Sodexo has won a six-year facilities and student services management contract with Northumbria University in Newcastle to manage all of the university's student accommodation.
Since October 2014 Student Living by Sodexo has provided a range of FM services at the university’s Trinity Square accommodation village, which houses nearly a thousand students. Sodexo manages reception, helpdesk, energy, mechanical and electrical maintenance, cleaning and horticultural services, among other services at the Gateshead site.
The extended deal, worth £8m, means that Sodexo will now manage 3126 beds at sites on and around the university campus. As part of the contract around forty employees of the university will transfer to Sodexo
Damon Kent, Director of Campus Services, said, “This move is part of a positive and strategic response to a changing and increasingly competitive HE sector, and will help ensure we create a sustainable future for Northumbria. Using external providers for specialist non-core services will also allow the university to focus more on teaching, learning and research. This aligns to the corporate strategy of continually improving the student experience and providing the best possible learning experience.
“We have been very happy with Sodexo’s management of Trinity Square, which currently enjoys excellent student satisfaction ratings, with 90% of residents ‘very satisfied’ with the accommodation.”
Student Living by Sodexo now has a portfolio of over 9,500 beds in 20 locations. Its goal, it reports, is to be managing 20,000 student beds by 2020