Preventative Maintenance & Care for Facility & Operations Managers in Bristol

Before tendering, gather the information bidders need to price accurately: floor areas by type, the number of washrooms and kitchens, typical occupancy by day, access times, security requirements, existing equipment and storage, and the current specification with its known problems. Site visits for bidders at the times cleaning actually happens produce far more accurate prices. If the incumbent's staff are likely to transfer under the TUPE regulations, allow time to obtain employee liability information so bidders can price that transfer properly.

Many estates now combine a fixed daily routine for high-use areas with flexible or demand-led cleaning elsewhere. Occupancy sensors, room booking data or simple floor walks can direct cleaners to spaces that have been used, while periodic tasks such as carpet cleaning, high-level dusting and hard floor maintenance are scheduled across the year. Ask each bidder how their specification responds to changing occupancy and how the resulting hours are reflected in the price.

Measuring performance is where contracts succeed or fail. Agree a small number of meaningful measures, such as audit scores by area, response to reported issues and completion of periodic tasks, and decide how audits are carried out, by whom and how often. Joint audits with the supervisor build a shared understanding of the standard, and occupiers need a way to report problems that reaches the cleaning team directly. A monthly review of trends, complaints and upcoming changes to the building is usually more useful than a long list of measures nobody reads.

Health and safety arrangements need to fit the site. Cleaning companies must assess the risks of their work, including chemicals under COSHH, manual handling, slips on wet floors and any work at height, such as cleaning high glazing, which falls under the Work at Height Regulations 2005. Ask how they will coordinate with other contractors on site, how permits to work and inductions are handled, and how incidents and near misses are reported to you. Ask too how cleaning machines are maintained and electrically tested.

Sustainability is increasingly part of the brief. Ask about concentrated or refillable chemical systems, microfibre use, water use, and how waste streams are kept separate in line with the recycling rules that now apply to most workplaces in England. Consider the working pattern too: daytime cleaning can improve supervision and staff retention and makes cleaners visible to occupiers, although it needs products and equipment that suit working around people. If your organisation sets wage commitments for contractors, include them in the tender.

Good tenders give a clear breakdown of labour hours, supervision, consumables, periodic work and management costs, the approach to mobilisation and staff transfer, and how the contract can be varied if floors close or buildings are added. Ask to meet the proposed account manager as well as the sales team before deciding between the companies you are introduced to.