If you are thinking about hiring a professional company to handle cleaning duties for your business, it's important to understand the various aspects of office cleaning contracts. After all, you don't want there to be any surprises regarding exactly what tasks the janitorial firm will perform and exactly how much the fees will be.
About Office Cleaning Contracts
Any time you hire a cleaning company - or an individual - to handle the responsibility of cleaning your office or other commercial property, you'll want to make sure that the specifics of the agreement are spelled out in a formal contract. Doing so provides important protection for your company as well as the organization providing janitorial services to your business. After all, when the service and payment expectations are formalized in an office cleaning contract, it's much easier to keep up with whether or not the work is being performed the way that it should be done and to determine if additional services may be needed.
In most cases, cleaning companies will provide customers with a standard service contract to sign at the time the relationship between the two parties is formalized. Prior to signing the agreement and allowing the firm to begin providing services to your company, carefully review the contract to verify that it accurately reflects your expectations and that every services that you want the cleaning company to perform is included. If additional items need to be added or if clarification is necessary, ask the representative of the janitorial firm to make the changes you feel are necessary.
Keep in mind that once the contract is signed, the language in the document will reflect the entire formal agreement between your organization and the cleaning company you are hiring. Regardless of what possible services might have been discussed or agreed upon informally, the actually contract is what is enforceable. Do not sign until the agreement you are satisfied that the exact terms and conditions set forth in the document accurately reflect your intentions.
Important Points to Remember
Remember when reviewing this type of contract include:
- Frequency: One of the most important components of office cleaning contracts has to do with the frequency of cleaning. The contract should state how often the janitorial service will send representatives to your office to perform their duties.
- Time Frame: If there are certain times of day you want your facility to be cleaned, that detail should be spelled out in the agreement.
- Outline of Duties: Some cleaning tasks need to be performed every day, while others require weekly, monthly, or quarterly attention. Outline the specific cleaning duties in the contract, specifying the acceptable length of time between service for each item.
- Cleaning Products: The agreement should specify whether or not the cleaning company will provide the cleaning products or if it is your responsibility to stock necessary supplies. If certain types of products must be used in your facility, this detail should also be clearly stated in the agreement.
- Paper Supplies: Office cleaning contracts should state whether or not the customer or the janitorial service is responsible for stocking the rest rooms and break areas with toilet paper, hand towels, and other paper supplies typically used in professional workplaces.
- Standards: There should be some indication defining minimum performance expectations for the janitorial company. This information can help make sure that the service provider isn't being held to unrealistic expectations while allowing the customer to request corrections for work that is not performed to standard.
- Remedies: The contract should state what course of action will be followed if there is a disagreement between the customer and the service provider and explain the consequences of non-performance of either party to the agreement.
Making Your Decision
The decision to hiring a professional cleaning service is not one that should be entered into lightly. Shop around before selecting a janitorial company so that you can be certain that the organization you choose to do business with is one that you are comfortable with and have confidence in. After all, the company's representatives will be spending a good bit of time in your place of business, most likely after hours. Trust is essential to the relationship. Check references prior to selecting your provider of choice and be absolutely certain that you are comfortable with the terms and conditions of the contract before finalizing the relationship.
