by-site. “Some sites may need more frequent cleaning, some may be suitable for longer cleaning intervals. Getting it right will maximise safety and minimise costs, but until you have measured the actual rate of grease build up, you cannot deliver these benefits. “said Airmec managing director Andrew Steel.
The Airmec approach is in line with its overall philosophy of providing turnkey project management services for its customers, and turning the obligation to undertake routine inspection and cleaning work into an opportunity to develop and improve the quality of service, manage risk better and identify new opportunities.
The two contracts are for three (Swansea) and four (Glamorgan) years with options to extend. Consequently Airmec has invested significant time on detailed site surveys on all premises to create an asset register that will provide a platform for project management and give the Authorities a permanent record of both their assets and the improvements they are achieving.
The asset register details past visits, as well as technical specifications of the installation, condition reports and recommendations for repair or and remedial work, such as adding new access doors. Inspectors have also noted the current grease readings, the first step in developing an understanding of the rate of build up on each site that will, in turn, facilitate more cost-effective project planning.
Vale of Glamorgan strategic planning and performance officer Mary Hesford said: “Airmec is laying the foundations for effective and better-planned management of these services for years to come, and we are confident that theirs is therefore the most cost-effective solution for the people of Glamorgan.”