Commercial Cleaning Services for schools and centres under the remit of LMETB

Louth and Meath Education and Training Board manages 18 Post Primary schools and 4 Community National schools, 1 Community Special School, a Centre for European Schooling, 2 Colleges of Further Education and is also responsible for an extensive range of Adult Services throughout both Louth and Meath, including Adult Learning Services, Community Education, Back to Education Initiative, VTOS and Adult Guidance. There are 8 Youthreach Centres spread across the two counties, as well as 2 Training Centres and 1 Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre of Excellence. In 2023, LMETB procured a commercial cleaning service contract for schools and centres under its remit under an OGP Framework. That contract commenced in April 2024; the terms of the contract having been advertised within the Framework Agreement to which LMETB was a Framework Client. That contract was recently terminated without cause on three months’ notice to LMETB by the contractor. It is essential both from a health and safety and from an Industrial Relations perspective that LMETB ensures continuity of cleaning services at its sites and services. Accordingly, LMETB urgently need to secure a replacement service provider to ensure that continuity of services. Once the contract was terminated, LMETB considered the feasibility of conducting a competitive tender process in line with usual or accelerated procurement timescales. Given the complexity of the procurement process (which necessitates site visits and may involve the application of TUPE), it was determined that the time required to conduct a procurement procedure cannot be complied with to ensure the continued delivery of cleaning services in LMETB schools and centres. LMETB also considered the feasibility of procuring services under an existing Framework and it was determined that the time needed to procure services under that Framework could not be complied with to ensure the continued delivery of cleaning services at LMETB schools and centres. To ensure continuity of service, LMETB intends to enter into a contract with Grosvenor Cleaning Services for a 12-month period using the negotiated procedure without prior publication under Regulation 32 (2) (c) of S.I. 284 of 2016. Grosvenor Cleaning Services delivered cleaning services to LMETB at its schools and centres prior to the award of the most recent contract in 2024. Grosvenor Cleaning Services are familiar with LMETB sites and the cleaning staff delivering the services and accordingly are in a position to rapidly commence delivery of the services at our schools and centres. The award is limited to what is strictly necessary to allow LMETB to run a new competition and to make the contract cost effective for Grosvenor Services.