Croydon LBC's total facilities-management contract is the first of its kind, bringing together catering, cleaning, mail, reprographics, buildings maintenance, safety and a whole range of other functions, to create a seamless service which provides better value for money, as well as high-quality services.

The contract, with Interserve, includes a number of support functions, as well as new projects worth up to £500,000, ranging from relatively-minor repairs to school extensions, and is already helping the council achieve a raft of efficiency savings. Just under £20m a year is spent on running the London borough's property portfolio, while £2m is expected to be saved each year on core services within the contract and savings on utilities.