We have written many articles on
contract cleaning and the benefits thereof, which you can read about
here and
here. Choosing a contract cleaning company for your business is definitely a great idea but actually making a decision on which provider to go with can prove tricky and difficult. The last thing you want is to choose a contract cleaning company that won’t enhance your business and doesn’t comply with the various legislations and laws but rather does a half-mast job as they have a sub-par standard of service.
There are some pertinent questions you must ask any contract cleaning company you might be considering to use.
We have compiled a list of five questions that are important to ask before employing the services of any
contract cleaning company.
Do you adhere to health and safety best practices?
In this instance you are trying to simply ascertain what the contract cleaning company is prepared to be liable for. Accidents can happen quickly, especially in a large commercial outfit with a lot of staff, and the consequences can be dire for all involved. The onus is on the contract cleaning company to ensure that their staff are properly trained in all areas of safety precautions, that their equipment is well-maintained and that they are compliant with health and safety regulations.
Do you abide by standard industry laws?
The legal requirements that contract cleaning services need to abide by are many. Ensure that your contract cleaner has the documents to prove their legitimacy and check that these documents are not out-dated. You should be on the lookout for Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases (COID), Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), Skills development Levy (SDL), Pay As your Earn income tax (PAYE) and a tax clearance certificate.
Do you have a National Contract Cleaners Association (NCCA) certificate of compliance?
The NCCA isn’t a legal body, but they do act on behalf of contract cleaners to handle all wage negotiations. The NCCA will audit the company and if the company is found to pass their requirements, the company is issued a certificate of compliance. If the contract cleaning company has this certificate then it means they’re compliant with all the necessary legalities surrounding their industry.
What is covered in the Service Level Agreement (SLA)?
In the SLA you should stipulate exactly what you need from your contract cleaning company in detail as this is the only way to ensure that you get the cleaning service you are after. The responsibility lies with you to explain what it is that you need, find out what the contract cleaning company can and can’t deliver on and then stipulate the agreement and list the tasks in explicit detail in the SLA. You should consider what is covered in the SLA before asking for a quote.
Could you provide me with references of current clients?
Asking for a reference is run-of-the-mill when choosing a service provider. You should however insist that the references are from current clients so that the feedback is up-to-date. You want to know what their current standard of service is like and not simply positive feedback from past clients.
In our guide below, Contract Cleaning and Your Business, we take a look at the benefits, intricacies and details around employing a contract cleaning company for your business cleaning needs. This guide is a free download and should you have any questions regarding contract cleaning please don’t hesitate to contact
The Specialists directly.
Image credit -
Marble 
