What to Include in an Office Cleaning RFP

Writing a request for proposal for office cleaning is where many facility managers either set themselves up for a clean decision or a confusing pile of incomparable quotes. The decision behind the document is subtle: you are not just asking "what will you charge", you are asking providers to show how they will keep your office to a standard, and you need their answers to line up so you can compare them fairly. A vague RFP produces vague, unanswerable responses. A precise one produces proposals you can score side by side. This guide sets out what an office cleaning RFP should contain.

Start with context, not a wish list

Open the RFP by telling providers who you are and what you are buying. This is not filler — it lets them tailor a genuine proposal rather than a generic one. Include:

• A short description of your organisation and the site.
• The building type — CBD high-rise, suburban office, business park — and access hours.
• Floor area, number of levels, and approximate headcount.
• The contract you are seeking: recurring after-hours cleaning, term length, and start date.
• Any drivers behind the RFP, such as a growing footprint or a move to hybrid occupancy.

Providers who understand the context ask better questions and propose more relevant solutions. Withholding it produces safe, templated responses that tell you little.

The scope of works: the core of the document

The scope is the section every response hangs on. It must define what is cleaned, how often, and to what standard, zone by zone. Without it, providers guess, and their prices and proposals become impossible to compare. Cover:

• Daily or per-visit tasks by zone — reception, workstations, washrooms, kitchen, meeting rooms, floors, bins, high-touch points.
• Weekly tasks — detailed dusting, glass, skirtings, low-use areas.
• Periodic tasks — carpet extraction, hard-floor care, high dusting, with expected frequency.
• Consumables — what must be supplied and how restocking is handled.
• Standards — what "done" looks like for the key zones.

If you have restricted or sensitive areas — server rooms, secured floors, confidential workspaces — state how they should be handled. This is where a mature provider will show they understand more than surface cleaning.

The questions that separate providers

Beyond scope and price, a good RFP asks the questions that reveal how a provider actually operates. Ask each provider to address:

1. Staffing and continuity — will we get a consistent team, and how is cover arranged for leave or absence?
2. Vetting and compliance — what police checks and vetting apply to after-hours staff, and what insurance is held?
3. Access and security — how are keys, access cards, and alarm codes managed and secured?
4. Quality assurance — how is quality inspected, and how are issues escalated and remediated?
5. Communication — who is our point of contact, and what response times can we expect?
6. Transition — how will you mobilise, especially if we are switching from an incumbent?

These answers often matter more than price, because they predict whether the service will hold once the sales conversation is over.

Set out the commercial terms you expect

Rather than letting each provider propose wildly different terms, state the commercial framework you expect responses to work within:

• Term and renewal — preferred length and whether renewal is active or automatic.
• Notice period — the exit notice you consider reasonable.
• Pricing model — fixed monthly or per-visit for the defined scope.
• Additional work — how ad-hoc or one-off work should be quoted and approved.
• Exit for cause — your expectation of a fair termination clause tied to performance.

Setting these upfront means you compare proposals on delivery and value, not on who buried the least favourable terms in the fine print.

Give providers a response format

The single most effective way to keep proposals comparable is to prescribe how they respond. Provide a template or a required structure so every proposal answers the same questions in the same order. The table below shows a simple structure and what each section is for.

Section	Provider supplies	You assess
Scope response	Confirmation they meet each scope item	Coverage and any gaps
Approach	Staffing, QA, communication method	How the service will run
Compliance	Insurance, vetting, certificates	Risk and trust
Commercials	Price for the defined scope, terms	Value, not just cost
References	Comparable-site referees	Reliability track record

When responses follow this shape, evaluation becomes a fair comparison rather than a scramble to find where each provider hid the answer.

Define your evaluation criteria and timeline

Tell providers how you will evaluate — the criteria and, ideally, the weightings. This is not just courtesy; it focuses their effort on what you value and signals that you will not simply pick the cheapest. Weight scope coverage, continuity, and compliance heavily, with price as an important but not dominant factor.

Finish with a clear timeline: issue date, the site walkthrough window, a deadline for questions, the submission date, and when you expect to decide. A walkthrough offer is essential — a provider who proposes without seeing the site is quoting on assumptions.

Keep it proportionate to the contract

An RFP for a single office should not read like a government procurement document. Match the depth to the value and complexity of the contract. For most offices, a clear context section, a detailed scope, a focused set of questions, stated commercial terms, and a response format will get you excellent, comparable proposals without overwhelming good providers or yourself.

If you want a provider who responds to an RFP with a precise scope and clear terms rather than a glossy brochure, AfterFive delivers after-hours office cleaning built on a written scope and works with businesses across Melbourne's south-east. To receive an RFP-ready scope for your site, request a written scope and we will respond against exactly what you specify.