How to prepare a commercial cleaning scope

Start with a list of areas, not a list of tasks

Walk the site and write down every area that will be cleaned: reception, each office floor, meeting rooms, kitchens, washrooms, stairs, lifts, loading dock, bin room and so on. Group them logically. This list becomes the spine of the scope and stops rooms being forgotten.

For each area, note the floor surface, approximate size and how heavily it is used. Those three facts drive most decisions about frequency and method.

Attach tasks and frequencies to each area

For each area, list the tasks in plain terms and how often each should happen. Avoid vague language such as 'clean as required'. 'Vacuum carpet: daily. Spot clean glass partitions: daily. Full glass clean: monthly' is a scope; 'keep the office clean' is not.

• Daily tasks: the things that must happen every attendance
• Weekly tasks: detail work on a rotation
• Periodic tasks: monthly, quarterly or annual work such as carpet extraction or high dusting
• On-request tasks: how they are raised and how they are charged

State exclusions explicitly

Everything not listed should be understood as excluded, but it helps to say so for common grey areas: personal desks, IT equipment, dishes, plant rooms, external areas, windows above ground level, pest control and waste contracts. Explicit exclusions prevent disputes later.

Describe access, hours and security

Say when cleaning can happen, how the site is accessed, what alarm procedures apply, which areas are restricted and whether any inductions or clearances are required. Contractors cannot price accurately without this, and it affects how work is staffed.

Define consumables and equipment responsibilities

Decide who supplies hand towel, soap, bin liners and similar items, where they are stored and who replenishes dispensers. Decide whether the contractor supplies equipment and where it is kept on site.

Set out how quality and issues will be managed

A scope should say how work will be checked, how issues are reported and to whom, how quickly issues are expected to be acknowledged, and how often the contract is reviewed. Keep it proportionate to the site; a single office does not need the same regime as a shopping centre.

Use the scope to compare proposals

Send the same scope to every contractor and ask them to price against it, noting any assumptions or departures. Proposals then differ on approach, staffing and price rather than on what has been included. If a proposal is much cheaper, look first for what it has quietly left out.