CSSA launches practical roadmap for smarter procurement
A practical roadmap to help buyers and contractors procure cleaning services on quality, fair pay and sustainability, not price alone.
CSSA Communications Team · Communications1 min read
Too many cleaning contracts are still won on price alone. The result is familiar to every member: margins squeezed until something gives, and that something is usually the people doing the work.
Our procurement roadmap sets out a better way to buy, for facilities managers, procurement teams and the contractors who bid for their work.
What the roadmap covers
The roadmap follows a contract from first conversation to renewal. At each stage it sets out what good looks like, and the questions buyers and contractors should be asking each other.
- Specification. Describe the outcomes you need, not just the hours you want to buy.
- Pricing. Build in the real cost of employment, including pay rises that are already known about.
- Evaluation. Weight quality, safety and people alongside price.
- Mobilisation. Plan the handover properly, especially where TUPE applies.
- Review. Agree how performance will be measured, and how the contract can change as needs change.
Why it matters now
Costs across the sector have risen quickly. Contracts priced a few years ago often no longer cover the cost of delivering them well. A roadmap that both sides recognise makes those conversations easier to start.
A good contract is one both sides can still stand behind in its third year.
How to use it
Members can download the full roadmap, with checklists for each stage, from the Member Dashboard. If you buy cleaning services and would like to talk it through, get in touch.
