Mears Direct is an innovative business solution for Local Authorities, ALMOs and Housing Associations which extends the benefits of Mears' operational experience to help social landlords manage and improve the services they deliver: For landlords with their own DLOs, Mears Direct provides a range of in-sourcing solutions and a portal to a range of professional and operational services to support their DLO operations. Mears has created a highly experienced dedicated team which is delivering this new and unique offer to the social housing maintenance sector.
Jane Nelson, MD of Mears Direct says that the thinking behind the establishment of Mears Direct is to bring the best of both public and private sector worlds together. "DLOs excel in quality service provision and customer care. Their employed local labour forces tend to live locally and have a real commitment to their communities. However services can sometimes be inhibited by an historical lack of investment or the infrastructure that is found in a commercial enterprise. Our vision is to combine these two elements by offering Mears expertise in the sector in disciplines such as operational management, IT, asset management, HR, finance, health and safety, compliance and procurement."
As well as the benefits its management expertise will bring to a wider client base in the housing sector, Mears Direct is also extending its in-house services to encompass a growing number of traditionally outsourced specialist areas. Services such as roofing, scaffolding, drainage and jetting, grounds maintenance and pest control are now delivered by directly-employed, fully trained Mears' operatives and which will be added to as the clients' needs grow. These services are being made available to clients and DLOs and serve to further improve their service delivery and operational efficiency.