Sodexo extends partnership with WDH

20 March 2015

Sodexo, the world’s largest services company, has successfully retained its horticultural services contract with WDH for a further five years.

Having begun in January 2015, the new contract sees Sodexo Horticultural Services become sole provider of communal area maintenance covering over 100 WDH sites across the Wakefield district.

The new scope will increase with the inclusion of the housing provider’s independent living schemes. The addition of the schemes includes the upkeep of over 40 separate sites.

Sodexo has been providing a range of services to WDH since March 2010 covering 75% of their portfolio of communal areas, including grass cutting, weed control, hard edge maintenance and hedge upkeep.

As part of the new contract, Sodexo is to continue supporting a number of local projects including WDH’s ‘Love Where You Live Awards’ scheme, and are committed to employing personnel from within the Wakefield district.

Sodexo also has a well-established industry leading horticultural apprenticeship scheme which has seen a number of apprentices achieve an industry recognised horticultural qualification.

Sodexo’s current full-time workforce in Wakefield contains a one in three ratio of successful apprentices who have gone on to be employed on a full time basis on the contract.

Paul Donnelly, regional director for Sodexo said, “Delivering a daily best in class quality of life solution for all Wakefield residents will remain our main focus throughout the contract. .We want to bring the benefits of our global organisation whilst ensuring we concentrate on achieving all local goals and plans of the various organisations we will be involved with on a daily basis throughout Wakefield and the South Yorkshire region.”

Gary Lumb, WDH community safety manager, said, “We know that grounds maintenance is an important issue to our tenants, and by developing our partnership with Sodexo we aim to provide a more efficient and effective service throughout the Wakefield district.”