Discover TC Facilities Management’s state-of-the art cleaning, security, specialist and facilities management services
Headquartered in Walton on the Hill, Surrey, TC Facilities Management Ltd (TCFM) is a prominent force in the facilities management (FM) sector. The company prides itself on its bespoke cleaning, security, specialist, and FM services, all delivered while minimising its impact on the environment. With unparalleled expertise in developing and delivering bespoke facilities strategies, TCFM goes above and beyond to surpass the expectations of its customers. Additionally, the organisation stands by its people-centred approach, fostering collaboration and offering innovative FM services. Peter Ellis, CEO, talks us through the company’s origins.
Diversified offering
“Approximately 62 years ago, TCFM was established as a small business by Trevor Cripps. Over time, the company developed into what it is today: a privately owned enterprise that is small enough to care, but big enough to deliver on a large scale. Originally specialising in cleaning projects, TCFM acquired Equinox Security 11 years ago, which is now known as TC Security Services, and has steadily developed to complement our FM capability. As a result, the business has transitioned from a family-run enterprise to a professionally managed, privately owned business,” he begins.
TCFM’s dynamic history has led to the diversification of its services, as Marina Witherington, Commercial Director, points out: “When TCFM was still a family-run business, it solely provided cleaning services, with an emphasis on retail cleaning. We then branched into the leisure sector, followed by an increasing number of cleaning service contracts for businesses in a range of sectors, such as distribution, corporate, managing agents, pharma, finance and charities. As time went on, we realised the business was better suited to being a comprehensive FM provider rather than offering single services.
“We undertake full FM contracts where either cleaning or security is the primary service, but we can also incorporate extra services like pest control, grounds maintenance, washroom services, specialist cleaning, and even catering. The diversification of our offering has played a significant role in driving growth over the past 18 months, with our revenue run-rate increasing by a significant 39 per cent,” she adds.
“We’ve welcomed a lot of people into TCFM recently and as part of the onboarding process, while we do our due diligence, we also try to get to know our new colleagues and ensure they are supported in their new roles. We have all the industry standard benefits in place, but also strive to drive retention with other initiatives, such as our Everyday Heroes scheme. Last year we awarded our colleagues £40,000 worth of vouchers in recognition of our team’s achievements. Our managers decide who gets the vouchers as they’re the ones best placed to make those decisions. When someone’s doing something great, they are rewarded there and then.
People-first approach
“We also offer our colleagues wage payment flexibility. They can stream their wages as they earn, so they don’t have to wait for payday if circumstances dictate, avoiding having to turn to costly payday loans. These schemes can also be beneficial if colleagues are doing overtime, as the money is readily available for planned or unforeseen additional expenses. We strive to facilitate financial well-being and offer different ways of working to ease the stress of money management. We also have our employee assistance programme (EAP), to which every colleague and their family has round-the-clock access for therapy and advice, as well as meditation courses and free counselling.
“We’re a people-first business,” Marina shares. “We’re all human beings and we all support each other. Everyone comes to work for a reason and that’s predominantly to earn a living, but we support each other to have a better time while we’re doing it, which results in a better culture, companywide. Encouragingly, judging by the results of our ongoing colleague surveys, our efforts are paying off with increasing levels of colleague satisfaction and engagement.
“We have also heavily invested in an offsite training programme, Winning our Way, for our management tiers, which will take place over the next 12 months. This will not only cover critical people management processes, but also focus on how to develop strategy and perform at higher levels. We’ve committed to the Investors in People programme with a view to becoming accredited to that standard. If our management perform better, then our colleagues will be happier which leads to greater retainment.”
Alongside implementing processes to positively
impact company culture, TCFM is championing change to meet the dynamic needs of its customers. “Last year,” Marina shares, “we established our Innovation Forum. Innovation is increasingly a customer priority, but it’s easy to get lost in talking about the same things or irrelevant concepts. So, we came up with the forum as a space to react to challenges as well as implement strategies. Representatives from every area of the business come together to problem solve and test and trial solutions for the benefit of our current and future customers. The intention of the innovations is to either provide a return on investment or added value for our customers in line with our sustainability and environmental goals. We want to make the job easier for our team, while delivering better results at a better price, with a lower impact on the environment.
“Additionally, the Innovation Forum aligns well with our sustainability efforts. While we’re achieving good results in terms of our Scope 1 and 2 emissions, we still have more to do to manage Scope 3. As such, we’ve partnered with inenco to help us manage and measure our environmental impact. We’re aiming to hit Net Zero by 2030, which is a bold target, and particularly so for our industry. We replaced our fleet petrol vehicles with hybrid ones nine years ago and are now looking at electric vehicles. In terms of our cleaning products, we have multiple solutions depending on the individual customer’s needs, from chemical free to biotech and all avoiding single use plastic. There are some fantastic products available now that are not only recyclable but crafted using recycled goods too.”
Capability, credibility, and compliance
To deliver a dynamic and sustainable service, TCFM cultivates robust supplier relationships. “Carefully selected, new suppliers and subcontractors undergo a rigorous onboarding and checking process,” Marina explains. “This process assesses their capabilities, credibility, and compliance with insurance and certifications, before assigning them a score. Following that, we arrange senior leadership meetings with the
new supply partner to grasp a deeper understanding of each other’s business and work ethics. Our objective is to make sure we can support and grow alongside our suppliers. In other words, we strive to foster a friendly and collaborative partnership approach that goes beyond mere profit generation.
“Moreover, because we value how we present ourselves to our customers, we require subcontractors to adhere to our code of conduct, and suppliers must meet the KPIs set by our customers. This approach is ingrained throughout TCFM, as every member of our team participates in maintaining these supplier relationships. It is crucial that the relationship works both from a support and ground angle, so everyone plays a part.”
Marina tells us more about the company’s work with cyber security firm Tech Results. “Since we are a smaller business, we have limited resource within our inhouse IT team. However, like any other business, we experience times of increased pressure and demand. That’s where Tech Results comes in, providing us with additional resources without the need to hire a full-time colleague. In our industry, there is a growing emphasis on data. This sensitive information is subject to GDPR and Tech Results is helping us obtain a cyber security accreditation,” she concludes.
By nurturing people and partnerships, and innovating its offering, TCFM aims to maintain the highest standards of quality and security, as well as strengthen its leadership in the facilities management sector.