The UK public sector spends billions on cleaning every year — schools, NHS trusts, GP surgeries, and clinics all need reliable, compliant cleaning partners. Yet most small cleaning firms never bid for these contracts. Why? They don't know how to prepare. This issue breaks it all down.
The UK public sector spends billions on cleaning every year — schools, NHS trusts, GP surgeries, and clinics all need reliable, compliant cleaning partners. Yet most small cleaning firms never bid for these contracts. Why? They don't know how to prepare. This issue breaks it all down.
unknown nodeThe harsh truth: Most small cleaning companies lose public sector bids not because of price — but because of missing compliance documents, no audit trail, and zero knowledge of framework agreements. Fix these, and you change everything.
The four pillars
What separates winners from the rest
unknown nodeStep by step
Your action plan to start winning
unknown nodeYour compliance checklist
Documents every bid must have
- Public liability insurance (minimum £5M for NHS, £2M for schools)
- Employer's liability insurance certificate (current year)
- COSHH risk assessments for all chemicals in use
- Enhanced DBS checks for all staff (renewed every 3 years)
- Health & Safety policy (signed by a director)
- Safeguarding policy and staff training log
- Infection control policy (especially for NHS sites)
- Environmental / sustainability policy
- Quality management system or ISO 9001 (preferred)
- Audit logs and completed cleaning records (last 12 months)
unknown node
