Cleaning Bid Comparison Checklist: Lining Up Office Cleaning Quotes

Why every bid goes onto the same sheet

Three cleaning quotes for one office can look like three different documents. One is a single page with a monthly figure, another runs to a dozen pages of task tables, and a third tucks the floor work into an appendix. Reading them as they arrive tends to reward the bid that is easiest to skim, which is not always the one that covers your building.

The fix is to move each bid onto an identical sheet before judging any of them. Give each company its own printed copy, filled in with that quote open beside you, and record what the company actually said. Leave a line blank where the bid is silent. When every copy is done, lay them next to each other on the desk. Differences that were buried in the formatting show up straight away.

This sheet assumes you already know what you are asking for. Rooms and tasks not on paper yet? Our scope of work guide covers that step first. For the questions to ask before any bid comes in, see how to choose a commercial cleaning company.

Hours, entry and the building’s rules

A bid built around the wrong hours will run into trouble in the first week. Check that each company heard the same access details you gave at the walkthrough.

• The visit window fits your close time and the building’s after-hours rules
• Weekend or holiday visits are stated where you need them
• Key, badge or fob handling is described, with how the crew returns them
• The alarm procedure is acknowledged, without the code itself written into the bid
• Security desk sign-in, freight elevator and parking rules are covered where they apply

Oversight, insurance and screening

A task list only matters if someone checks it. Write down how each bid says the work will be inspected and how the results will reach you, then look at the paperwork behind the company.

• Who inspects finished rooms, against what list, and how often
• How inspection results are shared with you
• A certificate of insurance showing general liability and workers’ compensation, with current dates
• The certificate names the company you are hiring, and adds your landlord as additional insured if your lease asks for it
• Bonding is stated
• Crew screening is described before anyone receives keys

Our own column fills in quickly. Loop holds insurance, workers’ compensation coverage and a bond. Each crew member is background-checked, supervisors walk your rooms on scheduled quality inspections, and you receive our certificate of insurance, as every client does.

Reading the copies side by side

Once every sheet is filled in, go through them one section at a time instead of one bid at a time. Blank lines are the most useful thing on the page. Each one is a question to send back, and asking every bidder the same question keeps the comparison fair. A company that answers a follow-up in writing has given you something you can file with the contract.

Keep the completed sheets with the bids themselves. They make the first review after start-up much easier, because you can check what was promised against what is happening. If you’d like Loop to be one of the bids, request a walkthrough and bring a blank copy along.