It wasn’t just the attending Singapore executives that gained industry and technical knowledge; it was all who attended the ‘BSCAA NSW Forum for the Singapore Government Delegation’. Held at Royal Randwick (Sydney) on 21 July, the Forum’s content triggered much two-way information.

The Building Service Contractors Association of Australia NSW branch organised and hosted a group of Singapore executives to a ‘learn about the Australian cleaning industry’.

BSCAA executive director Barbara Connolly arranged the busy and educational program and liaised with Singapore’s National Environment Agency, which led the group. The Singaporeans included contractors and government officers.

The Forum included ‘Healthy High Performance by Diversey VP Bala Balakrishnan; ‘Productivity and Mechanisation by Hako’s managing director Frank Cupido; ‘Quoting and Costing’ by BSCAA national president Terry Corby; and ‘Contract Performance’ by BSCAA Victoria executive director John Clohessy. Hako also put on an equipment display.

Balakrishnan explained the three elements required in order to deliver Healthy High Performance Cleaning, being green products, tight client partnerships and appropriate cleaning processes. He also took delegates through a raft of product innovation that is engendering more sustainable cleaning practices.

Focusing largely on municipal and food court cleaning, Cupido pointed out that city cleaning standards had jumped markedly in recent years due to the introduction of machines that scrubbed, and not simply swept. And with auto scrubbers ‘morphing’ into cleaning stations, food courts and other public areas are much easier to clean as well as enhancing hygiene levels.

Managing contracts involves real partnerships between property managers and service providers, emphasised Clohessy. Documentation is just the beginning and, unhappily, it’s generally not clear and specific. To manager a service requires the ability to measure the service.

Speaking with a wealth of contracting experience, Corby took his audience through Australia’s industrial relations system; government taxes and other imposts; the New Award; and the Fair Work Ombudsman’s role. He then moved on to costing and quoting, detailing the types of ‘cleans’, production rates, and interpreting site specs. “Understand your customer and understand what he or she wants,” Corby stressed.

NEA works closely with businesses in Singapore to ensure that they operate in an environmentally sustainable manner and adhere to the regulations and guidelines set out to protect Singapore’s environment.

In addition to its role as a regulatory body with regards to the impact businesses have on the environment, NEA also offers a range of services, environmental programmes and incentives to promote environmentally friendly business operations.

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