University of Newcastle A Spotless & Skyline Partnership

Initial Consultancy

Skyline’s relationship with Spotless and the University of Newcastle began in March of 2021. Skyline was engaged as a Horticultural Consultant to uplift the campuses which had been neglected. The Spotless General Manager was thankful for our ability to listen to their needs and the depth of expertise we showed after our initial site inspection.

Our initial services included the following:

Monitor incumbent teams to ensure they were doing the proposed works in an efficient, tradesman-like manner
Daily quality inspections
Review of the proposed daily and weekly work plans to ensure efficiency and quality is maximised
Monitor and adjust staff to address Adhoc work requests without disruption
Provide or suggest possible upgrade opportunities within each campus.

Due to Skyline’s ongoing reliability and UoN’s satisfaction with our initiative, Spotless engaged us further for rectification works which was quickly followed by the request to take over the entire contract in July of 2021.

University of Queensland Case Study in Detail

Scope of Works

Skyline undertook the entirety of the Grounds Maintenance Services contract for the Callaghan, Ourimbah, and Delapratts University campuses. This includes residential areas, the conservatorium, academic & administration lots, Sportsfields, and general courtyards / common areas. These campuses require a large range of works, including but not limited to:

Artificial grass maintenance
Turf maintenance (push or ride-on mowing, and slashing)
Weed control on turf & garden beds
Tree, shrub, & hedge care (pruning, trimming, and shaping)
Weed, pest, and disease control on turf and garden beds (chemical spraying, manual weed control, use of natural fertilisers, etc.)
Litter removal from campus
Removal of dead plants, fallen branches, or other green waste
Pavement repairs (including graffiti removal)
Furniture repairs & cleaning
Flower / garden bed care (including mulching, watering, irrigation, and enhancement in line with flower palette)
Clearing / cleaning of pathways, carparks, drains, stormwater pits, or gross pollutant traps etc.
Report all contract information in their computerised Maintenance Management System – Maximo.
Various Adhoc works for the CBD campuses

Transition Process

Skyline’s 8-week transition process with UoN was lead by the NSW State Manager and Operations Manager.

We began this contract by planning initial rectification works to bring high-profile areas up to a required standard using a team of 3-6 staff members on a weekly basis. These high-profile areas included the accommodation and architecture buildings.

Positive Outcomes

Overall, the campuses safety & presentation has improved. Both Spotless and UoN representatives are extremely satisfied with Skyline’s services. They have remarked the sites are in a good position and they are very happy with the Supervisor’s (Rachel Burgoyne) initiative.

Another positive outcome is our successful interactions with Delando – a disability support service. Delando teams have a section of the UoN that they provide up to 30 staff to work through the garden areas, pruning, weeding & mulching. Skyline assist them by taking away the green waste that has been generated by the works and/or we will inspect the garden areas and provide them with some direction of what services are required for the given day/ week.