How to Evaluate Commercial Cleaning Quotations

Put every quotation onto the same area list and the same frequency. Cheaper offers usually cover fewer areas, fewer visits or fewer tasks — which is a scope difference, not a saving.

Divide the price by the planned cleaner-hours. If a bidder cannot state cleaners per visit and hours on site, the labour is not costed, it is hoped for. Under-priced labour is the single most common cause of cleaning contract failure.

Deep cleaning, floor machine work, glass cycles and event turnarounds should be priced separately from the routine. Bundled into a monthly figure, they disappear quietly when margins tighten.

Consumables, waste removal, high-level work, specialist treatments and equipment are the usual hidden gaps. Ask each bidder to list exclusions explicitly and compare those lists side by side.