Equans Extends Its Soft FM Contract With Portsmouth Hospitals University Trust
Equans has extended its partnership with the Portsmouth Hospitals University Trust, which will see Soft Facilities Management services continue to be delivered at Queen Alexandra Hospital until 2029.
Over the next five years, Equans will provide Soft FM services, and also introduce bespoke, innovative solutions tailored to the client’s evolving needs. These innovations include cleaning robots, electronic meal ordering, service delivery enhancements at ward level and supplementary cost saving initiatives put forward by the team outside of the benchmarking process.
As part of the overall FM services contract, which runs until 2040, Equans delivers Total Facilities Management to the 1,400 bed Queen Alexandra Hospital across its 174,013 square metre site. This includes managing 29 main operating theatres, a state-of-the-art Pathology Laboratory, and a combined Heat & Power (CHP) electricity generation plant.
Equans remains committed to its collaborative approach with the Trust to address the capability shortage and ensure staff retention. This includes participation in the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight’s 350+ Careers Programme and the Project Choice Programme, both of which offer candidates from the local community with career opportunities in Estates and Facilities.
David Carr, Divisional CEO of Sustainable FM at Equans UK & Ireland, said: “We are pleased to be continuing our soft FM services contract for a further five years at Queen Alexandra Hospital. This is testament to our strong long-term partnership with the Trust and successful benchmarking of these services for a third time running since the contract begun in 2009. We are committed to enhancing service delivery with innovation – and look forward to introducing smart technologies and additional solutions to support the Trust’s ambitions and targets.”
Mark Orchard, Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at PHU, said: “We welcome the opportunity to continue working with Equans after successful discussions to extend our Soft FM partnership for another five years. Our partnership with Equans has grown over the past few years and I look forward to realising the new initiatives we have planned as part of this agreement, whilst continuing to provide high quality and responsive services for our patients, visitors and colleagues.”