1. Can I see the certificate of insurance today?
A legitimate contractor produces general liability and workers' compensation certificates within a day, and will name your entity as additional insured. If a vendor hesitates here, the conversation is over — an uninsured injury in your building becomes your problem.
2. Who is actually cleaning, and are they employees?
Ask whether the people in your building are W-2 employees or subcontracted labour, and how they are screened. Subcontracting is not automatically bad, but you should know who holds the training obligation and who carries the insurance.
3. What is your crew turnover rate?
Turnover is the industry's quiet epidemic and the single best predictor of quality decline. Ask for a number. Ask how long the crew assigned to your building has worked for the company.
4. How is quality inspected and reported?
There should be a scored inspection form, a defined frequency, and a copy sent to you. 'Our supervisor stops by' is not an inspection programme.
5. What exactly is in the price?
Get the frequency of every task in writing: nightly, weekly, monthly, quarterly. Confirm whether consumables — liners, paper, soap — are included or billed separately, and whether periodic floor work is inside the monthly figure or quoted per event.
6. How do you handle keys, alarms and access?
Key control policy, alarm code handling, badge requirements and what happens when a crew member leaves the company. This is an insurance and liability question as much as a security one.
7. What does it take to leave?
Read the termination clause before the pricing page. A confident contractor works month to month with thirty days' notice. Multi-year auto-renewing agreements with penalty clauses exist to protect the vendor, not you.
Questions about anything in this article? John Davis is reachable on +1 858 782 4482 or John@wecb.mtechmpl.com.