In any organisation it’s easy to fall into the rhythm of routine, where services tick along and performance feels good enough. However, in our experience, relying on instinct or past performance – without regularly benchmarking your services – can be a costly mistake.
Benchmarking is about more than cost comparison. It’s about understanding whether your services are operating efficiently, effectively, and to the standards you expect. Without it, organisations risk missed opportunities, hidden inefficiencies and, in some cases, serious compliance issues.
At Litmus, we offer independent, data-driven benchmarking as a standalone review or as part of a wider operational audit. What makes us different is the scale of the UK-wide data we collect, which enables us to measure off a client’s services against best practise, averages and means across both regions and the UK itself. We can inform clients what others have done to successfully address similar issues in the current landscape.
Our goal is simple: to help organisations unlock value, improve standards, and ensure services are aligned with both their budgets and their mission.
The illusion of efficiency
Many schools believe their cleaning, catering or facilities management operations are running smoothly simply because there are no major complaints. But no news isn’t always good news. Without benchmarking, how can you be sure your labour model is the right size, that your staffing levels match demand and that you’re not overpaying for services or falling short on quality?
We often find that teams have grown organically over time, based on legacy decisions rather than objective need. While this may feel familiar and safe, it can lead to inefficiencies that become embedded in the culture and cost structure of the organisation.
The biggest pitfalls of not benchmarking
- Financial complacency: Organisations may unknowingly be spending significantly more than necessary on outsourced contracts or in-house operations. Benchmarking highlights these gaps and offers a clear path toward better value. We often identify areas where labour can be redistributed, contract terms can be renegotiated, or services can be restructured for better efficiency – all without compromising quality.
- Quality and compliance risks: Whether it’s food safety in catering, hygiene standards in cleaning, or statutory checks in facilities management, benchmarking also sheds light on whether current operations are meeting appropriate industry standards. The risks of falling behind are serious – lack of oversight can leave schools vulnerable to inspection failures, reputational damage, or even legal issues.
- Staying ahead: In a rapidly changing landscape – where inflation, staffing challenges, and sustainability pressures are constant – organisations need to stay proactive rather than reactive. Benchmarking provides leaders with the evidence needed to plan ahead, support investment decisions, or consider alternative delivery models like hybrid or fully outsourced services. Without it, decision-making becomes guesswork, and opportunities for innovation or improvement are missed entirely.
Benchmarking isn’t about cutting costs for the sake of it – it’s about understanding how the catering and cleaning services are performing and making informed decisions to improve. Importantly, the data is delivered via smart online dashboards, meaning organisations can easily drill down into the data and focus on what’s important.
To hear more about our benchmarking services, please click here
The Litmus team