What to gather beforehand
A site plan or aerial image, your current vendor scopes, and any recurring tenant complaints. Together these tell a vendor what is already covered and where the real problems are.
- A site plan or aerial image with property boundaries marked.
- Current sweeping, landscaping and janitorial scopes.
- Any recurring tenant complaints from the past twelve months.
- Known problem areas and the times of day they are worst.
- Insurance and vendor onboarding requirements.
What to cover during the walk
Walk the property together rather than reviewing it from the parking lot. Point out the areas your current vendors do not cover and ask directly whether they fall inside the proposed scope.
Ask about disposal up front. Most exterior appearance work puts collected litter in the dumpsters already on the property. Hauling is a separate service with separate costs.
Questions worth asking
These questions surface the differences that pricing alone hides.
- Which specific areas are included, and which are explicitly excluded?
- What happens to collected litter and debris?
- How is service documented and reported?
- What is the response process if a visit is missed?
- Is the agreement month-to-month or term-based?
- Can you provide a certificate of insurance and a W-9?
Comparing proposals
Normalize proposals to the same frequency and the same area list before comparing price. A lower monthly number covering fewer areas at a lower frequency is not a better value; it is a different service.
Ask each vendor to state the estimated time on site per visit. It is the most honest indicator of what is actually being purchased.