K-12 Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

As with any major business decisions, you are bound to have questions. We have outlined the most common questions regarding outsourcing custodial services below in order to help you determine whether contracting is the right decision for your school district.

 

Q: What services does SSC Service Solutions provide?

A: SSC Service Solutions is an expert in the cleaning industry. We do provide some light maintenance and grounds upkeep for customers who request it. Cleaning is what we do best and we prefer not to dilute our quality providing too many services. Also; we provide a proven system to meet the needs of each district where daily cleaning schedules are designed and approved at each site to ensure the requests of each school are met on a daily basis.

Q:What will happen to my custodians?

A: That depends on the type of contract you choose. If you decide on a Management Only contract, your custodians will remain on the district's payroll and will be supervised by a qualified contract manager employed by SSC Service Solutions. If you prefer a full service contract, your current custodians will be asked to apply for employment with SSC. It is our hope that all of your staff will opt to continue in their current capacities as SSC Service Solutions employees. And, because we know one solution does not fit all, we can work with you to suit any situation in between the two solutions described above.

Q: What happens to my equipment and supplies?

A: In order to provide a truly turn key operation for you, we prefer to provide and own all the supplies and equipment used in the daily cleaning of your buildings. If you currently own equipment and have supplies in stock, we will offer to pay you fair market value for the items that we can use at the onset of the contract. Thus, there is never a question of who owns the equipment, who maintains the equipment or who is responsible for replacing it.

Q: How can I be sure you’ll provide adequate supervision and accountability?

A: We understand that we are only as good as the contract manager we select to operate your facility. Therefore, most of our managers are college educated and go through an extensive 16 week training program where they gain practical experience in the K-12 environment. For additional supervision, a supervisor is hired to oversee the evening cleaning activities at each building.

Your contract manager is solely dedicated to your district as your one point of contact and will be asked to live in close proximity to your schools. Your contract manager can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via cell phone or pager.

Q: How can a for profit company do a better job for less money?

A: As a leader in the cleaning industry for over 37 years, we’ve learned a few tricks to improve quality and productivity through training and utilizing the latest cleaning industry techniques. We know exactly how long it takes to clean each facet of your organization and we provide high quality equipment and supervision to get the job done in the most efficient and effective manner. In fact, the average cost savings you can expect if you are not currently contracting is 20%.

Q: What does my cost include? Will I be surprised by extra billing after the contract is signed?

SSC is interested in long term relationships with all of our customers. Our partnership would surely suffer if we were to nickel and dime you at every turn. With over 37 years of experience in cleaning school districts, we realize there are many on-going activities at your campuses. School related activities such as basketball games, school dances and student concerts will be covered at no additional cost to the district. We work very hard to anticipate all of your needs and offer one price for the general cleaning of your facility from the start.

Q: Will I lose operational control by hiring a contractor?

A: We want you to feel as if we are part of your district. Our contract manager will work closely with your designated district administrator on a daily basis to ensure that tasks are done to your specifications and satisfaction and that any maintenance concerns are communicated.

Q: What is the average length of a typical contract?

A: In schools, we suggest a 12 month contract with options to renew up to four (4) consecutive years. That way, you don’t have to hassle with a re-bid process if you are satisfied with your service.

Q: What costs are associated with preparing are associated with preparing a custodial services proposal?

A: A professional services company like SSC will provide a comprehensive custodial services proposal at no charge to your district.. After a discreet tour of your schools, SSC can provide a proposal that includes recommendations for staffing, supplies, equipment, training and of course, the annual cost of a custodial services contract. We’ll even help you determine your current costs so you can see how much contracting will save your district.

Q: How do you measure Quality Assurance?

A: Quality is SSC’s top priority. Without satisfied customers, we would not be able to utilize our great references to generate new business. Because the satisfaction of our customers is so important to us, SSC developed our Quality Assurance and Inspection Program (QAIP). This program includes regularly scheduled comprehensive walk-through inspections as well as random computer generated inspections to constantly track quality assurance on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.

Q: How long will the entire process take from initial information gathering to signing a contract?

The timeline to successfully outsource your custodial operation can sometimes be lengthy. Depending on your current situation, political obstacles, and preferred evaluation process, it could take up to 6 months from the time you decide to move forward with outsourcing. Following is a sample schedule of the events that lead up to a final decision to privatize your custodial operation.

Step 1: Consultation/Information Gathering (2 Weeks)

Consult a professional custodial contractor who has experience working with your specific type of facilities. In this stage, the contractor will assess your current operation to determine your needs, areas of improvement and possible cost savings associated with outsourcing. A discreet walk through of your facilities will be part of this process and you will be asked to provide information regarding your building square footages, student populations, current staffing levels and average custodial wage rates.

Step 2: Presentation of Recommendations/Evaluation/Decision (2 Weeks)

After the initial information gathering stage, your professional custodial contractor will present an overall analysis of your current operations along with recommendations for staffing, equipment and supply needs, management needs and of course, the price for providing the type of service you have chosen. Some time should be set aside during this phase to allow others to evaluate the information including all of the decision makers and your end users. If you don’t have everyone?s buy-in, it could mean a rocky start to the contract.

Step 3: RFP (2 Weeks)

After making the decision to outsource, and RFP should be carefully crafted to invite competitive proposals. Your professional custodial contractor can help you write an RFP that communicates your organization’s specific needs to interested vendors. It should include cleaning specifications, require references in similar types of cleaning and outline any other applicable requirements. Your RFP should be thorough enough to provide “apples to apples” comparisons when evaluating the proposals but open enough to allow for vendors to be competitive in their offering.

Step 4: Advertise (2 Weeks)

In most states, it is mandatory that all RFPs are advertised in some way for 2 weeks. You can determine where you advertise whether it be locally or on a wider scale.

Step 5: Host a Pre-Bid Meeting and Facility Tour/Vendor Response (2 Weeks)

You can decide whether you will host a pre-bid meeting and facility tour. It is recommended in most circumstances so that you can communicate your needs and clarify your RFP at one time to all interested vendors. You will also need to provide enough time for the contractors to tour the applicable facilities and craft a response to your RFP.

Step 6: Evaluate the Proposals (2 Weeks)

Depending on how you decide to evaluate the proposals, this process may take 2 days or it may take 2 weeks. If you have a committee involved, you will need more time to carefully evaluate the proposals than if you are awarding solely based on the lowest responsive proposal. In all cases, checking references is of the utmost importance and you should allow adequate time to contact and hear back from all references. You may also want to allow time during this phase to do a “best and final” interview with the top respondents. A tour of the facilities currently serviced by your top respondents is recommended as well.

Step 7: Final Decision/Award of Contract

After you have chosen a contractor, you may have to get final approval from your board of directors. Your decision should coincide with their monthly meeting and it is optimal to give your awarded contractor a minimum of 30 days before the start of the contract to properly transition your current operation.

Step 8: Transition Period (1 Month)

The transition phase is one of the most critical periods of the process. During this period your chosen contractor relocates management to your community, holds employee meetings to discuss employment opportunities, place initial supply and equipment orders, hire and train staff, and job slot each facility. As this phase progresses, your contractor?s manager should be meeting with your administration to communicate regular updates.

Step 9: Contract Begins!

Depending on the time of year your contract begins, your custodial contract company will either begin an extensive “deep clean” to your facilities or begin daily custodial operations. Your contract manager should meet with your designated contact regularly as well as communicate with individual facility personnel to discuss concerns and schedule events. Your chosen vendor should be doing regular quality control inspections and scheduled staff training for the life of the contract.

Q: What are the major political barriers to outsourcing custodial services?

A: Contracting with SSC can save your district money and improve your current level of service. However, a decision like this is often political with the biggest consideration being for your current custodial staff. Whatever the issue, rest assured that we have seen it and dealt with it in our experience in K-12 schools. So, if outsourcing your operation is the best option for your district, we can help you get there with a minimum political impact.