FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Just Ask, the specialist delivery unit within Bidvest Noonan providing social housing-focused FM services cross the UK and Ireland, has been appointed to Fusion21’s £85 million UK-wide Grounds Maintenance Framework as the top-scoring supplier across each criteria assessed.
The four-year national framework, running from June 2026 to June 2030, is the first to be awarded by Fusion21 under the Procurement Act 2023, and gives more than 1,000 public sector organisations a compliant route to grounds maintenance and outside environment services.
For Fusion21 members, the framework removes much of the time, cost and administrative work involved in running individual procurement exercises. Members gain access to pre-qualified suppliers, flexible short-term bridging options, and built-in social and environmental value, with the confidence that compliance has already been tested at the point of award.
Suppliers underwent a competitive open tender process which looked at quality, technical capability, commercial competitiveness, compliance and risk, social value and sustainability. Only those meeting all required standards across each area were able to enter the framework. Just Ask says it secured the highest score in every category, reflecting the “depth of its experience and quality of its work on complex, multi-site public sector estates”.
Sustainability sits at the core of how Just Ask will deliver against this framework. Every grounds maintenance contract is an opportunity to give something back to the environment and the communities around it. For every £500k of contract value awarded, Just Ask will plant 250 native saplings, complete with guards, working hand in hand with Fusion21 members to identify the right sites, land and species for each location.
Members also benefit from Just Ask’s “innovative approach,” including Carbon Neutral Ground Maintenance teams operating from electric vans, with a fully electric set of tools all charged from renewable sources. As well as regional reactive teams that support seasonal fluctuations in workload ensuring a consistent high quality service delivery.
Duncan Shadbolt, Managing Director, Just Ask said: “We’re delighted to have been chosen to support Fusion21’s 1,000 members right across the UK. It’s a real privilege, and all credit goes to our teams, whose experience in grounds maintenance shows in the standard of work they deliver every single day. We understand the unique demands of public sector estates, particularly social housing, where residents rightly expect their neighbourhoods to look and feel cared for, day in and day out.”
Services covered include grass cutting, hedge and shrub maintenance, soft landscaping, weed control, seasonal works, litter clearance and winter services.
What are the main issues for FMs and Service Providers in managing contracts and the front-line staff who deliver them?
Workday, the enterprise AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, has put together a short survey and is seeking views from professionals within the industry on your most pressing contract management issues, including recruitment and retention, maintaining compliance, and measuring performance, as well as your opinions on the adoption of data-driven solutions that help nurture staff and improve contract outcomes.
As a thank you, you’ll have the option to enter a free prize draw to win a £200 Amazon voucher.
To take part in the survey please click here.
