A winning cleaning tender response answers each scored question directly, evidences every claim, and mirrors the buyer's own specification back to them. Evaluators mark against a rubric, so the highest scores go to bids that address the exact requirement, prove capability with facts, and leave nothing unanswered. This guide breaks the method down question by question.
Answer the question the buyer actually asked
Read each scored question and its marking guidance, then answer that specific requirement in the order asked — do not paste a generic company profile. Where a question asks 'how will you...', give a method, not a promise. Signpost your answer with the buyer's own headings so an evaluator can find the evidence for each mark. If the specification is output-based, describe the outcomes and how you audit them; if input-based, describe the resources and frequencies.
Evidence every claim
Unsupported adjectives score nothing. Back each claim with verifiable evidence: accreditation numbers (SafeContractor, CHAS, ISO 9001/14001/45001), insurance levels (£5 million Employers' Liability, £5 million Public Liability), vetting standards (DBS, Disclosure Scotland PVG, AccessNI), named references, and audit or KPI data from comparable contracts. Concrete evidence is what turns a 3 into a 5.
Nail mobilisation, staffing and TUPE
Buyers worry most about the switchover. Set out a dated mobilisation plan — survey, specification sign-off, consultation, re-induction, reporting go-live — and show you understand that incumbent staff usually transfer under TUPE 2006. Explain how you manage the Employee Liability Information exchange (due at least 28 days before transfer) and how named primary and relief cleaners guarantee cover from day one.
Address quality, health and safety and social value
Show your quality management as a system: BICSc colour-coding, COSHH assessments, documented method statements, and a monitoring and audit regime with corrective-action loops. Cover health and safety (risk assessments, lone-working, work-at-height) and the growing social-value section — paying the real Living Wage (£13.45 UK, £14.80 London), guaranteed hours and local employment all score here.
Price so it survives scrutiny
Present a transparent price built up from the wage floor (National Living Wage £12.71 from April 2026) plus employer's National Insurance, holiday pay, equipment, insurance, overhead and margin, with 20% VAT shown separately. A price that cannot be explained looks like a price that will fail — so validate yours against a fixed monthly quote before you submit.
Common scored questions — and what to evidence
| Scored question | What good looks like | Evidence to attach |
|---|---|---|
| Mobilisation plan | Dated plan with TUPE and reporting go-live | Gantt/timeline, sample method statements |
| Staffing & retention | Directly employed, named cover, real Living Wage | Contracts model, vetting policy |
| Quality management | Colour-coding, audits, corrective actions | ISO 9001 cert, audit template |
| Health & safety | Risk assessments, COSHH, lone working | SafeContractor/CHAS, RAMS |
| Social value | Living Wage, guaranteed hours, local jobs | Living Wage accreditation, commitments |