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Janitorial bid comparison checklist for Sunnyvale facilities
A printable worksheet that puts janitorial bids into one format: scope, cleaning window, supplies, inspections, insurance, contacts and how the first night is set up.
Printable checklist
Why a worksheet works better than a quick read
Janitorial proposals rarely arrive in matching shapes. One bidder sends a two-page letter, another a room-by-room grid, a third a slide deck with the schedule buried on page nine. Read back to back, the glossiest one usually leaves the strongest impression, even when it was written with a different kind of building in mind. A short worksheet, filled in the same way for every proposal, pulls each one into a common layout before you start weighing them.
Print one copy per bid and complete it while you read that proposal, with your walkthrough notes beside you. When a bid says nothing on a line, leave it blank. Each blank becomes a question to send back. For the groundwork before bids go out, including what a useful walkthrough looks like, read our janitorial hiring checklist. The worksheet here starts where that one ends: proposals in hand, decision still ahead.
Scope and frequency
Begin with what each proposal says will be cleaned, room by room, and how often. Hold it up against the floor plan you walked with each bidder.
- Every room on your floor plan appears, quiet ones included
- Restricted rooms are listed along with their entry steps
- Nightly tasks sit apart from weekly, monthly and periodic work
- Restrooms and kitchens have task blocks of their own
- Carpet extraction and hard floor care show up as separate lines
- Porter hours are written out, if you asked for daytime coverage
If your own scope is not on paper yet, start with our cleaning scope of work page, then give every bidder that same document. It is the shortest route to bids that line up.
Hours, supplies and access
Two bids for the same floor can describe very different nights. This block captures when the crew works, what it brings and how it gets in.
- Cleaning window named: evening, overnight, early morning or weekend
- Nights per week line up with your in-office days
- Holidays and building closures addressed
- Restroom paper, soap, sanitizer and liners: theirs or yours
- Dispenser refills listed as a task on each visit
- Badge, key and alarm steps written into the plan
Supplies explain many of the gaps between bids. One bid covers restroom paper and liners, while another assumes your team keeps the closet full. Mark which way each bid goes before comparing anything else on the sheet.
Supervision, inspections and insurance
A cleaning checklist only works when someone checks the finished rooms against it. Record how each bidder says the work is reviewed and how a miss gets corrected.
- Name or role of the person who checks finished rooms
- Inspection frequency spelled out
- Inspection findings shared with you, and where
- How any missed task gets flagged, and how soon it is redone
- Insurance paperwork promised ahead of the start date
- Bond, workers’ comp and screening of cleaners described
Here is how we would fill this block for ourselves. On our side, the bond, the liability policy and comp coverage for every crew member are already in place, and a certificate of insurance is yours to request for your vendor folder. A cleaner joins a crew only after a background check comes back clear, and our supervisors inspect finished rooms against your checklist. Ask every bidder for the same facts in writing so this part of the sheet stays even.
Contacts, changes and the first night
The last block covers how day-to-day contact works once service begins. These lines often decide how the first month feels.
- Contact person for everyday questions named in the proposal
- Process for schedule or floor plan changes described
- Check-in planned after the first visits
- Start date and the first-night plan written out
- Key handoff and closet stocking timed ahead of the first night
Start-up details carry the most weight when the building already has a cleaning company. If you are replacing one, our switching janitorial companies guide walks through notice, timing and access.
Reading the finished sheets
Once every proposal has its own completed sheet, set them side by side and read across one block at a time. Count the blanks first. A bid with gaps in scope or supervision needs a follow-up question before it can be weighed fairly, and a written reply fills the line.
Then look at fit. The proposal that names your restricted rooms, matches the window your team works around and states who stocks the restrooms was written for your building. Price sits outside this worksheet on purpose, since a total only means something once the work behind it lines up. For budget context, see our Sunnyvale office cleaning costs guide.
To add Sunnyvale Janitorial to the stack, request a quote. After walking your floor, we put the rooms, tasks and visit frequency in writing, and that page drops straight into this worksheet.
A few useful answers
Common questions
Do I need a separate checklist for each janitorial bid?
Yes, one copy of the worksheet per bid. A fresh sheet for each proposal keeps the answers in the same order, so blanks and differences stand out when the sheets sit side by side.
A bid skips a line on the worksheet. What now?
Send that bidder the question in writing and copy the answer onto its sheet. A blank usually means the topic never came up at the walkthrough, and a written reply puts every proposal on the same footing.
Why is price not on the bid worksheet?
A total only tells you something once you know what it buys. Lining up rooms, frequencies, supplies and supervision first shows whether two prices describe the same job.
Can I give this checklist to bidders before they quote?
Yes. Sharing it shows each company which details you expect, and proposals tend to come back in a layout that is easier to line up.
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