Tarem Services is ‘More than just a cleaning company,’ according to the firm’s motto. Which is an easy claim to make.

What is not easy is the hard work that goes into making that boast a reality – but Tarem Services is a family-owned social enterprise which really does deliver. It’s a company which gives shares to staff after six months’ employment, uses environmentally-friendly products, off-sets carbon use from its work by planting trees in the name of its customers, and gives a percentage of the profits from each contract to the staff who work on them.

Its owners met VolkerFitzpatrick, one of the partners on the Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration project, after being guest speakers at a Meet The Buyer business event organised by Barnet Council late last year.

The Meet The Buyer events allow local small and medium businesses to talk to some of Barnet Council’s main contractors about current and upcoming projects.

They are regularly used by developers to find new suppliers, connect with old ones, or to lay the foundations for future partnerships.

Thanks to the assistance of VolkerFitzpatrick’s procurement team, who approached Tarem Services following their event presentation, to aid them in business growth and obtaining the necessary accreditations needed to work for their business, Tarem Services is now able to provide pest control and labour supply services at Brent Cross West station, and has also opened a new local office in North Finchley.

Founder and director Titus Komolafe said: “In this industry there can be a very high staff turnover, but we offer something different to the people who work for us.

“And with the work we’re doing with VolkerFitzpatrick on the Brent Cross Cricklewood project, it’s the sort of thing I’ve wanted to do for years. They’re embracing change, they want to work with social enterprises. It’s a breath of fresh air!”

Tarem Services was founded in 1999 and has always been focused on tackling injustice within the cleaning sector. It has 130 staff, who between them own a 10% share in the business. And as well as a share of profits, staff also receive an annual dividend.

Business development director Torquil Allen said: “The industry has always had issues such as low pay or having to work anti-social hours, and that’s something we are aware of.

“We’ve also worked to support our staff during lockdown when a lot of sites were shut down. We provided our cleaners and operatives with things like toiletries and sanitary products, which means they haven’t had to spend so much of their income on things like that at a time when everybody is finding things more difficult.”

As well as office cleaning, carpet cleaning and window cleaning, Tarem Services also offers construction labour supply, house clearance, pest control and waste management.

Torquil added: “There’s a lot of potential here in Barnet, and a lot of like-minded people. We hope to have a real impact, especially by offering opportunities for people who are struggling.”

Ian Ford, head of procurement for VolkerFitzpatrick’s Rail and Infrastructure division, said: “Tarem Services is an exceptional company that puts people first, which aligns with our corporate philosophy. Meeting their team and hearing their passion for the work is why we wanted to help them enter our sector. For many social enterprises and SMEs, it can be hard to get the first step through the door, which we understand in procurement, and is why we always offer our supply chain as much support as possible.

“We understand the huge value added to our projects when working with local businesses within our supply chain, and we are taking more and more steps to work with local social enterprises, to help bring us closer to the people in communities we serve.

“Events such as this Meet the Buyer event are important, as it gives all parties the opportunity to engage and support social enterprises and SMEs.”

Find out more about Tarem Services at tarem-commercialcleaning.com

And you can find out more about Barnet Council’s next Meet The Buyer event here.