Win more cleaning tenders | Expert bid and tender writing consultancy
Our team of tender and bid writers specialise in helping businesses across Australia win commercial cleaning and facilities maintenance contracts. We help businesses win the full range of cleaning contracts including real estate, government, carpet cleaning, strata, private, office and commercial cleaning, high-rise window cleaning, industrial, post-construction, and specialist cleaning contracts.
Since 2004 we have helped hundreds of cleaning businesses win government and private sector contracts and have an 88% success rate. We leverage on our knowledge of the cleaning industry and commercial cleaning tenders to develop compelling, persuasive and insightful bids that help you win.
Why appoint as us assist with your next cleaning tender?
- We have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of what it takes to win cleaning contracts, particularly at the Federal, State and Local Government (Council) level.
- We will create the required supporting documentation for you – from quality assurance to WHS and compliance our team can assist.
- We will help you identify your key points of difference and win themes and communicate these.
- We have a combined 60 years bid writing experience in the cleaning sector.
- We help small, medium and large cleaning contractors including specialist contractors.
Tender and bid writing services we provide to cleaning contractors include:
- Write cleaning tenders.
- Bid manage the cleaning tender process.
- Review cleaning tenders to provide you with feedback and constructive ways to improve your win rate.
- Help you identify contract opportunities for commercial, industrial and residential cleaning services.
- Win a range of cleaning contracts such as real estate, government, carpet cleaning, strata, private, office and commercial cleaning contracts.
- Develop the right pricing strategy to win tenders.
To win more commercial cleaning tenders, contact our specialist writer, Jason Cooney, on 0410 448 770 or email info@thetenderteam.com.au to talk about how we can assist.
Proven success: Case studies n winning commercial cleaning contracts
Our team has:
- Helped cleaning businesses secure large Australian Government contracts.
- Helped cleaning contractors win contracts with local and state government.
- Helped cleaning businesses come up with innovative proposals and IT solutions to secure cleaning contracts.
Case study 1 | Cleaning services for multiple university campuses
We helped a national cleaning company submit a tender to a leading NSW based University. This was a complex cleaning contract over three different large sites in different locations. The proposal required putting forward a comprehensive recruitment plan and transition plan which was also complicated by the fact that there were two incumbent contract holders. Our clients won the tender.
Case Study 2 | Cleaning services for four Council buildings
This involved undertaking cleaning services for a number of Council buildings. There were different types of cleaning services required for this contract, including industrial cleaning and office cleaning. There was also night-time cleaning services required as well as high-rise window cleaning. We helped our client win this cleaning contract.
Case Study 3 | Provision of cleaning services for a large Stadium in NSW.
This was another very large and complex tender. Not only was there routine cleaning services, there were also ad-hoc cleaning services required for large events. We put forward a human resource plan that showed that our client was able to provide enough cleaning for routine cleaning, and quickly ramp-up their personnel for major events.
Case Study 4 | Provision of cleaning service for leading Catholic School in Victoria.
Our client services a number of Catholic Schools and one of their key contractors was up for renewal. They wanted to win the tender for another three years and were coming against some tough competition. We helped them win this contract by providing a detailed explanation on their pricing. We talked about why, whilst having a higher price, they actually delivered more value to the school and saved the money when you considered the total cost of services. Our client was successful in their bid.
Seven tips and strategies for writing winning cleaning tenders
Strategy 1: Ensure you comply
Firstly you need to tick all the the boxes. Winning cleaning bids requires you to be completely compliant with all of the requirements, regardless of if you are submitting a submission or proposal to a government department or other private organisation. Our writers recommend you:
- Review the contract in detail and create a list of compliance requirements. Pay attention to workers compensation and public liability.
- Review privacy requirements to ensure you can comply.
- Note any local content requirements and develop a plan to ensure you are compliant with them.
- Create a compliance checklist detailing uploading requirements, naming conventions for attachments and other key information required.
Strategy 2: Ensure your supporting documentation is in place
You need to ensure your supporting documentation is in place including:
- WHS policies and systems
- Business continuity plans
- Quality control procedures and plans
- Safe work method statements
- Material safety data sheers
Remember that you WHS documentation needs to be compliant with the most recent ISO and other standards, and that you provide all of the safety documentation they have requested. A comprehensive Safety, Quality and Environmental management system usually complies, with specific documentation required if you are responding to an RFP or RFT for high-rise cleaning services.
Strategy 3: Tailor your response
It’s also important to tailor you procedures and documentation to the tender requirements, thus ensuring you have a tailored response. For example, if there is an on-site inspection required, you may notice that there is a space allocated for storing chemicals and other toxic equipment. It’s critical to outline this in your response and explain how you will ensure the appropriate storage of goods.
In your bid or tender you should:
- Write a detailed methodology and deep dive into how you will provide the services.
- Detail your proposed team structure including supervisors and team leaders.
- Walk about the individual roles for your team members.
- Focus on any specialisation you have or is required – such as carpet or window cleaning.
- Detail and explain the benefits of any specialist equipment you will use.
Strategy 4: Present your proposal professionally
Most cleaning companies will have all of their boxes ticked – so winning cleaning contracts requires you to develop an edge. A key point which is often overlook is your presentation. Probity panels and other people tasked with reviewing the bid responses look not only at price, and insurance, but also the presentation of your proposal. They have to like you. They have to get a good feeling. These gut feelings often have a large weighting on the decision process.
It is critical to use a clean, crisp presentation method when tendering and ensure your proposal presents well. This includes having photos of staff members where applicable, and graphically communicating your organisational hierarchy. We have an in-house graphic designer that provides assistance to ensure any cleaning tenders we work on for you look great.
Strategy 5: Talk about your equipment and safety
You need to set yourself part from your competitors. If you have safety initiatives, or IT systems and procedures, or equipment which you utilise that are outside the norm and set your business apart, talk about them in your bid. Facilities management and cleaning bids are often similar and it can be hard to set your firm apart from your competitors.
Make sure you focus on what you do that is different and educate the client around how it enables you to deliver more value.
Strategy 6: Show that you are up to date with the latest cleaning trends and innovations
Cleaning contracts have come a long way in terms of innovation. It’s not enough to talk about how you will have a supervisor and team of cleaning staff. To win a contract you need to:
- Talk about how you use technology such as ipads and photos for reporting, to monitor quality and provide an efficient service
- Detail any specific chemicals you use and if they are environmentally friendly.
- Introduce any innovative equipment you will use to perform the cleaning service more efficiently.
- Demonstrate how you will continually invest in innovation throughout the term of the contract.
Strategy 7: Don’t get the mops confused.
Simple things in your tender response like talking about how you will use colour coded mops for the kitchen and bathrooms respectively are also important. Where you can get into trouble is that sometimes clients include pictures and images of real time work and experience of their team. This is generally a great idea, however, you need to ensure that all protocols and procedures (such as wet floor signs) are being adhered to in the image.
Getting the price right
We often leave that up to our clients, however, we do believe that coming in at the lowest price can often damage your credibility.
The highest price can be hard to justify, so it’s great to be in the middle of the pack. However, different pricing strategies are applicable for different situations. Just remember, there’s no point in winning cleaning tenders that are not profitable, no matter what the size of the tender or the client.
You need to make a profit, and your pricing strategy is needs to meet and beat the market whilst enabling you to do so.
Strategies around pricing you can adopt include:
- Make sure that your pricing aligns with the roster you have put forward. If you are providing additional resources, and this is driving a higher price, be sure to detail this so that the reader understands why your price is higher.
- Factor in your chemical, superannuation and other costs into your pricing. This will ensure that you win a profitable contract – not just a contract.
- Take the time to explain your pricing in your executive summary – and if your pricing is low due to your use of some innovative equipment for example, explain this so the reader isn’t concerned about low quality.
How to get cleaning tenders and arrange help for your next opportunity
For more advice on winning more government and private cleaning tenders, contact our specialist writer, Jason Cooney, on 0410 448 770.
Jason will provide you with an initial consultation, advice, and fees for project managing your entire tender response. We have a range of supporting documentation that we are able to supply to you for your submission.
We can help you write quality tender response that complies with all of the requirements and addresses the evaluation criteria comprehensively. We’re also a friendly bunch of consultants that want you to win!
Areas we service
We help businesses across Australia and also New Zealand write and win cleaning tenders. Our service extends across all Australian states including:
- Western Australia (WA): Including regional and remote Western Australia. We have written tenders for cleaning and facilities management in remote indigenous communities as well as in mining towns and centres. We have also helped Perth based cleaning companies bid for major contracts in Perth which involved securing critical government contracts as well as carpet cleaning contracts. We have also assisted with industrial cleaning contracts including at mine sites and other mining services companies.
- New South Wales (NSW): Including regional and remote NSW Wales as well as the New South Wales South Coast. We have helped cleaning companies in Sydney bid for cleaning contracts at schools and universities, government facilities and offices. In addition, we have helped cleaning companies secure contracts for unique facilities across NSW such as agricultural and tourism facilities.
- Queensland (QLD): Across all of Queensland including in regional areas and for a range of industries such as cleaning for the tourism industry. We have helped cleaning companies on the Gold Coast and Brisbane secure tenders with local Councils and the City of Brisbane. We have also helped cleaning and facilities management companies in Northern Queensland such as Cairns secure contracts.
- Tasmania: We have extensive experience writing bids and tenders in Hobart and across Tasmania for a range of services including cleaning and facilities management.
- Northern Territory (NT): Including to various Government departments and the private sector. Our team has helped cleaning companies based in Darwin write bids and win contracts for cleaning tourism facilities, conduct housekeeping at hotels and government office buildings.
- South Australia (SA): Our consultants have helped cleaning companies across South Australia including a cleaning services provider in Adelaide that specialised in the education sector. We helped them secure contracts with three schools including a school in Victoria.
- Australian Capital Territory (ACT): We have assisted cleaning and housekeeping clients in Canberra secure contracts for cleaning government buildings as well as hotels.
- Victoria (Vic): We have helped cleaning companies in Melbourne and Bendigo win contracts for industrial buildings, strata cleaning and also schools and offices.
We mostly work remotely, but are able to attend your offices if required. We provide a complete full circle tender solution and are able to assist with your communications and other content writing also.
If you need help writing and submitting a cleaning tender urgently, we’re ready and able to assist, regardless of your location.
A summary of the cleaning industry and commercial cleaning market
As a leading bid writing consultant to the cleaning industry, we have our finger on the pulse of the cleaning market from a procurement and tenders perspective. Clear trends we have identified include:
- A a renewed focus of transparency within the building maintenance and cleaning industry.
- Increase use of procurement processes including RFP and RFTs to find new suppliers.
- More strata management companies and facilities managers such as Multiplex Facilities Management procuring cleaning services on behalf of multiple building sites.
- Clients are looking to drive down costs through procuring cleaning services for multiple sites as one package.
- Organisational values alignment is becoming important.
- There is a strong focus on environmentally friendly cleaning products.
- Visual appeal increasingly important including a focus on graphics and infographics in tenders.
- Safety and the environment remain two critical factors you need to score well in to win any cleaning contract.
- Real life case studies of similar clients are being given increasing weight as many newly established cleaning businesses enter the market.
- Price still remains a key factor with many clients closely monitoring contractual obligations post award.
Our consultants have helped hundreds of cleaning companies secure work and develop and convey what differentiates them. We have drafted tenders to local councils, state government and major corporations as well as strata managers. Our writers are available on a 24/7 basis and will provide you with a responsive and flexible service.
Frequently asked questions about our tender writing services for cleaners
Can you help us write cleaning tenders to universities and schools?
Yes we can. We have helped cleaning companies across Australia write tenders and respond to RFTs for cleaning public and private universities as well as public and private schools. We understand the unique topics and issues you need to write about for cleaning schools such as cleaning times, scheduling large maintenance works for school holiday periods and other works. Our team of writers have helped cleaning businesses in Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and the Northern Territory write winning cleaning and maintenance tenders for the education sector.
I need help to write a cleaning tender. Is there a consultancy that can write the whole tender for me? How much does it cost to get help with cleaning tenders?
Yes here at The Tender Team we can help you write your cleaning tender from start to finish. We will write the whole tender for you and we can also create the supporting documentation such as WHS and Environmental plans. We will generally need you to complete the pricing component. The cost for us to assist depends on how complex the tender is. However, generally speaking cleaning tenders are relatively small and so we would estimate as a general guide, somewhere between $1,500 + GST and 5,000 + GST.
We need help with a cleaning tender for the local Council. Can you assist?
Sure. We can certainly assist and we have written many cleaning tenders and also local Council tenders. Approximately 70% of the bids the tender team works on are government bids and 40% of those are local Council tenders. That means we know and love helping small and medium cleaning businesses win contracts in their local areas and surrounding regions and have the skillset and experience to help you write a compelling and persuasive tender or proposal.
Are you an experienced cleaning industry tender writer? What is your success rate?
Yes we would certainly like to think so. At the time of writing this ( November 2024) we have been writing cleaning tenders for over 11 years. Over that time, The Tender Team has had an 88% success rate with our cleaning tenders and bids and have helped hundreds of cleaning companies across Australia write bids and we have helped many of our clients bid for the same contract and retain it after their 3 year term.
Do you help us win contracts for highly specialised cleaning services such as high-rise window cleaning? Can you help us find contracts as well?
Yes – certainly. Our team of bid and tender writers has helped some of the most highly technical cleaning businesses in the country win contracts for challenging projects. For example, we have worked with cleaning companies to help them write bids and tenders for the provision of cleaning services to the Department of Defence at Defence sites such as army barracks, as well as to undertake high-rise window cleaning at multiple high-rise buildings across the country.
Our team understands the processes and intricacies involved in writing tenders and bids for specialised cleaning works. We will work with you to develop a robust methodology that makes your bid stand out from the crowd and shows that you have the right training and security processes in place to provide a quality cleaning service. Quality control is also critical.
Do you only help with cleaning tenders or other facilities maintenance tenders?
At The Tender Team, we have a track record of helping commercial and residential cleaning companies win tenders and bids. We also have experience helping clients from the facilities management industry and other industries write winning bids and tenders. From security companies to trade contractors, we help many industry stakeholders write bids and tenders. This is beneficial to the cleaning clients we help as it means we have more exposure to and experience with the types of questions procurement teams form the government and public sector ask and a greater understanding of what is best practice.
Can you help us win a cleaning contract with a University and also a state government department?
Yes we have strong experience helping clients achieve tender success with universities including the University of New South Wales and the University of Melbourne. We have also helped clients win cleaning tenders for major state government buildings.
Call The Tender Team now on 0410 448 770 for writing help to winning cleaning contracts across Australia. We help business in regional areas including Bathurst, Townsville and the Pilbara. We also have experience in cleaning for the mining industry and we have written articles as thought leaders in associations such as the national cleaner association.
Our team has been writing cleaning bids, proposals and RFP responses for over fourteen years. We have helped clients win over 96 cleaning contracts to date (2025) and are excited to help clients secure income through cleaning contracts into 2026 and beyond.
Testimonials from our clients
High rise cleaning tender win
Jason and two other writers at The Tender Team assisted us with a successful high-rise cleaning tender. Although we have all the technical knowledge, we do not tender often and were shocked with how much documentation they were asking. It was a very busy period for us work-wise and we only had three weeks to respond to the RFP. They team were great. They helped us put together all the supporting documentation and also guided us on putting pen to paper in terms of our hands-on experience and procedures.
We had an excellent result – firstly we retained the contract. Secondly, we expanded the project scope with two additional buildings. I would like to thank The Tender Team as they helped us with a highly complex cleaning tender in a highly specialised industry.
Julia P | Brisbane-based high-rise cleaning contractor
Industrial and office cleaning tender win
We are specialists in industrial cleaning with a focus on factories and warehouses. We had to submit a bid for a combined industrial and office cleaning contract and we thought the office part of it would be easy. Half way through the bid preparation process we realised that it was not as easy as we thought not only with pricing but also methodology and equipment.
We gave Jason at The Tender Team a call as we had used him for our first successful tender a few years ago and he really set the standard for us. He and the team were great. They updated all of our policies and procedures to reflect office work and helped us come up with a good methodology for cleaning in the office environment. We scored well and won the contract – and are slowly moving into the office cleaning sector.
James C | Brisbane and Darwin | Industrial cleaning providers
Meet our specialist cleaning industry tender writer – Jason Cooney
Our Director, Jason Cooney, leads our team on all cleaning tenders across Australia. He has over fourteen years experience helping small, medium and large cleaning businesses across Australia win cleaning tenders. He has an in-house history in facilities management and therefore has a strong understanding of cleaning as a whole, and how it integrates with security and other aspects of facilities management.
Jason has:
- 14 years experience writing cleaning contract tenders including in-house experience.
- An 86% success rate on commercial and other cleaning tenders he has worked on.
- An understanding of how local Councils procure cleaning services compared to state government, federal government and the private sector.
- Qualifications in business and marketing and the graphic design skills to make cleaning tenders look professional and polished.
- A passion for helping specialist cleaning contractors win hard-to-win contracts including new contracts.
