The questions that separate contractors - all askable before you sign
Cleaning companies are easy to compare on price and hard to compare on whether the work will still be done properly in month nine. These are the questions that produce different answers from different bidders in Convoy.
Two free marketplace paths: one request brings back multiple vetted cleaning contractors who know they are competing for the account.
About 37.5% of America's janitors work for contract cleaning companies rather than for the buildings they clean, so the Convoy market is a genuine contractor market - competing bids on identical scope are both realistic and the only way to price a building.
Most states do not license commercial cleaning companies, which surprises buyers who assume a board exists to check - in Convoy that means insurance certificates, a written scope and real references do the verifying that a licence would elsewhere.
Convoy plus 12 surrounding communities within 40 km hold about 62,330 people, enough commercial density that several cleaning contractors will bid the same building - which is the competition a single quote request is meant to create.
The cleaning industry has almost no licensing to check, which means verification falls to the buyer. For a Convoy building that means insurance certificates from the broker, a named account manager, a written scope with frequencies, and references from buildings your size.
Turnover is this industry's defining problem, and it lands on your floor as inconsistent work. Ask any Convoy bidder how they staff the account, who supervises, and what happens when the regular cleaner is out - the answer predicts month six better than the price does.
Put a contractor comparison out to competing bids before comparing prices
Two free marketplace paths: one request brings back multiple vetted cleaning contractors who know they are competing for the account. Competing bids on identical scope are the only reliable way to learn what your building actually prices at.
External links go to the marketplaces' own sites and forms. This site may earn a referral fee at no cost to you - it never changes the data above, and no individual cleaning company pays to appear in our research.
Four ways to buy cleaning, compared
| Model | Who actually does the work | Fits | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| National contractor | Employees, managed through a regional account team | Multi-site buyers wanting one contract and consistent reporting | Account manager turnover; local crew quality varies by branch |
| Local independent company | Its own employees, often with the owner still involved | Single-site buildings wanting a responsive relationship | Thinner cover when staff are sick; verify insurance yourself |
| Franchise unit | A franchisee who bought the territory, under a national brand | Buyers who want a brand's standards at local-company scale | Ask who employs the cleaners and who carries the insurance |
| Hiring cleaners directly | Your own employees | Buildings large enough to justify supervision and payroll overhead | You take on payroll tax, workers' comp, cover for absences and chemical training |
Verify before any signature
- Ask the broker - not the contractor - to send the certificate of insurance directly, and have your entity named as additional insured
- Confirm general liability limits of at least $1 million per occurrence and workers' compensation in force in your state
- Ask what the bond actually covers and what triggers payment (the answer should include a criminal conviction, and that tells you its real value)
- Get the scope of work in writing with frequencies per area, not a paragraph of adjectives
- Ask for two references from buildings of similar size and type in your area, and call them
- Confirm who supervises, how often they inspect, and what the remedy is when work is missed
- Confirm the initial term, the renewal mechanism, and the exact notice window - then calendar the notice date the day you sign
- Ask whether staff are employees or subcontractors, and how they are screened and trained
Walk away when you see
- A price per square foot with no stated frequency - the two numbers are meaningless apart
- 'Bonded and insured' offered as an answer instead of an actual certificate and bond type
- A certificate of insurance forwarded by the contractor rather than issued by the broker
- An evergreen renewal clause with the notice window buried in a separate paragraph
- No named supervisor or account manager, and no answer on how absences are covered
- Routine fogging or whole-building disinfection sold as standard rather than justified
- Consumables 'included' with no monthly allowance stated - the true-up arrives later
- A bid materially below the local band with no explanation of what was scoped out
What a real commercial cleaning quote contains - and what the padded version sells
A complete quote includes
- Cleanable square footage and frequency stated together, per area
- A written scope listing what is done nightly, weekly, monthly and annually
- Specialty work priced explicitly as included or billed on top
- Insurance limits stated, with the certificate coming from the broker
- The initial term, the renewal mechanism and the exact notice window
- A named supervisor and a stated inspection frequency
Red flags in a cleaning proposal
- A per-square-foot price with no frequency attached
- 'Bonded and insured' offered instead of documents
- Consumables 'included' with no monthly allowance stated
- Auto-renewal with the notice window in a separate paragraph
- Routine whole-building disinfection sold as standard
- A bid far below the local band with no explanation of what was cut
What this means in Convoy
'Bonded' sounds like protection and functions like credit: the bond pays only after an employee is criminally convicted, and the cleaning company repays the surety afterward. If theft protection is what a Convoy buyer actually wants, the thing to verify is the contractor's own crime coverage and hiring screening, not the word 'bonded' on a flyer.
This page is independent research, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Sales-tax treatment, licensing rules, wage floors and contract law vary by state and change - verify current requirements with your state's revenue and labor agencies, and have significant contracts reviewed by your own counsel or broker before signing.
Put a contractor comparison out to competing bids before comparing prices
Two free marketplace paths: one request brings back multiple vetted cleaning contractors who know they are competing for the account. Competing bids on identical scope are the only reliable way to learn what your building actually prices at.
External links go to the marketplaces' own sites and forms. This site may earn a referral fee at no cost to you - it never changes the data above, and no individual cleaning company pays to appear in our research.
Common questions
How much does commercial cleaning cost per square foot?
In 2026 industry ranges, general office space runs about $0.09-$0.17 per square foot per month, medical and healthcare $0.14-$0.29, industrial $0.08-$0.20, retail $0.07-$0.15 and schools $0.07-$0.14. Those figures assume a stated frequency - a per-square-foot price without a frequency attached tells you nothing.
Can I get out of a cleaning contract that renewed automatically?
It depends on your state and the contract. Some states regulate automatic renewal of service contracts - New York, for example, makes an auto-renewal clause unenforceable against the customer unless the contractor gave written reminder notice by certified mail 15-30 days before the deadline. Check your state's rule and the contract's own notice mechanics, and get counsel involved before assuming you are locked in.
Do I still need pandemic-level disinfection?
Federal guidance now tells buyers to determine whether disinfecting is necessary at all before purchasing disinfectants, and notes that disinfectants - which EPA regulates as pesticides - are more hazardous than plain cleaners. Routine whole-building fogging sold as standard is worth questioning; targeted disinfection of high-touch surfaces where circumstances warrant it is a different conversation.
Do I have to pay sales tax on cleaning services?
That depends entirely on your state - most states do not tax cleaning services, but a minority do, and in those states it is a real line on a real invoice: at typical rates it adds several percent to every monthly bill. This site publishes the treatment state by state with the revenue department's own source; check your state's page.
Does cleaning less often save money?
Less than you would think, and sometimes not at all. Soil accumulates between visits, and industry measurement puts the additional cleaning time required by infrequent service at 60-70%. The per-visit price rises as frequency falls, so halving the schedule does not halve the bill - and the building looks worse in between.
Put a contractor comparison out to competing bids before comparing prices
Two free marketplace paths: one request brings back multiple vetted cleaning contractors who know they are competing for the account. Competing bids on identical scope are the only reliable way to learn what your building actually prices at.
External links go to the marketplaces' own sites and forms. This site may earn a referral fee at no cost to you - it never changes the data above, and no individual cleaning company pays to appear in our research.
Prices in nearby cities
Coolville · Corning · Cortland · Corwin · Coshocton · Covington · Craig Beach · Crestline · Creston · Cridersville · Crooksville · Crown City