5 Questions to Ask Any Cleaning Vendor

Most cleaning proposals look alike: a checklist, a frequency and a number at the bottom. The difference between a vendor who holds up and one who slips by month three is in things the proposal doesn't show. These five questions bring them out. Ask them on every bid, including the one from Fortis.

1. Who will actually clean my building?

This is the most important question, and it has two parts. First: are the cleaners the company's own employees, or does the company subcontract the work to someone else? Plenty of cleaning companies sell the contract and then hand it off. That isn't automatically bad, but you should know who has your keys.

Second: will it be the same people each visit? Consistency is what makes cleaning good. A crew that knows your building knows which restroom gets hit hardest, which tenant arrives early and where the trash really piles up. A rotating crew starts from zero every time.

A good answer sounds like: "These are our people, and we assign a crew to your building that stays on it."

2. Can I see the written scope?

"Nightly cleaning" means different things to different companies. Ask for a written scope that lists each area of your building, the tasks done in each, and how often: nightly, weekly, monthly. Restrooms, break rooms, entries, glass, high dusting, floors.

The scope is what you hold the vendor to. If something is missing later, the first question is whether it's in the scope. If there's no scope, there's nothing to point to.

A good answer sounds like: "We'll walk the building with you and send a written scope, area by area."

3. Who do I call when something gets missed, and what happens next?

Every cleaning company misses something eventually. What matters is what happens when you call. Ask who picks up: a person who can fix it, a general office line, or a ticket system? Ask how quickly a miss gets corrected, and how they make sure it doesn't happen again.

A good answer sounds like: a named person with a direct number, and a specific explanation of how a complaint gets back to the crew.

4. How do you handle floor care?

Nightly cleaning keeps floors clean. It doesn't maintain the finish. Hard floors need periodic scrubbing and recoating, and eventually stripping and refinishing. Carpet needs extraction. Ask whether that work is included, how often it's scheduled, and whether the company does it with its own crew and equipment.

Vague answers here are how buildings end up with dull, worn traffic lanes and a surprise bill for floor restoration a couple of years in.

A good answer sounds like: a separate floor-care schedule, written into the proposal, done by the company's own people.

5. Are you insured, and can you send a certificate?

Ask for a certificate of insurance before anyone starts. A legitimate company sends one without hesitation, and can usually list your company as the certificate holder. Also ask how the company screens the people it sends into your building after hours.

A good answer sounds like: "Sure, what name and address should go on the certificate?"

Red flags

• A price before anyone has walked the building.
• No written scope, or a generic checklist with your name pasted on it.
• Vague answers about who does the work.
• No direct contact, only a general office number or web portal.
• Floor care described as "as needed" with no schedule.

How Fortis answers

Our crews are ours, not subs, and the same people stay on your building. We walk the building with you and send a written scope within 48 hours. When something's off, you call or text us directly at 309-269-2752. Floor care runs on its own schedule with our own crew, and the same crew can also handle painting, pressure washing and small maintenance jobs.