For more than a year (since March 2019), Aarhus University has been running a tendering procedure for cleaning in a number of buildings, corresponding to 13 per cent of the AU building stock. As a state institution, Aarhus University is obligated by law to continuously examine whether technical and administrative operational assignments can best be performed by others than the university’s own employees. With this backdrop, the university has decided to outsource some cleaning to an external supplier, and the new situation will take effect from 1 June.

"Following a thorough process, we have decided to outsource cleaning services in 52 selected buildings. I'm aware that this was clearly not the solution that the employees involved had hoped for. However, we’ve chosen the supplier who, judging from their tender, will deliver the best and most effective solution for AU. The object of competitive tendering is to ensure that, as a government institution, we continually ensure that the money we spend on operations is spent as wisely possible," says University Director Arnold Boon.

The employees involved will be transferred to the new supplier

The cleaning staff in the buildings in question will continue with the new company in a so-called company transfer. A company transfer means that employees will do the same tasks, but with a new employer in accordance with the principles in the Company Transfer Act, which ensures that employees are transferred with their current pay and employment conditions, and that the new supplier takes over obligations as their employer.

"In our choice of supplier, we also had strong focus on ensuring that the employees involved are properly looked after following the 1 June transfer. And there has been an absolute requirement for employees to follow their current tasks, so that they are transferred to the external supplier with their existing pay and employment conditions in accordance with the principles of the Company Transfer Act," says University Director Arnold Boon.

The decision process

7 February 2020 was the application deadline for submitting a tender for the specific cleaning task. AU received bids from five tenderers, including AU's own bid. The five tenders were subsequently thoroughly analysed and assessed by both a working group and a steering committee on the basis of price and quality: each weighed 50% in the overall assessment. On this basis, Aarhus University decided to outsource cleaning services for the selected buildings to Kongsvang Cleaning & Facility from 1 June 2020.

The local liaison committee (LSU) was the first to be informed of the decision, then the affected employees. Finally, the users of the buildings in question were informed of the results of the call for tenders. 

The corona situation has made it difficult to inform employees

The current coronavirus situation means that it was not possible to organise joint information meetings for all the employees affected. Instead, they have been informed individually by phone by their nearest manager, and by mail in their e-Boks. When AU is physically open again, an information meeting will be held for the employees as soon as possible.

Read previous news about competitive tendering and tenders:

• 01.11.2019: AU announces call for tenders for cleaning services in 52 buildings
• 23.03.2019: AU puts cleaning assignments in selected buildings out to tender
• 25.01.2019: Should AU put cleaning in some of its buildings out to tender?
• 31.10.2018: Director's blog – When is it a good idea to outsource?
• 30.10.2018: Outsourcing requires thorough preparation and a fair process

Further information

• Deputy Director Niels Jørgen Rasmussen, AU Finance and Estates Projects and Development will be happy to answer general questions on the tendering procedure and the decision.
• Q&A about the AU tendering procedure for cleaning services (in Danish)