Start with how the building is used
Floor area alone does not explain an office cleaning requirement. The number of people using the space, operating hours, visitor traffic, kitchens, washrooms and hybrid-working pattern all affect where cleaning time is needed.
Record which areas are occupied every day, which rooms are occasional and whether the cleaning visit happens while staff are present. This prevents a supplier from pricing a quiet floor plan when the real workload sits in busy shared spaces.
- Approximate floor area and number of floors
- Typical occupancy by day
- Operating hours and preferred service window
- Number of kitchens, washrooms and meeting rooms
Separate routine tasks from periodic work
A useful specification distinguishes daily or weekly tasks from monthly, quarterly and condition-led work. Carpet extraction, high-level dusting, internal glazing and deep kitchen cleaning should not be hidden inside the phrase “general office clean”.
The separation makes quotes comparable. It also gives the person managing the contract a clear way to decide whether a missed result belongs to the routine plan or a separately scheduled task.
- Routine surfaces, floors and waste
- Washroom hygiene and replenishment
- Periodic carpet, upholstery or hard-floor treatment
- Internal glazing, high-level and deep-cleaning tasks
Make access and responsibility explicit
Keys, alarm procedures, secure rooms, lone-working rules, parking and lift access can change the delivery plan. The scope should say who opens the building, who may hold keys and what happens if the site cannot be accessed.
Consumables need the same clarity. Specify whether the cleaning provider supplies chemicals and equipment only, or also manages toilet tissue, hand soap, bin liners and stock reporting.
- Key and alarm process
- Secure or excluded rooms
- Parking, loading and storage
- Who supplies and monitors consumables
Define how quality is checked
“Keep the office clean” is not a measurable instruction. Use a room-by-room checklist, agreed priorities and a simple issue route. For sensitive sites, decide whether completion records or photographs are appropriate before the contract starts.
The aim is not surveillance. It is to give the customer and provider the same definition of done, plus a fast route when the building or priorities change.