Leading UAE-based smart and green facilities management (FM) company Farnek, has secured a raft of FM contracts, valued at more than AED 131 million in Q1 2021, of which AED 101 million is new business. 

The contracts involve a broad spectrum of FM disciplines, covering both hard and soft services, as well as hotel management, a new division that Farnek has only recently launched. All of the contracts vary in length from one to three years and in total Farnek is mobilising 860 extra members of staff to service these new and renewed contracts. 

Some of the major contract wins include housekeeping and hotel management operations for Expo Village, trolley management and MEP services at Dubai International airport, as well as cleaning services for Nakheel’s new Circle Mall in JVC and providing security for the National Petroleum Construction Company.

Markus Oberlin, CEO, Farnek said: “Almost 30% of these contracts were awarded to us from organisations based in Abu Dhabi, which underscores our growing presence and reputation in the UAE capital. Another pleasing aspect of our Q1 2021 contract wins was the broad scope of work we were entrusted with, including our very first hotel management contract, which was for the Expo Village.

“Expo Village has been designated as the official residential community to accommodate participants onsite during the Expo and comprises of eleven clusters of mid to high-rise buildings with over 2,000 apartments,” added Oberlin.

Other major contract wins in Q1 for Farnek include Accor, Meydan and Aldar entailing façade cleaning and manpower supply. These are in addition to the 65 new members of staff that were mobilised earlier this year, after Farnek had been contracted to manage a range of FM services for the Fairmont Dubai hotel, Revier Hotel, S Hotel and the deluxe Sonder – JBR Suites. 

“The FM sector is exceptionally competitive and commercial contracts are awarded based on added value not on price alone. Therefore, we always make a point of demonstrating a high degree of specialist training and technical professionalism, offering a cost-effective, well-equipped, highly motivated, tech-savvy workforce,” commented Khaldun Aburok, Farnek’s Director of Business Development.

Moreover, with the successful rollout of the COVID vaccine in the UAE, (over 9 million doses have been administered so far this year) many organisations are now beginning to prepare for the day that all or most of the remaining restrictions are lifted, which could be within the next four months or so.

Although organisations could be allowed to operate more liberally, they will still need to be on their guard, fully complying with all government and public health directives, specifically health and hygiene standards. Farnek has achieved GBAC STAR™ accreditation for its head office facility in Dubai, the first FM facility in the Middle East to be accredited by the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC).

And through that certification, Farnek has established an internationally recognised cleaning, disinfection, and infection prevention programme that minimises risks associated with infectious agents like coronavirus. It illustrates that Farnek employs appropriate cleaning protocols, disinfection techniques, and work practices to combat biohazards and infectious disease.

“This will undoubtedly provide us with a further competitive edge when more offices, malls, schools, hotels and restaurants start returning towards full occupancy,” added Aburok.