[dazmond]

Never ever have I been asked for it in 24 years of window cleaning!(until yesterday).
I've been cleaning these commercial jobs for at least 10years.

No problem as I just emailed them a copy but do you guys get asked a lot?

[Og]

Loads. Part of the quote innit.

[Spruce]

Never ever have I been asked for it in 24 years of window cleaning!(until yesterday).
I've been cleaning these commercial jobs for at least 10years.

No problem as I just emailed them a copy but do you guys get asked a lot?

You have to expect the odd commercial customer to request it, especially if they have had an H&S 'scare' and the focus is on following procedures. they could also have employed a 'new broom.'

Funnily enough, the council we do a bit of work for has never asked for it.  Those are the ones we would have expected to request it.
We did an NVQ in window cleaning though. We were 'warned' that the council was brushing up on the qualifications of sub contractors. Again we never got asked for proof that we could actually do something we had proved we had done satisfactorily for the previous 6 years - 11 years now.

But they may have had their focus on critical sections of industry, ie electricians, gas fitters, etc.
Maybe they classed us a unskilled, or at best semi skilled labour so they didn't bother. Who knows?

[Spruce]

Loads. Part of the quote innit.

Its actually quite an eye opener when we see how some businesses are run.  You very quickly get the see that H&S in most businesses are ships at sail without a rudder. H&S is a reactive thing, rather than proactive and finite.

The company that is so quick to have our latest certificate of insurance on record doesn't actually care how we do the job. Their business doesn't seem to have a clear cut H&S policy. So we are the ones who have stipulated how we will procede. After the first clean, we have upgraded our RAM statement to include aspects of the job I never considered when quoting.

We did this to cover ourselves.

Of course, there are other companies that are very strict. Their 'pendulum' has swung the other way. We have the old Wilton Chemical plant near us and you won't get access into the plant through the gate if you have a ladder on the roof of your van.

.

[Og]

For the bigger contracts or public sector stuff it’s the norm.
Sometimes there’s a world of poope  to fill in, just to get a foot in the door. From your training matrix to complete breakdown of the business. Every aspect.

[Marc Stock]

I keep a copy of public liability in the van

[Pete Thompson]

I always provide it as part of the quote, along with rams, whether they ask for it or not.

Recently got asked to quote the office section of a chemical plant nearby. They had loads of procedural requirements. Had to do a 30 minute safety induction (first time only), have to get a written permit to work from the facilities manager every time we go onsite, have to wear special contractor high-vis vests, van must have a reversing alarm, no home-made equipment of any sort is allowed etc etc.

I knew all this when I quoted it, so built in extra time for compliance activities. It’s just part of working on industrial sites these days. I say “industrial” not “commercial” because commercial work (like offices) mostly don’t care a jot about H&S, even massive companies.

Got the contract, and other than a bit of paperwork each time, it’s dead easy and very well priced.

By the way, it wasn’t the compliance stuff that got us the contract (although we wouldn’t have got it without it), amazingly it was the fact that I could accept payment by credit card! Apparently this saves the facilities manager a ton of hassle as he can just put it on the company card without raising a purchase order, putting a budget request in, and going through loads of procurement hassle. Massive international company with chemical plants all over the world. Who knew!

[jonboywalton75]

Mine is a pdf file floating in cyberspace

[The Jester of Wibbly]

Yes. Have a few that requested an up to date certificate.  Part of their compliance each year.   

Plus the request of method statement and risk assessment

[dazmond]

ive never been asked for risk  assessments or method statements either(on any commercial job) but i bet i will one day.

[Slacky]

We were asked my a facilities management company to detail our anti-fraud procedures amongst various other bits n bobs. It was for when we did the cleaning at an Academy in the East End of London. Without a doubt our most lucrative but also hardest job. Well worth it though in the sense of satisfaction at completing it.

[dazmond]

We were asked my a facilities management company to detail our anti-fraud procedures amongst various other bits n bobs. It was for when we did the cleaning at an Academy in the East End of London. Without a doubt our most lucrative but also hardest job. Well worth it though in the sense of satisfaction at completing it.

what did anti-fraud procedures entail?i dont get it.

[Soupy]

If you're doing commercial work and you're not bing asked for public liability insurance and some form of RAMS or H&S policy (or at the very least, to agree to abide by theirs), then their h&s department is lacking.

[dazmond]

If you're doing commercial work and you're not bing asked for public liability insurance and some form of RAMS or H&S policy (or at the very least, to agree to abide by theirs), then their h&s department is lacking.

i have quite a few offices,childrens homes,childrens nurseries etc and never been asked for anything.some ive been cleaning for over 20 years.

[Slacky]

We were asked my a facilities management company to detail our anti-fraud procedures amongst various other bits n bobs. It was for when we did the cleaning at an Academy in the East End of London. Without a doubt our most lucrative but also hardest job. Well worth it though in the sense of satisfaction at completing it.

what did anti-fraud procedures entail?i dont get it.

I basically ignored it after speaking to admin. Thing is some management companies use equally large businesses, maybe businesses located abroad, maybe businesses that have share schemes or bonus schemes, something where money can be syphoned off without too many obvious glitches. Its basically to stop back-handers I imagine.

So, I spoke to their admin and explained who we were exactly and that we didn't work as a multi-national, or anything approaching national, they were happy to let us bypass that bit of the procedure.

[AuRavelling79]

One larger commercial asks for a copy of my certificate every year.

Another couple asked when I started but not in the years afterwards. (20 in one case)

One large car and van manufacturer whose local offices I clean has never asked for one in 18 years.

No school has either.

A children's nursery didn't but asked for a CRB check.

[Splash & dash]

Never ever have I been asked for it in 24 years of window cleaning!(until yesterday).
I've been cleaning these commercial jobs for at least 10years.

No problem as I just emailed them a copy but do you guys get asked a lot?

Yes most of our commercial clients want copy’s each year I have just been sorting this out over the last few days

[Missing Link]

It's common.  Some will also stipulate what level of insurance they want, such as 5 million quids worth of cover.

I've also taken on commercial jobs and just provided my insurance and a RAM without being asked for them, explaining that they should ask for these, to cover their own backs.

Which has worked to my advantage when they've sought out other quotes because some window cleaners can't provide them.

[JandS]

Do quite a bit of commercial carpet cleaning including a large college in Leeds city centre and never been asked for any paperwork whatsoever not even CRB checks.
This includes doing the odd nights in offices alone apart from security.