“We have been struggling to recruit and hire custodial staff for some time,” said Dr. Brad Sheriff, vice president for Finance and Administration, “and that has been greatly exacerbated by the current labor market shortage. Our staff has been at two-thirds the normal staffing level since last fall which has resulted in reduced services on campus.”

In January, a committee was formed from members across campus to examine the feasibility of outsourcing custodial work. As part of the exploration, nine proposals were received from custodial companies and four were invited to present to the committee.

ABM Management was selected, a firm that has more than a century of experience providing custodial services to higher education and other industry.

ABM will retain all existing Southeast employees who wish to transition and meet the firm’s background check policy. All Southeast employees were required to complete a background check prior to employment at the University. ABM has also agreed to match wages of Southeast employees as well as any potential salary increase that would have gone into effect with the University’s July 1 fiscal year. ABM noted in its presentation that the company puts emphasis on professional development for its employees and management training programs to promote from within. Employees will transition to employment with ABM July 1.

The agreement will require ABM to maintain predefined Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA) levels of cleanliness across campus to ensure quality.

The move will result in cost savings to the University of more than $400,000 annually. It will also reduce time intensive duties such as hiring and training which will allow facilities management staff to focus in other needed areas.

“With limited resources, Southeast is committed to being responsible stewards of the funds entrusted to us while taking care as best we can of our employees impacted by the decision,” said Sheriff.