Contract cleaning is cleaning delivered under an ongoing agreement to a defined specification, rather than as a one-off job. Optus Glean UK provides contract cleaning nationwide on a fixed monthly Direct-Debit fee, using PAYE-employed, DBS-checked teams — one contract and one documented standard across every site you operate.
What contract cleaning is
Contract cleaning means a business hands its regular cleaning to a provider under a rolling agreement, rather than booking one-off visits. The agreement sets out the areas, tasks, frequencies, and standards, so both sides know exactly what is delivered and what a good clean looks like. It is the ongoing backbone of our commercial cleaning service, most often used for offices, retail, healthcare, and industrial sites.
The difference from a one-off clean is continuity: the same specification, the same named team, the same reporting, week in and week out — and a known monthly cost. Our guide to contract cleaning explains how the model works in practice.
What a contract cleaning agreement includes
A proper contract covers more than a task list. It defines the cleaning specification and frequencies, the service level and how performance is monitored and audited, the consumables and equipment provided, COSHH data and method statements for the products used, and the account management and reporting you receive. Fixing all of this in writing is what turns cleaning from a variable expense into a controlled, budgeted service.
Contract cleaning rates and how they are built
Contract cleaning is priced as a fixed monthly fee, but that fee is built up from an underlying charge-out rate. The rate must cover the operative's wage — at least the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour from April 2026, and the Real Living Wage of £13.45 (£14.80 in London) on many corporate and public-sector contracts — plus employer National Insurance, holiday pay, supervision, equipment, insurance, overhead, and margin, with 20% VAT added on the invoice. Ongoing contract work is typically keener than one-off rates:
Switching an existing contract to us
Changing cleaning contractor is normally a TUPE transfer: the incumbent's cleaning staff move to the new provider on their existing terms. We handle the whole process through our contract mobilisation and TUPE service — consultation, Employee Liability Information, and a planned start — so switching is low-risk. Our guide to switching cleaning company walks through the steps.
National, multi-site contract cleaning
For businesses with sites in more than one town, Optus Glean UK is the national alternative to juggling local cleaners: one contract, one documented standard, one account manager, and one consolidated invoice everywhere. See multi-site cleaning and weigh up the trade-offs in our national vs local cleaning company comparison.
Contract vs one-off cleaning rates (UK, guide only)
| Service type | Typical hourly rate (per cleaner) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ongoing contract cleaning | £15 – £25 / hr | Regular, scheduled work; priced as a fixed monthly fee |
| One-off deep clean | £20 – £35 / hr | Single reset clean |
| End-of-build 'sparkle' clean | £25 – £40 / hr | Final clean after works |