One of the most important tasks when setting up the cleaning service for your office facility is to make sure you create a good Cleaning Service Specification (or Scope of Work). We often meet with prospective clients who don’t have a specification, so the risk of ending up with a cleaning company who aren’t meeting the required standards and levels of hygiene, is a real risk.

What is it?

The Cleaning Service Specification is a document that clearly identifies;

• The areas to be cleaned within the premises i.e open office area, lunchroom, washrooms etc
• The actual cleaning tasks that are to be completed in each of those areas within the facility
• The frequency with which each task will be performed i.e daily, weekly, monthly etc

Why is it important?

• It takes out the ‘guesswork’ and ensures there is no confusion around ‘what is to be cleaned’ & ‘when it’s to be cleaned’
• It provides any parties quoting on your cleaning service with a very clear guide on what is to be included
• It allows you to better assess quotes from cleaning companies as you’ll be comparing ‘Apples with Apples’
• It also allows you to effectively review the cleaning service on a regular basis, once up and running

What makes a good Cleaning Specification?

• The layout should be easy to read
• Simple in its format
• Ideally no more than a couple of pages. A single page, ‘grid style’ format is ideal
• Can be used by both the client and cleaning team
• It can be easily adjusted to suit change

How do you go about creating it?

• Understand what cleaning standards are required for your site
• Consult with management and colleagues and get their input
• Any cleaning service company you are considering should be able to assist by providing a template to use

Using the points above as a guide should assist you in creating a scope of work that will ensure that you are getting good value for money from your service provider and all parties are on the same page.