School Estate Management: The Golden Rules for Employing Contractors

When it comes to managing and maintaining your school facilities, choosing the right contractors is essential. Your whole estate is made up of numerous buildings and facilities, including classrooms, labs, sports facilities, kitchens and canteens, libraries, admin offices...the list continues. Having the right contractors in your supply chain supports you in ensuring your school is compliant with statutory regulations, and the overall functionality of the whole school as a physical asset continues. Contractors have an even more important role in the education sector in 2023 due to the UK’s shortage of site staff. 

Sadly, I don’t think a day passes when I don’t speak to a school that’s struggling to recruit site staff. When it comes to maintaining school facilities, it’s essential to have experienced staff and contractors who understand the unique needs of educational environments. In this article, we'll explore the golden rules when choosing contractors to support you in managing your school estate and statutory compliance. From experience and qualifications to reputation and pricing, we'll guide you through the key considerations that will help you identify the best contractors for your school. Whether you're looking to upgrade your school's facilities or simply need to ensure the status quo is not going to be compromised, we've got you covered. 

So, let's dive in and discover the factors that matter most when choosing contractors for school estate management and statutory compliance.

Importance of choosing the right contractors for school estate management and compliance

Schools are among the most important institutions in society. They play a crucial role in educating and shaping the future of our society and communities. As such, it's imperative that school facilities are properly managed and maintained, because there’s strong evidence that suggests a well maintained school affects the behaviour of students, which in turn creates the culture that permeates the school setting. Therefore choosing the right contractors for your school is essential to ensure that your facilities remain safe and functional.

The right contractors will help schools with a wide range of tasks, including repairs, upgrades, and compliance with statutory regulations. They can provide expertise in areas such as electrical systems, plumbing, HVAC (which means heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and more. By working with the right contractors, schools can ensure that their facilities are well-maintained, where students, teachers, and staff are safe, and the learning environment does not hinder pupil attainment.

Choosing the right contractors to support you in running your school can also have financial benefits. We have seen in the DfE publish their school estates report where schools in England face a bill of £11.4bn in repairs and replacement, and this included 90% of schools showing that at least one area of their school estate needs significant repair or replacement. Keeping your contractors working to a strict planned maintenance regime ensures that your school facilities are properly maintained, meaning that you can avoid costly repairs and upgrades further down the line. Additionally, contractors can help schools identify areas where they can save money on energy and other expenses, because they are great at keeping their ear to the ground in their particular industry.

Factors to consider when choosing contractors

When choosing contractors for school estate management and compliance, several factors should be taken into consideration. These include the experience and qualifications of the contractors, their reputation, their pricing, their availability and responsiveness, their safety and compliance standards, and feedback from other schools. Let's explore each of these factors in more detail.

• Experience and qualifications of the contractors

  Perhaps the most crucial factor to consider when choosing contractors to work in a school is their experience and qualifications. Obviously it's essential to choose contractors who have the necessary skills and expertise to perform the tasks you are requiring them to, for example, if you're looking for a contractor to handle electrical work, you'll want to choose someone who is a member of the NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting) and experienced in electrical installations and maintenance.
  When considering the experience and qualifications of contractors, it's important to look beyond their general experience and qualifications though, because it is of equal importance to consider the contractors experience working specifically with schools. School facilities have unique needs and requirements, with a more heightened duty of care than any other business that the contractor will generally engage with. For example, some site staff work split shifts by starting very early and finishing very late, but not be around during the times of 10am and 2pm, you may need a contractor to be available at extra early or extra late hours for planned maintenance tasks before staff and pupils arrive, or after they have left. It's essential to choose a contractor who understands these kinds of needs and can provide tailored solutions.
  

• Reputation of the contractors

  Another key factor to consider when choosing contractors is their reputation. A contractor's reputation can provide valuable insights into their quality of work and reliability. When researching contractors, it's essential to look for reviews and feedback they have received. A quality contractor will have some great reviews, they will be proud of previous completed works - so the internet should provide you with some comfort. Things like, a decent up to date website and someone that answers the phone at the first time of calling or calling back within a couple of hours of you making the first call, provides an indication of their level of customer service, responsiveness, and attention to detail. That is not to say that there are not some brilliant sole trader contractors out there who deliver reputation by service and don’t go for the ‘glitz and glamour’ of a nice website and are at the end of a phone at your beckon call - because there certainly are! It’s for you to decide if they give you the confidence that they are the ones who you would like to work with and can fulfil your school’s needs.
  It's also a good idea to check if the contractor has any industry awards or achievements. These can indicate that the contractor has not only met and exceeded certain standards of excellence, but a clear sign that they love what they do.
  

• Cost of the contractors

  Cost is another essential factor to consider when choosing contractors. It's essential to choose a contractor who offers fair and reasonable pricing. However, even though we know that there is not much money in the education sector these days, it’s important not to choose a contractor based solely on their pricing. The lowest-priced contractor may not always be the best choice, as they may lack the necessary experience or qualifications.
  When considering the cost of contractors, it's essential to get quotes from several different contractors. This will allow you to compare pricing and ensure that you're getting a fair deal. Be sure to ask for a breakdown of the costs, including any potential additional fees.
  You will also find that for call outs some may require a minimum charge, generally 4 hours. They are not trying to have you over on that condition of contract. Contractors generally split their day into two (before and after lunch), and when you factor packing up tools and making their way to your school, completing the task that you require and then hoping that another job comes in for them to complete before the end of the day, they need to allow for non-productive time. When I ran my facilities management company, we had a minimum charge of 4 hours, but would always ask the customer to find the engineer other work that would cover the time they were being billed for. There are always shelves to fix, lamps to replace, wobbly door handles that could do with reattaching. Turn those minimum charges into a positive - the engineers I employed generally liked to be kept occupied and helping out!

• Availability and responsiveness of the contractors

  When choosing contractors it's essential to choose someone who is available and responsive. School facilities require prompt attention to ensure that any issues or repairs are addressed in a timely manner. The contractor should be able to respond quickly to any requests or emergencies, and there is no harm in asking them to adhere to a service level agreement for response rates. Why not look to incentivise them with a reduction in rates for less urgent tasks they are sent - if they can fit a small job on on their way home in two days time, everyone wins as they get revenue for a minor fix and you keep the momentum going of having a well maintained estate.
  It's also essential to choose a contractor who is easy to communicate with. The contractor should be able to provide regular updates and keep you informed of any developments or changes that they have and equally, they should be responsive to any questions or concerns that you may have.
  

• Safety and compliance standards of the contractors

  When choosing contractors safety and compliance should be a top priority - especially in a school. It's essential to choose a contractor who understands and follows all health and safety regulations, and is accredited by a recognised scheme such as CHAS. You are asking them to work in your school, so as minimum you would expect to see their Health and Safety Policy and their Insurance Policy. You should also be asking for them to read and acknowledge your school Safeguarding Policy. If you have any asbestos, they also need to read your management plan and know where the asbestos is in your school. Their staff should all have Enhanced DBS checks, and have completed accredited safety training to make them aware of any potential hazards and have the skills to take steps to minimise any risks.
  Additionally, the contractor should be up-to-date on all relevant industry compliance standards. This includes regulations related to building standards, environmental regulations, and more. They should be able to provide documentation and proof of compliance, if this is required.

• Referral from other schools

  Finally, we all know how schools like to recommend great suppliers, and it’s always a great place to start. Peer referral is a win/win for the school and the contractor. Someone in your shoes at another school is perfect but importantly you should be looking to gather your own valuable insights into the contractor's consistency before they do anything at your school, specifically with their quality of work, customer service, performance of key staff and overall reputation. Be sure to do your own research, and do not be afraid to ask for economies of scale discounts if they know they have been referred from another school.

Benefits of hiring the right contractors

Working with the right contractors for your school’s estate management and statutory compliance can provide so many benefits. These include:

• Improved safety: The right contractors can help ensure that school facilities are safe for students, teachers, and staff.
• Enhanced functionality: Contractors can provide expertise in areas such as electrical systems, plumbing, and HVAC, helping to ensure that school facilities are functional and well-maintained.
• Compliance with regulations: Contractors can help schools ensure that they are complying with all relevant safety and health regulations.
• Cost savings: By ensuring that school facilities are properly maintained, schools can avoid costly repairs and upgrades down the line.

Peace of mind: Working with the right contractors can provide added peace of mind, knowing that school facilities are in good hands.

Where to go from here

Here at iAM Compliant we are just about to launch our new Contractor Management feature for our users, so that you can manage your contractors so effectively that it continues in your pathway to keep all of your school facilities safe, functional, and well-maintained.

When selecting contractors, it's essential to consider all of the factors given in this article, so that working with the right contractors and managing them well, schools can enjoy many benefits, including improved safety, enhanced functionality, compliance with regulations, cost savings, and above all - peace of mind.

Find out more about iAM Compliant

Want to learn more about how iAM Compliant works and our award-winning compliance and estates management tools? Why not take a FREE 30-day trial to try it for yourself or book a demo with the team and we'll be happy to talk you through how our online tool can help you!