BSCAA AGM 2016 provides industry insights into cleaning productivity

More than 50 members and suppliers attended the Building Service Contractors Association of Australia (BSCAA) New South Wales division’s AGM lunch, which was held at the ECCO Waterfront Restaurant in Drummoyne (Sydney) on 2 June.
From left: Andrew Thackrah CAF, Terry Corby President BSCAA NSW Division, Barbara Connolly BSCAA
From left: Andrew Thackrah CAF, Terry Corby President BSCAA NSW Division and Barbara Connolly BSCAA

More than 50 members and suppliers attended the Building Service Contractors Association of Australia (BSCAA) New South Wales Division’s AGM lunch, which was held at the ECCO Waterfront Restaurant in Drummoyne (Sydney) on 2 June. Over a delicious two-course lunch, guests listened to three speakers – Andrew Harvey from JLL, Joe Zubic from ASIC and Stephen Waddingham from Edco – who discussed cleaning pricing schedules, phoenix activity practices and the importance of business brands. 

BSCAA NSW president Terry Corby welcomed guests, announcing that this year was the first year the BSCAA as an industry body had a potential customer and sponsor speaking about contracts and pricing in the commercial cleaning industry.

Andrew Harvey from JLL and Rebecca Stark from United Voice
Andrew Harvey from JLL and Rebecca Stark from United Voice

JLL account director Andrew Harvey briefly touched on the Cleaning Accountability Framework (CAF) and demonstrated the pricing schedules JLL have developed for use with their tender documents.

“I have been involved in tendering contracts for our commercial properties for 15 years and cleaning has been the biggest and most complex part of that,” Harvey shared.

“Contracting is difficult to define and price properly. It has become too easy to use a total lump sum price as the definition of a cleaning contract and make decisions based on that without any real understanding of what is behind that price.”

The second speaker, ASIC senior manager Joe Zubic, focused on the importance of understanding what phoenix activity is since it often means different things to different regulators.

“Phoenix activity occurs in five particular industries including the building and construction industry, the labour hire industry, the transport industry and the cleaning and security industry,” he explained.

From left: Bill Delimitros, Debbie Delimitros (Eternal Cleaning Services) and Luke Yatras (Agar Chemicals)

“Since there is no actual crime for committing phoenix activity, it can be legal and illegal. When determining this, regulators need to look at the context in which it actually occurs to decide whether or not it breaches any of the laws that they administer.”

The final presentation was given by EDCO national sales manager Stephen Waddingham. Waddingham focused specifically on provoking thought about brands and what they mean for those in the cleaning business.

“Your brand is everything,” he said. “It is your name and your reputation. Protect it at all costs and promote it at every opportunity.”

Waddingham also spoke about how a brand can be a real asset to a business that provides long-term cost savings and creates competition and choice for the market.

From left: Heather Torrey and Sweetlee Balala, Kimberly Clark Professional
From left: Heather Torrey and Sweetlee Balala, Kimberly Clark Professional

The BSCAA NSW AGM came to a close with an unexpected announcement from Corby that he will be stepping down from his role as BSCAA president at the end of the year. “I’ve given 10 years of service to the BSCAA, which was the single greatest honour in business I have ever had,” he said. “But now it is time to step down and give some young people a chance.”

He also encouraged everyone in the room to continue supporting the BSCAA NSW Excellence Awards and reminded everyone of the 2.4 per cent wage increase that will see the part-time rate for a cleaner go above the Clean Start rate for the first time.

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