Mortice Limited, the AIM listed security and facilities management company, has announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Office & General Group Limited (O&G), has been confirmed as the new facilities services provider for the University of Hertfordshire in a contract worth in excess of £55 million spread evenly over the next 10 years. The facilities services contract will cover the whole University estate including planned and reactive maintenance, statutory compliance work, as well as services ranging from grounds maintenance and cleaning to hygiene, pest control and helpdesk services. Major Manjit Rajain, Executive Chairman of Mortice, said: “This represents our largest contract win to date since O&G became part of Mortice in September last year. At the time of acquisition we expected O&G to be immediately earnings enhancing, and the size and scale of this contract highlights the upside potential that O&G offers shareholders, particularly when combined with the strong organic growth of our existing business. The fact that this deal was won following a highly competitive tender process demonstrates O&G’s strong differentiated position in the UK facilities management market and provides us with confidence in O&G’s ability to contribute to our continuing strategy of growth.”
The University is located in Hatfield, twenty minutes from central London and has two main campuses: College Lane and de Havilland, situated less than a kilometre apart that are home to 25,000 students in ten schools.
This new contract will supersede and expand upon the previous agreement between O&G and the University which was worth c. £1.8m annually, and has been secured following a seven-month competitive procurement process. As part of the contract O&G will commit to spend investing in excess of £1 million over the period of the contract in order to ensure that all services exceed expectations and enhance the overall student experience. This will include the establishment of a bespoke customer services training centre, cutting edge technology and equipment, a dedicated Computer-Aided Facility Management system, an MBA and training placement programme and investment in student led business ventures.
Andrew May, Director of estates, hospitality & contract services at the University of Hertfordshire, said: “The University of Hertfordshire is delighted to be working with O&G and I am hugely excited by the benefits this partnership will bring to our students, staff and visitors. As well as improving the quality of service delivery, O&G are able to make efficiency savings and introduce commitments to the partnership that are completely aligned to the University’s corporate strategy of becoming internationally renowned as the UK’s leading business facing university.”
