Extinguisher Maintenance

[Gasmeter]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this:  my organisation is wishing to move from 'in house' maintenance of about 3000 items to a contract, preferably an OGC one to avoid the tendering process, although Northern Ireland is well provided with extinguisher maintenance firms few have BAFE registration which we will require and those that do don't offer OGC contracts, apart from one of the big names.  I'm just posting this in the hope that I've missed a potential OGC supplier from anywhere in the UK.

[Paul]

Gasmeter,

Although not an OGC company I can recommend an excellent cost effective BAFE approved comapany this is any help?

[Gasmeter]

Thanks for your help, but my problem is that we want to move quickly and avoid the tendering process, unfortunately there are few firms on the OGC list and it looks as if we have no choice here but Chubb.  There seems to be a distinct lack of awareness about OGC contracts, which means some excellent companies are missing out.

[AnthonyB]

is it pricing that puts you off the big companies? if tendering under the Govt contracts system you should be suprised by the cost difference. If I buy a typical Chubb erxtinguisher as a man off the street or typical company I pay up to £150+ each, but if I buy it through my OGC account I only pay £20-odd quid. Chubbs people service the kit properly I only have issues with their pricing at normal retail & the odd engineer doing a nuSwift with their interpretation of standards regarding needing new eqpt.

[Gasmeter]

The pricing stuctures on the OGC contracts are excellent, my only gripe is lack of choice.  Chubb are the only big national name on the OGC list for extinguisher contract maintenance, I wish there were some less monolithic firms to choose from.  Most companies in NI are well behind in getting their BAFE registration or even FETA certificated engineers. most have never heard of the OGC!  

I have experience of a certain large company using very cynical methods, as a matter of policy, to sell new equipment and signage to people who are ill informed, I'm not comfortable dealing with large companies whose ethics are doubtful.

[Paul]

Gasmeter,

How would you go about becoming listed?

[Gasmeter]

I understand that the OGC will be inviting potential suppliers to submit their pricing structures etc. in 2009, I don't know how often they do this.  The websites are:

http://www.ogc.gov.uk/index.asp      and        http://online.ogcbuyingsolutions.gov.uk/index.html?slis_checked=1

Hope these are of some use to you.

[AnthonyB]

I understand your concerns and the regional mid sized BAFE forms are the sort I most often recommend people go to. The problem with good independant companies with national coverage is that they usually get swallowed up by a multinational - Kidde bought out FPS & the parent company of Nu Swift also owns several other national supposedly 'indpendants'.

If you only need to cover a regions premises you can usually find a good company, but most are unaware of things like OGC