A practical walkthrough for facility managers changing cleaning vendors — what to do, what order to do it in, and what to watch for during the transition.
Switching commercial cleaning vendors should be a clean handoff. In practice, it frequently creates a week or two of inconsistent service — either because the outgoing vendor's notice period ends before the new vendor's crew is trained and credentialed, or because the incoming vendor's scope did not account for everything the previous vendor was handling. Most of the disruption is preventable with a modest amount of advance planning.
Most commercial cleaning contracts include a notice period — typically 30 days, occasionally 60 or 90 for larger facilities. Review your agreement and identify the termination date and notice requirements. Do not give notice until you have a confirmed start date from your incoming vendor. Overlapping by one to two weeks between the old and new vendor's start is not ideal but is easier to manage than a gap.
Before you contact your current vendor, have a written scope and confirmed start date from your new vendor. This means completing the quote process, reviewing the scope, and confirming crew availability. A written scope that names your building's specific areas and tasks is the reference document for the transition. If the new vendor cannot produce a written scope before the first visit, that is a signal worth noting.
Walk your facility and note what is actually being cleaned, at what frequency, and what has drifted out of the rotation. This is useful for two reasons: it helps you evaluate whether the new vendor's scope is truly complete, and it establishes a baseline condition of the building at handoff. If the incoming vendor's first clean is notably deeper than a standard visit, you want to know whether that reflects the building's condition at handoff or the new vendor's standard practice.
Key fobs, alarm codes, and building access credentials need to be transferred carefully. Most facilities have a procedure for issuing and revoking vendor access — follow it. Confirm with your security or facilities team which credentials the outgoing vendor holds and set a specific date for revocation that aligns with their last service date. Issue the incoming vendor's credentials with enough lead time for a walk-through if the building warrants it.
If your current vendor has been underperforming, there may be deferred maintenance — floor care that was skipped, restroom supply logs that were not maintained, build-up in high-traffic areas. A transition deep clean or initial floor treatment brings the building to baseline before the regular program begins. This is typically a one-time cost and should be quoted and confirmed before the switch, not discovered after the first regular visit.
The first 30 days of a new cleaning program is when scope gaps become visible. Schedule a 30-day check-in with your new vendor — a direct conversation, not a survey. Address anything that has drifted from the written scope before it becomes a pattern. A vendor who produces a written scope and welcomes a 30-day check-in is more likely to hold to their standards than one who operates on verbal agreements.
If you are evaluating vendors for your Inver Grove Heights or South Metro facility, we are available to quote and walk through our scope process. Call (866) 958-8773 or submit the form below.