“Desk 1 and desk 2 are very similar, aren’t they?” Two colleagues have inadvertently found themselves playing a game of spot the difference. They’re in a room at Duboisdomein 30, surrounded by three desks and six chairs. In their hands are assessment forms they are using to evaluate the furniture on criteria such as quality, comfort and appearance.
The evaluation is part of a tendering procedure opened by UM. Three companies are participating in the tender. UM staff will have a say in which company will win the contract.
“Our staff members are ultimately the ones who will use the furniture, so we think it’s important to take their assessments into account”, explains Peter Hamers, contract manager at Facility Services. “Each company has supplied a test set-up of one desk with two chairs. Staff scores will count 30 per cent towards the overall assessment of quality, in addition to factors such as the user-friendliness of the online shop, sustainability and the delivery process. Hopefully a lot of staff members will come in to evaluate the set-ups so that the scores are representative.”
Evaluating the set-ups is not as easy as it may seem, though. Company 1 and company 2 have provided almost identical desks, which are also quite similar to desk 3. “Either way, they’re sturdier than the IKEA table I’m currently using”, says one of the staff members present. “I’m glad there are bigger differences between the chairs”, says someone else. The chair with a larger tilt range and longer armrests is a favourite. Once completed, the assessment forms are deposited into a sealed ballot box.