A janitorial RFP (request for proposal) should give every bidder the same facts about the building and the same list of work, then ask for the price in a fixed format. If it does those three things, the bids can be compared line by line. If it does not, you will receive numbers that look alike and mean different things.
This guide covers what to include, in the order bidders need it.
Before you write: gather the building data
Bidders price labor, and labor follows square footage, floor types and how the space is used. Collect this first:
- Cleanable square footage by area type (offices, restrooms, lobbies, production, warehouse)
- Floor types and approximate square footage of each
- Number of restrooms and fixtures
- Occupancy and operating hours, including shifts
- Floor plans, if you have them
- Security, access and any compliance requirements
The sections of a janitorial RFP
| Section | What it tells bidders |
|---|---|
| Overview and objectives | Who you are, what the buildings are used for, and why you are going to bid |
| Building data | Square footage by area, floor types, restroom counts, hours |
| Scope of work | Every task with a frequency, by area |
| Staffing and supervision | Minimum coverage, on-site lead, screening and training requirements |
| Quality control | How work will be inspected, how often, and how issues are resolved |
| Supplies and equipment | Who provides consumables, chemicals and equipment |
| Insurance and compliance | Required coverage and certificates, safety programs |
| Pricing format | The exact table bidders must fill in |
| Contract terms | Length, renewal, termination and how price changes are handled |
| Contacts and submission | Who answers questions, how and when to submit, and the format required |
| Evaluation criteria and timeline | How you will score proposals, walkthrough date, questions deadline, start date |
Write the scope by area and frequency
The scope is the heart of the RFP. List each area type, the tasks in it and how often each is done: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly. Separate routine cleaning from periodic work such as floor stripping and waxing, carpet extraction and window cleaning, so each can be priced on its own line. Our guide to writing a commercial cleaning scope of work has a section-by-section checklist, and how often an office should be cleaned helps with frequencies.
Ask how the vendor will manage the work
Price tells you what a vendor will charge. These questions tell you what you will get:
- Who supervises the account, and how often are they on site?
- How is completed work verified each shift?
- How often are formal inspections done, and will we be part of them?
- How are complaints logged and closed, and how quickly?
- How are new staff trained for this building?
- How are absences covered?
- What is the transition plan for the first 90 days?
Ask for a sample inspection report and a sample transition plan as attachments. A janitorial inspection checklist gives you a standard to compare those samples against.
Fix the pricing format
Give bidders a table to complete so every proposal arrives in the same shape:
- Monthly price for routine cleaning, per building
- Labor hours per visit that the price assumes
- Each periodic service as a separate line with its frequency
- Consumables, if the vendor supplies them
- Hourly rate for extra work and emergency call-outs
- Any price escalation over the contract term
Labor hours are the most useful number on the page. Two bids with the same monthly price and very different hours are not the same offer.
State the contract terms up front
Tell bidders the length of the agreement, any renewal options, and how either side can end it. Many buildings include a review point early in the term, with the right to terminate if agreed standards are not met. Say how you expect price changes to be handled over the term, and who on your side can approve work outside the scope.
List the standards the vendor must meet
Name the requirements that apply to your building so bidders can price them: safety training and hazard communication, safety data sheets on site, bloodborne pathogen training where relevant, background checks, and any product preferences such as third-party certified green cleaning products. Healthcare, education and food facilities usually have additional rules. State them in the RFP instead of leaving them to be discovered later.
Require a walkthrough
Hold one walkthrough for all bidders, or individual ones, but make attendance mandatory. Vendors that price without seeing the building are guessing, and the guess is corrected later through change orders or missed work. Collect questions in writing afterward and send every answer to every bidder.
Score more than price
Decide the weighting before proposals arrive and publish it in the RFP. A common approach scores price alongside the management plan, staffing approach, relevant experience and references. Whatever weights you choose, a written method keeps the decision defensible. For the judgment calls, see how to choose a commercial cleaning company.
Janitorial RFP template: an outline to copy
Use this outline as the skeleton of your document and fill in each part for your buildings.
- Introduction. Your organization, the buildings covered and the reason for the RFP.
- Timeline. Issue date, walkthrough date, questions deadline, proposal deadline, decision date and service start date.
- Building information. Address, cleanable square footage by area type, floor types, restroom and fixture counts, hours and occupancy.
- Scope of work. Tasks and frequencies by area; periodic services listed separately.
- Staffing and supervision. Coverage required, on-site lead, screening and training.
- Quality control. Inspection method and frequency, complaint handling, reporting and review meetings.
- Supplies and equipment. Who provides what; product requirements.
- Standards and insurance. Safety programs, required coverage and certificates.
- Contract terms. Length, renewal, termination, price changes, extra work.
- Pricing form. The table every bidder completes.
- Proposal contents. Company background, similar accounts, references, management plan, transition plan, sample inspection report.
- Evaluation criteria. What you will score and the weight of each part.
- Contacts and submission. One contact for questions, how to submit and in what format.
Common mistakes
- Leaving out square footage, so each bidder measures differently
- Describing results ("keep the building clean") without tasks and frequencies
- Asking for a single lump-sum price
- Skipping the walkthrough to save time
- Setting a start date that leaves no time for a handover
Skyward responds to RFPs for commercial, industrial, healthcare and education facilities, and can also build a scope with you from a walkthrough if you do not have one yet. Request a site assessment to start there.