Strategies to Cut Costs in Your Janitorial Program

If you oversee janitorial services at your facility, you probably handle numerous other services and purchasing choices. Although I'm not familiar with your precise circumstances, I imagine you often face the need to reduce expenses. The current competitive business landscape demands a continuous endeavor to manage costs effectively.

When it comes to your janitorial program, along with other services, cutting costs might mean sacrificing service quality. The challenge for facility managers is to find the right balance between lower costs and top-notch service. In construction, there's a saying: “You can have it cheap, quickly, or good quality. Pick two.” This holds somewhat true in the cleaning industry too.

However, is there a method to control or even lower expenses while upholding a top-notch cleaning standard? Is it possible to trim costs without compromising quality?

I'd like to offer up two potential solutions.

#1 Adjust the Work Scope

In the janitorial industry, roughly 60% of our costs (with some fluctuations) are connected to cleaning labor expenses. To cut costs, minimizing labor hours is essential. A method to achieve this is by adjusting the work scope. Often, cleaning companies adhere to specific methods and frequencies for certain areas without questioning their effectiveness. For instance, some offices with low foot traffic might require only weekly cleaning, yet the current plan mandates daily service. Conduct a facility inventory to ascertain the precise cleaning needs for each area. Identify daily essential tasks, trash disposal frequency, and whether office vacuuming should extend to common spaces. Collaborate with a knowledgeable cleaning contractor to receive recommendations for the optimal strategies to uphold a clean and inviting atmosphere in your building.

#2 Remove Project Work from Monthly Charges

Throughout my experience, I've observed numerous companies overspending on their cleaning agreements due to project tasks (such as floor buffing, waxing, window cleaning, etc.). While these tasks are crucial for effective cleaning, certain contracts stipulate an annual project allocation, bundled within the monthly bill. Frequently, this work isn't genuinely required at the designated intervals, and it might even be neglected. In either scenario, valuable funds are being wasted. Opt for additional services as necessary rather than pre-scheduling them. This approach is likely to result in substantial cost savings over the year.

What to do when your cleaning vendor suddenly quits!

When potential clients reach out to us, they often express dissatisfaction with their current cleaning company. After attentively listening to our explanation of why we would make an excellent custodial partner, most prospective customers have two immediate questions: "How much will this cost?" and "When can you get started?" In this article, we will focus on addressing the second question.

“My current cleaning vendor quit! Now what?”

One common scenario that highlights the urgency of getting started with a new cleaning company is when the current vendor unexpectedly quits. Let's take a look at a typical conversation between a Facility Manager and a cleaning company representative:

Facility Manager: "Look, Jerry, we're still not getting the results we need. We've decided to make a change. I know our service agreement requires a 30-day termination notice, and I'm informing you today that we'll be contracting with a new janitorial company."

Jerry: "Okay, I'll inform my team. I just wish we had more notice."

A week later, Jerry leaves a voicemail for the Facility Manager:

Jerry: "Yeah, after I told my team they wouldn't have jobs in 30 days, they left one by one, faster than I expected. Oh, and I cleared out my stuff over the weekend. If you ever need anything, give me a call. Hope we can do business again in the future!"

Upon hearing Jerry's voicemail, the Facility Manager urgently contacts the newly contracted janitorial company:

Facility Manager: "Listen, ABC Janitorial just informed me that they won't be coming back, and our plant manager just came to my office to tell me that there's no toilet paper in the main restroom... I need you here now!"

Now, let's discuss some truths about starting a new custodial team:

Custodial Startup Truths:

Truth #1 - It Takes Time to Assemble the Right Team

Contrary to common misconceptions, a janitorial company isn't akin to a staffing agency with a large pool of readily available employees. We must carefully consider the appropriate mix of male and female team members, as well as part-time and full-time staff, for each customer's specific needs and then begin the recruiting process.

Truth #2 - Janitorial Work Requires a Well-Planned Approach

Although janitorial work may not be complex, it does demand a well-thought-out plan to ensure effective and efficient cleaning. A robust work plan includes specific cleaning sequences for each team member, comprehensive checklists, and other essential elements that contribute to consistent results.

Truth #3 - Proper Training for All Team Members is Crucial

One challenge in janitorial work is that many people believe they know how to clean, but in reality, they often lack proper knowledge and skills. Therefore, it is essential to provide comprehensive training to each team member on equipment usage, appropriate chemical applications for different surfaces, effective cleaning techniques such as sweeping, mopping, and dusting, as well as safety protocols.

So, when can the new cleaning company get started?

Typically, it takes a minimum of three weeks but most likely around four weeks before the new custodial team can commence their services. This duration allows for finding the right people, providing them with adequate training, and establishing a solid work plan.

But what about the immediate concerns during the transition period, such as the lack of toilet paper in the main restroom? Here are some steps you can take to prepare:

1.     Ask your existing cleaning company to honor their commitment and provide service until the end of their agreement, which usually involves a 30-day notice. Remind them of their obligation and the importance of maintaining standards until the handover.

2.     Inquire with your newly selected cleaning company if they have a "floater" team member who can offer minimal coverage in case your current cleaning company fails to fulfill their obligations during the transition phase.

3.     If you work with a staffing agency, reach out to them to see if they can provide temporary coverage for essential tasks such as emptying trash, cleaning restrooms and break areas, and ensuring there is an adequate supply of toilet paper in the main restroom.

By taking these proactive measures, you can address immediate concerns while ensuring a smooth transition to your new cleaning company.

How Much Will It Cost To Clean A Commercial Building?

It happens almost every time. As we are presenting our proposal for janitorial services, the prospective client will begin to flip through the pages of our proposal to find the page where we have detailed our pricing. Knowing where this cost comes from is very important to facility managers. And if you know what factors drive the price, you are in a better position to select the best contractor for the scope of services. The following items impact the cost of cleaning in your building:  

1. Number of people using the facility

2. Type of business

3. Characteristics of the facility

4. Type & frequency of services requested

5. Quality expectations

Before looking at these issues, it is important to point out the obvious. The single greatest cost associated with cleaning your facility is the cost of labor, and more specifically, how many labor hours are required to keep a facility clean and orderly. Each of the following factors has a significant impact on the estimated labor hours. 

#1 – Number of People in Your Building

This is the greatest influencer on cost. Simply stated, people make messes that must be cleaned up. “People” may be employees, students, visitors, or patients. For example, a 30,000 sq. ft. call center with 400 employees across 3 shifts will cost more to clean than a 300,000 sq. ft. distribution center with 60 employees. More people means more trash, more dirt on floors, more refilling of restroom supplies, and simply more mess. 

#2 – Type of Business

Certain types of businesses tend to create greater cleaning needs. For example, many manufacturing facilities tend to create a good amount of dirt, dust, and grime that may be more difficult to clean than a corporate office building. Schools, medical facilities, and public venues tend to require a greater amount of wiping of surfaces to disinfect. What each business “does” can significantly impact the amount of time it takes to clean. 

#3 – Facility Characteristics

Time to clean a building can vary considerably depending on cleanable square footage, number of restrooms, floor types, building density, age of the facility, and a host of other factors. These building characteristics determine the type of cleaning to be done, the supplies & equipment needed, and the man hours necessary to do a good job. For instance, an older building with hard surface floors and crowded cubicles will take much longer to clean than a new building with big offices and carpet floors. 

#4 – Type & Frequency of Services

Most janitorial agreements include the “big four” base daily custodial services: trash collection and removal, dusting and wiping surfaces, floor care (vacuuming and mopping), and restroom care. However, depending on the frequency of these services, cleaning hours can go up or down. For instance, in a medical facility, all hard floors are likely detail mopped daily. However, a corporate office might only require detail mopping 1x-2x per week depending on the location in the building. 

#5 – Quality Expectations “what is clean?”

Let’s face it, what is considered clean to one might be filthy to the next. Since expectation levels can significantly impact the cleaning time, it is important for the facility owner and the custodial team to have a clear understanding of the requirements. One facility owner shared with us that she wanted “to be able to run her finger across the top of the door frames in their offices at any time and not find any dust.” It is appropriate to have cleanliness expectations, but uniquely high expectations might require additional man hours. 

So how much will it cost to clean your building?

The answer to this question is “it depends.” As mentioned earlier, labor costs account for most of the expense to keep your facility clean. How much labor varies depending on the number of people using the facility, the type of business, the characteristics of the facility, the frequency of services requested, and the expectations of quality. 

If you would like to discuss the janitorial program at your facility and get a free estimate, feel free to reach out to us. 

Dave Fowler Leads with Excellence in Post-Construction Cleaning Services by Achieving OSHA 30, CPR, and First Aid Certifications

When OnPoint employees go above and beyond to care for their teammates and to provide the highest level of service to our customers, we like to recognize and celebrate their achievements. In that spirit, today we honor our long-time employee and Area Manager, Dave Fowler. Dave recently completed the OSHA 30-Hour training course, increasing his knowledge about how to manage workplace safety and health risks, especially in our post-construction cleaning jobs. Topics covered in OSHA 30 training include general worksite safety, how to avoid common hazards and help protect teammates from potential injuries, workers’ rights, employer responsibilities and more. This knowledge, along with his certification in CPR and First Aid, equips Dave to exude our core value of servant leadership, caring for his team and empowering them to become more proactive about their own safety and that of their fellow employees.

Dave has been an Area Manager for OnPoint since October of 2021 and worked for Davis Professional Services for six years before that, as a cleaner, zone supervisor and area manager. Dave manages OnPoint’s largest commercial post-construction cleaning jobs and all cleaning throughout North Carolina. 

“Dave is customer-driven, detail-oriented and efficient. He always has our customers’ best interest in mind.” said Chris Isaac, OnPoint Project manager with 29 years of industry experience. “At OnPoint we take pride in knowing we are looking out for ways to keep our employees safe while providing rough and final cleaning on construction jobs. We really value our team and we are thankful to Dave for taking on this task.”

“Many of our large commercial construction customers have extremely complicated logistics around the timelines and requirements for their projects.  They need commercial cleaning subcontractors that can provide enough labor, adjust on the fly to changing schedules, and adapt to their needs on short notice.  After cleaning hundreds of thousands of square feet of post construction cleaning jobs, our team has learned to be a trusted partner for these sophisticated commercial construction companies.” said Blake Dozier, Director of Business Development and Co-Owner of OnPoint Building Services. “Dave Fowler is a perfect example of an OnPoint manager that our customers can count on to have their backs when a project gets complicated, and he makes us look professional on the job sites.”

OnPoint Building Services is a locally owned, full service janitorial company serving Virginia, North Carolina, and the Greater Washington DC / Baltimore region. With deep roots in the commercial building service contractor industry, OnPoint understands that clients deserve consistent service and reliable communication from their service providers—and that challenge excites us. Looking for a job? Click here! Looking for an estimate? Click here!

OnPoint Employee Honored by PIN Ministry & NABC's Recycled Rides Program

OnPoint is excited to celebrate Clyde, a member of our amazing Launch & Support Team, who received a like-new Honda CRV, free of charge last week! Clyde received the vehicle through a nomination by PIN Ministry in partnership with the Recycled Rides program run by The National Auto Body Council, GEICO, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Elite Autobody. PIN Ministry is a local non-profit that works to serve the poor and homeless in our community and is an organization we are proud to support through the Annual OnPoint Golf Classic in October (onpointgolfclassic.com). 

Clyde was a graduate of PIN’s Change Makers job training program in 2022 and was hired to OnPoint straight out the program. He has been an amazing asset to OnPoint for the last six months, managing multiple high profile commercial buildings throughout Hampton Roads. 

OnPoint Operations leaders, Miranda Brown and Leanna Tanner attended the awards ceremony last week in Newport News to cheer on Clyde’s amazing work. “Clyde is a man of integrity, which is one of our core values,” said Brown, “and as an employer, it was just a great thing to witness. Clyde works hard no matter the circumstances,” she continued. “He has a great attitude and a joyful smile… to say we are proud is an understatement.”  

To get involved and learn more about the incredible work of PIN Ministry and their Change Makers Program, visit www.pinministry.org. 

OnPoint Building Services is a locally owned, full service janitorial company serving Virginia, North Carolina, and the Greater Washington DC / Baltimore region. With deep roots in the commercial building service contractor industry, OnPoint understands that clients deserve 

consistent service and reliable communication from their service providers—and that challenge excites us. Looking for a job? Click here! Looking for an estimate? Click here!

OnPoint Building Services Celebrates 8 Years Serving Customers and Employees

Co-Owners Cory Jessee and Blake Dozier working back to back at the OnPoint corporate office.

This month we celebrated our eight year anniversary here at OnPoint Building Services! It's hard to believe that it's been nearly a decade of providing quality janitorial services to Virginia, North Carolina and most recently the Greater Washington D.C. / Baltimore region. Eight years later, we still proudly provide commercial cleaning, day porter services, carpet cleaning, hard floor care, and post construction cleaning for Class A offices, medical offices, schools, churches, banks, manufacturing facilities, and more. 

We’ve come a long way since 2015, when Cory and Blake acquired their first cleaning company and rebranded to OnPoint Building Services. They did whatever was needed to serve customers well, often working from 4:00 AM to midnight. Since then OnPoint has acquired three businesses, increased the size of its staff by nearly 17 times and now cleans millions of square feet of commercial buildings every night. After eight years of hard work, OnPoint has become one of the largest commercial janitorial companies based in Virginia.

When asked what he’s most proud of about the business, co-owner Blake Dozier shared, “it’s building what we feel is the best team in this business. We’ve had the privilege to attract key employees and grow them internally from part time cleaners to Area Managers, helping them to grow from having a job to having a career. We truly have some of the best people in the industry at OnPoint.”

We are incredibly grateful for the employees who have helped to make this business successful! We are excited for what’s next as we expand our reach to provide janitorial services throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

OnPoint Building Services is a locally owned, full service janitorial company serving Virginia, North Carolina, and the Greater Washington DC / Baltimore region. With deep roots in the commercial building service contractor industry, OnPoint understands that clients deserve consistent service and reliable communication from their service providers—and that challenge excites us. Looking for a job? Click here! Looking for an estimate? Click here!

OnPoint Co-Owner Cory Jessee Honored to receive Hampton Roads Top 40 Under 40 Award

We are excited to announce that one of our owners, Cory Jessee, was recently honored by our local business publication, Inside Business, to receive the Top Forty Under 40 Award. This honor is given to professionals in Hampton Roads based on both their achievements in business as well as their volunteer work.

We believe that a locally owned janitorial company in Hampton Roads has a responsibility to serve our local community here. Cory is an active volunteer in his church, as well as several local boards including Norfolk Christian Schools where he serves on the Finance Committee, and the board of VB Fellows, a local non-profit Cory helped found which brings young leaders to Virginia Beach for mentorship, employment, and volunteer work.

The full article from Inside Business can be viewed here: Inside Business 2022 Top Forty Under 40: Cory Jessee, OnPoint Building Services

OnPoint Featured On Cleaning & Cocktails Industry Podcast

When does a commercial janitorial company merger make sense?

We are proud to be featured recently on the Cleaning and Cocktails Podcast and Youtube Channel, presented by Route! In this podcast, our friend and Route and Rozalado founder Ricky Regalado interviews Blake Dozier, Cory Jessee, and Jerry Flug to discuss navigating mergers and acquisitions in the janitorial industry.

WATCH THE EPISODE HERE

Thinking of selling your janitorial company? We are always looking for quality mergers and acquisitions that are win/wins for all parties. Click here to contact us today!

OnPoint Building Services is a locally owned, full service janitorial company serving southeastern Virginia. With deep roots in the commercial building service contractor industry, OnPoint understands that clients deserve consistent service and reliable communication from their service providers—and that challenge excites us. Looking for a job? Click here! Looking for an estimate? Click here!

How to Write a Janitorial RFP

A common disconnect between a janitorial contractor and client is not having clear expectations established in the quoting process. This results in receiving bids from each cleaning company that are not apples to apples, and a buyer can’t reliably determine what they are receiving for their cleaning dollars. This problem can be fixed by creating an effective RFP.  A problem is that many people are not sure how to write a successful janitorial RFP that will give them the best possible responses.

What is a Janitorial RFP

RFP is an acronym meaning “Request for Proposal.” They are what a facilities or property manager would use to solicit pricing from potential janitorial service providers. The purpose of an RFP is to help potential service providers better understand the needs of your facility so that they can provide you with an accurate proposal. RFPs are especially useful for medium/larger properties because larger facilities have more varying factors that can drastically influence the time and costs needed to clean them. By providing more information to potential bidders, you reduce variables and guessing. 

The Problem with Writing Janitorial RFPs

A common difficulty is that writers of janitorial RFPs don’t include enough information about their property for responders to understand their needs well.  Subpar janitorial RFPs often don’t contain enough information about the facility for the contractor to give an accurate price. Too much guessing means a wide range in pricing and creates either quality or overspending risks for both the contractor and the customer. A subpar janitorial RFP often doesn't require a response that shows exactly what you would be getting for your money. When an RFP doesn’t require more information than just a monthly or per square foot price, the facility or property manager has no way of knowing what each contractor is proposing to give them for their money. How many people will be onsite each day/night? How many total man hours does the contractor estimate are necessary? Will there be onsite supervision, and if so, how much? How much will the contractor pay their people? The answers to these questions are really important when trying to compare two contractors who have provided close pricing but may be planning to provide vastly different levels of quality once the contract is signed.

How to Write a Janitorial RFP 

A successful janitorial RFP includes as much information on the facility as possible. This includes: total square footage, cleanable square footage, floor plans, number/size of restrooms, number of occupants, days/hours of occupancy, holiday hours, trash/recycling program information, number of man-hours it currently takes to clean, challenges they are currently experiencing with cleaning, current challenges you are facing, special access/security/elevator requirements, and any recommended specialty equipment/machinery. 

Another characteristic of a successful janitorial RFP is the requirement of the contractor to provide a full budget. This includes: Average pay/hours for cleaners, average pay/hours for supervision, labor burden, general/administrative cost, equipment list and costs, supplies costs, profit, total man hours per cleaning, and average square feet per person per hour cleaned (average cleaning speed). A successful janitorial RFP also includes an outline of their quality control process and overall management structure.

Are you considering soliciting proposals for janitorial services at your property? Contact us today to receive free customizable templates for janitorial services RFPs!

OnPoint Building Services is a locally owned, full service janitorial company serving southeastern Virginia. With deep roots in the commercial building service contractor industry, OnPoint understands that clients deserve consistent service and reliable communication from their service providers—and that challenge excites us. Looking for a job? Click here! Looking for an estimate? Click here!

What Types of Buildings Do Commercial Cleaners Clean

It is important prior to your first day to be sure of what type of building you’ll be cleaning in your position at a commercial cleaning job. There are many types of buildings that commercial cleaning companies like OnPoint Building Services clean. Check out this list of types of janitorial jobs one can have working for a commercial cleaning company. 

What Type of Buildings Can I Expect to Clean?

Among the many types of buildings cleaned by commercial cleaning companies in the Hampton Roads area, below are several types of buildings you can expect:

• Large Office Tower Cleaning

• Private School Cleaning

• Medical Facilities Cleaning

• Manufacturing Facilities Cleaning

• Call Center Facility Cleaning

• Corporate Headquarters Cleaning

• Owner-Occupied Office Cleaning

• Retail/Car Dealership Cleaning

• Church Cleaning

• Post-Construction Cleaning

• Higher Education Facility Cleaning

Though some of these facilities may sound intimidating or difficult to clean, with the right team and training they are excellent work environments! Many of the processes and procedures to clean these different facility types may be similar but they can have different nuances. Make sure to ask your interviewer what type of building you will be cleaning as well as what level of training you will receive.

OnPoint Building Services is a locally owned, full service janitorial company serving southeastern Virginia. With deep roots in the commercial building service contractor industry, OnPoint understands that clients deserve 

consistent service and reliable communication from their service providers—and that challenge excites us. Looking for a job? Click here! Looking for an estimate? Click here!