The Cleaning Accountability Framework (CAF) has completed the first pilot of its contractor prequalification framework.

Prequalification assesses that appropriate policies and procedures are in place from the contractor side, and CAF building certification will verify whether these policies and procedures are being implemented at a worker-level.

The first three cleaning contractors to be CAF prequalified following the pilot are BIC Services, ISS Facility Services Australia (cleaning), and Consolidated Property Services.

All three contractors underwent an audit of their policies and procedures to assess alignment with the CAF 3 Star Standard.

Poonam Datar, CEO of CAF, said the overall objective of the contractor pre-qualification process is to assess whether the framework (policy, procedure and process) implemented by the contractor, is adequate to achieve compliance with the CAF 3 Star Standard, if implemented appropriately at various buildings.

The pre-qualification process includes:

• An assessment that a contractor’s labour management policies, procedures and processes align with the CAF Standard, or are designed in a way that allows audits on employee records at a site-level to have a greater chance of meeting CAF standards.
• An assessment that the contractor has processes and systems in place to ensure compliance with statutory requirements related to tax and super (including remittance)
• An assessment that the contractor is meeting record-keeping requirements as per the FWA
•  An assessment that the contractor is financially viable
• An assessment that the contractor is responsibly subcontracting.

“Prequalification should allow for a reduced and more streamlined certification process at a building level where CAF will verify that standards are being implemented with particular regard to cleaners,” Datar said.

CAF is an independent, multi-stakeholder initiative that seeks to improve labour standards and cleaning quality in Australia.

The program works with independent auditors to verify that the CAF standards – as they relate to wages and conditions, tax and super, and responsible contracting – are being met at a building. CAF certification also demonstrates responsible and sustainable procurement practices.

A number of buildings participated in the CAF pilot program, ahead of the scheme’s official launch in April 2019. Certified buildings include Castle Towers Shopping Centre in Sydney, Northland Shopping Centre in Melbourne and Wintergarden Shopping Centre in Brisbane.

BIC, ISS and Consolidated Properties Services have also assisted CAF post-pilot to further refine the framework for a second pilot which will be commencing shortly. CAF expects to launch the prequalification framework to market in early 2020.

Property groups including Woolworths, ISPT, AMP Capital, Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), CBUS Property, Charter Hall, GPT, Vicinity, the Property Council of Australia, JLL and CBRE have been supporters of the program since its inception, and part of the certification’s Advisory Group.

Other members of the CAF Advisory Group include AustralianSuper, FMA, BSCAA, ISS Facility Services Australia, Consolidated, BIC Services, Millennium, Academy Services, Dimeo, Glad Group, Downer Group, Spotless Group, ME Bank, KPMG/Banarra, NSW Long Service Leave Corporation, QLeave, Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance, and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

The pilot follows the release of a new book, Addressing Modern Slavery, written by Associate Professor Justine Nolan from UNSW Sydney and Dr Martijn Boersma from UTS, that refers to CAF and its aim to safeguard social standards in the cleaning sector.

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