A Pioneering Partnership with JLL

Project Overview:

In January 2021 JLL and Ground Control entered a framework partnership, awarding Ground Control a significant proportion of the JLL managed services and grounds maintenance portfolio.

Later in the year, Ground Control acquired winter maintenance contracts for some of JLL’s largest portfolios.

The partnership has also been driving environmental sustainability along the way, implementing nature-based solutions and social value initiatives.

JLL and Ground Control won a total of nine Green Apple Awards in 2022 across JLL’s estate.
A Green Apple Award is an environmental award used to recognise, reward, and promote environmental best practice around the world. The Green Apple Environment Awards were launched in 1994 by The Green Organisation and have become well established as one of the most popular environmental campaigns in the world.

Grounds Maintenance 

Ground Control provides an ongoing service to JLL commercial facilities, maintaining the highest standards in all horticultural practices across the site.

The day-to-day operations include grass cutting, hedge cutting, litter picking, and pothole repair, whilst working on specialist planting projects to improve the grounds and improve the visitor experience.

Supplementing our award-winning maintenance is our design and biodiversity innovation support, providing cost-effective ideas to improve the environment and enhance the on-site aesthetics.

Winter Maintenance

Ground Control onboarded over 200 JLL client locations during the 2021/22 winter season.

Customer focus saw the partnership grow to 7685 proactive JLL customer site visits by January 2021 using 1572.24 tonnes of salt.

Ground Control’s gritting and snow clearance teams work all season, throughout the day and night to keep sites fit for business. As people and routines returned to those pre-pandemic, this was particularly significant in 2021.

Improving customer service included a new phone system, a smart new desktop and field-based quality checking processes, and an updated gritting app to improve communication in the event of an access issue on a client site.

Empowering Biodiversity 

JLL and Ground Control’s shared vision to leave the world in a better place has led to many initiatives, educating partners on the importance of biodiversity.
Some highlights include:

• Wildflower scattering and biodiversity workshop at Gravelly Industrial Park for World Bee Day
• A biodiversity nature trail and map at Grand National Retail Park
• Reed management and ecological improvements to attract native species along waterways at G Park, Sittingbourne.
• A micro wildflower meadow at Bonnington Industrial Estate

Social Value

Human Nature: At Its Best, is evident in our partnership as we continue to add value by supporting our people to be the best they can be.

A wonderful example of this is our grounds maintenance operative Wayne Gorman who started his career through an SEN apprenticeship programme supported by Ground Control. Wayne is now running his own site at a JLL facility and has recently passed his PA1 (Safe Use of Pesticides) test with distinction.

JLL and Ground Control also supported local businesses at an event to celebrate and raise awareness of World Nature Conservation Day. Local Facilities Manager commented:

A Partnership in Volunteering

Supporting our partnership and complementing our company ethos of Human Nature: At Its Best, is ongoing volunteering opportunities. An example of this is refreshing and improving the biodiversity of an old rose border.

JLL and Ground Control hosted an education and volunteering day which involved planting a new herbaceous border to attract native pollinator insects and provide hands on planting and education experience. The chosen planting mix included roses and herbs that would have been present in the 1500s which kept the styling of the World Heritage Site and surrounding museums.

Pothole Repairs

Ground Control repairs potholes, fixes manhole covers and Aco drains, and even does line marking should clients have any work of this nature within their estates.

Unique and exclusive to Ground Control is Permafill. This product dries instantly with no setting or curing time required and can be driven over immediately. It is also guaranteed for three years.