How the decision can affect staff and students as we wrap up the semester
President Edward Serna plans to outsource Winthrop’s Facilities Management department, according to a press release sent out to faculty and staff on March 19.
“Rock Hill’s labor market has rendered long-term maintenance positions volatile, as competition and high employee turnover has made hiring difficult,” Serna said in the email. “This environment has led to maintenance understaffing, leaving one-third of maintenance positions vacant.”
“While outsourcing is not a cost-saving move, it helps the university manage a stronger level of service. This is evident from Witnthrop’s other outsourced areas (food services, police dispatch services, and the bookstore), all of which have shown success,” Serna added. “We love our team members and appreciate the excellent work they do, but we cannot continue with the status quo.”
Soon to be posted, Winthrop filed an RFP (Request for Proposal) with the state alongside Kevin Butler, the chief financial officer and vice president for Finance and Business Affairs at the university.
An RFP is a document announcing interest in services, often integrating a bidding process. In the case of Winthrop’s document, it aims to secure a single vendor for employee outsourcing. This RFP is expected to run until the end of the fiscal year, Serna said.
The Facilities Management department will undergo massive changes if a vendor is secured, primarily an RIF.
While this RIF (Reduction in Force) would lay off Winthrop employees, the university aims to secure them positions at the new, outsourced organization. Additionally, Winthrop positions such as “campus planning, capital projects management, environmental health and safety, and sustainability,” will be maintained in limited amounts, Serna said. Other positions may be saved if negotiated with a vendor, he added.
“Human Resources plans to work with employees regarding their benefits, helping them determine their options,” Serna said. “Employees close to retirement can retire if eligible, but plans cannot be established until a vendor is chosen, ” he explained.
Current employees were notified of these outcomes on the same day as the press release.
While the news may come as a surprise, the idea to outsource facilities has actually been in the works for almost a year.
“While the project was only drafted this year, the idea had existed since last summer,” Butler said.
“Overall, these changes affect employees in “Central Energy, HVAC/Plumbing, Electrical, Structural, Grounds, Custodial, Set-Up/Moving, Electronic Security Keys/Cores, Central Supply, Property Controls, Utilities, Farm Area, Post Office, and support services,” Serna said.
While the change will impact those various services, “those in higher-up positions at Facilities Management are not impacted,” Butler said.
During the RFP process some Withrop services may be diminished, Butler said. Though if the RFP process fails, Winthrop’s Facilities Management department will continue as normal.
