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Nottinghamshire County Council is delighted to announce the formation of a joint venture partnership with Vertas Group Limited to deliver catering and facilities management services from September 2025 onwards.  

The new joint venture partnership, which will be called Vertas Nottinghamshire Limited, was confirmed at an official contract signing on Wednesday 19 March, which included representatives from the county council and Vertas Group Limited. 

Vertas Group Limited is a national organisation, wholly owned by Suffolk County Council, that provides a vast range of services from total facilities management (including cleaning and catering) to property design, recruitment and security services. 

The county council’s Catering and Facilities Management Service provides high-quality meals, cleaning, landscaping, and maintenance services to schools, residents, and businesses across the county and will transition across to the new joint venture partnership from 1^st September 2025.  By leveraging the combined strengths of both organisations, this new joint venture aims to maintain a strong public sector ethos while enhancing commercial viability. The joint venture will build on the organisations’ existing award-winning services and a comprehensive mobilisation period will now begin, including consultations with staff and collaboration with customers to ensure a smooth transition.

Ian Surtees MBA, FIoD, Group Chief Executive Officer at Vertas Group, said: "We are delighted to embark on this new partnership together. For all of those involved, it is about evolution, not revolution. Our priority is ensuring a smooth transition, with business as usual for all those who rely on our services. By combining our expertise with Nottinghamshire County Council, we are strengthening our commitment to delivering exceptional facilities management and catering that enhances everyday experiences."

Councillor Scott Carlton, Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Health at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “The signing of this contract is great news for Nottinghamshire as it means that catering and facilities management services can be sustainably delivered across the county as we look ahead to the future. 

“We are delighted to be forming this joint venture partnership with Vertas Group Limited. They have a national reach but pride themselves on delivering local services for local people with those who understand the communities they are serving at the heart of their operations. 

“This is a positive step forward and throughout this process our key priority has been to ensure the protection of our staff, who truly are the backbone of the service. 

“This model will allow us to influence the future delivery of services and this is by all means a positive for our customers and staff. 

“The commercial experience that Vertas Group Limited has means that the service will be able to further grow and flourish. 

“I have talked many times over the last few years about the financial pressures facing our catering and facilities management service such as rising inflation such as rising food costs, wage rises and increasing energy prices. 

“The new joint venture partnership will see the current level of service be maintained across Nottinghamshire but in a more financially sustainable way.  

“This significant milestone of forming Vertas Nottinghamshire Limited means that we can combine our local knowledge with Vertas Group Limited’s expertise to ensure high-quality service delivery while minimising the financial risk to the county council.”