Guide Dogs awards hard FM contract to Equans
Equans has been awarded a 3-year hard services facilities management (FM) contract by Guide Dogs, the UK charity for people with sight loss.
Equans will initially provide services to six large freehold sites, including their headquarters in Reading and two smaller sites which house community-based teams. There is also potential to increase the scope to further sites across the UK in the future.
Under the new partnership, Equans will be responsible for technical and environmental services delivered to SFG20 standards. With an overall objective to improve levels of service whilst ensuring full building compliance, Equans will also look at ways of reducing cost and ensuring investments made to improve buildings are maximised. Ultimately, the outsourcing of the hard services FM will enable Guide Dogs to focus fully on their core mission of providing services which support visually impaired people across the country.
As the partnership evolves, there are also plans to explore further service options for smaller Guide Dogs locations, that do not have their own maintenance staff and potential for Equans to assist with property-related capital expenditure projects. Equans will also look at opportunities to support Corporate Social Responsibility and fundraising initiatives.
“ Guide Dogs was looking to appoint a trusted partner that would not just deliver service and maintenance but would also take responsibility for building compliance and safety - adding value to the charity’s activities through the services provided. I am delighted we were able to satisfy all of those requirements and we are looking forward to supporting them in their journey ahead.” ”
“ We want to support more people with sight loss as effectively as possible and having the right facilities management to help us provide our range of services is key. Joining forces with a company with proven expertise allows us to focus on our core activity. We are confident that, in appointing Equans, we are teaming up with a partner that will help us reach more people with sight loss. ”
About Equans
Equans is a market leader in the sector with 74,000 employees leveraging 200 years of expertise. With revenues of €12 billion, Equans is present in 17 countries - mostly across Europe, but also with significant interests in North America, Latin America and Australia.
In the UK & Ireland, Equans is a provider of technical, FM, regeneration and energy services – with specialist capabilities in smart buildings, green mobility, district & embedded energy and decentralised renewables.
