Responsible cleaning services

All of Hansel’s joint procurements go through the responsibility analysis that helps the tendering team think comprehensively about the different areas of responsibility. As in many other fields of business, the responsibility expectations have increased in cleaning services. The 2021–2025 DPS for cleaning services has acknowledged the promotion of environmental, social and economic responsibility. This is also evident in the responsibility labels granted for joint procurement.

In environmental responsibility, reducing the use of water, chemicals and energy is highlighted in cleaning, as are the promotion of mobility and logistics and the durability of the cleaning surfaces in a facility. Reporting on matters related to facility maintenance is also important – it should be easy for a cleaner to notice burnt-out lights, leaking taps, etc. in their work. From the perspective of financial responsibility, suppliers are required to have sufficient financial performance. Hansel checks reports in accordance with the Act on the Contractor’s Obligations and Liability when Work is Contracted Out and monitors suppliers’ performance during the agreement term.

The significance of social responsibility is increasing

The cleaning industry employs a large group of professionals full or part time. The availability of a competent and professional workforce is a challenge in the industry. The industry needs more employees from work-related immigration in addition to the Finnish workforce. Employment perspectives highlight the significance of acknowledging social responsibility.

The purpose of social responsibility is to ensure that the supplier of a cleaning service observes and promotes occupational health and safety, legislation concerning working hours and conditions, and collective agreements. All these perspectives have already been acknowledged in Hansel’s previous joint procurement of cleaning services. The new DPS for cleaning services also contains an employment clause tied to Hansel’s contractual sales. Suppliers must employ at least one unemployed jobseeker when the contractual sales exceed €1,000,000, and another every time the contractual sales increase by €500,000 from the previous employment. Hansel monitors the growth of suppliers’ contractual sales throughout the agreement term.

Eija Hirvonen, the category manager for cleaning services, says that customers can specify the conditions of social and environmental responsibility in their own tendering inside the DPS, i.e. their mini-competition:

“In their invitation to tender, the customer can set contractual conditions related to the promotion of employment, such as a minimum number of employed people during an agreement term or the terms of the employed person’s employment relationship. The customer can also determine minimum values for how many persons the service must employ, or how many work hours should be used for the service in a month. The customer can also specify terms related to environmental responsibility that support the customer’s own environmental targets. These terms can concern the environmental label of products or the share of recycled plastic, the reduction of waste, or success in recycling. All these are monitored in the cooperation meetings between the customer and supplier.”

From goals to implementation

Criteria have been set for the achievement of environmental, as well as social and financial responsibility, goals. The achievement of goals is monitored in the meetings between Hansel and the suppliers at least twice a year.

“Suppliers must be able to show how the carbon footprint or handprint have been realised in the customer’s procurement – both to the customer and Hansel. The category manager monitors the achievement of responsibility goals at the joint procurement level. We make conclusions based on the monitoring and aim to improve the level of responsibility in joint procurement,” says Eija Hirvonen.