ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

A UK cleaning contractor has become the first in Europe to achieve the Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) first launched by US-based association ISSA in 2006. Based in London, Principle Cleaning underwent a comprehensive assessment process in order to gain this consensus-based management standard originally developed in the US.

The Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) was first developed by global trade association ISSA for the US market. It was created for facility service providers and applies to an organisation’s management structure and performance systems and processes. ISSA describes it as a “framework to help facility service providers develop customer-centred organisations”.

It differs from other industry standards and certification programmes, ISSA says, in that it applies to an entire cleaning organisation – focusing on its management systems and processes. It is similar to ISO in many respects, however CIMS has been developed specifically for the cleaning industry through a consensus-based process, ISSA points out.

Having been established in the US since 2006 ISSA is now bringing the standard to other parts of the world – the UK, Ireland and some parts of the Middle East are the first markets to access it through a partnership with the British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc).  It was through a training course hosted by ISSA and BICSc in the UK that Principle Cleaning Cleaning’s HR and support services director Lilia Lamberto-Silva first learned about CIMS.

“The main appeal of this standard for me was that it has been designed specifically for the cleaning industry,” she explains. “So at Principle Cleaning we wanted to be the first to achieve it in Europe.”

Established over 26 years ago, Principle Cleaning specialises in the delivery of services in financial services, legal, media, professional and prestigious buildings. The foundations of CIMS fitted well with its ethos of benchmarking standards and validating its processes.

“The focus is not on putting in place cleaning procedures but on implementing a system for auditing and management.,” Lamberto-Silva continues. “Every process in a company is covered – from health and safety, HR, recruitment and benchmarking to sales and the supply chain.”

Thorough inspection

Achieving certification involves a thorough inspection of paperwork, processes, records, etc by an independent, accredited auditor who visits both the company head office and a site nominated by the contractor. In Principle Cleaning’s case the assessment took place at one of its flagship contract buildings in London.

This involved some advanced preparation for Lamberto-Silva, who was responsible for ensuring all information was available for inspection during the assessment. “It is not enough to simply say you have a certain system in place,” she explains, “ you must illustrate it is working in practice, every day.”

The CIMS auditor evaluating Principle Cleaning was Mike Fletcher, an industry professional for many years who himself has undergone rigorous training with ISSA in order to achieve this status. He explains the five key areas evaluated during an assessment: Quality systems; Service delivery; Human resources; Health, safety and environmental stewardship; Management commitment.

“Breaking that down, in each section there are several requirements that are mandatory (‘shall’), some are recommended (‘should’) and some good to have (‘may’). To gain accreditation companies must achieve 100 per cent of the mandatory points and a minimum 60 per cent of the recommended points.

This builds to a final score -  the company must achieve 100 per cent of all mandatory points and 60 per cent of all ‘shoulds’ in all sections.

What did Fletcher observe when he audited Principle Cleaning? “What I admire about Principle Cleaning is that it has not lost the family value of what was essentially a family-owned business as it has grown. It has adopted the best management practices, delivering services well and conforming exactly to what CIMS is looking for.

“The relationship between managers at the head office and those out in the field is also excellent,” he continues. “As part of the auditing process I spent time with cleaning staff out on-site asking them about their job, their training, etc and that was clear.”

Key benefits

What are the key benefits for Principle Cleaning now in having achieved CIMS accreditation? “CIMS is a differentiator for us,” replies Lamberto-Silva. “It’s a way of standing out from the crowd in this market where it is difficult for contractors to differentiate themselves.

“And of course it is another important way to improve our industry and to make it more professional, more transparent in the eyes of our clients.”

Fletcher agrees standards like CIMS are essential in forcing the industry to do what it says it does, and in proving that. “Achieving a credible certification is a great selling point to clients,” he believes.

And the opportunities brought by CIMS exist not only for cleaning companies but for manufacturers and distributors too. By attending training courses held regularly, in the UK currently, anyone in the industry can be certified as an ISSA Certification Expert (ICE), either on behalf of a company or independently. This means they are qualified to assist customers who are preparing for CIMS certification.

Business potential

“This is potentially an area where distributors and manufacturers can develop business in helping cleaning companies to achieve CIMS certification,” says Fletcher.

CIMS does not dictate how staff should be trained, what management systems are put in place, cleaning procedures or products employed. It’s up to each individual organisation to choose how it can best meet the standard’s requirements – the goal is to act as a quality framework and be non-prescriptive. Re-auditing takes place every two years.

Fletcher explains how the scheme has established itself as a recognised sector standard in the US since its launch. “In fact many large clients there, including federal organisations, specify it as a requirement when cleaning companies are tendering for contracts. And many US-based clients who operate globally are enquiring about it coming to Europe. There is increasing demand for globalisation in standards.

“My opinion is that the uptake of CIMS may be a little slow to begin with, until the industry understands what it is – including the clients. Then it will be client-led I believe.”

www.issa.com/cims