To win commercial cleaning contracts in the UK you need three things a buyer can verify: proof you directly employ and vet your staff, the accreditations and insurance that clear prequalification, and a priced, specification-matched bid that is neither the cheapest nor the dearest. This guide covers how cleaning contracts are actually found, evaluated and won.
Where are UK cleaning contracts advertised?
Public-sector cleaning work is advertised on two government portals. Contracts Finder carries lower-value opportunities — central government must publish contracts of £12,000 including VAT and above, and councils, NHS Trusts and NHS Foundation Trusts must publish at £30,000 including VAT and above. Higher-value work goes on the Find a Tender Service, usually for contracts above £139,688 including VAT. A great deal of work also flows through frameworks and private-sector invitations to tender. See the full picture on public-sector cleaning contracts.
What do buyers actually check before they award?
Before price is even considered, most buyers run a prequalification gate. They want evidence that your operatives are directly employed and background-checked — DBS in England and Wales, Disclosure Scotland's PVG scheme in Scotland, and AccessNI in Northern Ireland — and that your insurance meets their floor: Employers' Liability is legally compulsory at £5 million minimum, and commercial and public-sector clients commonly require £5 million Public Liability, sometimes £10 million. They also look for third-party accreditations that de-risk the award. This is exactly the ground Optus Glean UK is built on, and it is documented on our accreditations page.
How the national alternative wins multi-site tenders
When a buyer runs sites in more than one town, a single-town cleaner cannot bid credibly — so the winning proposition is one national contract, one documented standard, one account manager, and one consolidated invoice everywhere. That is the model behind national contract cleaning and multi-site cleaning under one agreement. It also removes the buyer's biggest fear about changing provider: because incumbent staff transfer under TUPE 2006 during mobilisation, the people who know each building stay on it.
How do you price a cleaning bid that wins?
The cheapest bid rarely wins a serious contract, because evaluators know a price below the cost of legally employing a cleaner is cutting the wage, the vetting or the insurance. From April 2026 the National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour; the voluntary real Living Wage — which many public-sector and blue-chip tenders require — is £13.45 across the UK and £14.80 in London. Charge-out is typically 1.3 to 2.5 times the wage once employer's National Insurance, holiday pay, equipment, insurance, overhead and margin are stacked, with 20% VAT on top. Price to a written specification, show your working, and get an accurate fixed monthly figure to benchmark against.
What makes a cleaning bid stand out?
Beyond passing the gates, the bids that score highest set out a credible mobilisation plan (survey, TUPE consultation, re-induction, reporting), named cover so a clean is never dropped, measurable KPIs and audit reporting, and — increasingly — a social-value offer such as paying the real Living Wage and offering guaranteed hours. Match every scored question to evidence, and never leave a requirement unanswered.
Accreditations buyers ask for — and what each proves
| Accreditation | What it evidences | Why it matters in a bid |
|---|---|---|
| SafeContractor / CHAS | Health & safety management (SSIP core criteria) | Often a mandatory prequalification gate |
| Constructionline Gold | Common Assessment Standard (environment, quality, Modern Slavery, anti-bribery) | Satisfies many public and large-contractor PQQs |
| ISO 9001 / 14001 / 45001 | Quality, environmental and H&S management systems | Scored evidence of managed, repeatable delivery |
| Employers' & Public Liability | £5m EL (compulsory) and £5m–£10m PL | Hard floor most buyers will not waive |
| DBS / PVG / AccessNI vetting | Staff cleared for the site's risk level | Essential for schools, healthcare and care settings |