G4S, the company that has been in and out of the headlines over the years, has been awarded a contract to provide facilities management services to HMRC's Commercial Directorate.
The three-year contract starts this month and is worth £4M (excluding capital and project works).
G4S will provide FM services such as helpdesk and CAFM (Computer Aided Facilities Management).
There is a possibility of a two-year extension to the contract. The agreement covers three regional tax offices – Trinity Bridge House in Salford, Elgin House in Edinburgh and Cotton House in Glasgow – collectively occupied by about 2,500 people, with 3,000 visitors a month.
It is anticipated that G4S will employ 33 members of staff across the three sites. The contract will mobilise in phases, with the largest property, Trinity Bridge House, beginning on 15 April 2014 and the other two likely to follow in January 2015.
G4S will provide a range of core and managed services including; cleaning, waste management, catering, reception, security and grounds maintenance as well as health and safety, fire safety, environmental management, energy and waste management through managed suppliers.
Source FMWorld
By happenstance Charlie Elphicke MP is quoted by the FT opining the CEO of G4S's remuneration package:
“People will rightly ask how a company that has let down taxpayers time and time again can justify raising the pay of its chief executive by nearly a quarter. It is wholly unacceptable and wrong.”If the company lets down the taxpayers so often, why is it being used by the government?
Oh, and by the way, it remains under an ongoing investigation by the Serious Fraud Office.
Tax does have to be taxing.
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Did you know that G4S also provide security for the US Embassy in London?!
ReplyDeleteHad to check the date, just to make sure!
ReplyDeleteSo, proof positive that HMRC has totally lost the plot. Why should the appointment of G4S be a concern? Well, apart from the worldwide embarrassment caused by the Olympic Security fiasco, the loss of prisoners in transit and elsewhere, tagging "problems" its treatment of staff gives a global cause for concern as a quick search of the corporatewatch.org.uk will show.
Then of course is the question of vetting, will G4S staff be vetted to basic standards? One must assume so, unless of course their work will entail access to "sensitive" areas. Well, given that they will be responsible for " a range of core and managed services including; cleaning, waste management, catering, reception, security and grounds maintenance as well as health and safety, fire safety, environmental management, energy and waste management..." these low paid employees may have to be vetted for access out of hours in these locations.
Of course, the esteemed SIA accrediatation will ensure that criminal gangs are unable to get their "sleepers" into the system.
errr, uhh, well, a very well compiled Australian Crime Commission report titled
Criminal Infiltration In The Private Sector
see; crime commission.gov.au
gives a good background to the potential issues surrounding privatisation of public sector security.
Closer to home is a good article from the Independent titled
A Force For Good? the rise of private police
this article is well reported and researched and shows some interesting connections.
But then its only "customers" money after all? Well, its a wee bit more than that folks, its all your personal details as well.
Consider this then in the current climate within the UK. Do you believe for one minute that all those short term/fixed contract employees of HMRC, all those cleaners and private security guards have a more vested interest in protecting your details or taxpayer funded assetts than permanent staff including the original public sector security guards? If you do, you should be a Pacesetter practitioner!
see; independent.co.uk
Sleep tight as they say on Crimewatch!