Moving to one facilities management contractor makes sense when coordinating several suppliers takes up management time, gaps appear between their jobs, or nobody owns the overall standard of the building. Keeping separate specialists can still be right for a simple site with one or two services. This guide sets out the warning signs, the trade-offs and what to check before you switch.
One contractor or several at a glance
Many businesses build up separate contracts over time: one for daily cleaning, another for windows, another for washroom supplies, another for outside areas. Each may work well alone, but someone has to coordinate them. This guide is for office and facilities managers weighing that coordination cost against a single contract.
- Main benefit of one contractor?
- One contact, one specification and one person accountable for the whole building.
- Main risk?
- Less choice per service, so check the contractor genuinely covers each one well.
- Can it be phased?
- Yes. Many sites start with cleaning and add windows, washrooms and grounds later.
Signs it is time to consolidate
- You spend time chasing several suppliers about who is responsible for what.
- Jobs fall between contracts, such as high-level dust or bin stores nobody cleans.
- Different suppliers turn up at awkward times and get in each other’s way.
- Invoices, insurance documents and contacts are spread across many companies.
- Nobody checks the building as a whole against a single standard.
The trade-offs
A single contractor simplifies management and closes gaps, but you depend more on one company. Separate specialists can suit a small site with only one or two services, or a service that needs a niche specialist. The right answer depends on how much coordination time you are spending today.
What to check before you switch
- Which services the contractor delivers with its own staff, and which it subcontracts.
- How staff are vetted, and whether you can see insurance certificates.
- Whether every service is written into one specification with frequencies.
- Who your single point of contact is, and when they can be reached.
- How handover from your current suppliers will be planned.
How DNA Cleaning Solutions handles it
Our total facilities management service brings regular and deep cleaning, washrooms, kitchens, windows, external areas, high-level work and ground maintenance under one plan, with one contact and phones answered 24 hours a day. Every cleaner is DBS checked with 5-year referenced background checks, and our quality process is ISO 9001 certified. Read what a facilities management company does for the full scope.
Questions we are often asked
- Do we have to move every service at once?
- No. You can start with cleaning and add other services when existing contracts end.
- Are you insured?
- Yes. We hold public liability and employers liability insurance, and copies are available on request.
- Which areas do you cover?
- London and Greater London, including Heathrow.
Book a free site survey or call +44 20 3826 8555.
