A unique joint venture partnership between Kier and Sheffield City Council, which was the largest in the country when it began, marks a successful 11 years in delivering repairs and maintenance to the city’s 42,000 council homes and 339 public buildings.

The partnership, which started in April 2003, has achieved impressive results in improving customer service and satisfaction, as well as providing employment and training opportunities for the community.

Kier Sheffield has clocked up a number of achievements across the last 11 years, from delivering efficiencies to leading the industry by launching the Kier Repairs app - the first of its kind.

The firm also:

• Received over 2,500 customer compliments

• £344m invested in local supply chain

• Recruited 198 apprentices

• 24,000 training days delivered to employees

• Raised and sponsored over £130,000 for local charities

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Formed with the aim of achieving excellence in service delivery and value for money, Kier Sheffield has implemented a number of innovations and schemes to increase efficiencies across operations. Investing in PDAs for front-line staff and introducing the handy person service for elderly and vulnerable tenants, which provides a fast-track response to deal with smaller jobs around the home, helps streamline the customer journey and processes – while boosting technicians’ productivity and enabling repairs to be completed quickly for the customer.

Kier Sheffield’s commitment to customer service was recognised in 2008 by being the first repairs company in the UK to be awarded with the government’s Charter Mark for customer service excellence, and has just been accredited with its fourth successive perfect score.

The assessor conducting the application noted that “Consultation is the lifeblood of Kier and its high priority in the company is an example of best practice. It is practised at every level throughout the whole organisation and is highly valued, especially by tenants.”

Kier Sheffield takes prides in being a respectful and understanding service provider and was the first contractor in the UK to register with the Considerate Constructors Scheme for day-to-day repairs on both housing and corporate buildings. This has been rewarded with national award recognition and numerous assessments rated above national benchmark standards.

The partnership has implemented a dedicated Strategy for Sustainability to provide extensive community regeneration through the provision of jobs, training, local investment and projects with schools and charities in the area.

(MH/IT)