Start with the scope, not the price. Two janitorial bids that look like a $600 difference are usually quoting two different jobs. One cleans restrooms daily and offices twice a week. The other flips that. The only way to compare them is to strip each bid down to what it actually covers, line by line. Here are the seven things to check before you sign.
A janitorial services contract is not a single number. It is a bundle of frequencies, supplies, staffing, and pricing rules, and the cheap bid is usually cheap because something in that bundle is missing. The seven checks below are how you find out what.
1. Line-item scope, not a lump sum
A bid that says clean the building is not a bid. It is an invoice waiting to be argued over. You want each area listed with a frequency: restrooms daily, offices twice weekly, break rooms daily, floors monthly. Without that, you cannot compare two bids, and you cannot hold anyone to what was promised. Line items are how you make janitorial scope enforceable.
2. Supplies and equipment: included or extra
The biggest hidden cost in a janitorial contract is the one you do not see in the number. Paper, soap, liners, and cleaning chemicals can be bundled or billed separately, and so can the equipment, vacuums and floor machines. Ask for it in writing. A bid that is silent on supplies is a bid that will surprise you on the first invoice.
3. Staffing and supervision
A cleaning schedule means nothing without a person accountable for it. Ask who staffs the building, how many people, at what hours, and who supervises them. The best bid names a supervisor and a quality-audit schedule. The worst bid names nobody, because there is nobody to complain to. For daytime buildings, confirm whether you are buying a day porter presence or a nightly clean, they are two different line items.
4. Insurance and the COI
This is the non-negotiable. Before you compare anything else, confirm the bidder can produce a certificate of insurance with the limits your lease or property policy requires, usually $1 million or more in general liability, with you named as additional insured. No COI, no contract. It does not matter how low the number is if the vendor is not insurable.
5. The pricing model
Look at how the bid is structured, not just the total. Recurring janitorial work should price flat, per visit or per month, so the budget is predictable. Anything outside the routine, a spill or a post-event deep clean, should price on a published rate card, not whatever the market will bear that afternoon. A flat recurring number plus a rate card is a bid you can plan around. Time-and-materials only is an open check.
6. References in your building class
Ask for references from properties like yours, same size, same type, same traffic. A bidder who cleans small offices may be overmatched by a medical building or a retail center. Call the references and ask one question: did the scope hold up, or did the extras creep? The answer tells you more than the bid does. For a baseline on cleaning frequencies, industry bodies like ISSA publish benchmarks you can compare against.
7. A walk-through before the number
A vendor who will not walk the property cannot scope it. Any serious bid starts with a site walk so the bidder can see square footage, traffic, floor types, and problem areas. If a bidder prices from a floor plan without setting foot in the building, the number is a guess. Walk it together and make the scope a joint document, not a one-sided promise.
How recurring and reactive change the math
Janitorial is recurring work, and that is the point. A good contract splits the routine from the unplanned. The routine, daily and weekly cleaning, is the flat number you budget for. The unplanned, a spill or a water event, is reactive work that should sit on a published rate card. Some bids blur janitorial with general maintenance, sweeping a loose hinge or a burned-out bulb into the cleaning number. Keep the two separate and the budget stays honest.
The Central Florida wrinkle
In Orlando, Tampa, and Central Florida, janitorial scope carries a climate tax. Humidity means mildew forms fast in common areas and restrooms, so frequency matters more than it does in a dry market. Storm season means you need a contractor who can respond to a water event, not just a nightly crew. When you compare bids in this market, weigh the emergency response line against the price. A cheap bid with no response capacity is expensive the first time a storm comes through.
The bottom line
Evaluating a janitorial bid is not about finding the lowest number. It is about finding a scope you can hold someone to. Strip each bid to line items, confirm supplies, staffing, and insurance, check the pricing model, and walk the property before you sign. Do that and the bid you choose is the one that will actually deliver.
Want a janitorial scope that splits recurring from reactive, line by line? Get a real number for your commercial property and compare it against your current bids.
