Believe it or not, many cleaning companies are not aware of what their competitors charge or even care for that matter. That’s what makes finding the best commercial cleaning service near me so tricky.
When you request a bid for a commercial cleaning contract, you may think that the proposal you get is apples to apples, but there’s no way to know looking at the total prices on their own. How can you truly see the value of a bid that is $45K compared to $85K for the same project? Why is there such a price difference for the same services?
One reason is that most commercial cleaning companies don’t focus on beating their competitors by offering the lowest rates. Each uses a different process, staff, and cleaning methods, making price from company to company highly variable.
One important truth about the cleaning industry is that a lower price does not guarantee quality service. So how do you know the value of what you’re getting looking at a proposal?
We’ve put the following article together to help you evaluate professional cleaning proposals. After reading, you’ll know how to choose the best company for long-term results for your building.
Evaluating Commercial Cleaning Services Near Me
When building managers are looking to hire deep cleaning services, they provide their building requirements and scope of work to commercial cleaning services.
Typically, the companies are evaluated based on a point system based on specific criteria, discussed further below. What is challenging about this process is that the final tabulation sheet they receive, which is nothing more than the names of the cleaning companies and the lump sum price and discounts, varies significantly in price.
The bids can come in close, but more often than not, there is a wide range, with proposals ranging from $5K, $10K, $20K, and $50K+ compared to others.
How can you know which company to go with? How much more value will a company that charges $20K more offer your building?
At Sentral Services, translating our value as a long-standing commercial cleaning company is a discussion we’re always having with potential clients. The following points below are how companies are typically evaluated beyond the bottom dollar price, which will help you broaden your skill in assessing new bids.
1. Qualifications and Experience
One thing we always remind our customers is that not all janitorial services are the same. Just because a company claims that they are a professional commercial cleaning company doesn’t guarantee a proven track record of success, even if they happen to have the lowest rates.
Nothing is worse than initiating a contract with a commercial cleaning company based on the pricing alone, only to find out later that they are inexperienced and don’t have the skill or capacity to deliver what’s promised in their bid.
It’s easy to come across as knowledgeable on paper and especially attractive when offering a competitive price. But what’s far more critical is a comprehensive approach to serving clients. By using the skills and experience a reputable cleaning company has gained through years servicing large-scale clients, they’ll be able to take those lessons learned and apply them to your building.
Related read: Professional Office Cleaning: The 5 Best Options for Commercial Properties
When evaluating bids, ask the prospective bidder to provide a portfolio of previous clients and the scope of their work. You want to ensure that they have worked with clients with similar building types and complexity as your facility. Doing this additional research beyond the bid price will help make a better decision without getting caught up strictly in the numbers.
Great prices for services are worthless if they aren’t backed up by a company with the qualifications and experience to deliver those services.
2. Key Personnel Experience and Qualifications
The team and management of the cleaning company play a huge role in whether it’s a good fit for your building. What is the experience of leadership? What about the employees? Do they have the depth of experience and knowledge of your building types, and can they demonstrate that experience?
There are many advantages to working with an independent company with a team of full-time employees compared to a franchise that uses subtractors. The latter are more likely to have extensive cleaning experience and know the ins and outs of the industry. Subcontractors are generally short-term laborers who are less knowledgeable than a staff member with years at a company.
Related read: Janitorial Cleaning Companies vs. In-house Staff: Which is Best?
You may manage a large facility, medical campus, or business office. Experienced management understands what you go through daily and understands how to hold their team accountable to their needs. In addition, they will stay knowledgeable on the latest industry regulations and training.
The expertise of the management and staff should add extra value to the operation of your building. Look for companies with expert leaders in the cleaning industry that hold their team accountable to the highest industry standards. It’s pretty easy to spot management who want to be the best in the industry versus those whose only motivation is a signed contract.
3. Cleaning Process and Implementation
When you sign a cleaning contract, what can you expect from the get-go? What are the pre, during, and post procedures? Does the commercial cleaning service have a reputable process that they can articulate to you?
Everything that you expect from a cleaning company should be upfront, clear, and without surprises. The building requirements and scope of work are one thing, but what about the schedule, modes of communication, and the flexibility of the cleaning teammates to accommodate necessary changes?
The requirements for every building are unique, which is why your cleaning company should make it their top priority to tailor their services to your facility.
At Sentral Services, we rely on a proven cleaning process to handle your building's needs. We embrace new technology, using an app that allows timely updates, project status, and keeping you informed on managing your building, saving you time and energy.
The combination of experience and refining our process allows us to develop a custom cleaning plan.
4. Project Communication
When evaluating a cleaning company, look for the ones that make excellent communication their priority. Communication between the cleaning company and the building manager and stakeholders is key to a successful long-term relationship.
When we've asked our clients why they enjoy working with us, it wasn't because of the way that we scrubbed a counter or disinfected a door handle. Although quality janitorial services require skill and expertise from a knowledgeable staff, communication between the cleaning crew and management is vital for both parties.
We've heard from many clients when we ask them why they're looking to hire new commercial cleaning services because they want better communication. They should be willing to work you through their process, providing clear details about completing their work and communicating updates regularly.
5. Pricing
Cleaning companies will review your scope of work and building specifications and based their total bid on your existing plan. By looking at the scope and specification, they’ll provide a list of janitorial services for your building, a schedule of services, and green cleaning options.
Great companies will also look for opportunities to save your money or make recommendations on services that will help the efficiency of your building or suggest removing those that add cost but lack value.
When evaluating these breakdowns, take a moment to consider if they’ve put extra thought into their recommendations, besides taking an order based on the information you’ve provided them.
Even at this early stage, it’s easy to get a sense of the type of company you’re dealing with from the price and the way they deliver to you, and the summary they provide. An excellent company will look for opportunities to apply its knowledge to your unique building requirements.
A company that goes paint by numbers with your requirements will probably apply the same mentality to their work. Bidding can easily turn into a numbers game, but it also gives a commercial cleaning company a chance to provide value to your unique building requirements.
Choosing the Right Commercial Cleaning Services Near Me
Choosing the best janitorial services for your commercial building is far more complex than choosing the lowest price bids that come your way. If you were guaranteed to hire a great company by price alone, you wouldn't need to read this article.
But as you know, doing that extra bit of research to understand commercial cleaners bidding on your bidding will help you evaluate how they will do the job if awarded the contract. Commercial cleaning is a relationship-first business, meaning that trust and communication go hand and hand with a successful venture. By taking time to evaluate companies with the points listed, you'll feel more confident in making an intelligent choice.
If you're questioning whether you're getting the most value from your commercial cleaning company, we'd appreciate the opportunity to assess your building requirements and provide a free commercial cleaning proposal.
