To win a suitable commercial cleaning contract, first show that you can deliver its hours, scope and cover reliably. A small office that fits an existing route can be a more useful first contract than a large tender requiring staff, equipment and cash you do not have.
This guide provides a practical process for finding opportunities, deciding which to pursue and preparing a proposal. It does not promise contracts or recommend bidding below a sustainable delivery cost.
Define the contract you can actually deliver
Before searching, write a one-paragraph service brief: where you work, building types you can clean, hours you can cover and tasks you can perform competently. Identify what happens if the usual cleaner is unavailable.
For example: “Small offices within [area], routine cleaning during [available hours], with [confirmed cover arrangement]. Specialist floor treatment and external windows quoted separately.” Fill the brackets with your actual capacity. Do not advertise infection-control expertise, specialist equipment or replacement staff you cannot supply.
Use the following filter before accepting a survey appointment:
| Question | Proceed when… | Pause when… |
|---|---|---|
| Location and access | The travel and access window fit your route. | Parking or access makes reliable attendance uncertain. |
| Service requirements | Your team can deliver the specified work. | Specialist standards exceed your current competence. |
| Staffing and cover | Hours and absence cover are realistic. | The proposal depends on recruitment you have not arranged. |
| Payment timing | You can fund delivery until payment arrives. | A late first payment would prevent wages or supplies being paid. |
| Evidence and conditions | You can meet the buyer’s actual requirements. | Required insurance, references or other evidence are missing. |
Where to look for appropriate work
Start with buyers whose needs match that brief: small offices, local property managers, businesses recommended by existing clients and facilities companies inviting subcontractor applications. Follow a buyer’s published supplier-enquiry process or ask how suppliers are considered. Do not turn a list of local businesses into an indiscriminate email or automated-call campaign.
Keep a prospect register containing the buyer, location, building type, published enquiry route, review date if supplied, and next agreed action. A recommendation or an existing relationship is useful, but it is not a substitute for permission to use someone’s contact information for unrelated marketing.
For public-sector opportunities, use the current Find a Tender search. The government’s supplier guide explains filters including delivery location and suitability for smaller businesses, plus notifications. Check the notice and the relevant buyer’s instructions; a small-business label does not remove its conditions. Legacy and devolved procurement routes can differ.
Survey the site before fixing the recurring price
“Office cleaning three times a week” is not enough detail to price responsibly. Ask the buyer to walk you through the actual requirements and record:
- Rooms, approximate floor areas and floor types.
- Washrooms, kitchens and high-use areas.
- Tasks required on each visit versus weekly or periodic tasks.
- Who supplies consumables, chemicals and equipment.
- Storage, water, electricity, waste arrangements and access restrictions.
- Keys, alarms, lone-working arrangements and security expectations.
- Opening hours, holidays, events and who reports problems.
- Existing cleaning arrangements and information needed before any changeover.
Turn the notes into a task-and-frequency schedule. If the buyer changes the specification later, the schedule provides a basis for reviewing the price rather than absorbing unpriced duties indefinitely.
Build the price from delivery costs
Calculate the labour time needed for the actual scope. Add the costs relevant to your operation: employment costs where applicable, absence cover, travel, supplies, equipment, supervision, administration and an appropriate margin. Our cleaning pricing guide gives a broader framework.
Illustrative scheduling calculation: three visits a week with two people working two hours each is 12 labour-hours a week, not six. Over an assumed 52-week service year, that is 624 labour-hours before extra periodic work. The real contract may specify closures or different holiday arrangements. State those assumptions instead of treating the example as a universal annual allowance.
Also map when money leaves and arrives. A profitable contract on paper can still be unaffordable if wages and supplies must be funded long before the first invoice is paid.
Prepare evidence, not decorative badges
Assemble a concise supplier pack with accurate business details, relevant insurance evidence, service descriptions, permissions for any references or photographs, and a named operational contact. Explain how work is checked and how absence or complaints are handled.
HSE’s cleaning guidance explains the need to assess and control hazardous-substance risks and provide appropriate information and training. Your pack should reflect how you actually work, not a downloaded document carrying another business’s name.
If you are taking over an existing service, do not assume staff can simply be replaced. Acas identifies office cleaning as an example of work where service-provider changes can involve TUPE. Obtain suitable advice and information before committing to staffing and price; applicability depends on the circumstances.
Keep the proposal easy to evaluate
Use six sections: the buyer’s requirements; your task schedule; hours and staffing; materials and exclusions; price and payment arrangements; and start-up plan. Address every requested tender item rather than substituting a glossy sales document.
Your start-up plan should identify the agreed start date, access handover, equipment readiness, staff briefing and first review. State how additional work is requested and approved. Avoid “everything included” unless the scope genuinely defines everything you are offering.
A manageable first-month plan
- Write your capacity brief and assemble real supporting evidence.
- Identify a small shortlist of suitable buyers and published opportunities.
- Seek agreed conversations or survey appointments through appropriate channels.
- Prepare tailored proposals only where the delivery and commercial conditions work.
- Record outcomes and why opportunities were declined or lost.
These are workflow steps, not a promise of results within a month. Our guide to finding cleaning clients covers other acquisition routes alongside contract work.
Make your services clear when buyers check your business
Create or update your business listing on The Right Guy with the locations, building types and cleaning services you actually cover. Review the current plan options and included features before selecting a plan. A developing directory is an additional visibility channel, not a tender service or a guarantee of enquiries.
Official procurement, HSE and Acas references reviewed 26 October 2026. The bid filter, scheduling example and workflow are editorial planning tools, not legal advice or evidence of contracts won by The Right Guy.
Author: The Right Guy Team
UK service guides published by The Right Guy Ltd.