Commercial cleaning contractor checklist
The questions to ask any commercial cleaning company before you sign, in the order you'll need them. Tick an item only when the answer is acceptable and backed by evidence or a written commitment. Every contractor profile on this site shows which of these questions that contractor already answers publicly.
1Facility fit and experience
- Service area and capacity. Do you serve our location, have capacity for our schedule, and take facilities of our size?
- Relevant experience. What experience do you have with facilities like ours? Can you provide references from comparable clients, including a long-term client?
- Site walkthrough. Will you inspect our premises before finalizing the quote and cleaning plan? What site-specific challenges did you see?
2Scope of work and cleaning standards
- Detailed written scope. Exactly which rooms, surfaces and tasks are included? Can you provide a checklist of tasks per visit, weekly, monthly and periodically?
- Exclusions and extra services. What is excluded? Are carpet extraction, floor refinishing, windows, deep cleaning and emergency cleanup included or priced separately?
- Frequency and timing. What schedule do you recommend, and why? Can you work around our hours, security restrictions, holidays and busy periods?
- Supplies and consumables. Who provides cleaning products, equipment, trash liners, toilet paper, paper towels and soap? Who restocks them, and what costs extra?
- Methods and training. How are staff trained for our surfaces and requirements, including infection prevention, cross-contamination and chemical handling where relevant?
3Reliability and staffing
- Assigned team and supervision. Who will clean our facility, who supervises them, and will we usually have the same team? How are replacements trained on our site?
- Backup coverage. Who covers sickness, vacations and turnover? How do you keep a staffing gap from becoming a missed cleaning?
- Service verification. How do you verify that visits and tasks were completed? What records can we see?
- Missed-service procedure. If a visit is missed or incomplete, when will you tell us, restore service and apply any agreed credit?
4Quality control and communication
- Routine inspections. Who inspects the work, how often, and against what standard? Can we see an example inspection report?
- Accountable contact. Who is our main contact, who backs them up, and who can resolve problems? How do we reach someone after hours?
- Complaint resolution. What response and correction times will you commit to in writing? Is re-cleaning free when the agreed scope wasn't done?
- Performance reviews. How will we review quality and recurring issues? What happens if a problem continues after corrective action?
5Insurance, security and accountability
- Insurance. Can you provide current certificates for general liability and workers' compensation? Do the limits and exclusions meet our requirements?
- Staff screening and identification. What screening is done before workers get access to our premises? How are workers identified, and how are team changes communicated?
- Employees and subcontractors. Will the work be done by your employees, subcontractors or both? Who is responsible for their training, screening, insurance and supervision?
- Building access and confidentiality. How are keys, access codes, alarms, confidential information and restricted areas handled? Who checks that doors are locked and alarms set?
- Damage and incidents. How are breakage, damage, lost keys, theft allegations and injuries reported and investigated? Who handles claims?
6Pricing and contract terms
- Complete, comparable quote. What is the total recurring price for the agreed scope and frequency, including labor, supervision, supplies, taxes and fees?
- Additional charges. What triggers extra charges? Are initial cleanup, holiday service, consumables and special requests priced separately? Must we approve extra work in advance?
- Rate protection. How long is the rate fixed? When and how can prices change, how much notice is given, and what can we do if we decline an increase?
- Term, renewal and cancellation. What is the initial term? Does it renew automatically? What notice, process and fees apply to cancellation? Can we terminate for repeated failures?
- Changes and payment. How do we change frequency, scope or locations? What are the invoice schedule, payment terms and billing-dispute process?
7Startup and transition
- Written onboarding plan. When can you start? Who manages the transition, site orientation, access and the initial cleaning?
- Early performance review. Can we agree on an initial review date or trial period, clear success criteria, and a way to resolve startup problems?
Before signing
- References checked
- Insurance certificates reviewed
- Final scope, schedule, exclusions and pricing attached to the agreement
- Response times, correction procedures and performance commitments in writing
- Renewal, cancellation and price-increase terms reviewed
- Verbal promises written into the agreement