A bright future ahead

26th of November 2012
A bright future ahead

Oleg Popov of Russian cleaning firm Cristanval looks ahead to key trends in the coming years.

Today, the main trend in Russia is towards the phasing out of non-core functions from public services, such as cleaning, catering, building and others. At the end of last year the Russian Army announced the introduction of outsourcing. The War Department decided to increase the level and quality of service in the Russian army. Following mandatory days off, the so called 'quiet hour' and enhanced athletic training, the changes affected the nutrition of the soldiers and the cleaning of the barracks.

Previously the recruits peeled potatoes themselves, swept up and washed the floors. Meals are now served on a buffet basis, and food is prepared by food companies that won the tender. Cleaning will be done by professional cleaning companies. These changes are being introduced gradually across the country. So far only in those places that are far away from population centres can you not move towards outsourcing.

Gradually more social organisations, such as hospitals, kindergartens and schools, are beginning to use the services of cleaning companies. Until recently these institutions preferred to undertake their own housekeeping. Now they understand the economic feasibility of giving non-core functions to third parties.

Currently the facilities for the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014 are under active construction. Tenders for the cleaning of the grounds and facilities in the Olympic Village were announced in December 2011, and the first successful tenders are already known. Both large and medium sized cleaning companies participated in the tender. Preparation of the documentation for participation in the Olympic project involved the sweat and work of almost all divisions of the companies.

For several months the personnel argued their case with the organising committee that they deserved to work at such a critical facility. Even the preparation of tender documentation for such major projects as cleaning the Olympic venues seriously raises the level of management, allowing one to organise the structure and interaction of the various departments. Documents prepared for the Olympic tenders are very helpful in the preparation of documentation for other commercial tenders.

The first events at the Olympic venues will begin next year. They will help the cleaning companies prepare for the Olympics, and to pick up the necessary staff to master the nuances of cleaning at major sporting events.

A unique project in terms of cleaning and cleaning service will be the university campus on the Russian island known as Russky Island next to Vladivostok. It was within the walls of this campus in September 2012 that the APEC summit was held. The total area of all the 26 buildings is almost 715,000 square meters. The campus accommodates 11,255 people.

Staff will be recruited to work on a rotational basis from the mainland. High quality standards of cleaning, severe winter conditions, and the long distance from the mainland, are all challenges to the cleaning company that will operate on the project.

2012 showed the country's economy continues to grow. New facilities are being put into operation and major international events are being hosted.  All this, as well as understanding the specifics of the cleaning business in Russia, allows us to be optimistic about the future.

 

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