Winning contracts has always been a highly competitive business for the Construction Industry so anything that can give a company the edge is to be welcomed.
One extra service that could help is completing the job with a specialist Builders’ Clean before hand-over.
It’s accepted that you’ll leave a clean and tidy completed project and these days most building workers know they have to clean up after any job they do.
On even the most tidily-managed jobs dust can be a problem and it can hang around in the air for weeks after completion of a new build.
Since dust is recognised as a major cause of allergies demonstrating to a client that you’ve done all you can to reduce the risk for the building’s eventual occupants could help add to your construction company’s good reputation so that you stand out from the competition.
Dust is actually made up of minute particles of bug fragments, mould spores, bits of plastic and other materials and can be a particular problem in the winter when doors and windows are kept closed. The tiny dust mites living in the dust are what cause the allergic reaction.
Dust allergies can result in symptoms ranging from asthma through itchy, watery eyes to repeated sneezing, eczema and a runny nose.
Of course there are many other causes of allergic reactions, some of them as a result of the various chemicals used in the making of carpets and laminates.
You will show your client that you’re willing to do that little bit extra and could earn a reference to promote your company in the future if you use a specialist Builders’ Clean after construction work, especially from a company that uses environmentally friendly, non allergenic cleaning products.
When you’re considering hiring a post-build cleaning service with this in mind there are a number of points you might want them to pay attention to.
You might want to list the materials that have been used during construction and check they have the correct materials to clean them to ensure surfaces are not damaged. But you might also ask whether the cleaning materials they use are environmentally friendly and preferably non-allergenic or natural cleaning agents containing a minimum of chemicals.
Concern for the environment is becoming an integral part of building and commissioning projects, so you could perhaps ask if the cleaning company recycles as much as possible and disposes of everything safely. After all, you might be asked to provide evidence to the client or the planning authority that the process has been as environmentally friendly as possible.
Another question to ask the cleaning company is whether it has robust specialist equipment capable of extracting as much dust as possible.
If they are using any chemicals in cleaning do they abide by the COSSH regulations for handling hazardous substances.
Finally, as building projects sometimes overrun or there are last-minute changes, you need the cleaning company to be flexible and able to change their cleaning times at short notice if the job overruns.
The cleaning company should also provide a list of anything they’ve spotted that is damaged, not quite finished off or in need of their attention when they’ve finished their job.
Handing your client a clean, ready-to-occupy building that’s as free as possible of potential causes of allergies can give both you and the specialist after-build cleaner with an unbeatable reputation that helps you both successfully bid for future contracts.
Copyright (c) 2010 Alison Withers