Three quotes land in your inbox. The hourly rates are different. One of the companies has a nicer logo. You're busy, and you need to make a decision.
Here's the problem: an hourly rate is not a price. A price buys a number of hours, and your site needs a number of hours to meet the standard. "$X per hour, cheaper if you take more hours" tells you almost nothing until you know how many hours the quote actually includes and what gets done in them.
A well-known pattern in commercial cleaning — and this isn't an accusation aimed at anyone, just how the market works — is to quote low to win the contract, then quietly reduce hours once the relationship is established. When cleaning keeps falling short, the missing ingredient is almost always hours. The rate looked fine. The hours were never enough.
The checklist below is designed to make every quoting company answer the same questions, so you're comparing the same things. Send it to all of them.
The Checklist
1. Insurance: certificate of currency, not just a claim
Ask for a current certificate of currency for both public liability insurance and workers compensation. Not a summary on their website — the actual document, dated this year, showing the policy limits.
If they tell you workers compensation isn't required because they have no employees, ask the follow-up: who exactly will be on your site, and how are they engaged? Are they partners, contractors, or direct employees? The answer matters. An uninsured person injured on your premises during a clean is your problem, not theirs. For childcare centres, medical practices, and strata committees, your own insurer, accreditation body, or owners corporation may ask for this documentation as a matter of course. Don't wait until that moment to find out it's missing.
2. Who is actually on site
Ask for names — or at minimum, confirmation that the people coming to your site hold a current national police check. Ask whether the same people come each time, and what happens if your regular cleaner is unavailable. Is there a backup, and do they go through the same vetting?
For medical and dental practices in particular, the people entering your rooms after hours have access to sensitive spaces. "A cleaner" is not enough of an answer.
3. Hours per visit — in writing — and a scope list
This is the single most useful thing you can ask. Request that the quote state:
How many hours are allocated per visit
What is done every single visit
What is done periodically (weekly, monthly, etc.)
Now compare quotes on hours and scope, not rate. A quote at $55/hr for two hours is a $110 clean. A quote at $48/hr for three hours is a $144 clean — and probably a more thorough one. The hourly rate comparison was meaningless.
If a company won't put the hours in writing, that tells you something.
4. How the work is checked and recorded
Ask what evidence exists after each clean. Is there a record of what was done and when? Can you see it after every visit, or only when something goes wrong?
A cleaning company that checks and records every task — and gives you a report after every clean — is operating very differently from one that relies on the cleaner's memory and your own inspection. The difference shows up slowly, then all at once.
For childcare centres, this kind of documentation is part of what auditors and families reasonably expect. For strata committees, it's the difference between an invoice and an accountable record of service.
5. What happens when something is missed
Ask specifically: how do I raise a missed task, who responds, and how fast? Is there a process, or is it a phone call that may or may not get followed up?
The answer tells you a lot about how the business is structured. A clear process — where the issue goes to a specific person, gets acknowledged, and gets fixed — is a sign that the company has thought about service recovery. "Just call me" is not a process.
6. Two contactable commercial references — in your niche
Ask for two references from current commercial clients, ideally in a similar setting to yours. Not testimonials on a website — people you can actually call or email.
Ask the references: does the standard stay consistent over time, or did it start well and slip? That question will tell you more than any brochure.
7. ABN check
Look up every quoting company on the Australian Business Register at abr.business.gov.au. Check the entity type, how long the ABN has been active, and whether they're registered for GST. Then compare that against what their website says about how long they've been in business. If the numbers don't line up, it's worth asking why.
This isn't about catching anyone out — it's about knowing who you're signing a service agreement with.
One final thing: start without locking in
Some cleaning companies require a contract before they'll start. Others let you begin on a month-to-month basis and move to a contract once you're confident. If you're switching providers, starting without a long lock-in period is a reasonable thing to ask for — it keeps both parties honest in the early weeks.
If you'd like a quote from Pacific Breeze Cleaners that states the hours, the scope, and the price in writing — GST-inclusive, no extras — we're happy to put one together. Reach out via our commercial cleaning page or call 0491 851 727.
