In today’s competitive market, winning a cleaning contract isn’t about offering the lowest price—it’s about proving your business is built to perform. Facility Managers (FMs) aren’t just hiring cleaners. They’re choosing a partner who will make their life easier, protect their reputation, and keep their spaces consistently clean, safe, and ready for use.
If you can prove that? You win.
Facility managers don’t want promises—they want peace of mind. They’re looking for cleaning partners who remove stress, reduce risk, and get it right the first time, every time.
Here’s what really moves the needle in a cleaning bid:
FMs are under pressure to keep buildings running smoothly. They don’t want to chase cleaners or manage complaints. They want to hand over the keys and trust that things just get done. When your company is dialed in, you become the quiet hero behind their success.
Anyone can say they do good work. FMs need to see it. Show them systems, reports, and tools that verify attendance, track task completion, and keep everyone accountable. You’ll stand out from the bids full of vague promises.
Nothing tanks trust faster than a missed shift or inconsistent service. FMs want reliability baked into your process—so they know their facility is always clean and client-ready. Your ability to deliver consistently is the foundation of long-term trust.
Things will go wrong. What matters is how quickly you respond—and how often you catch issues before the client even notices. Show you’ve got systems in place for real-time reporting, inspections, and fast resolution, and you’ll win serious points.
FMs don’t want to keep switching vendors. It’s time-consuming, risky, and frustrating. If you can demonstrate low turnover, high cleaner retention, and a track record of client satisfaction, you prove you're not just a quick fix—you’re a long-term solution.
If you want to win more contracts, you need to prove you’ve got the system to deliver—not just the team.
FMs need to know your cleaning business is organized and dependable. It’s more than just assigning tasks; it’s about proving you have a robust operational framework in place.
Streamline Your Operations: You can actually show them how you efficiently assign tasks, schedule cleanings, and track work in real-time, even across multiple locations. This proves you have the internal controls to make sure every single job is covered, without fail.
Ensure Dependability: Present a clear, actionable plan for how your team stays on track, even when unexpected things pop up or when they’re handling complex facilities. This builds serious confidence in your operational reliability.
One of the biggest worries for decision-makers is whether your team actually shows up and does the work. To put their minds at ease, you need to provide tangible proof that your team is on-site and completing tasks.
Verify Attendance & Task Completion: Talk about how you use systems like Swept for GPS time tracking and check-in features to verify cleaner attendance and task completion. This gives irrefutable evidence of your team's activities on-site.
Increase Transparency: Offer clients visibility into these real-time activities. This level of transparency makes your bid stronger and your reputation instantly more trustworthy.
Let's be real, talk is cheap; proof wins contracts. FMs want hard data to back up your claims.
Leverage Performance Data: Showcase past job performance, inspection scores, and cleaner reliability data. This isn't just telling them you’re good; it’s showing them a consistent history of quality service.
Quantify Your Success: Use real data to illustrate your commitment to excellence and show how you consistently meet or even exceed client expectations. That kind of evidence sets you apart from competitors who are just making vague promises.
Facility managers want to see that you genuinely understand their unique needs. Your proposal shouldn't be generic; it needs to be highly customized and relevant.
Align with Specific Requirements: Explain how you use insights from your internal systems (like scheduling and reporting data) to perfectly align your proposal with every specific requirement in their Request for Proposal (RFP) – from how often you'll clean to your quality control measures.
Demonstrate Understanding: Make your bid feel like a perfect fit by clearly addressing each point in the RFP with tailored solutions. This proves you've done your homework and truly get their needs.
Need a head start? Grab our free RFP Proposal Template to streamline your process.
A history of lost contracts is a huge red flag for FMs. They're looking for stability and long-term partnerships, so you need to prove your staying power.
Track & Share Retention Metrics: Present data on contract length, cleaner retention rates, and how successfully you resolve issues. This clearly demonstrates your ability to deliver sustained value.
Build Trust Through Consistency: Show them that once you win a job, your priority is long-term satisfaction. Your commitment to retaining clients builds trust even before the first walkthrough.
Facility managers appreciate predictability. Your ability to provide continuous transparency and open communication is key to building lasting, trusting relationships.
Provide Real-Time Access: Offer clients real-time access to performance data, cleaner activity logs, and updates on any issues. This proactive communication builds confidence and saves them the hassle of chasing you for information.
Foster Lasting Relationships: This level of transparency makes it incredibly easy to build and maintain strong, lasting client relationships because they always know exactly what’s happening on-site.
When you're bidding on a commercial cleaning contract, it’s not just about price—it’s about trust.
Facility managers want to know:
Do you have the systems to back up what you’re promising?
When you use Swept, the answer is a confident yes.
Using Swept tells clients you’ve got your operations locked in.
That you’re serious about quality. That you’re built for long-term success.
Win more contracts. Keep them longer.