You have three quotes on your desk. The prices are different — sometimes by 30% or more. The scope language is vague on all three. You have to decide. Here is a process that will get you to a defensible answer without spending two weeks on due diligence.
Step 1: Normalize the scope before you compare prices
The most common mistake in evaluating janitorial bids is comparing prices when the scopes are not equivalent. If one quote covers restroom restocking and another does not, their prices are not comparable — you are looking at different services with the same label.
Before you open the price column, list the tasks your facility actually needs:
- Which areas are cleaned and at what frequency (nightly, 3x/week, weekly)?
- Are restrooms restocked by the contractor or by your own staff?
- Who supplies paper, soap, and liners — and who absorbs cost increases?
- Is there a supervisor sign-off on each visit, or does the crew self-report?
- Are periodic tasks (floor waxing, window cleaning) included or separately priced?
Send that list to all three contractors and ask them to re-quote against it. Now you are comparing equivalent services.
Step 2: Check the insurance before the price
A quote without a certificate of insurance is not a complete bid. Request certificates of general liability and workers' compensation from all three contractors before further evaluation. If a contractor cannot or will not produce certificates promptly, they are not a viable option regardless of price — the liability exposure of an uninsured contractor in your building is not worth any savings.
Workers' compensation is the one people miss. A cleaning crew member injured in your building without workers' comp coverage can expose your facility to a claim. Verify it is in force.
Step 3: Read the contract terms, not just the price
Janitorial contracts vary significantly on cancellation terms, price escalation clauses, and what happens when tasks are missed. Look specifically for:
- Cancellation window: How much notice do you need to give to cancel without penalty? 30 days is reasonable. 90 days or longer is not.
- Price escalation: Does the contract allow the contractor to raise prices mid-term? Under what conditions? CPI-tied escalation is acceptable; uncapped discretionary increases are not.
- Missed task remedy: What happens if a task on the scope is not completed? A credit, a return visit, or nothing? The remedy should be in writing.
- Scope change process: If you need to add or remove tasks, how is that handled? You want a written change order process, not a verbal agreement that becomes a dispute.
Step 4: Evaluate the walkthrough, not just the proposal
A contractor who did not walk your facility before submitting a quote is guessing at the scope. That guess may be low — which looks attractive until the crew arrives and the contractor explains why the price needs to increase once they see the actual building. Require a walkthrough as a condition of submitting a competitive bid.
During the walkthrough, note whether the contractor is measuring, photographing, and asking specific questions about your facility. A contractor who walks through in 10 minutes without taking notes is not building a real scope — they are building a number they can adjust later.
Step 5: Apply a reference check that actually tells you something
Generic references from janitorial contractors are useless. Ask for two references from facilities of similar type and size that have been with the contractor for at least 18 months. Ask those references one specific question: "Has there ever been a dispute about what was or was not on the scope? How was it resolved?"
The answer to that question tells you more about how a contractor operates than any amount of promotional language in a proposal.