Updated September 18, 2026 by Ark Pizarro, Dream Cleaned Services. 7 min read.
Direct answer
Score a commercial cleaning vendor on completed visits, inspection results, repeat misses, complaints, response time, re-cleans, supply failures, and open issues. Use the same card every week. One miss is a callback. The same miss repeating after a make-it-right visit is a staffing or scope failure. Keep photo evidence with the card so the score is about named work, not opinions.
What this card is for
Use this after you already have a written scope and an inspection list. The inspection checklist tells you what failed tonight. This scorecard tells you whether the vendor is getting better or whether you are stuck managing them. If the same misses keep repeating, follow what to do when your cleaning company keeps missing things.
Weekly scorecard
Building: [ ________ ] Week of: [ ________ ] Vendor: [ ________ ]
| Measure | How to score | This week | Notes / evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Completed visits | Scheduled visits that actually happened (logs / photos / badge trail) | [ __ / __ ] | [ ______ ] |
| Inspection score | Pass count from the shared inspection list | [ __ / __ ] | [ ______ ] |
| Repeat misses | Same task or room failed after last week’s make-it-right | [ count ] | [ ______ ] |
| Complaints | Tenant / staff complaints tied to cleaning this week | [ count ] | [ ______ ] |
| Response time | Hours from photo/complaint sent to vendor acknowledgment | [ hours ] | [ ______ ] |
| Re-cleans | Make-it-right visits completed inside the agreed window | [ __ / __ ] | [ ______ ] |
| Supply failures | Empty soap/paper/liners or missing agreed chemicals when that is in scope | [ count ] | [ ______ ] |
| Open issues | Named problems still unresolved at week end | [ count ] | [ ______ ] |
How to read the card
- Green path: visits complete, inspection mostly passes, repeat misses at zero, make-it-right visits happen on time.
- Yellow path: a new miss appears, gets photographed, and is fixed inside the agreed window without repeating.
- Red path: the same three rooms or tasks fail after a documented return visit, or visits cannot be proven.
Do not average away a red path with a low monthly price. A cheap vendor you supervise every morning is more expensive than a middle price with clean logs.
Month roll-up
| Week | Visits | Inspection | Repeat misses | Complaints | Open issues |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Week 2 | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Week 3 | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
| Week 4 | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
Decision at month end: [ keep / reset scope / replace ]. If replace, keep the incumbent through the last night and walk the new vendor while coverage continues.
Needs Dream Cleaned input before this page is “finished”
The measures above match how your public QC guides already talk. These thresholds still need your real ops numbers so the card teaches buyers the same bar you run on your own jobs.
| Field | Why it matters | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Pass/fail thresholds you use internally | Turns “mostly fine” into a number buyers can copy | Needs Ark ops thresholds |
| Escalation rule (when a miss becomes a contract conversation) | Should match how you handle callbacks today | Needs Ark confirmation |
| Target response time and make-it-right window | Site guides often use 24 hours — confirm for the scorecard | Needs Ark confirmation |
| Supply-failure definition | Only score supplies the contract actually assigns to the vendor | Needs Ark scope rule |
| Optional weighting (which measures matter most) | If restrooms outweigh private offices in your QC, say so | Needs Ark preference |
Where this sits in the buying path
New vendor search: write the scope, send the RFP, compare bids, then use this card once they start. Incumbent problems: inspect weekly, score weekly, then replace if the red path repeats.
Common questions
How often should I fill out a vendor scorecard?
Weekly until misses stop repeating, then every two weeks if photo logs are reliable. Score the same lines every time.
What score means I should replace the vendor?
When the same three rooms or tasks fail after a documented make-it-right visit, you are managing the vendor instead of the building. That is replacement territory.
Do I share the scorecard with the vendor?
Yes. A shared card turns arguments into a list. Surprise criticism without a list trains crews to chase the loudest person.
Sources
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Building type, size, and how often. A real person follows up.
Get a free quoteRelated guides
- Janitorial inspection checklist for facility managers
Walk the floor with the same list the night crew should have used.
- What to do when your cleaning company keeps missing things
Document the miss, force a return visit, then decide whether the vendor can still do the job.
- How to compare commercial cleaning quotes
Put three bids on one page. Same scope, same frequency, named tasks.