Most buyers collect three office cleaning quotes and discover they cannot be compared. That is not the contractors' fault: each has priced a slightly different building, because the invitation left each of them to assume. Fixing it costs one document and it is the highest-return hour in this whole exercise.
The five things to fix in writing
Cleanable square footage with a marked-up plan, frequency by area rather than building-wide, the periodics and their intervals, whether consumables are in or out, and the access window. Bids priced against those five are comparable; bids priced against a walkthrough alone are five different products.
What to ask for back
A monthly total at the stated frequency, the cleaner-hours per visit behind it, and a separate line for each periodic. The hours figure is the one that tells you what you are really buying, and a contractor who will not write it down has told you something.
Reading the spread
A tight spread means the specification was clear. A wide one means it was not, and the cheapest bid is usually the one that assumed the least. Go back with clarifications rather than choosing, because a second round against a corrected specification costs a week and routinely moves the winner.
Questions people ask about office cleaning quote
How many quotes should I get?
Three is the common answer and it is about comparability rather than price.
Should I share my budget?
Sharing a range tends to narrow the spread and tells you less. Sharing the specification is what actually produces comparable bids.
How long should a quote take?
A walkthrough and a few days is normal for a single building. Same-day numbers are being estimated from area alone.
Can I use a quote to renegotiate my current contract?
Yes, and it is the most common reason buyers run this process. A comparable bid is a much stronger position than a request.
Do contractors expect to be beaten on price?
They expect to be compared. A well-specified process usually settles on scope rather than on the lowest number.