CleanSource Cleaning provider match Cleaning Provider Match · USD 49
Four providers, and your current contract does not include the thing you complain about
A written scope, four quotes against it, and the reason they are not comparable until you have one.
You have renewed the same cleaning contract for six years and you are unhappy with it. Reading the contract, the two things you complain about most are not in it. Before changing provider it is worth knowing that your current one has been delivering what they agreed.
Washroom consumables and the workshop floor are both outside your current scope. Three of the four new quotes also exclude them, in different ways. Without a written scope you will change provider and have the same two complaints in March.
Diagnosis
What you are actually paying for
| Your complaint | In the current scope? | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Washrooms run out of soap and towels | No | Consumables are supplied by you. Nobody has been buying them |
| Workshop floor is never properly cleaned | No | Scope covers office areas only. The workshop was never included |
| Kitchen surfaces missed on Fridays | Yes | Legitimate. Four times daily is specified |
| Windows have not been done in a year | Annual only | Specified as once a year. Last done in November |
| Bins not emptied in meeting rooms | Yes | Legitimate |
| Nobody knows who to contact | Not specified | No named contact in the contract |
Two of six complaints are genuine service failures. Two are things you never bought. Two are ambiguous because the contract does not say. That mix is typical of a contract renewed by inertia for six years without anyone rereading it.
Scope
The specification to tender against
| Area | Frequency | Includes | Measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office floor, 780 m2 | Daily, weekday evenings | Vacuum, bins, surfaces, kitchen | Visual, spot checked weekly |
| Washrooms, 6 | Daily plus midday check | Consumables supplied and restocked | Never empty. Logged |
| Workshop, 620 m2 | Twice weekly | Sweep, degrease bays, bins | Photographed monthly |
| Meeting rooms, 4 | Daily | Bins, surfaces, whiteboards | Visual |
| Kitchen | Daily plus Friday deep clean | Including fridge on Fridays | Fridge logged |
| Windows, internal | Quarterly | All accessible glazing | Dated |
| Windows, external | Twice yearly | Ground floor only | Dated |
| Deep clean | Annual, August | Carpets, high level dusting | Scheduled 3 months ahead |
Eight lines. The two additions against your current contract are the washroom consumables and the workshop, which are the two things you have been unhappy about for six years.
Comparison
Four quotes, on the new scope
| Annual | Consumables | Workshop | Named contact | Cover | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current provider | USD 21,600 | Not included | Not included | No | Unstated |
| Current, requoted on new scope | USD 27,900 | Included | Included | Yes | 48 hours |
| Provider B | USD 26,400 | Included | Included | Yes | Same day |
| Provider C | USD 24,100 | At cost plus 15% | Weekly only | Yes | 48 hours |
| Provider D | USD 29,500 | Included | Included | Yes | Same day |
Your current provider requoted on the full scope is USD 27,900, which is USD 1,500 more than Provider B for the same thing and a slower cover response. Having them quote against a written scope is the most useful thing this exercise has produced, whatever you decide.
Before signing
What to verify yourself
- Current public liability and employers liability certificates, with expiry dates
- Proof that staff are directly employed rather than subcontracted, if that matters to you
- Two references from sites of similar size and mix, telephoned not emailed
- What happens when the regular cleaner is absent, in writing
- Whether the price is fixed and for how long, and what the uplift mechanism is
- Notice period on both sides, and whether it is mutual
- Who supplies and stores the consumables, and where
- Whether your workshop has any requirement they need to be told about