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The In-Source vs. Outsource Dilemma | A Case Study on the Hidden Costs of In-House Janitorial Teams

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You’ve been approached by an outsourced cleaning service.  You currently manage an in-house team. Obviously in-sourcing is cheaper, right?  Let’s take a look…
 
We know what you’re thinking, obviously a $15/hour in-house custodian MUST be cheaper than a $30/hour outsourced solution.  It’s simple arithmetic! 
 
Unfortunately, wages are just the tip of the iceberg…
 
Consider the following hidden costs:
 
●       Payroll taxes – 10% of base pay, $1.50/hour
●       Benefits – The BLS estimates this to be $6.84/hour for a $15/hour wage earner
●       Vacation Time – 3.8% average downtime, $0.58/hour
●       Sick Time – 1% average downtime, $0.15/hour
●       Turnover Costs – $7,000 – $10,000, $3.36/hour
●       Equipment Acquisition & Repair Costs – $400/annually, $0.19/hour
●       Chemical Costs – $4,000/year average, $1.92/hour
●       Insurance (WC/Liability) – 6% of base pay, $0.90/hour
●       Management & Oversight – 10% of payroll, $1.50/hour
 
Taken together…you can conservatively add $16.94/hour to the baseline $15/hour figure to arrive at the true cost of a $15/hour in-house custodian.
 
Total Cost to In-Source: $31.94/hour
 
Still not convinced? 
 
Outsourcing your cleaning provides these added benefits:
 
●       100% Service Uptime
●       Management team steeped in facilities maintenance knowledge who spends all of their time thinking about commercial janitorial solutions
●       Professional employee supervision & training modules aimed at improving outcomes and overall efficiency
●       Enhanced flexibility to ramp service up/down based on internal facility usage patterns
●       After-hours option – can provide service outside of currently managed windows
●       Ancillary services expertise – carpet/tile/windows etc.
 
 
 
 
Next, let’s take a look at a real-life example…
 
In 2018 BCS Facilities Group was approached by a large uniforms distributor based in West Philadelphia, PA.  This uniforms company had been running a team of two in-house custodians for over a decade.  The team was working fine, but the second shift person was about to retire and the first shift person decided they didn’t want to shoulder the burden of the extra work and quit. 
 
The company was in a pinch and so for the first time in a decade decided to pursue an outsourced solution to their cleaning needs.  The customer estimated their total cost of labor for these two positions as follows:
 
●       Base Hourly Wage: $13.75/hour
●       Hourly Benefits Cost: $4.28/hour
●       Hourly Vacation/Sick Time Cost: $1.00/hour
●       Hourly Management Cost: $3.25/hour
●       Total Estimated Cost: $22.28/hour
 
BCS consulted with the customer to help identify the following additional costs specific to their business:
 
●       Employee Turnover Costs: $3.00/hour
●       Equipment Costs: $0.25/hour
●       Chemical Costs: $2.10/hour
●       Excess Insurance Costs: $1.10/hour
 
Resulting in an all-in estimated cost per hour of $28.73
 
BCS Quoted $28.00/hour, won the bid and has been working with this customer ever since.  Their facility is consistently look great, and the Plant Supervisor’s time has been freed up to pursue more meaningful work in the plant. 
 
Interested in learning more?
 
Want to retire from the “cleaning business” in your facility?
 
Give us a call today!

A Peak Behind The Curtain: Methods Used When Pricing Janitorial Services

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When looking at daily janitorial services, it is important to distinguish what these services are, and what would be considered an extra, or additional service. These daily tasks typically consist of a few main elements: dusting and wiping down common surfaces (desks, tables, counter tops, ledges etc.), vacuuming, sweeping, dry and wet mopping, removing of trash, cleaning restrooms as well as kitchens/breakrooms.


Additional “extra” services not included in the daily janitorial work would be full window washing, all types of floor restoration (strip and wax for VCT tile, carpet shampooing etc.). These services would all be priced separately from the regular janitorial services.


Below, we will take a look at pricing methods for each.

Daily Services

Time/Labor

When taking a look at this method, janitorial contractors, when evaluating your facility will determine how much time it would take in man hours to complete the cleaning scope. Based off of their hourly rate and number of hours required will determine a fair estimate to bill the customer. This typically includes all labor related costs, supplies, equipment, cleansers, mark-up etc.
Some pros and cons to this are that for the customer, you are essentially only paying for the hours worked. The con of this for the janitorial contractor is it can be tough to add increased effort/motivation for increased productivity. Depending on each company’s respective margins, this can cause a tight window to work with by adding extra time and pay to the front-line employees without increasing the price. This could also result as a pro with increased revenue for the janitorial contractor as increased hours by increasing the price for the customer. A con for the customer obviously from this is increased pricing for the extra work necessary to meet expectations. But, if these fluctuations present no issues, then this would be a good model to follow for the customer to get the most out of services.

Monthly Fee

One other popular method used is the fixed monthly fee model. After gathering as much information as possible and utilizing various calculation methods, a set monthly fee is determined. This usually consists of everything EXCEPT paper products and all types of consumables. This can provide more value to both the janitorial contractor and the customer. In most cases, this will present one of the most competitive prices to the customer as well as the servicer benefiting from possible efficiencies gained rather than going the price per square foot route.

Square Footage

This model is ultimately just as it sounds. There is a set fee for price per square feet, and gets multiplied by the square footage of the service area. For example, if the servicer provides a price of $0.25/square foot and there is a total of 50,000 serviceable square feet, your monthly cost would be $12,500. Some negatives to this model are that it can be easier to cut corners during the services. Given the set monthly price, and the typical industry production rate being roughly 4,500 square feet/hour, it should take roughly 11-man hours for work to be completed. A great janitorial servicer will spend ample amount of time to ensure the job is done right. However, lesser experienced cleaning companies can underquote at say $0.20/square foot which promotes less pay to their team just to earn extra profit (aka cutting corners).

Special Services

Special project services are more often than not priced differently. These should always be priced separately away from the regular services. One special project is window washing. Depending on the size of the pane, and if both sides are to be completed, pricing can vary. Typically, the price per pane can be around $4/pane (one side), or $8/full window if both sides are to be completed. For floor restoration services, it is mainly based on price per square feet, but varies for the flooring surface. For example, VCT strip and wax runs at about $0.50/square foot, VCT scrub and recoat is $0.25/square foot. Meanwhile, carpet shampooing can range anywhere from $0.20-$0.35/square foot depending on how heavily soiled the carpeting is.

Expert Tips for Commercial Cleaning with a Hybrid Workforce

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As we continue into this COVID-19 pandemic, work environments as we know them may never go back to being the same as they were previously before the pandemic first started. This proposes a big challenge for all businesses alike as now they are faced with how to rework schedules that best fit their model, employees, clients etc. Whether you are finally starting to become over the fact of never wanting to leave your house for work again, or absolutely in love with the fact of working in your pajamas daily, some companies have started implementing a hybrid workforce as a unique way to keep people coming into the office on a somewhat routine basis. With this, you want to make certain that you are still recognizing the importance of health and safety amidst the current state of the pandemic.


Employers have actually come out and stated that with a more flexible working schedule, productivity has actually improved! Some employers fear that they are at risk of losing employees if there is a push to return to the office full time. This is where the hybrid workforce come into play. By reducing the number of people each day, employees are more willing to come in at least on a part time basis.
However, new challenges arise when it comes to modifying safety protocols. We will dive into a couple of those below.

Scheduling Cleanings

When changing your schedule in such a dramatic, newer fashion, having a cleaning plan is very important. An example of this would be that if a specific department is due in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays, deeper cleaning should be done on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for that department in the building. Also, for that same instance, if another department is set to come in the following day, let’s say Wednesday, then there should be cleaning done Tuesday night before that department arrives.

Implementing Strategies

It is important to have protocols or expectations in place for your staff or employees between scheduled cleaning services. Inform your employees what the scope of work entails from the commercial cleaner as well as what they themselves are responsible for. This helps employees maintain the safety and cleanliness of their workspace between services if there is some time in between scheduled services. Some ideas for this is to have hand sanitizer stations readily available or cleaning wipes that are easily accessible.
Having a safe and sanitary workspace will help smooth the transition into implementing a hybrid workforce/working schedule. BCS Facilities Group provides custom services to best fit your needs with commercial cleaning and disinfection services.

Busting Common Myths Associated With Commercial Cleaning

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Whether or not you currently are using a commercial cleaning company, there exists many common fallacies associated with the industry altogether. Together, let’s take a look and hopefully shed some light on the truths, rather than the myths.


Only Necessary When Visibly Dirty


This one couldn’t be further from the truth. Regardless if you work in an office, warehouse, manufacturing facility etc., it is very important to maintain proper sanitation in the workspace. When you stay consistent with maintaining a certain level of cleanliness, this will ensure all clients and employees remain safe from viruses, bacteria or any type of infections or disease. You will also not have to worry about the buildup of that unwanted dust, dirt, grime. Remember, all because it’s not visible doesn’t mean it can’t cause you harm!


Subpar Service


This very well may be the case for some (not all) cleaning companies. With us here at BCS Facilities Group, we treat every job, big or small the exact same way with our core values intact. Each facility is unique in its own way and our employees are specifically trained to see the place just like you do! This industry can be filled with a bunch of overpromising and underdelivering. But, if you are a believer in treating your front-line employees well, then you will see less turnover and better results! It’s time to break that cycle of good service for a few months only to finds yourself scrambling to find a better service immediately after. We view ourselves as an extension of your staff and work with all of our clients to ensure that every partnership is of benefit to both parties involved. One that doesn’t dissolve after the initial starting period.


Too Expensive


All too often do we hear about companies saying that outsourcing their cleaning isn’t a top priority since it is believed that this can be something done in-house and not a necessary expense for them to accrue. Our response to this would be is that while you may not like seeing the “red” coming out of the bank account every month, it will behoove you in the long haul with less money and time spent! Even if it doesn’t seem like it immediately. We are a believer in “price is what you pay, value is what you get”. Stop worrying about wasting your employees time on cleaning, liabilities associated with injuries while cleaning, or even actually having someone on payroll for this and leave it to professionals to manage all that and provide more value to your facility. Our services are customizable to YOUR specific needs and are always here to serve YOU.

Why Outsourcing Your Cleaning for Your Restaurant is A Must

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Living in this new world of ours with COVID-19 still running its course, the restaurant industry has been hit especially hard. Restaurants have been trying to stay as clean as possible, which unfortunately has been becoming harder with fewer staff to maintain the workload. It can be difficult to find time to properly sanitize and maintain your space free of bacteria, germs, viruses etc. Below, we will go over some main reasons why outsourcing to a commercial cleaning company will be of great benefit to your restaurant.


Staying Open


As I am sure many of us have seen, over the last couple of years restaurants are having to close their doors due to COVID and a large part of this is due to not being sanitized as they should be to meet guidelines. With many of us (customers, staff etc.) being affected by this, it creates a bigger challenge for restaurants to stay open. When you own any business, any type of shut down can cost you a great deal of money, let alone a shutdown with this magnitude. It would behoove of any restaurant owner specifically to invest in an outsourced cleaning solution. This will take away any and all worry of making sure your restaurant is up to standard, clean and healthy as possible. You no longer would need to stretch your employees too thin, and will save you both time and money in the long haul!


Equipment Longevity


Restaurant equipment can be very expensive, and needing to replace this equipment frequently can be very costly. Keeping your equipment consistently clean and sanitized is very important, and you will create more usage out of it. This is also a good way to ensure your customers and employees stay healthy in a safe environment. Hiring a professional commercial cleaning company will be less costly that replacing damaged equipment and employees taking sick time.


Happier Employees


To continue from the previous point, retaining happy employees can be very challenging especially in today’s job market. This goes with any business, but after a work day, cleaning is the last thing they want to have on their minds. Simply, they aren’t getting paid, nor were they hired to clean. Not to mention insurance and liabilities that come along with this, that, you guessed it, costs you more time and money! Keeping your employees in their scope of work that they are responsible for will likely keep them happier, thus retention rate will be higher. Happy employees mean better customer service, which means happier customers.

Advantages of Professional Industrial Warehouse Cleaning

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Manufacturing logistics: what is it and how can I optimize it? - Interlake Mecalux
What is industrial warehouse cleaning? It’s as simple as the process of cleaning any type of larger facility, including but not limited to storehouses, factories, power plants, manufacturing facilities of all kinds. Often times over looked, this is very important to maintain especially with professional services. All too often what we will notice are companies in-sourcing their cleaning that is completed incorrectly and/or irregularly. Making sure this is done correctly and consistently is very important for your business, and we will go over a few different advantages of this.


-Time and Money


You may be able to catch onto a theme here with a good amount of our previous blog posts, but this will save you both time AND money in the long haul! Every time an employee calls out sick, you lose money. This goes with any type or line of work with previous discussions. On top of this, warehouses are where majority of the productivity is coming from. If a warehouse that houses all of your product isn’t running smoothly then what’s the point? Professional cleaning and consistently maintaining the cleanliness and safety will reduce or eliminate accident costs. Less problems = more efficiency and lessens chances of injury. This will also reduce wear and tear on equipment, residual buildup, thus creating longevity and longer usage.


-Health and Safety


As with any office, school, medical facility etc., one of the many advantages of outsourced professional cleaning is increasing the health and safety of your work environment. A lot of industrial settings often times get a bad rep for just being simply being dirtier with the nature of the work being completed. This is not usually the norm if properly maintained, and simply requires expertise for the results you desire. Clean settings will mean less chances for employees or customers to contract viruses, diseases etc. The way to reduce the buildup of bacteria and grime that carries diseases is proper and consistent sanitization. This goes across the board no matter the industry or vertical you work in.


Even more so with warehouses, given the sheer size there are many places that are not even touched in years, or ever! This solely will cause the buildup of dust, dirt, bacteria that will contribute to illness. By creating a safer and healthier environment, you will begin to notice an increase in employee satisfaction, and less turnover.


Productivity


To continue on from the above point, when you increase employee satisfaction/morale, increased productivity will ultimately go hand-in-hand. This is a direct correlation that is seen in any industry that when employees are happy, they are committed to do the best job they can. When you decide to outsource your cleaning needs away from in-sourcing, you or other employees can utilize your time more effectively and efficiently. The employees that you or someone else hire, most likely are not being hired for cleaning as well. You want them spending as much time as possible on the tasks you hired them to do in the first place. The time and money lost here will still be astronomically less than hiring an outsourced professional cleaning company. Professional cleaners have the proper equipment, products and knowledge to get the job done effectively and efficiently.



Standard Cleaning vs. Deep Cleaning – Knowing the Difference

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For most Facilities Managers, Office Managers, commercial property managers, one constant talking point is: what, exactly, is the difference between a standard cleaning service and a deep cleaning service from commercial cleaning servicers? Below, we will take a deep dive into what is usually covered in each service, as well as reviewing some benefits of having a deep cleaning.


Standard Commercial Cleaning


-Floors: For most commercial cleaning companies, vacuuming carpeted areas, and mopping hard surface flooring is included in the standard cleaning services. There may also be some spot/stain removal included as well, but don’t be surprised if an additional fee is charged for this. In most cases, standard cleaning does not include and moving of furniture pieces such as couches or appliances.


-Restrooms/Bathrooms: Sanitizing of toilets/urinals and the bases are typically included in the standard cleaning, as well as sanitizing the sink and surrounding areas. Washing of the mirrors, and refilling soap dispensers and paper goods (paper towels, toilet paper) will also be included in this as well. For the bathroom floors, this will be similar to the above point and will include just basic mopping using standard floor cleaner.


-Windows/Glass Partitions: Using standard glass cleaner, you can expect a quick wipe down, or spot cleaning of glass windows and surfaces for fingerprints, water marks, smudges etc. If you are looking for an internal/external full wipe down from top to bottom of let’s, say storefront windows or office windows, this will be an additional service charge.


-Kitchens/Break Rooms: For most surfaces and tabletops, you will be able to expect a general wipe down along with sanitizing of the sink and surrounding areas. Same idea with the floors here as well, with a basic mopping and upkeep of the floors with standard floor cleaner. Refilling of the soap dispensers and paper goods will also be included in this as well. Now, when it comes to appliances like a microwave or refrigerator amongst others, these do take additional time and will more than likely be an additional service charge.


-Waste/Trash: One of the more important aspects of cleaning a workspace is trash removal. This is part of the standard services for practically all commercial cleaning services. Trash cans can be a breeding ground for germs and bacteria if not properly and frequently removed and with a fresh trash bag placed into it.


-Furniture/Equipment: When it comes to offices, desk areas, etc., a general dusting and wipe down will occur. Spills on surfaces will be cleaned on an as needed basis. Equipment such as computers, keyboards, phones, printers, copiers will get the general dusting to ensure they look and appear as nice as possible. Sanitizing or disinfecting of these surfaces, typically is not included in standard cleaning services.


Deep Cleaning


-Floors: A deep cleaning for a waxed surface would involve a full strip and wax refinish on the floor completely. All other hard surface flooring will usually be swept and mopped and sanitized or scrubbed with an auto scrubber. For tile flooring, that pesky grout can get dirty over time and some commercial cleaning companies (BCS Facilities Group included) can get in between the tile and clean that dirty grout. For carpeting, they will be vacuumed, and in addition will include a CRB machine (2 rotating brushes rotating in opposite directions) with an Encap solution that crystalizes the dirt to extract the dirt deep in the carpet followed by a carpet shampooing.


-Restrooms/Bathrooms: A couple main differences for here include a full and thorough sanitization of all high touch areas (fixtures, door handles/surfaces). Along with this would include a full wipe down of vertical surfaces (walls, stall dividers, etc.).


-Ceiling Vents/Air Ducts: One common thing that can be missed by most is the air ducts on your ceiling. For the most part dusting is a very regular task to be completed in standard cleaning. However, high dusting is often overlooked. High corners, and vents on your ceiling are hot spots for dust buildup over time. This may or may not be listed on standard cleaning services as it is only recommended to be completed on a monthly basis. This is crucial to make sure your ventilation system remains free of anything that could cause the spread of germs throughout.


-Kitchens/ Break Rooms: Circling back to the appliances (microwave, refrigerator, etc.) this will include them to be thoroughly cleaned, wiped down and sanitized. Along with this includes all high touch areas and surfaces to be disinfected and sanitized.


-Waste/Trash: On top of emptying the trash and replenishing trash bags, the waste bins and recycling bins will be thoroughly wiped down and sanitized.


-Furniture/Equipment: Office equipment such as computers, keyboards, phones, printers, copiers and all other appliances that apply will be sanitized and wiped down. Throughout offices and desk areas, surfaces on every piece of furniture will also be disinfected, sanitized and wiped down (all disinfecting and sanitization mentioned uses CDC-recommended cleansers). This could be completed with a couple methods, but mainly using an Electrostatic sprayer, or fogger.


BCS Facilities Group provides expected services to meet YOUR needs. Break the cycle with BCS Facilities Group and contact us TODAY for a free quote.

Tired of Pest Infestations? Professional Cleaning Services May Be Your Long-term Answer

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In previous posts we have gone over numerous times about how important it is to maintain a clean workspace, especially when you are trying to keep a positive atmosphere for higher productivity, and minimizing employee sick time. These factors are all going to have positive reinforcements on your business image and appearance, which is why it is important to have your workspace professionally cleaned. There are many reasons that can lead to pest infestation in the work place such as spilled food, dirty doors (interior and exterior), desks, computers, keyboards, restrooms just to name a few. By hiring a professional cleaning company to come in on a regular basis to clean and maintain your facility, you can be assured that your workplace will stay safe and clean for your employees.


Below, are some main focus areas the keep your work place pest free:


–Trash Cans/Garbage Bins: One of the biggest causes for attracting pests is food, and where does most food waste go? The trash! It is very important to have your trash removed on a regular basis. This can obviously vary from one place to the next depending on usage and volume of people working. Always make sure to have a closed lid on your trash cans as leaving an open and full can will lead to pests with a plentiful food source! Professional cleaning companies emphasize the removal of trash each service and use the proper cleaning methods to thoroughly clean the surrounding areas and trash bin itself. This in itself can reduce pest infestation risk.

–Spills: To continue on from the above point, while maintaining the trash bins and surrounding areas themselves, this does not fully prevent you fully from the risk of a pest infestation. For example, your employees can eat food in the cafeteria or in many instances, their desks. These areas are prone to possible spillage which will attract pests to the area if not properly and swiftly cleaned. Food and/or liquids that are spilled must be cleaned up immediately. A professional cleaning company can certainly do this. Depending the extent of the scope of work, this can be the job of a potential Day Porter to maintain your facility during the day. Regardless if you go that route or not, you can be sure that a professional cleaning company will maintain and wipe down all countertops, tabletops, desktops (all surfaces) along with cleaning the hard surface flooring, carpeted areas etc. to provide a clean space.


If you ever come across some of these common signs of pests such as droppings, physical damage, dead pests, nests, you may have a possible pest infestation in and around your work place. Call BCS Facilities Group TODAY for a FREE quote to take action and avoid this happening in your work place!

Ring In The New Year With a Clean Workspace And Trusted Cleaning Company

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It’s that time again to ring in the new year, and I can’t believe we are already approaching 2022! The past couple of years have been tough on us all (to put it lightly), and with a new year on the horizon, this is our chance to make 2022 the best one yet. This is the time of year for parties galore and no, we are not subtly asking to be invited to yours, but won’t turn down an invite to do the cleanup! I bet you don’t hear that too often.


Along with a new year means new year’s resolutions. Eliminating bad habits and establishing fresh new goals to achieve. Eliminate the constant headache and the frustrating hassle to keep your office or workspace clean.

Break The Cycle

Year after year it seems to be never ending trying to find a reliable cleaning company to maintain your standards so YOU can do YOUR job and not have to always worry about if the trash was taken out last night. We believe here at BCS Facilities Group that we can be that “cycle breaker” and be that New Year’s Resolution you have always been striving for and the results speak for themselves. With an average customer age of nearly 9 years and employee tenure of almost 5 years, we know we can be there for you.


Customizable To Meet Your Needs


We’ve said this many times before, and it’s because it’s true. Every workspace is unique in its own way and one account is never the same as the next. We make sure each specific nuance or “pet peeve” for each respective space is handled with care up to your standards. We train our onsite employees to see the room as you would on a daily basis so we can see what you’re seeing and not miss that pesky cobweb lurking in the corner.


At BCS Facilities Group, we are what we like to call, big enough to do the job, small enough to care. We are here to serve in the community we live in, and we are vested in the work we do and it shows!


From all of us at BCS Facilities Group, we hope you have a happy, healthy and safe New Years, and that you resolve any cleaning issues you may have and that you find that “cycle breaker” of your very own!

Why Professional Floor Maintenance Is of the Utmost Importance For Your Office

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Floor maintenance is key when running an office, warehouse, stadium, etc. you name it. No matter the scene, floors always get some sort of foot traffic with some places heavier than others and become prone to wear and tear. Every business owner or Facilities manager wants to keep a great environment for all staff and visitors alike. Below, we will go over a few main reasons why you should prioritize getting your floors professionally maintained since flooring is a large investment for your business.


Showcasing Your Business


First impressions can make or break a relationship with a client or even a potential client. If you ask yourself one question, would you return to a business or building if right off the bat you know for a fact the place is not well maintained and often neglected? The answer is probably not! You want to be able to showcase your building to reflect what your values and brand truly are. Stop losing business or worrying about losing business because of how your building presents itself.


Regularly maintaining your floors professionally with a wide variety of advanced methods will ensure dirt and stains be removed. Whether it is wood, vinyl, marble, stone, carpet there is a method to help! Make sure your floors are regularly maintained and conduct a deeper clean annually or semi-annually to ensure the best results possible.


Losing Money with Negligence


Once again, flooring is a huge investment for your business, so you want to make sure the maintenance of your floors are better. This will provide longevity for your floors which prevents the hassle of replacing and/or repairing. Unnecessary money out the door that could be better used elsewhere. Let’s be honest, damage to your flooring over time is inevitable with constant foot traffic, debris, water damage and even sunlight all play a role in damaging your floors. But, if properly maintained and looked after this will prevent the effects from these elements from showing, and saving you the time and money to attempt to fix floors that are just simply too far gone.


With the help and knowledge from experts in the cleaning industry, it will be a lot easier to correctly identify the proper ways to care for your floors.


Contact us today at (215) 550-1820 or by email at [email protected] to learn more and schedule a site visit for a FREE quote!