To run a cleaning tender, write a scope and a selection process first, invite a short list of contractors, hold a site inspection for all of them, give every bidder the same answers to their questions, score the responses against criteria you set in advance and appoint on that score. The discipline is in treating every bidder identically.
Step 1: Check whether you must tender
Some organisations, committees and funding arrangements require a competitive process above a certain contract value. Check your own procurement policy, your board or committee's rules or, for strata, your body corporate's by-laws and committee resolutions before you start. Where there is no rule, a tender is still worth running for any contract that is large, multi-year or high risk.
Step 2: Write the brief
The brief should contain the scope of work, the access hours, the contract term, the evaluation criteria and the deadline. The scope does most of the work, so write it properly: how to write a cleaning scope of work. Say how responses will be scored so bidders know what matters.
Step 3: Invite a short list
Three to five credible contractors is usually enough. More creates work without improving the decision. Choose contractors who work in your type of building and can show relevant references.
Step 4: Hold one site inspection for everyone
A contractor who has not seen the building is guessing. Run a scheduled inspection, or offer each bidder the same access, and record any answers you give so every bidder receives them. Decisions made on a walkthrough can change a price, so equal information is a matter of fairness.
Step 5: Answer questions in writing, to everyone
Collect questions up to a cut-off date and send the questions and answers to all bidders. Do not give one contractor information the others do not have.
Step 6: Set the response format
Ask each bidder to respond in the same structure, so you can compare like with like: pricing against your scope, the people and supervision proposed, how quality will be checked and reported, insurance and compliance evidence, references and any exceptions to your terms. A common format is the difference between a clear comparison and a stack of brochures. See what to ask for in a cleaning RFQ for the list.
Step 7: Score, then verify
Score each response using criteria you wrote before opening them, using the cleaning tender evaluation scorecard. Then verify before you appoint: call references, check certificates of currency and ask the lead contenders to confirm in writing how their cleaners are engaged and paid under the Cleaning Services Award.
Step 8: Appoint and brief the unsuccessful bidders
Tell everyone the outcome. Attach the scope as a schedule to the contract, agree how quality will be reviewed and plan the handover from your previous cleaner so there is no gap.
Common mistakes
- Choosing on price before checking that every quote covers the same scope.
- Changing the scope part-way through without telling every bidder.
- Skipping the site inspection to save time.
- Having no written scoring criteria, which makes the decision hard to defend.
For a side-by-side method once quotes arrive, see how to compare cleaning quotes like for like. If you are inviting contractors to quote, we welcome the chance to walk your site and respond: book a walkthrough.