JGL were asked to source private living accommodation for up to 36 Middle Eastern students coming to study in the UK for a five year period. Different options were considered including an empty hotel, bed and breakfast accommodation and short term corporate flats. It was decided that none of these options catered specifically to the client and their cultural needs and privacy.
Plans for a development of 7 houses in a courtyard, yet to be built by the developer were discovered within an easy drive of the training centre. This option allowed the client to specify from the start their needs and requirements from the facility.
JGL were then able to provide an accurate projection of the costs for operating the facility over a three year period.
It was decided that each of six of the houses, as well as providing living accommodation, would have an extra facility, either a prayer room, a majeliss, a television room, a table tennis room, etc. The seventh house would have sleeping accommodation for the client and there would be office space for the welfare team and security guards.
The houses were prepared with identical white goods, crockery, televisions and bed linen for the new occupants. The bathrooms were prepared in line with the Arab culture and sealed waterproof bathroom floors to prevent leaks. Other cookery items requested by the client, such as pressure cookers, Arabic tea pots, Arabic coffee glasses, were provided for each house.
The procurement of Arab Sat television was deemed to be a most important factor to provide the students with contact to home whilst living overseas. . On the complex’ own land a 3 meter dish was installed by a local contractor to receive Arab Sat and to be tuned to each of the televisions in the houses. Insufficient broadband width was addressed so that simultaneous downloading could be achieved.
Management services were put in place for the duration of the students stay.
A caretaker was employed, under JGL management, to deal with everyday maintenance such as the changing of light bulbs, blocked toilets, etc and to assess when it might be necessary to employ and outside contractor for repairs.
Arrangements were made for living areas to be cleaned by a local firm on a weekly basis and, on signature of a disclaimer, student’s bathrooms and bedrooms would also be cleaned on a weekly basis.
The students were responsible for their own personal laundry but bed linen and towels were collected weekly and laundered by a national contractor.
A local bus firm was contracted to take the students to their training centre and returned home again at the end of the day.
Each house was inspected by a national supplier and fitted with extinguishers, smoke alarms, fire blankets and co2 alarms suitable to the size and layout of the buildings anda service contract put in place for annual inspection and service.
A national security team were contracted to provide round the clock security, and electric gates installed at the entrance of the courtyard.
A gardening firm was contracted to mow the lawns and communal football pitch and keep the communal drive weed free and tidy.
JGL accounting division set up water, electricity, gas and council tax accounts in the name of the client c/o JGL and our dedicated team receive and pay all utility bills on the client’s behalf. These are then charged back to the client with complete transparency.
TV licences and any other items are also paid for in the same way. This allows the HR team to get on with their job of looking after the students in the knowledge that the hard job of accounting for the support is being dealt with.
Monthly spread sheets are submitted accounting for all items, repairs and utility bills.
JGL Relocation were awarded a bronze award for innovative achievement from the client for the inception, procurement and ongoing management of the project.