The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) is an independent body that provides support to Scottish courts and devolved tribunals in Scotland. The SCTS has a large property portfolio made up of over 70 sites, of which over 83% are listed buildings. The sites range in age, function and size and include Europe’s largest and busiest court in Glasgow, as well as smaller rural areas in locations such as Fort William and Selkirk.
Building a foundation
Servest Arthur McKay was introduced to SCTS in 2008, initially working as a sub-contractor to provide planned preventative maintenance (PPM) and reactive mechanical and electrical (M&E) works to its outer circle sites. In 2009, the sub-contractor work expanded to cover the whole estate, allowing Servest Arthur McKay to prove its capabilities in these hard-service areas. The addition of these sites, where the type of the work is of a sensitive nature, was the start of a trusting relationship between the organisations.
An opportunity to expand
In 2011, SCTS was looking for a company that could take on the management of all its facilities, including M&E, cleaning, waste management, security, energy management, landscaping and project work. Having built an understanding of how SCTS worked during its time as a sub-contractor, Servest Arthur McKay put in a competitive tender that clearly set out how the two organisations could work in partnership. Based on the proficiency of the services already provided and the efficiencies proposed in the tender, Servest Arthur McKay was awarded the total facilitates management contract in 2011.
Making efficiencies through operational initiatives
From the very start, Servest Arthur McKay was keen to use its expertise of the public sector to implement a number of operational initiatives to make efficiencies that would benefit SCTS.
The team implemented bespoke pro-active maintenance regimes to reduce the risks of unforeseen issues and increase the building’s availability. This involved weekly site visits and check sheets to pick up faults at an early stage. The success of this is seen in the change of maintenance activities, which went from 80% reactive and 20% planned at the start of the contract to 30% reactive and 70% planned after only a few months. This enabled resources to be used more efficiently, allowing for advanced planning of works and reduced travel times, ultimately leading to cost savings.
Servest Arthur McKay made changes to the structure of the contract, adapting the way the teams were organised to align with the regional split of SCTS’s estate. Regional managers, responsible for each area, were appointed so there were clear lines of communication, which dramatically improved the reporting on any issues and therefore their resolutions.
Training to ensure an exceptional level of service
Through a number of training programmes, the Servest Arthur McKay team members have made further efficiencies across the SCTS estate, which have been financially beneficial for the organisation.
Servest Arthur McKay implemented an enhanced training programme to upskill the site-based engineering team to increase the self-delivery of hard-services. This led to improved control, regulated costs and increased efficiencies of the services.
After the first year of the contract, Servest Arthur McKay moved to a self-delivered cleaning service. This enabled the team to work better together as one cohesive team that led to improved cleaning standards. It also made significant efficiencies, making the move both financially and operationally beneficial.
To further enhance the effectiveness of self-delivery, training for the in-house team was provided, upskilling them to be multi-skilled operatives. Covering a number of areas, the training has allowed the team to be flexible and adaptable to the needs of the sites, making the delivery of services even more cost-effective.
Sophisticated energy management
Servest Arthur McKay’s commitment to sustainability enabled SCTS to meet its ambitious 5% year-on-year carbon reduction target. This was largely achieved through the implementation of a sophisticated energy management system, which uses next-generation technology to remotely monitor and target energy consumption reduction. It was also coupled with logical initiatives to help reduce energy consumption, these included; boiler upgrades and heating controls improvements; the introduction of solar photovoltaic PV panels; window replacement and secondary glazing; waste management surveys and the introduction of more recycling bins; energy and water efficient appliances and water recycling.
The efficiency of the system and the dedication of Servest Arthur McKay’s energy management team led to targets being exceeded, with a significant CO2 reduction of 30%, a 24.9% reduction in water usage and a 10.7% waste reduction. These significant cuts have helped SCTS in achieving the prestigious Carbon Trust Triple Standard award.
Plans for the further initiatives and collaboration
Having worked closely with SCTS since 2011, Servest Arthur McKay has made a number of cost-saving and operational efficiencies, whilst raising service standards. Servest Arthur McKay will continue to work with SCTS to ensure a consistent service delivery, extending existing initiatives and introducing new technological innovations to support SCTS’s achievement of its strategic objectives.
The focus continues to be on the achievement of energy efficiencies, with revised CO2 targets in place and plans to roll out ‘Green Rewards’ as a colleague engagement programme. Servest Arthur McKay is set to reinforce the collaborative working relationship with SCTS, as the teams work towards gaining the BS 11000 Standard, a partnership award that recognises this type of collaboration.
