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Ashdown Phillips and Assurity Consulting case study

Ashdown Phillips and Assurity Consulting case study

16 May 2022

A case study in a “brilliant” mobilisation of a comprehensive workplace compliance programme. Ashdown Phillips is a market leading firm who believe passionately that property management should be done “brilliantly”. It’s not something they talk about lightly, but do so confidently, whilst recognising they always want to be better. When it comes to managing workplace compliance, Ashdown Phillips were looking for the right partner, with the right competencies, but also an organisation that reflected these same values. A thorough market research and tender process resulted in the appointment of Assurity Consulting, the UK’s leading provider of professional, qualified and very importantly, truly independent advice and consultancy service. Obtaining trusted, unbiased advice was a key consideration for Ashdown Phillips, as well as working with like-minded people with a shared outlook on how business should be conducted.

The scope of the workplace compliance contract awarded to Assurity Consulting included:

General health and safety;
Fire safety;
Asbestos management;
Water management including Legionella risk assessments;
Air quality assessments;
Access audits; and
Training (in person and remotely).

Paul Robins, Director and Head of Facilities Management at Ashdown Phillips commented on the appointment of Assurity Consulting, The compliance landscape in our sector has changed a great deal over the years, as have the expectations of our clients, occupiers and indeed ourselves. We embarked on the tender with the objective of securing a partner with a demonstrable and sustained track record of excellence and leadership in their field. We were delighted therefore to secure Assurity Consulting as our new health and safety consultancy partner.”

The appointment of Assurity Consulting was just the beginning of the journey. Careful consideration was given by both sides to the successful mobilisation of the comprehensive workplace compliance programme. There was senior level commitment from both sides with two-weekly minuted meetings, identifying progress with essential actions on both sides of the mobilisation team. Close liaison with the previous incumbent minimised the impact of the transition and maximised the opportunity for a smooth handover of responsibilities.
The key mobilisation and implementation tasks identified were:

Forming the mobilisation and account management team including senior level contacts at Ashdown Phillips and Assurity Consulting;
Scheduling mobilisation meetings and follow through on agreed actions;
Confirming up to date data on all the current properties under management;
Obtaining precise information on the property services at each location;
Reviewing previous workplace compliance activity and scheduling new site inspections;
Reviewing actions from previous site inspections and prioritising visits on a risk-based approach;
Engaging with property management teams and providing “getting to know you” communications;
Confirming and evolving service level expectations;
Identifying training needs; and
Prioritising training sessions and developing new ways of service delivery through virtual environments.

All these activities were being successfully rolled out despite the unprecedented challenges faced at the time due to the global pandemic situation.

Commenting on the success of the contract mobilisation, Paul Robins said, “As we had hoped at the outset, Assurity Consulting’s alignment with our culture, values and way of working delivered an excellent mobilisation and they quickly became an extension of our team. Looking ahead, we are confident that they will help us meet the ever-increasing expectations of all our customer groups, as well as our own aim to always deliver brilliant standards of compliance.”

Assurity Consulting’s Director of Consultancy Services, Paul Phillips said, “Working in true partnership with the Ashdown Phillips team has been a real joy. We have shared values and a shared vision for how business should be conducted. Yes, it’s about the service and that is very important, but working with like-minded people who believe in doing the right thing, in the right way for all the right reasons makes the partnership with Ashdown Phillips very special. I have really appreciated the open and honest communications we have had throughout the mobilisation and now stabilisation phases, and we will work hard to achieve a state of continuous improvement for the mutual success of both Ashdown Phillips and Assurity Consulting.”