Most janitorial contractors get hired the same way: three bids, a walkthrough, and the lowest number that looks reasonable. That often works out. But a janitorial contractor is in your building after everyone has left, with your keys, your alarm codes and unsupervised access to every office — so a little more diligence before you sign saves you from a rough transition, and from running the whole process again six months later.
Check the paperwork, not just the pitch
A proposal tells you what a contractor says they'll do. It doesn't tell you whether the business is registered, insured, bonded and covering its own workers. Ask for current documents: a certificate of insurance, proof of workers' compensation coverage, and details of any janitorial bond. A contractor set up to serve commercial accounts will usually have these ready within a day, and can have certificates sent straight from their insurance agent.
If a contractor is listed through a directory or program that reviews those documents before a listing goes live, and shows when each one was last checked, that's worth more than a polished proposal on its own — it's a check that happened before you ever sent out an RFP, not a promise made in a sales meeting.
Look at how they'll actually run your account
- Who supervises the crew on site, and how often a supervisor or account manager inspects the work
- How they control keys, access cards and alarm codes, and what happens to them when an employee leaves
- How they report issues they find — a leaking fixture, a door left unlocked, a stain they couldn't treat
- Whether the same crew covers your building night to night, and how absences are covered
- Who supplies consumables like paper, liners and soap, and how restocking is tracked
Ask for references that look like your building
A contractor that cleans small offices well isn't automatically ready for a medical office, a school or a facility that runs around the clock. Ask for two or three current references from accounts similar to yours in size and use, and actually call them. Ask how long they've been a client, how problems get handled, and whether they plan to renew.
Red flags worth taking seriously
- Can't or won't produce a current certificate of insurance or proof of workers' comp
- A price far below every other bid, with no explanation of how the work will be staffed
- No site walkthrough before bidding, or a bid that doesn't reflect what they saw
- Vague answers about who will be in your building and how they're screened
- No named point of contact for problems once the contract starts
Start with a clear scope
Most disappointing janitorial relationships trace back to a vague scope rather than a bad contractor. If you haven't written one yet, our guide to what to put in a janitorial RFP and scope of work is the place to start — it's what makes every bid you receive comparable.