Sodexo has been awarded the contract to provide a range of facilities management services at the new Rosalind Franklin Laboratory in Royal Leamington Spa, which is owned and run by the Department of Health and Social Care.
The new laboratory, named after Rosalind Franklin, is part of the NHS Test and Trace laboratory network and will increase the UK’s COVID-19 testing capacity by hundreds of thousands a day as it scales up its operations over the coming months.
As part of the facilities management contract, management positions are already being filled from the local area to assist in the mobilisation of the new laboratory and a local waste management provider has been contracted for waste and recycling services at the laboratory.
When fully operational, 90 people will be employed as part of the facilities management contract, recruited as much as possible from within a 30-mile radius of the laboratory.
The range of services which Sodexo will provide includes communal area cleaning, security, grounds maintenance, waste management, logistics, maintenance and 24/7 catering services.
Due to the 24/7 operation of the laboratory Sodexo will implement a micro market to provide a flexible and consistent food service for all staff working, any time of the day.
The micro market will be a contactless catering solution offering customers diverse range of drinks, healthy and indulgent snacks, sandwiches and salads, plus hot meal options. Staff at the laboratory will be able to scan and go using self-service tills.
Stuart Winters, CEO Healthcare, Sodexo UK & Ireland, said, “I am extremely proud that we continue to play our part in the fight against this pandemic, supporting NHS Test and Trace, to increase the UK’s COVID-19 testing capacity.
“We know that working in close partnership with our client, being agile and responsive to their needs, is absolutely vital and I am delighted that we have been recognised for our ability to do this for NHS Test and Trace.
“We look forward to providing high quality services which will improve the daily lives of everyone working at the new Rosalind Franklin Laboratory in Royal Leamington Spa, helping them provide an important service as part of the continued fight against COVID-19.”