Bespoke and delivered around your procurement and contract management needs
Cleaning is a frontline service that shapes user experience every day. It is also one of the highest risk FM categories if scopes, pricing models and mobilisation are not nailed down. Workforce transfer, living wage policy, chemical safety, infection control, consumables, daytime presence, sustainability reporting and the Procurement Act 2023 transparency steps all need to land perfectly. Our cleaning and janitorial procurement consultancy gives you the extra capacity and category expertise to run a defensible process, secure value for money and mobilise a contract that performs from day one.
We work with local authorities, housing associations, NHS and care providers, academy trusts, ALBs and charities. Whether you need an end to end outsourced procurement or targeted support on specification design, evaluation and negotiation, everything we deliver is practical and auditable.
What you get
We begin with a costed options appraisal that compares frameworks, further competitions and a full competition. The appraisal sets out total cost, timeline, market interest, delivery risk and how each route supports your policy aims such as Real Living Wage adoption, social value outcomes and carbon reduction. We then run soft market engagement so you can test service models and innovation without distorting competition. Site data quality is addressed up front. That includes measured floor areas by cleaning type, risk zoning, occupancy patterns and the current consumables and washroom services baseline. A clean data room reduces bidder guesswork and protects you from change control disputes later.
Specifications are outcomes based and vendor neutral. Where frequencies are still required, we tie them to risk and occupancy rather than legacy habits. We include clear standards for appearance and hygiene, practical daytime cleaning rules, secure access procedures and simple, auditable KPIs. Pricing schedules are transparent and separate labour, supervision, management overhead, equipment, machinery and consumables. Indexation applies only to defined cost lines and to an agreed basket or index. TUPE templates, asset lists and staff rosters are structured to reduce bidder risk premiums while protecting staff.
Evaluation is built around your goals. Quality criteria typically cover service design, risk control, workforce management, mobilisation and continuous improvement. We brief your panel, moderate consistently, and document everything for audit. Commercial evaluation checks arithmetic and assumptions, tests sustainability of wage and productivity inputs, and models your likely subsidy or saving under realistic scenarios. Post award, we negotiate commercial schedules and finalise KPIs, then run a mobilisation plan that covers TUPE, DBS where applicable, uniforms and branding, training, RAMS and COSHH, waste and chemical stores, security passes, time and attendance set up, and communications.
If you need ongoing support, we act as your contract management partner. We run monthly quality audits, test MI for accuracy, challenge variances and convert continuous improvement pledges into actions that stick.
Typical cleaning scopes and how we make them work
| Area | Common pitfalls | What we build into the spec and contract |
| Daily cleaning of offices, libraries and civic buildings | Over or under cleaning due to poor area data, corridor creep, weak supervision | Verified measured areas by room type, risk based zoning, outcome standards, clear ratios for supervision and daytime presence, QR code checkpoint routes and transparent MI |
| Education cleaning across schools and MATs | FSM stigma if dining areas are not turned quickly, allergen risk in mixed use spaces, term time resource swings | Term and holiday profiles, rapid turnaround SLAs for halls and dining spaces, practical allergen controls for PPDS and shared spaces, holiday projects plan for deep cleans and floor care |
| Clinical and care environments | Inconsistent infection control, late response cleans, unclear waste segregation | Zoning and colour coding, ATP or equivalent verification where required, response windows for touchpoint and clinical cleans, waste and sharps procedures, training logs and spot checks |
| Housing communal areas | Missed sites, inconsistent standards, poor resident communication | Route maps and schedules, photo evidenced audits, lift and stairwell standards, litter and bulky waste interfaces, service signage and resident feedback loops |
| Periodic and deep cleaning | Budget leakage from ad hoc requests, floorcare deferred then costly | Planned programme inside the pricing schedule, method statements and materials for each surface type, trigger rules for reactive deep cleans |
| Windows, façades and high level | Safety and access risk, unclear exclusions | Safe access hierarchy, frequency by elevation and use, glass and frame standards, permits and weather triggers |
| Washroom services and consumables | Hidden margin in consumables, stockouts, poor dispenser specification | Price list for core consumables, minimum recycled content or reusable options, dispenser standards and maintenance responsibility, usage dashboards and reduction targets |
Commercial and workforce considerations that protect your budget
Cleaning contracts are won and lost on inputs that are too often hidden. We design pricing models that separate the drivers so you can see and influence them. Productivity rates are set by risk zone and building type rather than a single number across the estate. Daytime cleaning and out of hours cleaning are costed separately to give you options if opening hours change. Supervision ratios are explicit. Equipment is treated as a maintained asset with an agreed refresh plan. Robotics and battery platforms are considered on a business case, not as a brochure extra.
Workforce protections are built in. TUPE data is provided in the right format. Living wage policy is clear and affordable, with indexation rules that prevent drift. Training, vetting and right to work checks are evidenced. Attendance and absence management is practical and fair. We ensure any proposed use of sub contractors is transparent and compliant, and we set ceilings for agency use with defined approval gateways.
Assurance, safety and compliance
Every procurement follows the Procurement Act 2023 publication points and produces a clear award report. Health and safety is made real. We require site specific risk assessments and method statements, accident reporting discipline, toolbox talks and routine site inspections. Chemical safety is addressed through COSHH controls, dilution systems, labelling and secure stores. For settings that require safeguarding, we define vetting standards and on site conduct rules. Data protection is addressed in time and attendance systems, QR checkpoints and any staff apps. Where BICSc aligned methods are appropriate, we reflect them without locking you to one training provider.
Social value, carbon and the circular economy
Cleaning is a visible route to deliver social and environmental impact. We set realistic social value commitments around local employment, apprenticeships, accredited training and community benefit, then hold suppliers to them through reporting that your teams can verify. Carbon reduction is tackled through chemical and water reduction, reusable or high recycled content consumables, efficient machinery, route optimisation and energy aware working. We measure waste reduction and diversion from landfill. Reporting is standardised so progress is clear.
Digital, MI and continuous improvement
Good management information reduces disputes and drives better results. We require simple dashboards that show attendance, completion, quality scores, rectification times, complaints, consumables usage per area, waste, social value and carbon metrics. Data must be accurate and traceable to source. We incorporate innovation gates so suppliers can bring forward equipment upgrades, chemical free trials, route re balancing and scheduling changes, with a clear gainshare where savings are proven.
In house, outsourced or hybrid
Some clients prefer a managed service. Others run in house daytime teams and outsource periodic and specialist activity. Many manage a hybrid estate after TUPE changes. We help you test the options with an honest view of cost, risk and management effort. If insourcing is selected, we can recruit supervisors, design SOPs, put a supply chain in place for consumables and equipment, and train your team.
Flexible delivery
You can engage us for the full journey or for a defined stage. Popular interventions include writing outcome based specifications and pricing schedules, moderating quality evaluations, running commercial and terms negotiations, and delivering the first year of contract management to embed behaviours. We also offer targeted training for your team on cleaning procurement, TUPE readiness and contract assurance.