Best Practice #11 is a new addition to BOMA BEST 3.0 certification. Its focus is on a building's cleaning and maintenance program, an extremely important component of property management but one that, like many other services, takes place in the shadows. The quality of building maintenance, however, is often a decisive factor as regards harmonious relations with tenants and is, so to speak, the visible tip of the iceberg that is building management. In most buildings, regular maintenance is handled in whole or in part by an outside supplier. The building manager must ensure that supply and maintenance contracts, as well as maintenance programs, are part of best practices for sustainable buildings.
In order to comply with standard operating procedures and to provide cleaning and maintenance reports as well as training, the building manager must always insist, in all invitations to bid, that suppliers include in their bids a copy of their training program, a comprehensive description of their cleaning and maintenance program, and a template of the cleaning reports produced. That helps ensure that the entrepreneur who is awarded the contract is really able to comply with best practices. Once the contract is underway, an annual review of the programs is required. That is an update procedure, where modifications can be made to improve the quality of service.
Insist on Certified Cleaning Products
As for cleaning products, if the janitorial service provider includes products in his offer of service, the manager must insist that only products certified ÉcoLogo or GreenSeal be used for regular maintenance. If the products are acquired directly from the supplier, it is important to ensure that the price list submitted is for certified products (with proof) in order to avoid cases where a supplier provides cheaper, uncertified cleaning products.
Why insist on ÉcoLogo or GreenSeal? These two certifications are tried and tested and have proved their worth. They have become benchmarks within the industry, ensuring that the cleaning products and paper products used in building maintenance meet strict environmental standards. It is a matter not only of ensuring that products contain no phosphates and are biodegradable, but in addition, current standards also consider the full life cycle of a cleaning product, from raw material to disposal. That allows consumers to make a choice and to opt for products that meet strict environmental sustainability standards, without being duped by shady greenwashing practices. GreenSeal is a U.S. standard managed by a non-profit company of the same name. The Canadian EcoLogo program is managed by Underwriters Laboratories for the Canadian government.
Obviously, not all cleaning products meet these standards, and it is also true that some cleaning tasks require the use of specialized products, but for most cleaning and maintenance chores it has become much easier to find high quality certified products that are readily available to most suppliers.