The Checkers

ManagedServiceChecker

Contractor Management Agency

There are national contractor management agencies (CMA) working with major chains, e.g., McDonalds, Lowes, Publix, etc., to manage their needed facilities’ support, e.g., security guards, janitorial services, etc. Commonly the CMA will select and mange these support contractors – remotely. As a result they must select the contractors in many different cities and regions where they may not have experience or presence.  For example:

Security

A large fast food chain hired a national CMA to provide security guards for all their stores. Since the stores were located in many different areas, they arranged contracts with multiple security providers. With each provider they signed a contract with specific, measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPI). From the group they selected a specific provider for each store.

The CMA needed:

  • “Real Time” alert, if the guard did not report as scheduled
  • Confirmation that the guards performed their contractual KPIs
  • Report showing the guard’s actual on-site hours (preferably in the same format at the provider’s invoice)
  • Reports that summarized performance by store; by region; by chain; by provider
  • Since they were likely using multiple providers, they wanted reports that could compare performance

Oversight-Inc Solution:

  • Apply the real time Phone In option to this Service
  • Each selected security provider was issued personal iButtons for the guards, and a transfer device to download each store’s iButton reader
  • Each store was provided location iButtons to be placed appropriately
  • Each store was provided two action iButtons (In and Out) and one Message Pad
  • Each store was provided two iButton readers (one for guards and one for all other)

Set Up:

The CMA’s first step is to set up the Phone In option data base. Guards will use the 1 (800) number and other pre-established criteria to confirm the guard actually showed up. If the guard does not report as scheduled, an email and txt message will be immediately sent to those designated by the CMA.

Next the CMA sets up the remainder of their secure data base. They uniquely identify the various security providers; the store locations to be checked; and prepare the message pad with the KPIs (observations, actions, and items). The Chain will be consulted on locations and KPIs.

At the store level, the location iButtons are placed and a storage location is selected for the action iButtons, the two readers and the message pad. The action iButtons (IN and OUT) are securely mounted in this area.

Each chosen security provider will issue a personal key fob iButton to each guard that will work for the CMA.  They also secure the transfer device to be used later by one of their supervisors.

Execution:

The guard reports for duty and phones in. Following that he goes to the storage location; picks up the security iButton reader; reads his personal iButton and reads the IN iButton. From there he conducts his tour of duty reading the required location iButtons and the appropriate Message Pad iButtons. When he completes his tour he returns the reader to the storage area and signs OUT.

Periodically the reader will need to be downloaded and transferred to the CMA’s secure data base. There are a variety of ways to do this, but the most likely way is for the CMA to require a security supervisor to visit each store periodically; use the transfer device to download the reader (the storage is large enough, he could collect the data from many stores); and then upload the data to the web. The supervisor could do this back at the office or on his laptop with a Wi-Fi connection.

Now the CMA:

  • Knows in Real Time, IF the guard did not report on time
  • Has confirmation with the exact Date and Time that the guards did or did not perform their contractual KPIs.Knows the guards’ actual on-site hours in the same format as the provider’s invoice
  • Has a variety of reports that summarize performance by store; by region; by chain; by provider. (As directed by the CMA, these may be made available to others.)
  • Can objectively compare performance of various security providers.

Non Security Benefits:

  • The second iButton reader located at the store and the same Message Pad can be used to confirm performance by other service providers, e.g., waste removal, janitorial, fire extinguisher maintenance, etc.
  • It also provides a means for the store to communicate with the CMA and whoever is getting the reports.