How to compare cleaning quotes: key facts
- Headline monthly prices don't compare unless every quote covers the same tasks, the same hours and the same extras.
- Hours of cleaning are the biggest variable. A cheaper quote with fewer hours is a smaller service, not a better price.
- Convert every quote to a yearly figure before VAT, split into core cleaning, consumables and periodic cleans.
- The National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 an hour from 1 April 2026 and £13.21 from 1 April 2027 (GOV.UK). A labour price per hour below that can't legally pay a cleaner aged 21 or over for the hours quoted.
- It's a criminal offence for an employer not to pay the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage, and HMRC can check payment records at any time (GOV.UK).
- Extra pay for working unsocial hours doesn't count towards the minimum wage, so an evening premium can't be used to top up a low basic rate (GOV.UK).
- Decide how you'll score price and quality before you open the quotes, so the cheapest bid doesn't win by default.
- Ask every bidder the same questions in writing; answers you can line up side by side are worth more than a sales visit.
Why can't you compare cleaning quotes on the monthly price?
Because each contractor decides its own hours, includes different extras and presents the price differently. Two quotes for the same building can describe quite different services. You have to make them comparable before the price means anything.
Cleaning quotes rarely arrive in the same shape. One is a fixed monthly figure. Another is an hourly rate. A third is a yearly price with a line about consumables at the bottom. Behind each figure sits a different set of choices:
- Hours. One bidder allows 1.5 hours a night, another allows 2. That alone is a third more labour.
- What's in. Toilet roll, soap and bin liners may be included, charged at cost or left to you.
- Periodic work. Carpet cleaning, high-level dusting and internal glass may be built in, priced separately or not mentioned.
- Wage basis. Some contractors pay the legal minimum; some pay the voluntary real Living Wage (£14.10 an hour for 2026-27, or £15.45 in London).
- Contract terms. A one-month notice period and a three-month notice period are worth different amounts to you.
If you've not yet worked out what you want cleaned, do that first. Our office cleaning guide covers what a specification should say. For how a single price is built from hours, wages and on-costs, see office cleaning cost. This page picks up when several quotes are on your desk.
How do you put every cleaning quote on the same basis?
Send every bidder the same written scope and visit pattern, ask for the same breakdown, then convert each reply to a yearly figure before VAT for the same contract period, with core cleaning, consumables and periodic cleans shown separately.
- One scope for everyone. The same areas, tasks and frequencies, in writing. If a bidder suggests changes, ask them to price your scope first and their idea as an option.
- One visit pattern. Days, start and finish times, and any daytime cover.
- One price format. Ask for hours per visit, visits per week, the hourly charge and the yearly total. A monthly figure is fine as well, but not instead.
- Same period. Compare a full year. If cleaning stops for closures or school holidays, say how many weeks a year you need and ask everyone to price that number.
- Same treatment of bank holidays. State whether you want cleaning on bank holidays. If not, ask whether the price is reduced.
- Before VAT. Compare net prices. If your organisation can't reclaim VAT, add it back at the end for your budget, but rank on the same basis.
- Three buckets. Core cleaning, consumables and periodic cleans, each as a yearly figure. A quote that won't split them is harder to judge.
Yearly = monthly × 12
Yearly labour = hourly charge × hours a week × 52.14
Price per hour delivered = yearly price ÷ (hours a week × 52.14)
Price per square foot quotes hide the hours. Ask what hours a week the figure assumes, then convert it like the rest.
What should you compare line by line in a commercial cleaning quote?
Compare hours, staffing, the hourly charge, the wage the cleaners are paid, holiday and sickness cover, consumables, periodic cleans, supervision and quality checks, equipment and chemicals, start-up costs, price reviews, term and notice, and any staff transferring under TUPE.
Put the quotes in columns and these lines in rows. Any blank cell becomes a question to the bidder.
| Line | What to look for | If it's missing or unclear, ask |
|---|---|---|
| Hours per visit and visits a week | Total hours a week against your scope. The biggest driver of both price and standard. | "How many cleaner-hours a week is this price based on?" |
| Staffing | How many cleaners, on what shift, and whether one person is expected to do the lot alone. | "How many people, which hours, and who covers absence?" |
| Hourly charge | The labour price per hour, separate from consumables and periodic work. | "What is the labour charge per hour, excluding extras?" |
| Wage basis | National Living Wage, real Living Wage or another stated rate, and when it rises. | "What hourly rate will the cleaners on this site be paid?" |
| Holiday and sickness cover | Cover provided at no extra charge, or visits simply missed. | "What happens on a night the regular cleaner is off?" |
| Consumables | Included, recharged at cost, or with a handling fee; unit prices if recharged. | "Please list unit prices and your estimated monthly use." |
| Periodic cleans | Which tasks, how often, and whether priced in or separately. | "Please price each periodic task and its frequency." |
| Supervision and quality | Who checks the work, how often, and what you see (audits, reports). | "How often will a supervisor visit, and what will you send us?" |
| Equipment and chemicals | Supplied by the contractor or you; storage space needed. | "What machines and chemicals will you bring, and what do you need from us?" |
| Start-up costs | Any one-off charge for an initial deep clean, kit or set-up. | "Are there any one-off charges in the first month?" |
| Price review | When and how the price can change, and whether it's tied to wage rates. | "How is the price reviewed when the minimum wage changes each April?" |
| Term and notice | Minimum term, notice period, auto-renewal and any break clause. | "What's the minimum term and notice on both sides?" |
| TUPE assumptions | Whether the price assumes your current cleaners transfer, and on what terms. | "Have you assumed any staff transfer, and on what pay and hours?" |
Some of these lines don't carry a price but still change what you're buying. A quote with no supervision and no cover may look cheap until the first missed week.
Worked example: comparing three cleaning quotes side by side
In this invented example, the cheapest monthly quote can't cover the minimum wage for its hours, the middle quote offers fewer hours than the scope needs, and the quote that looked dearest turns out cheapest once all three are put on the same 10-hour basis.
- A small office. The buyer's written scope needs about 10 hours of cleaning a week: 2 hours a night, Monday to Friday.
- 52.14 weeks a year, so 10 hours a week = 521.4 hours a year; 7.5 hours a week = 391.05 hours a year.
- The scope includes a carpet clean twice a year.
- All prices are before VAT.
- Wage floors per hour delivered, from our cost guide (wages, holiday pay and cover, employer NI and pension only, for one cleaner aged 21 or over): £14.81 at the National Living Wage (£12.71) and £16.63 at the real Living Wage (£14.10).
What the three bidders sent
| Line | Quote A (invented) | Quote B (invented) | Quote C (invented) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headline price | £780 a month | £19.50 an hour | £550 a month |
| Hours a week | 7.5 (1.5 a night) | 10 | 10 |
| Wage basis | National Living Wage | Real Living Wage | "Minimum wage" |
| Consumables | Included (bidder says £40 a month of the price) | Recharged at cost, bidder's estimate £45 a month | Included |
| Carpet clean twice a year | Not included | £280 each | Once a year, included |
| Notice | 1 month after 12-month minimum term | 3 months | 1 month |
Step 1: the minimum wage test
Quote C: £550 × 12 = £6,600 a year for 521.4 hours. £6,600 ÷ 521.4 = £12.66 an hour, all-in. That's below the National Living Wage of £12.71, before holiday pay, NI, pension, consumables or the carpet clean it says it includes. Paying a cleaner aged 21 or over £12.71 for the hours worked alone costs 521.4 × £12.71 = £6,626.99 a year. Quote C can't do what it says at a legal wage, so it's set aside unless the bidder can explain it.
Quote A: labour = (£780 − £40) × 12 = £8,880 a year. £8,880 ÷ 391.05 = £22.71 an hour, against a wage floor of £14.81. That leaves £7.90 an hour for sick cover, supervision, materials, insurance, travel, overheads and profit.
Quote B: £19.50 an hour, against a real Living Wage floor of £16.63. That leaves £2.87 an hour for everything else. It passes, but it's a narrow margin, so ask how supervision and cover are paid for.
Step 2: the same hours for everyone
Quote A only allows 7.5 hours against a scope that needs 10. To compare fairly, the buyer asks A to price 10 hours. If A kept its rate, labour would be £22.71 × 521.4. The exact figure is £8,880 × (10 ÷ 7.5) = £11,840 a year. Add consumables (£40 × 12 = £480) and suppose A prices the two carpet cleans at £560 a year to match: £12,880.
Step 3: yearly totals on the same scope
| Yearly, before VAT | Quote A (re-priced at 10 hours) | Quote B | Quote C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core cleaning | £11,840.00 | £10,167.30 (19.50 × 521.4) | Set aside |
| Consumables | £480.00 | £540.00 (45 × 12) | - |
| Carpet clean twice a year | £560.00 (assumed) | £560.00 (2 × 280) | - |
| Total | £12,880.00 | £11,267.30 | - |
| Per month (÷ 12) | £1,073.33 | £938.94 | - |
On the headline figures the order was C, A, B. On the same scope it's B, then A, £1,612.70 a year apart, and C is out. Notice terms differ too: B wants 3 months' notice, which matters if you might change contractor.
Your own quotes can be checked against the wage floor for your hours with our office cleaning cost calculator.
How do you spot a cleaning quote that can't cover the minimum wage?
Divide the yearly labour price by the yearly hours promised. If the answer is below the National Living Wage (£12.71 an hour from 1 April 2026), the price can't legally pay a cleaner aged 21 or over for those hours. If it's only a little above, ask how holiday, NI, pension and cover are paid for.
The test only works if you have the hours. A monthly price with no hours stated can't be checked, so ask for them first. Then watch for these points, which can make a low price look legal when it isn't:
- Evening premiums don't count. GOV.UK says extra pay for working unsocial hours on a shift is left out of minimum wage calculations. A basic rate below the minimum can't be topped up by a night premium.
- Kit the cleaner pays for. If cleaners have to buy uniform or equipment for the job and aren't refunded, that cost comes off their pay for minimum wage purposes (GOV.UK).
- Travel between sites is working time. Time spent travelling from one work assignment to another counts and must be paid. A tight multi-site route doesn't make your hours free.
- Younger workers have lower legal rates. For workers aged 18 to 20 the minimum is £10.85 an hour from April 2026. If a bid relies on that, it should say so; most of the wage-floor figures on this site assume workers aged 21 and over.
- April changes the sums. The National Living Wage rises to £13.21 on 1 April 2027. A quote that only just clears £12.71 today may not clear the new rate. In our example, 521.4 hours at £13.21 is £6,887.69 a year in hours-worked pay alone.
Employers must keep records proving they pay at least the minimum wage, and HMRC can check them. A contractor that's confident in its pay rates should be happy to confirm in writing what the cleaners on your site will earn.
What if bidders propose very different hours for the same building?
Ask each bidder to show how its hours were built, task by task or area by area. Don't assume the most hours is right or the fewest is efficient. Settle on the hours the scope really needs, then ask everyone to price that.
A gap in hours usually means one of three things. Someone has misread the scope. Someone plans to work faster with different kit or methods. Or someone has cut hours to hit a price.
- Ask for the workings. Minutes per area or per task, or a simple staffing plan per visit. It shows whether the toilets and kitchen have been given real time.
- Check the survey. Did each bidder walk round, or quote from a floor area? A floor area doesn't show how many toilets, small rooms or stairs there are.
- Test method claims. If a bidder says a machine or method saves time, ask which tasks it applies to.
- Use your current hours. If you have a contractor now, the hours they work and whether they're enough are useful evidence.
Once you've decided on the hours, ask every bidder to re-price on that number. That makes the rate per hour the thing you're comparing, which is fairer than adjusting quotes yourself.
How do you score cleaning quotes on price and quality?
Decide the weighting for price and quality before you open the quotes, set aside any bid that fails the minimum wage test, score price relative to the lowest remaining bid, and score quality against written criteria. Treat close totals as a reason to ask more, not as a result.
This is the core of cleaning tender evaluation, whether you're a small business or a school. Public bodies must also follow their own procurement rules. Our planned cleaning tender guide will cover running a formal tender.
- Set the weighting first. For example 60% price, 40% quality. Write it down before any quote arrives.
- Remove non-compliant bids. Anything below the wage floor, or that hasn't priced your scope.
- Score price. One simple method: lowest yearly total ÷ this bid's yearly total × price weight.
- Score quality against a few criteria you've told bidders about: staffing and cover plan, supervision and quality checks, how they'd start the contract, health and safety arrangements.
- Add up and sense-check. If two totals are within a point or two, ask both bidders follow-up questions.
Quote B price score: £11,267.30 ÷ £11,267.30 × 60 = 60.00
Quote A price score: £11,267.30 ÷ £12,880.00 × 60 = 52.49
Suppose quality scores of B 28/40 and A 36/40 (invented).
Totals: B 60.00 + 28 = 88.00; A 52.49 + 36 = 88.49.
Quote A edges ahead despite costing more, but the gap is under one point. That's a prompt to ask both bidders more questions, not a decision in itself.
Which contract terms change the real cost of a cleaning quote?
Minimum term, notice period, automatic renewal, how prices rise each April, charges for extra visits and how missed visits are credited. Compare them alongside the price, because they decide what you'll actually pay and how easily you can leave.
- Price review. National Living Wage rates change on 1 April every year. Check whether the rise is limited to the wage part of the price, and whether you get notice of it.
- Real Living Wage timing. If a bidder pays it, accredited Living Wage Employers should bring in the 2026-27 rates by 1 May 2027. Ask when that reaches your price.
- Minimum term and notice. A long term with a short notice period isn't the same as a short term with a long one. Note both, and on which side they apply.
- Auto-renewal. Check whether the contract rolls over unless you give notice by a set date.
- Missed visits. Is there a credit or a free return visit if a clean doesn't happen?
- Extras. Hourly rate for extra cleans, call-outs and one-off jobs.
Our planned contract cleaning guide covers how cleaning contracts are structured in more depth. If you're replacing a contractor, check your current notice period before you accept a new start date, and remember the cleaners on your site may transfer to the new contractor under TUPE.
What questions should you send every cleaning bidder?
Send one written list to every bidder, with your scope, and ask them to answer in the same order. Their answers then line up next to each other.
- How many cleaner-hours a week is your price based on, and how many cleaners?
- What is your labour charge per hour, excluding consumables and periodic work?
- What will the cleaners on this site be paid per hour, and when does that change?
- What is the yearly total, before VAT, split into core cleaning, consumables and periodic cleans?
- Which consumables are included? If recharged, what are the unit prices and any handling fee?
- Which periodic tasks are included, how often, and what does each cost if extra?
- How do you cover holidays and sickness, and at what cost to us?
- Who supervises, how often do they visit, and what quality reports will we get?
- What equipment and chemicals will you supply, and what storage do you need?
- Are there any one-off or start-up charges?
- How does the price change each April, and is that limited to the wage element?
- What are the minimum term, notice period and renewal terms?
- Have you assumed any staff transfer under TUPE? On what hours and pay?
- Do bank holidays and closures reduce the price?
- What will you charge per hour for extra or one-off cleans?
Give everyone the same deadline and the same chance to visit. If one bidder asks a question that changes the scope, send the answer to all of them.
What else should you check before accepting the best-value quote?
Check the basics before you sign: insurance, health and safety arrangements, references and who will actually do the work. These sit alongside the price comparison, not instead of it.
Keep this step short but don't skip it. Ask for proof of insurance, the contractor's health and safety policy and COSHH assessments for the chemicals they'll use, and a reference from a similar site. HSE says health and safety law applies to all cleaning businesses, however small. Schools and healthcare premises have extra checks: see school cleaning and GP surgery cleaning. Our planned guide to choosing a commercial cleaning company will cover vetting in more detail.
Finally, put the agreed hours, scope and wage basis in the contract. A comparison is only worth doing if the winning quote is what you then get.
Related guides
How to compare cleaning quotes: frequently asked questions
How many cleaning quotes should I get?
Enough to compare, but few enough that you can go through each one properly. What matters more is that every bidder prices the same written scope and answers the same questions.
Should I just pick the cheapest cleaning quote?
Not on the headline price. First check that every quote covers the same hours and extras, and that the labour price can cover the minimum wage. The lowest price on a like-for-like basis is often a different quote from the lowest headline figure.
How do I compare a monthly price with an hourly rate?
Turn both into a yearly figure. Monthly price × 12, or hourly charge × hours a week × 52.14. Then divide by the yearly hours to get a price per hour delivered.
What if a quote doesn't say how many hours?
Ask for the hours per visit and visits a week in writing. Without them you can't check the price against the minimum wage or compare it fairly with the other quotes.
How can I tell if a cleaning quote is too cheap to be legal?
Divide the yearly labour price by the yearly hours promised. If the answer is below the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour (from 1 April 2026), it can't pay a cleaner aged 21 or over the legal minimum for those hours, before any other costs.
Does an evening premium count towards the minimum wage?
No. GOV.UK says extra pay for working unsocial hours on a shift is not included when the minimum wage is calculated, so the basic rate must reach the minimum on its own.
How do I score cleaning tenders on price and quality?
Set the weighting before you open the bids, remove any that fail the minimum wage test or don't price your scope, score price against the lowest remaining bid, and score quality against criteria you've told bidders about. If totals are close, ask more questions.
Why do two contractors quote such different hours?
One may have misread the scope, one may plan a different method, or one may have cut hours to reach a price. Ask each to show its workings, decide the hours you need, then ask everyone to re-price on that basis.
Should I compare cleaning quotes with or without VAT?
Compare them all before VAT so they're on the same basis. If your organisation can't reclaim VAT, add it back afterwards when you set your budget.
Do contract terms matter when comparing quotes?
Yes. Minimum term, notice period, auto-renewal and how the price rises each April all change what you'll pay and how easily you can leave. Put them in the comparison next to the price.
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources on 13 November 2026:
- National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates (GOV.UK)
- Employers and the minimum wage (GOV.UK)
- Minimum wage for different types of work: working time (GOV.UK)
- What is the real Living Wage? (Living Wage Foundation)
- Holiday entitlement (GOV.UK)
- Employee rights when businesses change hands (TUPE) (GOV.UK)
- HSE: Getting started in the cleaning industry