How to choose a commercial cleaner: 10 questions to ask before you sign

Choosing a commercial cleaner is hard because every quote looks the same on paper and the differences only show up after you have signed. The way around that is to ask the same ten questions of every cleaner you speak to, write the answers down, and compare the answers rather than the prices. The questions below are the ones that predict whether you will still be happy in month six. Ask them of us too.

1. Who will I actually speak to when something goes wrong?

Ask for a name and a direct number, not a general line or an account manager who relays messages. A good answer is one person who owns the problem until it is closed. At Delta that person is the owner, and every cleaner on your site is supervised by an assigned team leader.

2. How quickly will you reply, and how do you measure it?

"Quickly" is not an answer. Look for a stated time and the days and hours it applies to. Delta's promise is a reply from the owner within 30 minutes, Monday to Friday 7am to 6pm, and client surveys are how we check we are keeping it.

3. Will you walk the site before you quote?

A price given without seeing the premises is a guess, and the walkthrough also shows you how the cleaner thinks. Do they count the wet areas? Do they ask about access and alarm codes? Do they notice the floor finish? The guide to commercial cleaning costs explains why the walkthrough decides the price.

4. Can I see the scope in writing?

Every area, every task and how often, including the periodic work. If it is not written down, it cannot be checked, and every disagreement becomes a matter of memory. Ask to see a sample scope from another site before you commit.

5. How do you check the quality of the work, and do I see the result?

Ask whether inspections are scored, who does them, how often, and whether the scores are shared with you. A cleaner who inspects their own work on a scored checklist and shows you the number has nothing to hide. One who "pops in now and then" has no system.

6. Who supervises the cleaners, and how often are they on site?

Someone should be responsible for the people doing the work, not just for the contract. Ask who assigns cleaners to your site, who replaces them when they are away, and who checks that the routine is followed in the same order each visit.

7. What insurance do you carry, and can I see the certificate?

Ask for public liability, the cover amount and a current certificate of currency, and check that it covers the type of premises you have. A medical practice or a strata building may have specific requirements. Delta carries $20 million public liability insurance and shows the certificate at the walkthrough.

8. Do your cleaners have workers' compensation cover?

If someone is hurt on your premises you want to know it is covered. WorkSafe Queensland sets out employer obligations at worksafe.qld.gov.au. Ask for confirmation that WorkCover is in place, not just an assurance.

9. How are your cleaners checked before they come to my site, and what do you use?

Ask about police checks and what happens when someone new starts, and ask for the safety data sheets for the chemicals used. A professional supplier can hand these over straight away; a hesitant one has not got them. For practices, see what to expect from medical and dental cleaning, where the products and the data sheets matter most.

10. What are the terms?

Length of agreement, notice period, how price changes are handled, and what happens if you are unhappy. Ask for them in writing before you sign and look for a clear process for raising a problem and a clear period for fixing it. The contract terms guide goes through the clauses to question. Delta's agreements run for an initial 12 months and then roll on, with 30 days' written notice after the initial term, and issues reported within 24 hours of a clean are re-attended at no extra cost.

A simple scoring sheet

Write the ten questions down the left of a page and the cleaners across the top. Score each answer from one to three: three for a specific, written, checkable answer; two for a reasonable verbal one; one for vague. Add them up. The price goes in the last row, not the first. You will usually find that the cleaner with the clearest answers is not the cheapest and not the dearest, and that the difference between the clearest and the vaguest is the difference between a cleaner you forget about and one you spend Monday mornings chasing.

Warning signs

• A price quoted over the phone from a description
• No written scope, or a scope that is a single line
• "We do everything" with no task list
• Insurance "in place" but no certificate offered
• Inspections that are never scored or shared
• A contract with no stated notice period or an automatic renewal you cannot find

What the walkthrough tells you about a cleaner

The walkthrough is an interview in both directions. Watch what the person pricing your site actually does. Do they count the toilets and basins, or glance into the bathroom? Do they ask about alarm codes, lift bookings and where equipment can be stored, or assume? Do they notice the vinyl in the kitchen is worn through, and tell you it needs a strip and seal rather than quoting a mop? Do they ask what went wrong with the last cleaner? A cleaner who walks the site thoroughly will price it accurately and write a scope that matches it; one who walks it in five minutes will price it from a template and discover the difference after you have signed.

It is also where you meet the person you will be calling. If the walkthrough is done by a salesperson you will never see again, question five becomes much more important.

Next step

Download the free guide, 12 things to ask any cleaner before you sign, which expands on these questions with what a good answer sounds like. Then book a free walkthrough and ask Delta all of them. Businesses on the northside can see how we set up practices in Chermside, and specialist suites in Spring Hill show how the clinical routine works in a shared building.

Questions people ask

Should I choose the cheapest commercial cleaning quote?

Only if it covers the same scope, the same frequency, the same insurance and the same way of fixing problems as the others. A cheap quote is usually a thin scope or a short time allowance, and it costs more over a year in re-cleans and arguments.

How do I check a cleaner's insurance?

Ask for the certificate of currency for public liability, check the insurer, the cover amount and the expiry date, and ask for confirmation that workers' compensation is in place. A contractor who cannot produce these quickly is a risk.

What is the single most important question?

Who will I actually speak to when something goes wrong, and how quickly will they reply? Most cleaning problems are small. What matters is whether they are answered and fixed or left to repeat.