How to Compare Janitorial Bids Without Getting Burned

Two janitorial bids for the same building can differ by a wide margin and still look alike on paper. Both list nightly service, both say supplies are handled, and both promise quality. The difference shows up months later, in what actually gets done, how problems get fixed and who pays when something goes wrong. Comparing bids well means comparing what sits behind the price.

Start with scope, and set it in a walkthrough

A bid built from a phone call and a square-footage number is a guess. A real bid starts with a walkthrough. OctoClean meets with a facility before service begins to gauge what maintenance is needed, then modifies and adds to the program when necessary. Pricing follows that walkthrough. Whoever you hire, ask for the same. The walkthrough should produce a written scope that states:

• Which rooms and floors are cleaned, and how often
• What each visit includes, such as dusting, wiping and disinfecting, vacuuming, mopping and trash removal
• Which services are periodic, such as floor care, carpet care and window washing, and on what calendar
• Whether a day porter is included
• What is excluded
• Who supplies consumables like paper, soap and liners

Comparing bids line by line only works when each is based on the same scope. If one bid leaves out restroom disinfection or carpet care and the other includes them, the lower number is not actually lower.

Ask how quality is checked

Every vendor says they inspect. Ask how. Look for a defined method: a written checklist, inspections on a set cycle, and a record you can see. OctoClean uses OrangeQC inspection checklists, and the point of any such system is the same. Quality should not depend on someone's memory or goodwill, and you should be able to see the results. Ask who inspects, how often, and whether you get the findings.

Ask how problems are reported and fixed

Problems are certain. Response is the variable. Ask who you call, at what hours, how the request is logged and how fast it gets resolved. In OctoClean's system, calls and emails are documented as tickets, after-hours phones are monitored, each facility gets a custom email group, and issues are resolved within 24 hours. Hold every bidder to that standard of specificity. A named process with a time commitment is a promise you can check. A claim that they are very responsive is not.

Check bonding and insurance directly

Ask for specifics, and get them in writing. The franchise owners behind that system are required to carry general liability insurance, workers' compensation insurance, commercial motor vehicle liability insurance and a $25,000 janitorial bond. Ask every bidder for the same four items and for certificates that show the coverage in force. Your own insurance broker or counsel is the right person to say what limits your building needs, but you cannot have that conversation without the paperwork in hand.

Security belongs in this section too. Ask whether crew members wear photo ID badges, whether background checks are available when you need them, which areas the crew will not enter if you tell them not to, and who locks the doors and sets the alarm at the end of the shift.

Ask about onboarding and billing

Switching vendors takes time. Onboarding in this model typically takes about 2 weeks from a signed contract, so plan your handoff with that in mind, especially if you are replacing an incumbent whose contract ends on a fixed date. Ask each bidder for their timeline and what they need from you to hit it.

On billing, accounts are billed monthly. Whatever the cadence, ask how invoices are itemized so you can match them to the written scope, and ask how a dispute about a missed service is handled.

Warning signs in a low bid

• No walkthrough, or a walkthrough that took ten minutes
• A scope described in one sentence
• No inspection process, or an inspection process they cannot show you
• No stated response time for complaints
• Insurance described as available on request, with no limits given
• Periodic services such as floor and carpet care left unpriced or unscheduled

A simple way to score the bids

Build a short scorecard and give every bidder the same rows: clarity of scope, inspection method, response process, insurance and bonding, security practices, onboarding timeline and, last, price. Price is the final row on purpose. By the time you reach it, you know what each number is actually buying, and the cheapest bid often turns out to be the one with the most work missing.

If you would like a bid built the way this article describes, call OctoClean at 951-683-5859 or request a facility walkthrough. The scope gets set on site, in writing, before anyone talks about price.