by Brianna Crandall — October 10, 2018 — After working together since 2015, global professional services firm PwC and global facilities services provider ISS have now entered a Vested agreement to formalize their outcome-based approach to service innovation and world-class workplace experiences in the Netherlands. At a ceremony on October 2 in Rotterdam, the University of Tennessee officially recognized the outsourcing contract between PwC Nederland and ISS as a full-fledged Vested agreement, making it the second such contract in the Netherlands and only the thirteenth in the world.
According to the program’s website, Vested is “a business model, methodology, mindset and movement for creating highly collaborative business relationships that enable true win-win relationships in which both parties are equally committed to each other’s success. When applied, a Vested approach fosters an environment that sparks innovation, resulting in improved service, reduced costs and value that didn’t exist before — for both parties.” It is based on research conducted by the University of Tennessee and funded by the US Air Force.
Kate Vitasek, founder of the Vested methodology and lead researcher at the University of Tennessee, commented:
I am really impressed with the contract architecture of the PwC-ISS Deal. The transparency, flexibility and win-win nature set them up to achieve innovation in key areas, such as sustainability- and technology-enabled FM services.
To officially enter into a Vested strategic partnership, the business partners must demonstrate a score of 4 out of 5 across 10 contractual elements that are essential to a sustainable, mutually beneficial outsourcing agreement. PwC and ISS’s official certification was preceded by a period of preparation lasting more than 1.5 years, including training three senior managers — Marjolein Kurstjens from PwC and Ruben Veld and Kyrsa de Bruine from ISS — as Certified Deal Architects in Vested.
Maurice Verwer, director of Facility Management and Business Support at PWC, stated:
Three years ago, we started working with ISS to transform our facility services unit into one that aims to play a significant role for PwC in the area of facility management. Providing a good quality of operational services alone is then no longer sufficient. With a Vested contract, we are investing in the relationship and in our shared facility service ambitions. The contract is based on a longer-term horizon, which means that the provider has more opportunity to innovate and do business. A Vested business relationship remains intact for as long as the parties are able to create added value for each other.
Kyrsa de Bruine, segment director, Business and IT, ISS Netherlands, added:
This Vested contract officially recognizes the partnership within which we have already been working for some years now. It puts PwC as well as ISS in an even better position to focus on our shared ambitions and ensure our success in the long term. A good example of this is our collaboration in the area of inclusion. We have an employee at PwC who is the key link between municipalities, schools, and ISS when it comes to helping people with poor chances on the labor market to find work. In doing so, we help PwC in the Netherlands by creating added value for society. We are both innovative and forward-looking in our industry, and this Vested certification is a further confirmation of our shared vision of partnership in facility management outsourcing.
PwC employs over 5,000 people in the Netherlands based in 13 offices. The contract between PwC and ISS covers more than 50 services, including FM, hospitality services, catering, cleaning, technical services, and project management.
To learn more about what Vested can do for your business or outsourcing partnership, or about the services that PwC or ISS offer, visit the respective websites.
