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Update your cleaning specification

April 20, 2022

Every business needs a cleaning specification to establish the clear service level agreement between the client and the service provider. The type of specification is determined by a few key factors, to accomplish the expectations of the standard, within the cost parameters of the cleaning budget.  

What type of cleaning specification?

An ‘input based’ specification – All tasks are prescriptive ‘input’ based tasks that dictate that they should be completed regardless of need.

Advantages

  • Clearly defines what task needs doing when
  • Can be easily increased or decreased by individual task at individual site
  • Helps service providers to calculate productivity rates and hours
  • Easy to audit

Disadvantages

  • Dictates that tasks are completed when they’re not needed

An ‘output based’ specification – defines what an area or element should look like after it has been cleaned, or throughout the working day.

Advantages

  • Simplifies the requirement
  • Improves productivity and reduces costs

Disadvantages

  • Harder to audit
  • Needs well skilled operatives and supervisors
  • Does not consider hygiene elements which require cleaning regardless of how they look

A ‘Hybrid’ specification – depends on output tasks for those that are judged on visual standards and supplemented by input tasks for those where they need to be undertaken regardless of how the element or area looks.

Advantages

  • Clearly defines what task needs doing when
  • Can be easily increased or decreased by individual task at an individual site
  • Helps service providers to calculate productivity rates and hours
  • Easy to audit
  • Simplifies the requirement
  • Improves productivity and reduces costs
  • Is suitable for both hygiene and visual standards

The specification structure

Consideration should be given to the strategic layers that fit your business profile. 

Business as usual cleaning

It highlights all the areas and elements of the existing specification and provides visual guides to specific ‘focus points’ for each one. Successful BAU cleaning recognises that services need to be delivered in a more dynamic fashion than they historically have been. 

Hygiene & COVID secure cleaning

This element reflects the need to provide hygienic levels of cleanliness for specific touch points. Whilst maintaining an input-based frequency for those tasks considered to be hygiene tasks, it is possible to adjust them over time.

Environmentally positive cleaning

The new specification focuses on what the element or area should look like instead of specifying the method of achieving it. Utilising new technologies, including the Internet of Things (IoT) will improve efficiencies and reduce cost. In addition, cleaning to need instead of cleaning to a frequency reduces the use of electrical equipment and saves energy.

Cost effective cleaning

This identifies several key tasks that don’t need completing if the area or element already meets the output required. This saves time and allows for other tasks to be completed more frequently if they are needed.

Conclusion

It is essential to review and update your cleaning specification at least every 5 years, or during a cleaning procurement exercise. Ensure that your cleaning standard aspirations are met by applying the appropriate budget. Choose a service provider partner that share your business values and understand your cleaning objectives.  

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