Owners of commercial properties normally provide the cleaning services for the common areas of their buildings and for leased tenant space in office buildings. They may handle this for their retail and industrial tenants, but, generally, do not, although most leases will require that cleaning be done by a professional service.
As with most service industries, it is possible to obtain a commercial cleaning service contract from one of the half dozen or so large corporations who have branches in most of the major cities across the U.S. or from a “mom and pop” local company. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Either has the ability to service your account according your cleaning specifications. The difference lies more in the structure.
National companies like ABM, Pritchard and Sanitors offer well-defined programs and several layers of support. This is especially important in areas like staffing depth, training and account management. When there is a vacancy in the cleaning crew or a no-show, these companies are easily able to provide replacement coverage. If a tenant upgrades their reception area to a special type of wood flooring, chances are someone on their staff is familiar with how to clean it without damage. At budget time they will be able to give you precise predictions and back-up documentation. Should disaster strike in the form of a tornado, hurricane or something equally as messy, they can quickly have a virtual army onsite working to get you back to normal as soon as possible.
The small, independent companies that will compete for the commercial cleaning services for your building may be able to do everything that the big guys can, but it is not something that you can assume. If you are considering awarding them a contract on several hundred thousand square feet, it would be prudent to learn how they plan to staff it and where you will fall on their priority list. The advantage to a small company is that you may become their number one priority. In this case, it is quite likely that the service you receive will be far greater than what you would get elsewhere for the same amount of money.
One additional place where the size of the contractor servicing your account may make a difference is in the area of above standard cleaning projects. These include, among others, the cleaning and polishing of marble, providing commercial carpet cleaning service and special situations like oak or walnut flooring inserts in places like reception areas. You may be able to obtain these services at a reduced rate if they are part of your base contract, but smaller companies may not have the resources or the expertise.
As all commercial property owners and management companies are well aware, the quality of the cleaning is something near and dear to the hearts of all tenants. It is the first thing they will complain about if it’s not perfect and the last thing they will notice if it is. Maintaining Class-A cleaning standards is a never-ending, thankless part of building management. This is why the importance of having a competent, committed contractor providing commercial office cleaning services on your team can never be underestimated.
Managers with limited exposure to commercial and industrial cleaning services will be at a disadvantage, because learning as you go can be a costly experience. One of the best resources are other professional property managers. This happens to be a well-organized community and organizations like the Institute of Real Estate Management and the Building Owners and Managers Association provide opportunities for members to share experiences.
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