Get All Access for $5/mo

Finding a Janitor Service for Your Company 4 tips for choosing the best service

By Jacquelyn Lynn

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Entrepreneur magazine, January 1998

Choosing a janitorial service may sound easy, but think of this: Your cleaning service will be in your facility after hours and unsupervised. So it's important to find a service that not only does a good job but is trustworthy and reliable. The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International offers these tips:

  • Develop a list of specifications. List the areas that need to be cleaned and what you expect the service to do (dusting surfaces, emptying trash cans, vacuuming floors, cleaning glass doors and so on), along with how often. Indicate the minimum qualifications you require, such as experience, references and insurance. You may want to use this list to develop a questionnaire for initial screening.
  • Prepare a request for proposal (RFP) to obtain bids from contractors that pass your initial screening. Be sure the RFP includes square footage, counts of fixtures and other specifications. The contractor should examine the premises before submitting a bid.
  • Prepare a request for qualifications (RFQ) to ascertain the professional qualifications, background and experience of the bidder. Ask for client references, financial references, evidence of workers' compensation and liability insurance coverage, details on the company's hiring practices, training and supervision methods, and a list of facilities you can inspect.
  • Develop a scoring system to evaluate bidders' proposals. According to a recent BOMA survey, the three most important criteria in selecting a cleaning contractor are experience, price and references.

Jacquelyn Lynn is a business writer in Winter Park, Florida.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

The Side Hustle He Started in His College Apartment Turned Into a $70,000-a-Month Income Stream — Then Earned Nearly $2 Million Last Year

Kyle Morrand and his college roommates loved playing retro video games — and the pastime would help launch his career.

Business News

A Former Corporate Lawyer Now Makes Six Figures on YouTube — Here's How She Does It

Here are the secrets to starting and growing a successful YouTube channel, according to a YouTuber with millions of subscribers.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Growing a Business

How to Determine The Ideal Length of Your Marketing Emails Your Customers Will Actually Read

Wondering how long your marketing emails should be? Here's what consumers say — so you can send them exactly what they like.

Business News

Y Combinator Helped Launch Reddit, Airbnb and Dropbox. Here's What I Learned From Its Free Startup School.

The famed startup accelerator offers a free course on building a business — and answers five pressing questions for founders.