Short answer
Get at least a few companies to walk your building in person, then compare their bids against the same written scope instead of comparing totals. Ask each one for a certificate of insurance showing general liability and workers' comp, since workers' comp is optional for most private employers in Texas. Before you sign, read the notice period, the renewal terms and who supplies paper goods, and ask how problems get reported and fixed.
Hiring a cleaning company looks easy until month three, when the trash still gets emptied but the restroom grout is turning gray and nobody answers the phone. Most of that can be avoided before you sign. This is the checklist we'd use if we were the ones hiring.
Start with your own list
Before anyone walks your building, write down:
- Every room type: offices, restrooms, break room, lobby, conference rooms, storage, anything unusual.
- How many people are in the building on a normal day, and how many visitors.
- When the building is empty and when cleaning can happen.
- How the crew gets in: keys, door codes, alarm codes, badge rules.
- What's been bugging you about the current cleaning, if you have one.
- Who supplies toilet paper, paper towels, liners and hand soap today.
That list becomes the start of your scope. It also makes every bid easier to compare.
Insist on a walkthrough
A company that quotes your building from square footage alone is guessing. Two 5,000-square-foot offices can need very different work. One has two restrooms and carpet. The other has six restrooms, a kitchen and tile that shows every footprint.
Restrooms alone can swing the number. ISSA, the cleaning industry's trade group, uses an example of 3 minutes per fixture to clean a restroom, covering trash, fixtures, mirrors, partitions, supplies, dusting and mopping. Ten fixtures is 30 minutes before anyone touches a desk.
A good walkthrough covers every room. The company should count fixtures, look at the floors and ask about traffic, hours and access. They should also ask what's gone wrong before.
Compare bids on the same scope
The total at the bottom of a bid means nothing until you know what it buys. Ask every company for a written scope with:
- Each area and each task.
- How often each task happens: every visit, weekly, monthly.
- How many visits per week.
- Who supplies paper goods, liners and soap.
- What's not included, like carpet cleaning, windows or floor refinishing.
Put the bids side by side and circle anything missing. A bid that's far lower than the rest often has fewer tasks, fewer visits or fewer hours in it. Sometimes it has no workers' comp behind it.
Check insurance the right way
Ask each company for a certificate of insurance. Look for two things.
- General liability. Check that the policy dates are current and that the named insured matches the company you're hiring.
- Workers' compensation. In Texas, the Department of Insurance says most private employers can choose whether to carry it. So don't assume. You can check coverage yourself through the TXCOMP lookup linked from TDI's website.
Also know what a certificate is and isn't. Texas Insurance Code 1811.152 says a certificate of insurance is not a policy and doesn't amend, extend or alter the coverage. TDI's FAQ says the certificate holder box can't be used to give you new rights. If your contract needs you named as additional insured, that has to come from the policy. Our insurance and COI guide goes through what to ask for.
Questions to ask every company
- Who will actually clean our building? Your own crew, subcontractors or a franchise owner?
- Will it be the same people most nights?
- Who supervises, and how often do they check our building?
- How do we report a problem, and how fast do you respond?
- Do you bring your own products and equipment?
- Can we get safety data sheets for the products you'll use? OSHA's hazard communication rule has employers share that information when their chemicals could expose another employer's workers.
- Can your crew talk with our staff? In DFW, a crew that speaks English and Spanish can make that easier.
- How do keys and alarm codes get handled, and what happens to them if we part ways?
- What does it cost to add a task later?
Read the contract before you sign
Look for:
- Notice period. How many days' written notice either side has to give to end the contract.
- Auto-renewal. Some contracts roll over unless you cancel in a window. Put that date on your calendar.
- Price changes. When and how the price can go up.
- Scope changes. How you add or remove tasks.
- Sales tax. Texas taxes building cleaning and janitorial work as a real property service. The state rate is 6.25 percent, and local jurisdictions can add up to 2 percent more. Exempt buyers give the company an exemption certificate.
- Damage and lost keys. What happens if something gets broken or a key goes missing.
Our guide to what a janitorial contract should cover has a fuller list.
Red flags
- No walkthrough, just a price over the phone.
- A scope that says "clean office" and little else.
- Won't send a certificate of insurance.
- Promises that their cleaning makes you "compliant" with health rules. No cleaning company can promise that.
- A price far below everyone else with no explanation.
- Nobody can tell you who supervises the work.
- Pressure to sign a long contract on the first visit.
The first 30 days
The first month tells you a lot. A good company asks for feedback and adjusts the checklist. Walk the building yourself a few mornings in a row. Note anything missed and send it in writing, even by text. If the same thing gets missed twice after you've reported it, that's your answer.
How V&V does it
We walk every commercial building before we quote. You get a written scope with every task, how often it happens and who supplies what. We carry general liability and workers' comp and send a certificate of insurance by the next business day. Our managers do site checks, and you get one number to call or text. We're a family business that has cleaned around DFW since 2009, and we speak English and Spanish. If you'd like us to bid, request a walkthrough.
Common questions
How many janitorial bids should I get?
Enough to compare, which for most businesses means a few. Past that, you mostly spend more evenings giving tours. What matters more is that every company bids on the same written scope.
Should I pick the cheapest janitorial bid?
Not by itself. A low bid can mean fewer hours in your building, a shorter task list or no workers' comp. Line the bids up task by task and visit by visit first, then compare price.
Does Texas require cleaning companies to carry workers' comp?
Not in most cases. The Texas Department of Insurance says private employers can choose whether to carry it. You can check an employer's coverage with the TXCOMP lookup that TDI links to, and you can ask for a certificate of insurance.
Is janitorial service taxed in Texas?
Yes, generally. Building cleaning and janitorial work are taxable real property services under Texas law. Public schools and qualifying nonprofits can give the company an exemption certificate.
What should a janitorial company do at the walkthrough?
Look at every room, count restrooms and fixtures, check floor types, ask about traffic, hours and access, and ask what's gone wrong with past cleaning. If they only ask for your square footage, they're guessing.
Need a cleaning crew for your building?
V&V cleans offices, clinics, schools and churches across Dallas-Fort Worth.
Sources
- Texas Department of Insurance: Workers' compensation insurance coverage (employers, with TXCOMP verification link) (accessed Oct 8, 2026)
- Texas Department of Insurance: Certificates of insurance FAQ (accessed Oct 8, 2026)
- Texas Insurance Code Sec. 1811.152, Certificate is not a policy (accessed Oct 8, 2026)
- Texas Tax Code Sec. 151.0048, Real property service (accessed Oct 8, 2026)
- Texas Comptroller: Sales and use tax (state rate and local rates) (accessed Oct 8, 2026)
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200, Hazard communication (accessed Oct 8, 2026)
- ISSA: How to Calculate Cleaning Times (Brant Insero, 1 Jun 2022) (accessed Oct 8, 2026)