When several commercial cleaning companies are competing for your business, comparing the numbers at the bottom of their proposals seems like the obvious place to start. The problem is that two cleaning quotes can look similar while covering very different levels of service.

One company may be pricing routine nightly cleaning while another includes periodic floor care, additional restroom attention or more frequent service in high-traffic areas. Staffing, supervision and specialty work can vary as well. For Long Island businesses looking for commercial cleaning services, understanding what is behind the price can make it much easier to compare proposals fairly.

Start With the Exact Scope of Work

Before comparing prices, compare what each company has agreed to clean. Look beyond broad descriptions such as “office cleaning” or “janitorial service.” A useful proposal should make it reasonably clear which spaces and tasks are included.

For example, does the scope cover:

• Offices and workstations
• Conference and meeting rooms
• Lobbies and reception areas
• Restrooms
• Employee kitchens and break rooms
• Hallways and common areas
• Trash and recycling
• Vacuuming and routine floor cleaning
• Interior glass
• High-touch surfaces

Pay particular attention to anything that appears in one proposal but not another. A lower price may simply reflect a smaller scope.

Compare Cleaning Frequency, Not Just the Monthly Total

Two companies can quote the same building and arrive at very different prices because they are proposing different schedules. One company might recommend cleaning five nights per week while another proposes three. Even within the same building, different areas may require different frequencies. A lightly used conference room may not need the same attention as a busy restroom, lobby or employee break room. When reviewing proposals, determine how often each major task will be performed. That provides a much more useful comparison than looking at the monthly total alone.

Find Out What Is Routine and What Costs Extra

Some of the biggest differences between commercial cleaning proposals appear in services that are needed occasionally rather than every night. Routine cleaning and periodic maintenance are not the same thing. Floor stripping and waxing, carpet cleaning, exterior cleaning, detailed window cleaning and other less frequent projects may be excluded from the base proposal. That does not necessarily make the quote less competitive. It simply means you need to understand which services are included and which would be billed separately.

Businesses with needs that extend beyond regular janitorial work may also want to ask whether the same company can provide specialty and emergency cleaning services. Working with a provider that can handle additional needs may simplify facility management when something unexpected occurs.

Consider the Type of Facility Being Cleaned

Square footage alone does not determine how demanding a cleaning job will be. A 20,000-square-foot corporate office may have very different requirements from a similarly sized warehouse, school, medical facility or laboratory. The number of employees and visitors, restroom usage, floor surfaces, hours of operation and type of work performed inside the building can all affect the cleaning plan. Certain facilities also require more specialized procedures.

Healthcare and laboratory environments, for example, can involve infection-control considerations, medical waste and cleaning procedures that would not apply to a typical office. Companies comparing proposals for these environments should make sure the provider has appropriate experience with healthcare and laboratory cleaning. A quote built around the actual use of the facility is more meaningful than one based primarily on its square footage.

Look at How the Cleaning Will Be Managed

The people performing the work are important, but so is what happens after they leave. Ask how the company supervises its cleaning crews and checks completed work. Who notices if something was missed? Who follows up when the facility manager has a concern? Is there someone responsible for inspecting the work? This becomes particularly important with ongoing commercial cleaning because small problems can become recurring problems when there is no reliable quality-control process.

DeLuca Cleaning uses operations managers to inspect client locations as part of its service process, providing another level of oversight beyond the cleaning crew itself.

Ask Whether the Company Performs Its Own Services

A commercial cleaning proposal may include services that the company performs directly or work that is passed to another vendor. Knowing the difference can be helpful. A provider capable of handling a wider range of work internally can give a facility manager fewer companies to coordinate when additional cleaning or maintenance needs arise. It can also make communication easier when one company is responsible for multiple aspects of the property’s cleaning program.

Make Sure You’re Comparing the Same Level of Staffing

Labor represents a significant part of commercial cleaning, so staffing assumptions can have a major effect on a quote. You do not necessarily need to know every detail of a company’s staffing formula, but you should understand whether the proposed service appears realistic for your facility. An unusually inexpensive proposal deserves a closer look if the scope and frequency appear identical to significantly higher bids. The important question is not simply whether one company costs less. It is whether that company has allowed enough time and resources to perform the work being promised.

Think About Your Facility Six Months From Now

Your cleaning needs may not stay exactly the same. Employee attendance can increase. A business can expand into additional space. A new tenant can move into a building. A facility can begin receiving more visitors. There may also be seasonal changes in what gets tracked inside or which areas receive the most use. When comparing companies, consider whether the proposed cleaning program can be adjusted as the building changes. Commercial cleaning works best when the service can evolve with the facility instead of forcing the facility into a fixed routine.

Price Still Matters, But It Needs Context

Budget will always be part of the decision. The goal is not to ignore price. It is to understand what you are receiving for that price. If one proposal costs less because it excludes services you do not need, it may be the right choice. If it costs less because important tasks, adequate staffing or quality-control measures have been removed, that is a very different calculation. A good commercial cleaning quote should make it possible to understand what will be cleaned, how often it will be cleaned and how the work will be managed. Once you compare those details, the prices at the bottom of the proposals become much more useful.

Comparing Commercial Cleaning Companies on Long Island

Every facility has different priorities, which is why commercial cleaning proposals should not all look exactly the same. DeLuca Cleaning develops customized cleaning programs for commercial, industrial and institutional facilities throughout Long Island and the surrounding Tri-State area. Rather than choosing a service based solely on the lowest number, businesses can evaluate a plan based on what their facility actually requires. If you’re reviewing cleaning options for your facility, contact DeLuca Cleaning to discuss your needs and request a customized estimate.

Frequently Asked Questions About Commercial Cleaning Proposals