Hobart and William Smith Colleges

17 September 2019 Sodexo Earns International Recognition at HWS

Sodexo, a facilities management and a food services company committed to improving Quality of Life, partnered with Hobart and William Smith (HWS) Colleges to earn ISO 55001 certification from the International Standards Organization (ISO) for its Asset Management Framework methodology for facilities.

The ISO 55001 certification at HWS, Sodexos first in the United States, validates the establishment, implementation, maintenance and improvement of the companys physical assets management system in a manner that is predictable and repeatable. The benefit is an optimized life-cycle of the infrastructure and the assets of Hobart and William Smiths campus, optimized maintenance and investment costs as well as improved day-to-day availability of all equipment and installations on campus.

Sodexos experience of over 30 years successfully managing facilities at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, made pursuing the operational excellence prescribed by the ISO 55001 standard a logical next step in strengthening our partnership, says Satya Menard, Sodexos Global CEO, Schools & Universities Worldwide. The opportunities for ISO 55001 certification in the United States are vast. The benefits of this certification for Universities and Schools are not only financial but also qualitative with improved safety and comfort which drive a better life on campuses for the students, faculty and staff.

Our longtime partnership with Sodexo is vital to our work providing students with a robust residential higher education experience, says Carolee White, chief financial officer and vice president of finance and administration at HWS. This validation by the ISO acknowledges not only the essential and outstanding work of Sodexo employees on campus but their commitment, and that of the Colleges, to push constantly toward better and better services for the HWS community.

Sodexo selected its operation at HWS for the first deployment of the companys facilities management methodology, the Asset Management Framework (AMF), based on the strong and longstanding relationship between the Colleges and Sodexo, as well as the strength of the companys team on campus.

We are extremely proud to have achieved ISO 55001 certification which attests to our success in delivering best in class operational technical maintenance service, says Kwabena Okrah, Sodexos vice president of asset management and technical services for North America. The value we create through this certification is in proving success of our AMF methodology, and highlighting the talent of our on-site team. The teams stewardship of our clients property has made them a trusted advisor, and their deliberate attention to our clients intrinsic needs has enabled us to create and sustain an exceptional experience on campus.

First published in 2014 and updated in 2016, the ISO 55001 standard was developed by the ISO Committee TC251 consisting of international experts in facilities management and asset lifecycle management with 31 countries participating. Prior to this successful certification at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Sodexo has already achieved ISO 55001 success in certifying the operations of facilities of European, South American and Asian clients. The data-fueled approach prescribed by ISO 55001 provides benchmark measurements for clients and helps to fine tune decisions or actions to close gaps and achieve operational excellence.

Sodexo Universities has provided full facilities service to the Colleges approximate 2,400 students, faculty, staff, and administration employees since August of 1988.