Key points
- Ask for a written scope with frequencies and labour hours before you compare prices.
- Confirm bonding, insurance, background checks and site-specific safety training in writing.
- Ask how quality is inspected and how you will see the results.
- Find out how issues are reported, how fast they are corrected and who your single point of contact is.
Scope and pricing
1. Can I see the written scope this price is based on?
Why it matters. A price without a scope is not comparable to anything. The scope lists every area, task and frequency, and it is the document you will hold the contractor to.
A good answer. Yes, here it is, and it was written after a walkthrough of your property rather than from a template. Impact sends the scope and the price together after walking the site, for any commercial cleaning program.
2. How many labour hours does the monthly price assume?
Why it matters. Two quotes for the same building can differ mainly in hours on site. Fewer hours means a lighter clean, and it will show within weeks.
A good answer. A specific figure, with how it breaks down across visits, and a willingness to explain what changes if the hours change.
3. What is not included, and what does periodic work cost?
Why it matters. Carpet extraction, floor stripping and refinishing, window cleaning, high dusting and consumables are often extras. Knowing this up front avoids surprise invoices.
A good answer. A list of exclusions and a schedule of periodic work with prices, or a clear statement that it is built into the program. Our guide to commercial cleaning costs in Toronto explains what usually sits outside the recurring rate.
People
4. Are your staff bonded, insured and background-checked?
Why it matters. Cleaners work in your building after hours with access to offices, equipment and sometimes records. This is the minimum.
A good answer. Yes to all three, with certificates of insurance available on request. Impact's staff are bonded, insured and background-checked.
5. How are cleaners trained for my site specifically?
Why it matters. General training does not cover your access rules, alarm procedures, chemical restrictions or the hazards of a warehouse floor or a clinic.
A good answer. Every team is briefed and trained on the health and safety requirements of the site before the first visit, and the training is refreshed. Impact does this for every property, and its own health and safety policies have been audited through ComplyWorks since 2006.
6. Will the same team clean my building each time?
Why it matters. Consistency drives quality. A team that knows the floor plate cleans it better and faster than a rotating crew.
A good answer. A dedicated team assigned to your site, a named supervisor, and a plan for covering absences and holidays without dropping visits. Impact operates every day of the year for this reason.
Quality and accountability
7. How do you inspect the work, and will I see the results?
Why it matters. Without inspection, the only quality control is your complaints. You want a system that catches problems before you do.
A good answer. Supervisors inspect completed work against the scope on a schedule, results are scored and tracked over time, and they are available to you. Impact uses OrangeQC, an inspection app, for this.
8. What happens when something is missed?
Why it matters. Every contractor misses things occasionally. What separates them is how fast it is reported, corrected and prevented from recurring.
A good answer. A defined reporting route, a correction on the next visit or sooner, and a record that feeds back into the inspection program.
9. Who is my single point of contact?
Why it matters. Multi-site portfolios and large buildings generate a lot of small requests. One accountable person is worth more than a call centre queue.
A good answer. A named account or operations contact, plus a 24-hour line for emergencies. Impact provides a 24-hour call centre and emergency response on site in two hours or less.
Standards, products and fit
10. What certifications or third-party audits do you hold?
Why it matters. Certifications do not guarantee a clean floor, but they show that an outside assessor has looked at how the company is managed.
A good answer. Specific, verifiable credentials with expiry dates. Impact is ISSA CIMS-GB certified with honours, an IICRC certified firm for carpet cleaning and restoration, a ContractorCheck accredited member and a BOMA Toronto member. Our post on what CIMS-GB certification means explains what that standard covers.
11. What products and equipment do you use, and can they change for my building?
Why it matters. Green building commitments, sensitive occupants and specific floor finishes all constrain what can be used.
A good answer. Named product certifications and flexibility to adjust. Impact's products are EcoLogo or Green Seal certified and approved by Health Canada.
12. Have you cleaned facilities like mine, and can I speak to one?
Why it matters. An office specialist and an industrial specialist are not interchangeable. Loading docks, clean zones, clinics and data rooms each have their own rules.
A good answer. Relevant experience described specifically, and references you can call. Impact cleans office towers, multi-tenant buildings, retail, industrial and warehouse facilities, clinics, schools, venues and hotels across the GTA, and provides references on request.
Using the answers
Score each bidder on these twelve rather than on the price alone, then compare prices only between the bidders that pass. A contractor that cannot produce a scope, state its labour hours or explain its inspection program is not cheaper. It is simply not yet quoting the same job.
If you are comparing janitorial services for a building against office cleaning for a suite, make sure the scopes match the boundary of what you are responsible for. Our explainer on office cleaning versus janitorial services covers where that line usually sits.
Impact Cleaning Services is a family-owned commercial cleaning company founded in Toronto in 1954. This guide is general information for Toronto facility, property and office managers. It is not a quote. Pricing for any property is set after a walkthrough and delivered with a written scope.