Bid and tender writers specialising in cleaning tenders
Our team of tender and bid writers have been helping businesses across Australia write and win cleaning and other facilities management tenders since 2014. Over the past ten years, we have gathered a comprehensive understanding of the cleaning industry, what government at all levels (federal, state and local/Council) and private industry is looking for, and an understanding of cleaning methodologies and best practice.
As expert tender writers in the cleaning and facilities management industry, we are well placed to help cleaning companies, large and small, across Australia to write and win cleaning proposals and contracts.
If you are a small cleaning company looking to secure a government contract, or a national cleaning company looking for a long term solution for your tendering needs, we have the capacity and expertise to assist.
We help cleaning companies and facilities management companies across Australia:
- Write cleaning tenders
- 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.
Our track record and experience in helping clients in cleaning contracts
Our team of writers have completed a range of cleaning tenders and bids for large cleaning companies and small businesses who have secured contracts with private organisations as well as the Australian Government and other local and state government departments. The cleaning industry is highly competitive, with multiple levels of sub-contracting the norm, and sometimes up to thirty companies for competing for a single contract. Winning cleaning tenders is challenging and requires innovation, good presentation and expert writing skills.
Potential clients want to understand your company structure, if you utilise sub-contractors, what your procedures are for supervision, and what quality assurance and WHS policies and procedures you have in place.
A sample of some of the contracts we have won for our clients include:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Tips and Strategies to write winning cleaning tenders and bids
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.
Review the contract in detail and ensure you comply with its requirements particularly with respect to insurers (workers compensation and public liability).
If there are privacy or other tender specific requirements (for example there may be a local content requirement in the tender) take them time to ensure you provide the necessary local content requirements to be compliant.
Ensure your supporting documentation is in place
You need to ensure your WHS policies are in place, quality control procedures are robust and Business Continuity Plans are relevant. Your material safety data sheets and safe work method procedures also need to be relevant to the proposed contract.
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.
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.
When responding to the methodology statement in a cleaning tender, take the time to detail and explain to the reader how you propose to go about providing the services. For example, do you propose to have a number of supervisors and team leaders as part of our organisational structure?
If so, detail the benefits of this, the reasons for it, as well as what the roles of your individual team members will be. If, for example, there is a large amount of carpet cleaning required on the premises, and you will use a specialist carpet cleaner on your team, this should also be detailed with an explanation of what specialist carpet cleaning equipment you will use.
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.
Therefore, 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.
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.
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.
Some key 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
There is a renewed focus of transparency within the building maintenance and cleaning industry and most organizations are engaging cleaning companies through a formalized cleaning tenders process. There is also an emergence of strata management companies and facilities managers such as Multiplex Facilities Management procuring cleaning services on behalf of multiple building sites. Tenders are fast becoming the go to way to procure cleaning services.
It is important to stand out from the crowd, and often, isn’t good enough to submit tenders simply be responding to the questions. Organizations want you to align your values with theirs, provide detail on the cleaning products you use, and have sound human resource practices. Tenders and proposals also need to be visually appealing, innovative and relevant.
Furthermore, there are a number of environmental and work health and safety concerns which need to be addressed in all cleaning tenders and these give you a chance to stand out of the crowd. You also need highly relevant case studies and testimonials that attest to your experience and professionalism.
Being such a competitive industry, price is a major factor for companies, and submitting a credible, professional tender response is a vital tool in justifying a market price, and avoiding the use of a pricing penetration strategy. 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.
Call The Tender Team now on 0410 448 770.
