A janitorial RFP template that returns comparable bids

The eight sections your RFP needs

Each section removes one category of assumption. Facility detail removes guessing about size, task-level frequencies remove guessing about effort, and the itemized pricing form removes the possibility of a bid you cannot line up against the others.

• 1. Facility overviewAddress, facility type, cleanable square footage by area, number of floors, average daily occupancy, restroom count with fixtures per restroom, floor types by area, and any special protocol rooms such as labs, server rooms or food prep.
• 2. Scope of work with task-level frequenciesEvery room or area with each task and its frequency. Daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly work listed separately. This is the section that decides the price, so it deserves the most space.
• 3. Service schedule and accessPermitted service windows, business hours, keys or fobs, alarm codes and who holds them, elevator or loading access, parking, and the named site contact for issues.
• 4. Quality control and reportingInspection method and frequency, what the report contains, the escalation path, corrective-action timelines, and how often you expect a service review meeting.
• 5. Staffing and supervisionProposed crew size and hours, shift coverage, how absences are covered, who supervises the account, training and site-specific onboarding, and whether any work is subcontracted.
• 6. Company qualificationsLiability insurance limits with certificate, WSIB clearance, staff screening policy, years in business, comparable references in your facility type, and confirmation of who carries the coverage.
• 7. Itemized pricing formA fixed line-item form every vendor completes, so bids cannot be submitted in different shapes. Ask for monthly recurring cost, cost per cleanable square foot per month, and each periodic item priced separately.
• 8. Contract terms and evaluation criteriaTerm length, notice period, price-change conditions, supply responsibility, and the scoring weights you will use. Publishing the weights before bids open is what keeps the decision defensible.

The room and frequency grid to copy

Build your scope as a grid of areas against frequencies. Any cell you leave blank is a cell a bidder will fill in with the cheapest possible assumption.

Name your exclusions on purpose

Exclusions protect both sides. Write down the work you are not buying so a vendor does not price it, and so nobody assumes it was included when it turns out to matter.

• Exterior windows above ground level, and whether interior glass is in or out
• Snow, ice and outdoor grounds work
• Clinical instrument reprocessing, regulated medical waste and sharps
• Kitchen hood and duct cleaning, which is a separate certified trade
• Employee personal desk surfaces and dishes
• Carpet extraction and hard-floor restoration if they are being bid separately
• Pest control, which is a licensed service and not part of janitorial work

How to score the bids you get back

Set your weights before bids open and score on value per scope rather than headline price. The right comparison metric is cost per cleanable square foot per month against an identical room list.

Confirm first that every bidder priced the same grid. A single missing periodic line can make one proposal look 15 percent cheaper while covering less work.

Then weigh the things that decide whether performance survives past month three: supervision model, absence coverage, inspection reporting, and references in your facility type. Experience and reputation are what most facility managers end up relying on, and price is rarely the deciding differentiator among serious operators.

• Identical scope confirmed for every bid before any number is read
• Cost per cleanable square foot per month, not total contract value
• Named supervisor and a written absence-coverage plan
• Documented inspection process with a corrective-action timeline
• Verified insurance limits and WSIB clearance, not just a claim
• References in the same facility type and roughly the same size

Red flags worth disqualifying on

A bid that cannot describe supervision, cannot produce WSIB clearance, or arrives 40 percent under the field is telling you what the first six months will look like.

• A price far below the field with no scope difference to explain it
• No named supervisor and no answer on how absences are covered
• Insurance or WSIB documents promised after the contract is signed
• A scope that says general cleaning as required instead of listing rooms
• Unlimited periodic or restoration work bundled into a nightly fee
• No willingness to put exclusions in writing

Send it to us and we will answer it line by line

Emerald Cleaners responds to written scopes in the same structure you send. We complete your pricing form, state our exclusions plainly and confirm insurance, WSIB and staff screening with the proposal.

If you do not have an RFP yet, you do not need to build one to get a quote. Send the address, facility type, approximate square footage, restroom count and preferred service window and we will walk the building and write the scope with you.

We are a commercial cleaning company based at 108 Cannifton Rd N in Belleville, working across Kingston, Quinte West and Trenton, Napanee, Stirling, Brighton, Cobourg and Picton. Call 613-922-8074 Monday to Friday between 9 AM and 4 PM.