Category: Type

Group CEO, Rob Legge, outlines the OCS Best Strategy and Approach

Posted on by ameliaroberts

The international facilities management landscape has been dominated by the same global players for a number of years. However, when OCS Group and Atalian Servest’s operations in the UK, Ireland, and Asia merged, it created a new company which had the potential to act as an industry leader and disruptor.

I have been involved in facilities management for close to three decades and it has become a real part of my DNA. Our merger earlier in 2023 was an opportunity to drive forward not only the business, but the entire industry. With our newly expanded, critical scale, we saw the opportunity to take stock of our purpose and values and ensure we were building the most compelling offering for our customers.

Our approach

When formulating a plan for the next phase of OCS’ journey, we established a collective vision of wanting to be the partner of choice in the industry, providing the most valuable service to any customer we worked with across each of our geographies. The culmination of this work was the formulation of OCS’ new strategy, BEST. It has been established to enhance how we serve our customers, empower our workforce, and contribute to the well-being of the communities we touch.

Today, our mission at OCS is clear: to make people and places the best they can be. We’ve embarked on this journey with the aim to create exceptional experiences, enhance productivity, refine our practices, foster communities, and ultimately, deliver outstanding outcomes. These aspects form the core of our strategy and are reinforced by our TRUE values.

Trust, Respect, Unity, and Empowerment—these values are the foundation of everything we do.

They guide our interactions with customers, colleagues, partners, and the communities we serve, ensuring a cohesive approach to our mission.

In an ever-evolving world, we believe that creating exceptional experiences is paramount. We understand that the value we bring is not just in our services but in the experiences we create. From a well-maintained office space that enhances productivity, to a clean and safe healthcare facility that promotes well-being, OCS is dedicated to improving every aspect of the human experience within the spaces we manage.

Our business is powered by best practice, consistency and our unique attention to detail. Ultimately, we will look to set the benchmark for our industry, harnessing the power of technology, innovation, and human expertise to create efficiencies for our customers.

However, this is not a one-step change but rather a continual process. To succeed in our mission, we must consistently look at improving our practices and ensure that our work aligns with the highest ethical and sustainability standards. Our commitment to best practices guarantees that we are not just compliant, but we set the standard for excellence in our industry.

Empowering our workforce

Overall, OCS is made up of 120,000 individuals, most of whom are workers on the frontline. These are the people who sit at the core of our business, and it is only by empowering them that we can truly thrive. We encourage our colleagues to take ownership, make decisions, and shape the future of our business. This not only elevates the service we provide, but also gives our workforce the opportunity to progress their careers in our business.

As a business we have a fundamental commitment to social mobility. We ensure we recruit from the widest possible talent pool; we offer each of our colleagues ongoing training to support their career progression and we foster and invest in a diverse and inclusive culture.

Serving communities

Last but not least, we consider ourselves integral parts of the communities we serve. Our goal is to create a positive impact on the people and places we touch, fostering a sense of belonging and well-being. We aspire to be responsible and sustainable members of every community we serve.

We adopt this mindset right the way through the business and are continuously looking to evolve our approach to each of the ‘E’, the ‘S’ and the ’G’. It runs from our 2040 net-zero commitment, down to the work we do to supporting the individual communities we work in across each of our geographies.

OCS’ BEST strategy and TRUE values are at the heart of our mission to make people and places the best they can be.

We also believe they will be fundamental to our future growth as a business and industry leader – our commitment to this strategy and our values sets the stage for us to set a new standard in the industry. OCS is in a unique position and is primed for growth. We are a dynamic business and it is my ambition to make this company the market leaders in the facilities management industry. Reflecting on the first 6 months of my role as Global CEO, I believe we have the team to deliver on this ambition.

 

Rob Legge, Group CEO

OCS Group launches OCSi Academy to offer colleagues world-class training in data skills

Posted on by ameliaroberts

OCS, a leading global facilities service provider, has invited employees from across its business to become part of its newly created OCSi Academy which is designed to help develop vital data skills and support career progression. It forms part of the Group’s commitment to empowering its people, giving them the tools and support to thrive.

The training will be delivered by Multiverse, a tech company focused on high-quality education and training through applied learning. In an initial trial, 15 OCS colleagues will enrol on a 15-month data apprenticeship, with plans to expand this next year. This investment by OCS into these apprenticeships aims to improve data-driven decision-making and efficiency across the business, supporting clients and employees to deliver better outcomes.

It comes as research within the company found that most employees whose role requires some data analysis spend a considerable amount of time each week wrangling data. 91% of respondents said they wanted to improve their data skills.

Daniel Dickson, Chief Executive Officer, UK & Ireland, said: “As part of our OCS TRUE values, we are committed to ‘empowering our colleagues through excellent working environments’ and providing these opportunities for developing new skills, is key to that. Our colleagues are already using data heavily to inform their decisions and deliver results for customers, and this new training will empower them to do so more efficiently and effectively. Not only are these vital skills that will help them in their job, but they are skills that will support them throughout their careers.”

Euan Blair, CEO of Multiverse, said: “The OCSi Academy has been designed to transform careers for the individuals that receive this world-class training while transforming their ability to make data-driven decisions and use technology to drive efficiency and results. Through meaningful, applied learning, apprentices at OCS will gain the relevant skills that will propel them forward in their career journey, and support them in their role today and in the future.”

Multiverse delivers world-class training in a wide range of qualifications in tech, data and engineering. Apprentices benefit from coaching with an industry expert and are supported by a thriving community with events, socials, mentoring and leadership programmes.

Ann-Marie Conlon-Taylor – helping OCS deliver genuine social value

Posted on by Steadfast Collective

The career path of Ann-Marie Conlon-Taylor has, by her own admission, been a bit ‘squiggly’.

OCS’s Public Sector Social Value Manager has always taken the attitude that when opportunity knocks, you open the door – and that attitude, combined with a deeply ingrained belief that you need to have ‘people on your side’, has seen her help countless people into work over the past three decades.

“I want to enable people to fulfil their potential, and be the best they can be for themselves,” she says.

“That’s what drives me – that belief and the knowledge that we have some great talent out there just waiting to be given the opportunity.

“None of us were born into the roles that we do – we didn’t just appear and say, ‘Hi, I’m a CEO!’. We’re in the roles that we are because, somewhere along the way, someone gave us a break, believed in us, mentored us, and supported us.”

And that’s what Ann-Marie is focused on doing for others in her role at OCS.

The winding road

Before joining OCS in October 2022, however, Ann-Marie’s ‘squiggly’ career saw her work in recruitment and life coaching before teaching in further education.

Working in recruitment led her to engage with candidates who were very privileged and frequently highly paid, with no concept of what difficulties others in society may face.

Finding this soul-destroying, Ann-Marie began looking for a more fulfilling and rewarding career and began working for local councils as part of their adult education provision – especially supporting those in society who faced additional barriers and challenges, covering everything from language barriers, learning difficulties or the circumstances life threw at them.

“For example, with Milton Keynes Council, I did a lot of work with young mums, helping them understand their life hadn’t ended just because they’d become a parent, help them, get qualifications and get into work.”

This led Ann-Marie to work in partnership with Milton Keynes College – firstly on a project to help young mothers, and then with the National Offender Management System to help reduce reoffending.

“When you look at the factors that make people re-offend upon leaving prison, unemployment is one of the three key reasons,” she says.

This led Ann-Marie to work in the world of prisons and probation services, which, while tough and challenging, was, she says, one of the most rewarding experiences of her life.

“I hadn’t had any exposure to people coming out of prison, so it was a whole new world for me, understanding the barriers they face, and what had led them to where they’d got to.

“Of course, some people absolutely deserve to be in prison and deserve to be locked away for a very long time. However, there are a lot of people in prison who, through life choices, or the hand that’s been dealt to them, have ended up in prison. When you get to hear their stories, you often think, ‘there but for the grace of God’ – things happen to people that are out of their control and shape the way they go on to behave.”

Benchmarking social impact

The projects helping people into employment after prison were a huge success, winning awards from the Ministry of Justice, and in 2016, at Milton Keynes College, Ann-Marie then found herself leading employer engagement, working with employers to develop employment opportunities for offenders, and creating a benchmarking system to enable all stakeholders to measure the impact.

“The college tendered for the Prison Education contract, and as part of that, we needed to help people better understand social value.

“This was six years after the Social Value Act was established, but the Act and the social value movement as a whole was still relatively unknown,” she explains.

After much thought and evolution, The Employment Academy was established, bringing businesses into prisons to co-deliver alongside tutors. Employers from hospitality to retail and warehousing were brought in to deliver education and training – and subsequent employment opportunities – and it was a resounding success, despite widespread doubts.

“It was an innovative approach, which wasn’t without its challenges or dangers,” she says.

“Governors and prison staff were saying, ‘this is never going to work’, but it evolved in a really good way.

“We worked with companies including Timpson, who are amazing to work with, Greggs, Boots, Greene King and RMF, who actually helped us get into HS2.”

The impact of helping offenders into employment

One of the moments that made Ann-Marie stop in her tracks to appreciate just how much of an impact they’d made was when Laing O’Rourke delivered an HS2 induction alongside course enabling candidates to gain their PTS (personal track safety) card and qualification in HMP Hewell Grange.

“We trained guys to the standards they needed for them to come in and deliver the induction,” she says.

“Men were released on ROTL (release on temporary licence) – which means they go back to the prison every night after work – until they were released. This enables them to be fully equipped to gain and sustain employment upon release, one of the key factors that reduce reoffending.

During Ann-Marie’s four years leading the project, more than 700 people had been helped into employment – something which has naturally made a long-term impression.

“Even the other day, I had a message from a guy I’d helped into employment from prison,” she says.

“He’d been in the academy through that got a job with Timpson – and he sent me a message to let me know he was now an area manager.”

Helping OCS deliver really social value

After 12 years in the prison system, during which Ann-Marie also developed volunteering pathways as well as ‘careers in custody’ for long-term high-security prisoners, it was time for a change – which is when she saw the opportunity with OCS.

During her time helping offenders into employment, Ann-Marie had worked closely with facilities management companies, so had a good understanding of the sector.

That, combined with the importance of social value in contracts, the work OCS delivers, and the guiding belief of the organisation that every human being deserves the right conditions and opportunity to thrive, convinced her this was the right next move for her ‘squiggly’ career path.

“Social value can and often counts for around 20% in contracts, and there are measurable KPIs we must deliver on, whereas previously it was ‘nice to have’,” she says.

It’s important that companies develop a workforce that is reflective of the communities they work within as well as adding value to the local communities by supporting them to improve their environment and develop skills that enable them to improve their lives and develop more vibrant local economies.

In her role here at OCS, Ann-Marie says while it’s still early days, momentum is building, with recruitment pathways being established and people successfully placed into work.

“We’re really starting to positively impact our social value, our customers’ social value and the communities we work with,” she says.

And you get the very real sense that, with Ann-Marie helping shape the future of OCS’s social value initiatives, the impact is only just beginning.

Graduating in OCS style

Posted on by Steadfast Collective

Our mission at OCS is to help people and places to ‘be your best’. 

And, while we usually talk about that in the context of our customers’ businesses, people and places, the notion equally applies to our own people and places, too. 

It’s important as a business for us to support people to develop their careers, achieve more and perform even better, and we constantly strive to offer training and development opportunities to those who want to seize them. 

Recently, two members of OCS – Marketing Business Partner Kirstie Stevens and Operations Manager Sharon Roper – graduated from University Centre Quayside (UCQ) with a BA (Hons) in Professional Management, via the OCS Apprenticeship Scheme. 

In addition to the opportunity to take part in the three-year course, Kirstie and Sharon were given a day’s study leave each week – although the amount of work the course demanded meant it was a rewarding yet all-consuming experience.

“I was new to degrees, although I have taken part in education through work before, and I don’t think I fully realised just how much time I’d have to put into it,” laughs Sharon, who works in OCS’s Healthcare and Education sector.

There was plenty of evening and weekend work, and for three years it was continuous, so we had little opportunity to rest – however, it was brilliant; very rewarding, and now it’s over, I do miss it!

Sharon

OCS’s Healthcare and Education sector

Balancing the day-to-day

The Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship was based on a series of academic assignments, self-reflection, peer and line manager reviews, assessor observations and an end-point assessment, with modules including project management, business finance, sales and marketing, digital business, communication, developing collaborative relationships, decision-making and management – all of which are directly applicable to the day-to-day roles Kirstie and Sharon both undertake.

Over the course of the three years, the pair received the support of their colleagues and teams, which was a crucial component of completing the degree successfully. 

“Everyone was very supportive,” says Kirstie. “I blocked out study time in my diary, and the team was very respectful of that. My colleagues were always on hand if I needed any advice or guidance, and they were really encouraging, making it easier to keep going.”

Putting learnings into action

Through the degree course, Kirstie and Sharon have picked up and developed a wide range of new skills that they’ve been able to quickly put into practice. Some of those learnings have been directly related to the subject matter – others have come from the process of undertaking the degree itself. 

“Like Sharon, this was my first degree, and the project management module was particularly important for me, in terms of developing those skills, while time management and organisation were also valuable because of balancing the demands of work and the course,” says Kirstie. 

Sharon agrees, and found the level of research required to put together regular assignments, and the final, 8000-word dissertation also proved hugely beneficial. 

“I’ve noticed that I automatically research a lot more now,” she says. “I find myself really digging deep into finding out information on how to resolve this problem to then construct a full report for the customer. I don’t know whether I would have investigated something so thoroughly if I hadn’t studied the degree.” 

The lasting benefits of higher education

And the benefits of undertaking the degree will continue to be enjoyed by Kirstie, Sharon and OCS over the months and years to come, as the process has left a lasting impact on the pair. 

My confidence overall has improved in various aspects such as communication, decision-making and stakeholder relationship development, which I think really helps with my role here at OCS.

Kirstie

The pair will be awarded their degrees in a graduation ceremony on 1 December, which will officially mark a fantastic achievement. 

“I’m just super proud of us,” says Kirstie. “I’m really grateful for the opportunity to have been able to do this, especially with the study time as well.” 

Sharon echoes those sentiments. “I’m very grateful for the opportunity we’ve had, and as much as it has been blood, sweat and tears, I’ve loved every minute of it. 

“UCQ have been great as well – they’ve been very supportive and are always there when you need them, and the course content really fits in with the work we do here.” 

OCS welcomes Jacky So as ESG Director for the UK & Ireland

Posted on by ameliaroberts

OCS are pleased to announce that Jacky So has been appointed as the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Director for the United Kingdom and Ireland.

In his previous role as Head of Sustainability Reporting at THG (The Hut Group), Jacky led the ESG reporting initiatives, ensuring compliance with critical sustainability reporting regulations. He also set high standards for transparency and accountability by overseeing THG’s first external assurance of non-financial data.

Before these roles, Jacky made significant contributions at British Airways, Siemens AG, and Network Rail, where he demonstrated his ability to drive sustainability initiatives across diverse industries.

Jacky’s extensive experience and passion for sustainability align perfectly with our commitment to ESG principles. With his leadership, we look forward to elevating our ESG efforts and making a meaningful impact on the environment, society, and governance.

OCS supports Scottish Autism Charity with a sensory room for a local school

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As part of its commitment to delivering social value within its communities, OCS were delighted to help Scottish Autism’s New Struan School, based in Alloa, create a new sensory room designed to help enrich the learning experience of its pupils. The project took around six months and was supported by OCS’ customer, SCTS (The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service), and its local supply chain.

The OCS team, some of whom have a personal connection with the charity, donated their time and resources, working closely with the school to ensure that the refurbishment of the existing sensory room best met the needs of the young people – this was done by creating an internal space with an external feel. Works included sensory flooring, a bespoke mural including user drawings, bespoke lighting, sound system, sensory equipment and a quiet corner. The new room will form an important part of the everyday experience for young people at New Struan, and the staff team are ‘delighted and excited’ by the new resource.

New Struan Head Teacher Lee-Anne McAulay said: “The partnership with OCS has been an absolute dream for us; the team entirely supported our vision, and nothing was too much to ask. We wanted to ensure that the sensory room would be part of the everyday sensory regulation for our young people and built into the curriculum. Too often, the perception of such resources is that they are somewhere for young people to be sent when they are struggling to regulate or distressed. We wanted a space to flip that expectation and make it integral to the school experience. I cannot overstate the benefit our young people will get from this calm, beautiful sensory space.”

Colin Rushforth, Account Director at OCS, added: “Scottish Autism is a charity which gives so much to the Scottish community and is close to my heart. With the support of our dedicated team and supply chain, we at OCS were delighted to help such a great cause and work with the fantastic staff at New Struan School.

“From the outset, our joint vision with Michael Laurie Architects and the New Struan staff was to create a bespoke space which would bring an outdoor feeling indoors. We feel the completed project reflects this. We hope the young people enjoy their new Sensory Room and look forward to supporting Scottish Autism in future projects.”

Wear Red and Show Racism The Red Card

Posted on by ameliaroberts

Show Racism the Red Card is the UK’s leading anti-racism charity, and ‘Wear Red Day’ is their national day of action.

Wear Red Day is the UK’s largest anti-racism fundraiser, with over 444,000 people poised to take a stand this Friday. The day is about more than just a colour, it’s about creating unity, it’s about starting a discussion, and most of all, it’s about taking a stand against all forms of racism.

As part of our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, we’re encouraging our colleagues to wear red on the 20th of October to combat racism. From socks to scrunchies, t-shirts to onesies, wear red to stand against discrimination.

Find out more about the day by watching the video below.

Show Racism the Red Card was established in January 1996, in collaboration with then ex-Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Shaka Hislop.

While playing for Newcastle in the 1990s, Shaka was at a petrol station near St James’ Park when he was confronted by a group of young people shouting racist abuse. After one of the group realised that they had been shouting at Shaka Hislop, the Newcastle United football player, they came over to ask for an autograph.

Over the years, the charity has grown and is recognised across the football industry with professional football players such as Harry Kane, Dele Ali, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jordan Pickford, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire, Eni Aluko as well as England manager Gareth Southgate involved in their education programme.

Find out more about Shaka’s story and the amazing work Show Racism the Red Card does here.

OCS announces its first bolt-on acquisition under the ownership of CD&R

Posted on by ameliaroberts

OCS, a leading global facilities service provider, announces that it has acquired Accuro, a UK provider of business-critical facilities management services to the education and healthcare sectors. This strategic acquisition marks a significant milestone for OCS, further strengthening its service offering to the public sector in the UK.

Founded in 2005, Accuro is a provider of high-quality facilities management services to clients across the Midlands, East Anglia, and the North of England. It holds a portfolio of successful, long-term contracts mostly within the healthcare sector. More recently, Accuro has diversified into the education sector with a focus on cleaning services.

The acquisition is OCS’s first since it merged with Atalian Servest’s UK, Ireland and Asia operations following significant investment from private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice earlier in 2023. It represents another significant step toward OCS realising its mission of becoming the world’s premier international facilities service provider and underlines its focus on providing unparalleled facilities services across the UK and beyond.

For Accuro, this deal provides an exciting opportunity for further growth and development. The integration with OCS will create new opportunities for Accuro’s team, paving the way for expanded capabilities and enhanced service offerings. Furthermore, Accuro and OCS share a similar culture and are both driven by a desire to provide the highest quality of service to customers. This alignment in values and commitment to excellence makes the deal a positive fit for both companies.

In addition to acquisitive growth, 2023 has seen OCS deliver on its organic growth targets including significant new business wins such as contracts with the Government Property Agency, Irish Rail, and Royal Parks. OCS remains dedicated to retaining and expanding its prestigious client base while also concentrating on the development of a compelling M&A pipeline into 2024.

“We are delighted to be announcing this deal which marks a significant milestone for OCS. I have long admired the quality service Accuro offers as well as its commitment to upholding its strong values as a business. Since Nigel founded Accuro in 2005, the business has had a track record of delivering the highest levels of service to its customers. Accuro’s in-depth knowledge of the UK’s education and healthcare sectors are extremely complementary of OCS’ existing public sector offering and will play a part in the delivery of our growth plans in the coming years.”

Daniel Dickson

UK & Ireland CEO of OCS

“Over the last 18 years we have provided our customers with a unique and tailored service, which in turn, has delivered the business consistent growth. We have a great team of people with passion, focus and high integrity and I’m very proud of our organisation we have built.

“OCS is one of the leading facilities service providers in the market with an evident commitment to providing the best level of service to their customers. I believe Accuro’s values and culture are aligned with those of OCS and together we’ll be able to provide a market leading service, ultimately driving the growth of the business for years to come.”

Nigel Prothero

CEO of Accuro Group Holdings

Why Net Promoter Score is key to consistent improvement at OCS

Posted on by Steadfast Collective

Here at OCS, we’re on a mission to be the very best facilities services business in the world, making people and places the best they can be.

Critical to achieving that ambition is a commitment to continually improve everything we do – which is why Net Promoter Score (NPS) is fundamental to continually improving the services we provide.

What is Net Promoter Score?

NPS is considered the international benchmark for measuring customer satisfaction and, as such, is used by businesses across the world.

NPS is usually measured by answering a single question: How likely is it you would recommend this business or service to a friend or colleague?

Customers are asked to rate the business out of 10. If they give a rating of 0-6 they are considered to be a detractor, 7-8 considered passive, and if they score the business 9-10 they are considered to be a promoter.

The NPS score is calculated by subtracting the percentage of promoters from the percentage of detractors, and can range from -100 to 100.

Many businesses use third parties to conduct the survey on their behalf via a phone call – however, at OCS, we do things a little differently.

How does OCS approach NPS?

While using a third party to conduct the NPS survey brings some time-saving benefits, we see it as a missed opportunity to genuinely improve the way we work with our customers and the services we provide.

We use our executive and management team to conduct our NPS surveys for us.

“There are a lot of rules around it,” explains Gavin Wainer, Group Commercial Officer at OCS.

“Our teams always survey customers from other divisions or those they’re not directly involved with. This allows for objectivity and removes any subjectivity. We try to get repeat visits each year, too, so the same person conducts the survey and builds up a relationship with the customer.

“As well as being able to uncover potential issues, this gives the customer an independent person to speak with who can influence how the account operates.”

Surveyors are trained in how to conduct the survey to ensure we get the very best outcomes possible.

“It’s important the surveyor is the independent person in the room,” says Gavin.

In addition to the single question that is usually asked, OCS asks customers a further 12 questions to gain deeper insight that can translate into meaningful action and improvement across the account and the wider business. We also survey our frontline colleagues who work on the customer’s account, asking them, ‘Would you recommend OCS as a good place to work?’

If we have happy colleagues and happy customers, we’re moving in the right direction.

What action is taken after an NPS survey?

As well as helping us understand where we can improve, if a customer scores OCS as a passive or negative, it automatically triggers an action plan.

“We’ll always debrief with the contract manager, and put together an action plan to understand the feedback and the actions we need to take to improve,” explains Gavin.

“This may include also opportunities to work together differently, and then helps guide the day-to-day, as well as providing the basis of the NPS conversation the following year.

“This way, the customer has been listened to, and any concerns or areas of improvement have been addressed, which doesn’t always happen if you engage a third party to conduct the survey.”

What’s a good NPS score?

In facilities management, 40% is seen as the gold standard. We’ve been measuring our NPS since 2016, and have exceeded the industry standard since 2018. In 2020, we achieved 67.31%, while in 2021 we scored 80.39%.

Why is NPS an important metric for OCS?

Ultimately, as a business, OCS is completely reliant on customer satisfaction. If customers aren’t happy with the services we provide, we don’t have a business – which is why we place such importance on understanding how we can improve.

“It helps us iron out issues earlier and more quickly, and it’s also a good barometer for the business because if we have happy customers and good relationships, it shows we’re doing a good job,” says Gavin.

At OCS, we’re committed to being the best – and to do that, we have to continually encourage feedback and listen to our customers because by doing just that, we’ll achieve incredibly strong outcomes together.

Government Property Agency (GPA) awarded 5-year contract to OCS

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Following on from the announcement by The Government Property Agency regarding the award of a number of FM contracts, Atalian Servest, part of OCS, has released further detail about its important role in the GPA’s UK-wide workplace services transformation programme (WSTP)*.

The Group has confirmed that it has been awarded a 5-year contract to provide a range of hard and soft FM services at 69 key Government sites across the UK, including strategically important government buildings in Whitehall such as 10 Downing St and Admiralty Building. These include planned and reactive maintenance, handyman services, lifecycle works, project works. cleaning, reception, porterage, catering, waste, grounds maintenance and pest control.

The number of roles will be increased by 30% across a range of disciplines to support OCS’ commitment to driving continuous improvement and delivering a strong customer experience, with all staff being paid the Living Wage and offered additional training and career progression to reflect the Group’s aim to make people and places the best they can be.

OCS is also adding value through the introduction of dedicated Social Value management resource to drive forward and deliver on social value and environmental outcomes. This includes a commitment to ensuring that over 50% of the supply chain consists of local suppliers. In addition, OCS will work closely with GPA to help them achieve their carbon reduction targets, introducing CarbonEyes, the Group’s carbon and sustainability training platform, to all staff at all sites, educating them on how to identify opportunities to reduce carbon and deliver a more sustainable service.

Rob Legge, Global CEO at OCS, said: “At the heart of this contract award are strong, shared values from two organisations who are committed to empowering colleagues through excellent working environments, driving productivity and engagement. Strong shared beliefs around the importance of collaboration, integrity and respect for communities and the environment will provide a solid bedrock for this new partnership and allow us to set new standards in the UK’s public sector estate.”

Dominic Brankin, Workplace Services Director at the GPA, said: “We are working with all government departments to help them deliver their business needs, supported by best-in-class delivery partners to ensure we deliver a transformed, shared, sustainable and value-for-money government estate.”

*The WSTP exists to evolve how the Government’s office estate is managed and operated to create great places to work for civil servants enabling them to deliver excellent public services. The GPA’s vision is to “deliver a transformed, shared, sustainable and value for money office estate, supporting civil servants to work productively in every nation and region of the UK.”

Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) look forward to commencing the three-year contract with OCS

Posted on by daireleonard

We are pleased to announce that OCS Ireland has been awarded a new three-year contract with Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail), the national railway operator of the Republic of Ireland.

A subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann, Irish Rail is a vital component of the nation’s transportation infrastructure, responsible for providing passenger rail services across its extensive Commuter, Intercity, and Dart networks. It also manages Rosslare Europort running passenger and freight sailings between Ireland and the continent and oversees all internal freight railway operations in the Republic of Ireland.

In partnership with Translink, Irish Rail also operates the Enterprise service connecting Dublin and Belfast. Irish Rail achieved a commendable milestone in 2019 by carrying 50 million passengers, its highest-ever total. The company is set to recover this total post-COVID by 2024 and has plans to increase it further.

Under the new Managed Cleaning Services contract, OCS will assume the responsibility for maintaining a superior level of cleanliness within Irish Rail’s network of train stations, depots, and trains. With a commitment to utilising cutting-edge cleaning equipment and innovative techniques, we aim to ensure that the passenger experience aligns with the high standards upheld by Irish Rail.

We are dedicated to enabling our customers to be their best. The new contract strengthens our existing partnership with Irish Rail, complementing the Security Services contract we have delivered for them since 2014. Our ability to offer an integrated suite of services underscores the confidence that Irish Rail places in OCS to manage critical operational aspects, enabling them to focus on their core competencies.

We take immense pride in our role in this important partnership and will remain committed to supporting Irish Rail in achieving its operational goals.

Iarnród Éireann is an invaluable national asset and a cornerstone of our interconnected transport framework. We eagerly look forward to commencing our Managed Cleaning Services contract and contributing to their strategic goal of accommodating 80 million passengers by 2030.

Áine Mulcahy

Managing Director, OCS Ireland

Nick Ackroyd re-joins OCS as Divisional Sales Director for Cleaning

Posted on by ameliaroberts

We are delighted to announce that Nick Ackroyd has recently re-joined OCS as our Divisional Sales Director for Cleaning.

Nick brings a wealth of experience and expertise in facilities services, spanning Aviation, Cleaning, Security, and Facilities Management. With a career that includes significant roles at ABM UK, Virgin Atlantic Airways, and previous positions here at OCS, Nick’s extensive background makes him a valuable asset to our team.

“We are pleased to welcome Nick back to OCS. His depth of industry knowledge, commitment to excellence, and past contributions to our organisation make him an exceptional fit for our new vision and mission.”

Andrew Sugars

Chief Commercial Officer

Nick’s return to OCS comes at a pivotal time for our company. As we have recently merged and established a new vision, mission, and a set of core values, Nick’s experience and industry knowledge will be invaluable in helping us navigate this exciting phase.