Updated September 18, 2026 by Ark Pizarro, Dream Cleaned Services. 9 min read.
Direct answer
Write one request for proposal, attach one scope of work, require a walkthrough of that building, and make every vendor answer the same insurance, staffing, access, proof-of-service, and make-it-right questions. Reject bids priced from square footage alone. Score the packet first and the monthly number second. The goal is comparable bids for the same job, not the lowest number for three different jobs.
What this packet is for
A commercial cleaning RFP is the packet you send when you want comparable bids. It is not a brochure request. It tells vendors what building you have, what work you want priced, what proof you expect, and what answers you need in writing. Use the same packet for every bidder. Change the building facts. Do not change the questions.
Pair this page with a written scope. What belongs in a commercial cleaning scope of work is the companion document. When the bids come back, score them with how to compare commercial cleaning quotes.
Copy-ready RFP outline
Use these sections in order. Fill the bracketed lines with your building. Leave the vendor questions the same for every bidder.
1. Invitation
- Building name and street address
- Facility type (office, warehouse, medical suite, retail, school/daycare, church, government)
- Rough cleanable square footage
- Desired start date
- Proposal due date and who receives it
- Whether a mandatory walkthrough is required (yes)
2. Building facts the vendor must price against
- Hours the building is occupied
- Preferred cleaning window (after close, early morning, between shifts)
- Access method (badge, lockbox, escort, alarm instructions)
- Restroom count and high-traffic zones
- Floor types (carpet, VCT, concrete, stone)
- Known complaint rooms
- Any secured areas the crew cannot enter
3. Scope of work attachment
Attach one scope that names zones, frequency by zone, tasks, exclusions, supplies, photo-log proof, and the make-it-right rule. Do not let each vendor invent their own “full service” list. If you do not have a scope yet, start with the scope guide and finish it before you send this RFP.
4. Vendor questionnaire (same answers from everyone)
- Legal company name, years in commercial cleaning, and DFW references for similar buildings
- Certificate of insurance: general liability limit, workers’ compensation, additional insured language for the building
- Background-check policy for people who will hold keys or badges
- Who supervises the crew, how often they visit, and how misses get escalated
- Staffing plan: employee vs subcontracted labor for this building
- Proof of service: photo logs, timestamps, and which rooms are photographed each visit
- Make-it-right rule: how fast a miss is redone at no charge
- What is included in the monthly price vs billed separately (carpet extraction, floor finish, exterior glass, day porter, supplies)
- How price changes if square footage or frequency changes later
- Transition plan if you are replacing an incumbent without a dark night
5. Price breakout you should demand
- Monthly recurring price for the attached scope
- Visits per week and hours assumed per visit
- Separate lines for day porter, carpet, floors, windows, or deep-clean catch-up if quoted
- One-time start-up or initial deep-clean fee, if any
- Supply fees, if paper/soap/liners are not in the monthly number
For market context after you have numbers, use the DFW cost guide and the calculator. Neither replaces a walkthrough of this building.
6. Rules that keep bids honest
- Bids without a walkthrough of this address are rejected
- Bids that rewrite the scope without marking changes are rejected
- Lowest monthly number does not win if the packet score is weak
- Dream Cleaned will walk the building, write the scope with you if needed, and price that document — not a square-footage guess
Needs Dream Cleaned input before this page is “finished”
The outline above is usable today as a buyer tool. These lines still need your real numbers and rules so the page is unmistakably Dream Cleaned, not a generic template. Until you fill them, leave them blank on any downloadable version you publish.
| Field | Why it matters | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum general liability you want named on the certificate | Buyers copy whatever you publish; site currently states $2M insured for Dream Cleaned itself | Needs Ark confirmation for the RFP “require from vendors” line |
| Workers’ comp / additional-insured wording you accept | Property managers will paste this into their packet | Needs Ark / insurance broker text |
| Background-check standard you want vendors to match | Stops vague “we screen people” answers | Needs Ark policy language |
| Supervisor visit frequency you treat as acceptable | Turns “we supervise” into a measurable answer | Needs Ark ops rule |
| Photo-log rooms you always require | Should match what your crews already photograph | Needs Ark ops list |
| Make-it-right deadline (hours) | Site content already uses 24 hours in several guides — confirm that is the rule you want buyers to demand | Needs Ark confirmation |
| Sample price-breakout spreadsheet columns | So downloaded RFPs match how you actually bid | Needs Ark bid sheet fields |
How to use this without creating busywork
For a small professional suite, keep sections 1–5 and cut references you do not need. For a multi-floor or warehouse-plus-office building, keep the whole packet and force separate lines for office zones versus warehouse floor. Do not invent city-specific RFP clones. One strong packet plus a building-specific scope is enough.
When you are ready for Dream Cleaned to bid the same way, send the packet through the quote form or book a walkthrough. We will price the attached scope after we see the building.
Common questions
Do I need a formal RFP for a small office?
For a small suite you can shorten the packet, but you still need one written scope, one walkthrough rule, and the same insurance and make-it-right questions. A two-page RFP beats a phone quote every time.
Should vendors price before or after the walkthrough?
After. A number without a walkthrough is a guess. Put the walkthrough date in the RFP and reject any bid that skipped it.
What if a vendor will not fill out the questionnaire?
Treat that as a score of zero on the packet. If they will not answer in writing now, they will not answer in writing when the restrooms fail.
Sources
Want a number for your building?
Building type, size, and how often. A real person follows up.
Get a free quoteRelated guides
- Commercial cleaning scope of work template
Write the job once. Make every vendor price the same building.
- How to compare commercial cleaning quotes
Put three bids on one page. Same scope, same frequency, named tasks.
- What belongs in a commercial cleaning scope of work
Name the rooms, the tasks, the frequency, and what is not included.