Meeting the diverse and round-the-clock needs of a city council

The need

To partner with a full-service, expert commercial cleaning provider that can meet the diverse and round-the-clock needs of a city council and, in turn, those of the community it serves.

Key issues

• An agile partner – A long-term partner was required to meet the 24/7 demands of the Council – many of which are often required out of business hours and are sometimes of a reactive nature.
• A trusted, local partner – A company that had a solid local support network, where they could be trusted to fulfil needs quicky.
• A globally responsible employer – They wanted to align with a people business that believes in developing the potential of its employees and ensures decent work and economic prosperity.
• Full-service provider – A partner that could provide specialist commercial cleaning and facilities management services to meet the varied needs of the Council and community.

The OCS solution

From fixing burnt out toilets to quickly cleaning meeting rooms for last minute hui – the nature of a city council means there are multitudes of diverse requests.

Nelson City Council required a partner that was able to respond to a broad spectrum of requests for its amenities, which includes three libraries, 47 public toilets, a super loo facility, the Nelson Marina, Founders Heritage Park, public buses and bus stops, and heritage buildings.

OCS was able to meet these needs with a rigorous schedule of both commercial cleaning and facilities management services, including standard commercial cleaning, hygiene services and window cleaning.

More specialised cleaning is also undertaken periodically for the Council, including stripping and buffing hard flooring, carpet shampooing, six-monthly spring cleaning for public toilets with a foam gun, and water blasting.

With the onset of COVID-19, cleaning needed to be taken up a gear, particularly in public spaces, with touch point cleaning on bus services and cleaning of bus stops introduced at pace.

“We have the right people in the right places and are able to step up to make sure we get the job done. I’m proud to say that so far there has been no task that we haven’t been able to do. Clear, open and honest lines of communication are key.”

– Alan Courtney
Operations Manager – Tasman, OCS Limited

Partnership made personal

A key factor in the success of the relationship between OCS and the Council has been the building of trust over time between the two parties. It has been OCS’s ability to handle the 24/7 variety that comes with a council contract, its local knowledge and relationships on the ground that have helped to cement the relationship. The Council has high trust that it has a partner that will go the extra mile time after time.

The strength in this relationship has seen the expansion of the contract over time. OCS has expanded its services to also look after Nelson Marina, Founders Heritage Park, and several of the city’s heritage buildings. Looking after these treasured older buildings (including a museum) has required a more detailed and specialised level of cleaning and includes low suction vacuuming, the use of lint free cotton gloves to gently clean items, as well as the use of client supplied museum-grade chemicals.

OCS’s relationship with the council was further cemented in July 2020, when the council advised not only that they were happy to roll the contract, but also to enable OCS to pay their team members working on the contract the Living Wage.

Following this, the council also made a decision to encourage its suppliers to be green local and pay the living wage. The new Procurement Policy came into effect in February 2021.

During the planning stages of new facilities and amenities, OCS has also been asked by the council to work with their designers and architects to provide advice and insight about how best to develop new buildings from a cleaning and safety perspective.

“During the time of contract delivery for Nelson City Council, the local OCS team have performed their duties well, often exceeding expectations. The local operations team are excellent operators, creating new initiatives to continue improving on their delivery, monitoring their team’s performance and implementing changes when required.”

– Emily Fairhall
Contract Supervisor Facilities, Nelson City Council

Going above and beyond

The Nelson Superloo is a busy facility with more than 200 people visiting each day, making it a busy role for staff members.

By its very nature, members of the public from all walks of life utilise the Superloo, so the job often requires going the extra mile to help people when it is needed. This has been particularly evident during the pandemic, with more people – especially the homeless – needing extra support. A decision was also made during this time to not charge people to use the Superloo, which OCS fully supported and implemented.

“The ‘Superloo’, the one staffed public toilet facility in Nelson, consistently receives positive feedback from both locals and visitors. It’s more than just a public toilet, offering shower and laundry facilities, a family room, and children’s toilet. Estelle and the rest of the OCS team who look after the Superloo not only keep the facility in pristine condition, but greet visitors warmly and go above and beyond to assist people where they can.”

– Emily Fairhall
Contract Supervisor Facilities, Nelson City Council