A request for quote (RFQ) asks contractors to price a defined scope. A tender is a fuller process that also asks how they will deliver it, who will do the work and what evidence they can show. Both exist to get comparable answers to the same question, so you can choose on facts instead of on whoever sounded most confident.
Which one you need depends on the size and risk of the contract. A single small office can usually be handled with a well-written RFQ and a couple of walkthroughs. A large multi-site building, a strata complex with a committee to answer to, or any contract your organisation's policy says must go to tender, needs the fuller process.
The guides in this cluster
- How to run a cleaning tender walks through the process from brief to appointment.
- What to ask for in a cleaning RFQ lists the questions and documents that make quotes comparable.
- A cleaning tender evaluation scorecard gives you a way to score responses so the decision can be explained to a committee or manager.
All three assume you already have a written scope. If you do not, start with how to write a cleaning scope of work, and keep the wider buyer's guide to hiring a commercial cleaner to hand. To have us respond to your tender or quote request, get in touch.