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Janitorial Bid Comparison Checklist: Line Up Every Proposal the Same Way
Proposals from cleaning companies rarely arrive in the same shape. This printable checklist puts every bid through an identical set of lines, so the real differences between them stand out.
Printable checklist
Why proposals are hard to compare
Ask three cleaning companies to bid on the same building and you will often get three documents that describe it differently. One lists rooms, another lists tasks, a third gives a short paragraph and a monthly figure. Each can be a fair proposal on its own terms, but laid next to each other they answer slightly different questions, and the number at the bottom is the only thing that looks comparable.
The fix starts before the bids come in. Give every bidder the same written task list and the same building tour, so they are all pricing the same work. Building that list is the subject of our scope of work guide, and the walkthrough prep guide covers the tour. This checklist handles the step after that: reading what comes back.
How to fill in the sheet
Use one copy per bid, with the bidder’s name across the header. Read the proposal and mark each line on the sheet one of three ways: stated in writing, mentioned in conversation but not written down, or missing. Do this for every proposal before comparing any of them.
When all the sheets are filled in, lay them side by side. Lines marked missing or spoken-only become your follow-up questions for that company. A proposal is ready to compare once its sheet is mostly written answers, and that is the point at which the price at the bottom starts to mean something. For what moves that price, see what drives commercial cleaning cost.
Scope, frequency and hours
This block confirms the bid covers the building you described, on the schedule you need.
- Every area on your task list appears in the proposal
- A how-often is attached to each task, not just to each room
- Visit days and the start and finish window are written down
- Floor refinishing, carpet extraction and other periodic jobs sit on their own lines, apart from the recurring visits
- Anything added beyond your list is marked as optional
- Holidays and building closures are addressed
Hours deserve more attention than they usually get. A crew that can start as soon as your last employee leaves works a different night from one that arrives after a tenant’s late meeting ends, and both should be written into the bid. If your building has quiet days, such as a hybrid office that empties on Fridays, check that each proposal reflects them rather than assuming five identical nights.
Supplies, supervision and inspections
Two bids for the same task list can still differ in who buys the paper and who checks the work. Pin both down in writing.
- Buying the paper, soap and liners is assigned to one side or the other
- Equipment and cleaning products are named as part of the service
- Your contact at the company is named, with how to reach them
- The inspection routine is described, including who carries it out and its schedule
- Inspection results are shared with you, and the bid says how
Supplies are where proposals most often talk past each other. One folds the consumables into its figure while another assumes you will keep buying them, and neither is wrong. Mark which way each bid goes so you can see the difference before you compare totals. The same goes for inspections: a schedule written into the proposal is easy to check against later, while a remark made on the tour is easy to forget.
Insurance and proof of coverage
Every bidder should be able to show coverage before you sign, not after. Ask for the documents with the proposal so they sit on the sheet with everything else.
- A certificate of insurance is provided with the bid
- The company name on the certificate matches the name on the proposal
- Workers’ compensation is listed
- Bonding is stated
- The bid says how cleaners are screened before working in your building
On our side, Ora Commercial Cleaning carries insurance, bonding and workers’ compensation, screens each cleaner with a background check, and gives every client a certificate of insurance.
Communication and the start-up plan
The last block covers what happens after you choose. Settling these lines now saves guesswork once service starts.
- How missed items are reported and how quickly they are addressed
- The handover and sign-out log for keys, cards and alarm codes
- A target start date, with the steps planned ahead of the first visit
- Whether a walkthrough with you is planned before service begins
- How the task list is updated when your building changes
Replacing a current provider? Our switching cleaning companies guide walks through retiring the old service cleanly.
Reading the finished sheets
Once the follow-up answers are in, the sheets usually sort themselves. Look first for blocks where one bid is full and another is empty, then for frequencies that do not match your list. When two figures differ, the reason is usually on the sheets already: a task set at a different frequency, or an area one proposal left out.
Two sheets that come out nearly identical are a good sign. They mean both companies heard the same building, and the choice can rest on the things a checklist cannot capture: how clearly each one answered your questions, and how the person who would be your contact handled the walkthrough. For that side of the decision, read how to choose a cleaning company.
Keep the completed sheets with the proposals. They become the record of what each company said it would do, which is useful a few months in when you want to check the service against the bid. If you would like Ora among the companies you compare, request a walkthrough and we will build a written quote from your task list.
A few useful answers
Common questions.
Why use a separate checklist for each bid?
One copy per proposal means each company is judged only on what it wrote. On a single shared sheet, it is easy to fill a hole in one bid with something a different company said.
A proposal skipped a line on the sheet. Is that a bad sign?
Not on its own. Usually the topic simply was not covered. Email that company the question and record the reply on its sheet.
Can bidders fill in the sheet themselves?
Yes. Some buyers send the blank sheet with the task list and ask each company to answer every line. You still read the proposal against it, but most of the work is done for you.
When in the process should the sheet come out?
After the walkthroughs, once written proposals arrive. Using it earlier only shows that nobody has answered yet.
What does an Ora proposal put in writing?
Each area of the building and the frequency for its tasks, built from the walkthrough, along with our insurance, bonding, workers’ compensation, background-checked crews, supervisor quality inspections and a certificate of insurance for every client.
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