Cleaning contract specification checklist for facilities managers
A useful cleaning specification says what is covered, how often work is expected, how the result will be checked and what happens when something changes.
Without those details, a facilities team and its cleaning provider can both think the service was delivered while working from different expectations.
Use this checklist when preparing a new contract, reviewing an existing specification or explaining a recurring gap. It covers the operational questions to settle with the provider. Your procurement and legal teams should review the actual contract terms.
The checklist
| Set out | Question to answer |
|---|---|
| Areas and boundaries | Which rooms, zones, surfaces and external areas are included? What is excluded? |
| Tasks and frequency | What work is routine, periodic or requested when needed? How often is each task expected? |
| Timing and access | When can work take place, and who resolves access problems or changed occupancy? |
| Supplies and equipment | Who provides consumables and equipment, and who reports a shortage or fault? |
| Expected condition | What would an acceptable result look like for each agreed area? |
| Service records | What will the provider record about completed work, missed tasks and changes? |
| Quality checks | Who inspects or observes which areas, when and against what agreed standard? |
| Concerns and responses | How does the FM team report a concern, who responds, and what counts as resolved? |
| Review and change | When will the parties review performance, and how will scope or frequency changes be agreed? |
The exact schedule will vary by building. A public cleaning services specification from Your Housing Group is a useful example of how an organisation separates its general requirements from routine task frequencies and optional work. It is an example from one organisation, not a universal specification to copy into every site.
Add measures you can actually explain
An SLA or KPI section should say what is measured, where the source data comes from, who records it and what happens when the result is disputed or incomplete. For example, “complaints closed” is not the same claim as a lasting improvement. A task-completion percentage does not, by itself, prove the condition of every surface later in the month.
Use the UK cleaning contract KPI examples as a reference library when selecting measures. Pick a small set that fits the building and can be reviewed fairly. Do not add a measure simply because another contract uses it.
Turn a vague task into a checkable requirement
Fictional reception example. This office opens at 8.30am. The wording below is made up to show what the facilities team and provider need to agree.
| Starting point | Example wording |
|---|---|
| Too vague | “Keep reception clean.” |
| Checkable requirement | Remove visible marks and spillages from the visitor-side reception counter every working day before 8.30am. |
“Reception” can mean different areas to different people. Clear boundaries help both parties understand the service being bought.
The requirement defines the work. A completion entry is the provider’s record of delivery. Neither establishes the condition later that day. The specification guide explains why those distinctions matter. Missing evidence needs a question, not an assumption that cleaning was missed.
Before signing or renewing
Set the multi-site scope: Give every bidder the same site-by-site schedule of areas, tasks, frequencies, access arrangements and exclusions. Ask who supervises each site, covers absences and handles changes. Keep local exceptions visible instead of relying only on a portfolio total.
Compare beyond price: Compare the same scope, supervision, cover, reporting, response to missed work and start-up plan. A lower price may reflect a smaller scope rather than better value.
Test the proposed quality checks: Ask who checks the work, which areas are sampled, how often, against what agreed condition and how unresolved findings reach the FM team. Ask whether checks are made by the provider or someone independent of it, and keep those evidence types distinct. A sample does not establish the condition of every area.
Plan the handover: A credible proposal should explain how the provider will begin delivering the agreed service, including access and responsibility for supplies. Unclear assumptions are worth resolving before the contract begins.
Once the requirements are agreed, use the cleaning service review guide to compare the agreement with delivery information before discussing performance with your provider.
Hygiene Intelligence is a cleaning-performance platform for facilities managers. We gather independent evidence from agreed surfaces during monthly site visits and provide private briefs that support cleaning-review meetings and performance tracking over time. The record covers those surfaces at the time of the visit, not every cleaning task or the whole building. Your facilities team uses it alongside the contract and provider’s information to make decisions.
Book a call to discuss tracking cleaning performance.
Sources and scope
This page is practical FM guidance, not a contract template or legal advice. The structure is informed by Your Housing Group’s public cleaning specification, the RICS procurement of facility management standard, and Hygiene Intelligence’s specification guide. The building’s actual agreement, risk controls and competent advisers determine its requirements.