Mr. Meek

Security & Safety

Forming a Successful Partnership with Your Pest Management Provider

By Frank Meek, International Technical & Training Director, Orkin, LLC

Thorough and efficient pest management in your hotel is not a one-man show. In order to be successful in your efforts, you must have the cooperation of your staff as well as a pest management professional you can trust. But how do you select the best service provider, and once you do, how do you know who handles each responsibility?

Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, has become the standard for pest management in hotels because it combines multiple control techniques to effectively combat pests. IPM practitioners recognize that by removing or blocking access to basic elements essential to pest survival, such as food, water and shelter, they can help prevent pests before using reactive treatment methods.

Given the relative complexity of IPM and the high stakes placed on outcomes, most hoteliers choose to outsource their IPM programs. But, the importance of receiving excellent service makes understanding how to choose the right IPM provider a must.

1. Searching for Your IPM Partner

As with many complex decisions, the first step is to solicit recommendations from your industry colleagues. When discussing potential providers with your colleagues, ask questions that will separate credible and experienced providers from the rest. The following are several questions you should ask and responses to look for:

• Does the provider offer an Integrated Pest Management program tailored to the special needs of hotel buildings? Not all hospitality establishments are created equal. Your program must fit the specific needs of your building in order to be most effective.
• Does the provider specialize in commercial pest control? Providers should have extensive experience in commercial pest control and in the hospitality industry in particular.
• Are the provider's technicians trained to deliver IPM in a hospitality environment? Look for providers with specialized training programs and a substantial number of IPM contracts with similar establishments.
• How long has the reference used the provider? Since successful IPM programs rely on long-term partnerships and because IPM is an ongoing process that can take time to show results (positive or negative), give more weight to recommendations by peers who have a good track record with the provider they recommend.
• What other hotels does the provider service? Look for businesses of similar size and scope.
• Does the provider offer a satisfaction guarantee on its service? In the case of dissatisfaction, the guarantee should offer, at a minimum, complimentary service until the customer is satisfied.
• What is the average response time to a pest-related emergency? Is there an extra charge for such emergency responses? Pest sightings in a hotel can be cause for alarm, especially in guest areas. Credible providers will understand this and should guarantee an on-site response within 24 hours at no additional charge.
• What documentation is provided with the service? An effective IPM program should provide detailed documentation of all pest activity and services performed. This data can be used to track trends and share the pest management program's outcomes with hotel management and public health inspectors. Once you've completed your research and found the answers to these initial questions, part two of this phase is to contact candidate providers directly and ask more questions. Your objective is to pare down your list to just a handful of potential providers.

At this stage, ask providers the same questions you asked your peers, as well as the following:

• Are the provider's pest specialists licensed and/or certified by the state? If the answer is no, the provider should not be considered.
• What kind of training do pest specialists receive? Ideally, the provider's pest specialists receive specialized IPM training for hospitality establishments. Ask what kind of recognition, if any, the company's technical training programs have received.
• Does the provider offer IPM training for its clients' staff members? Some pest management professionals will help teach housekeeping and maintenance staff to support the IPM program through customized training sessions offered at no additional cost. Because IPM relies so heavily on cooperation between the provider and hotel staff for success, this added value should be strongly considered when selecting an IPM partner.
• In which cities and states does the provider have offices/provide service? Be sure all providers under consideration have branch offices close enough for emergency calls. Also, if your hotel is part of a large chain, consider choosing a provider with regional or national presence so a successful relationship might be extended to other locations without compromising service.

2. On-Site Inspections

After gathering more information from the long list of pest management professionals, it's time to identify two or three companies from which to solicit proposals. Contact the short list of providers and ask them to conduct an on-site inspection of your hotel before submitting a proposal. The inspection will not only give them an opportunity to inspect current conditions and gather information for a more customized proposal, but it will afford the chance to size them up and ask more questions.

Don't hesitate to ask questions during the inspection, including any questions listed above that were not answered during prior conversations. Be sure to identify specific pests that must be included in the contract and ask about additional charges when extra services are needed for a non-contracted pest. Ask providers to define IPM for you and explain how they will apply IPM principles as part of a pest control program. Many definitions of IPM are floating around the marketplace, so be sure to select a provider who understands IPM as you do.

3. Defining Roles

To ensure the implementation of a valid and effective IPM program, be sure to discuss and agree on the provider's and the hotel's respective roles in the IPM partnership. Each proposal, and eventually any service agreement, should stipulate these roles clearly.

At a minimum, the contractor should be prepared to:

• Provide service to the property in the frequency stipulated by the service agreement. If additional services between regular visits are needed to meet the provisions of the contract, they should be provided at no additional cost.
• Perform a comprehensive inspection during each scheduled visit and determine appropriate treatment methods.
• Provide written service reports after each regular visit to describe any deficiencies in housekeeping, maintenance or sanitation that could promote pest problems and offer corrective recommendations. Such records should clearly spell out observed pest activity and all actions taken to manage pests, including dates, times, locations, target pests and any treatment applications. Information on pesticide usage should include EPA registration numbers of any product applied.
• When appropriate, carefully select and apply the least hazardous pesticide formulations needed and always in accordance with federal, state and local regulations and EPA label instructions.
• Provide copies of all labels and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for on-site reference. Typically, your hotel's role in the partnership will be to:
• Make the premises available for service at the specified time and ensure that all areas are accessible for inspection and treatment.
• Prepare premises for service according to the agreed-upon conditions of the service contract.
• Promptly correct any deficiencies noted on the written reports provided by the pest management specialist.
• Train maintenance and housekeeping staff to conduct routine cleanings that do not disturb, remove or contaminate the control methods placed by the pest management specialist (as mentioned above, some providers will offer staff trainings upon request).
• Monitor and evaluate the contractor's performance on a regular basis.

4. Set Evaluation Criteria

As with any contractual service relationship, it's best that both parties agree up front on how - and how often - the provider's services will be evaluated. IPM programs must be long-term and highly site-specific and may rely on actions by someone other than the contractor for success. Because of these variables, evaluation of the IPM contract cannot be based solely on pest presence. Rather, consider performance satisfactory if the contractor is fulfilling all of the roles specified above and treatments of specific pest problems suppress pest presence to acceptable and agreed-upon threshold limits. Work closely with your staff to set measurable goals for your program and regularly communicate areas of improvement.

IPM programs require more knowledge of pest biology and behavior, more communication with hotel staff, and more staff participation and training than traditional pest control programs. By knowing each party's role, you can capture the necessary training, experience and knowledge needed to create a successful IPM partnership.

An industry veteran, Frank Meek has been with Orkin since 1986. In 2003, he was named among the future leaders of the pest management industry in Pest Control Technology magazine’s “40 Under 40” ranking. Currently, as the International Technical and Training Director, Mr. Meek provides technical support and training in both sales and service to Orkin's international franchises, helping them grow and develop in their specific markets. As a board-certified entomologist, Mr. Meek teaches Integrated Pest Management principles and can explain how to use all available methodologies to prevent pest infestations in various commercial settings. Mr. Meek can be contacted at 404-888-2898 or fmeek@rollinscorp.com Extended Bio...

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