How to Choose a Commercial Cleaning Company in Wollongong

Last reviewed 14 October 2026

Most cleaning contracts don't fail on day one. They fail slowly: a missed bathroom here, a new face every few weeks, an invoice with extras nobody mentioned, and before long you're spending more time chasing the contractor than running the site.

This guide is for facility, office, operations and strata managers, practice managers and anyone comparing cleaning quotes for a site in Wollongong or the wider Illawarra. It sets out seven checks to run before you sign, what to ask for at each step, and the warning signs that a contractor's promises won't hold up.

Every cleaning company says it's reliable, insured and thorough. The checks below help you find out which ones can show it.

1. Get a written, site-specific scope after a walkthrough

A scope of works is the foundation of the whole contract. It is what the price is based on, what inspections measure, and what you point to when something is missed. If it's vague, everything after it is vague too.

A contractor can't write a good scope without seeing your site. Expect them to walk the premises with you before quoting, ask about your hours and access, and note floor types, amenities, kitchens and anything unusual.

What a good scope includes

• Each area listed separately: offices, kitchens, amenities, reception, stairwells, lifts, car park, outdoor areas.
• The tasks in each area, and how often each one is done (daily, weekly, monthly).
• Service days and times, and whether cleaning happens during or after business hours.
• High-touch points such as door handles, light switches, taps and lift buttons, which usually need more frequent attention than floors and walls.
• Periodic work such as window cleaning, carpet extraction or hard-floor maintenance, and whether it's included or quoted separately.
• Who supplies consumables (toilet paper, hand towels, soap, bin liners) and who supplies the cleaning chemicals and equipment.
• What is excluded.

There is no single "correct" cleaning frequency for an office, strata building or shop. It depends on how many people use the space, how heavily, and what risks are present. What matters is that the frequency for each area is written down, so both sides know what was agreed.

Medical and allied health practices have a more specific benchmark. The RACGP infection prevention and control guidelines expect a cleaning schedule that names who cleans, which surfaces, how often, by what method and with which products. Where cleaning is outsourced, the guidelines expect the practice's cleaning policy to be reflected in the contract and the service to be monitored.

If you'd like to see how a site-specific scope is put together for a Wollongong building, our page on commercial cleaning services in Wollongong explains how we approach the walkthrough.

2. Ask who will actually clean, and who supervises them

Most complaints about cleaning come back to people: high turnover, cleaners who don't know the site, and nobody checking their work. So ask about the people as carefully as you ask about the price.

Questions to ask

• Who employs the cleaners who will work on my site? Is any of the work subcontracted, and if so, to whom?
• How many hours a week will be spent on site, and by how many people?
• Who supervises them, and how often does a supervisor visit?
• What happens when the regular cleaner is sick or on leave? How is the relief cleaner briefed on my site?
• How are new cleaners inducted to my site before their first shift?
• What screening is done, such as National Police Checks, and is it repeated?

Subcontracting isn't wrong in itself, and many good contractors use it. But you should know who is doing the work. The Fair Work Ombudsman has described contract cleaning as an industry with layers of subcontracting, tight margins and competitive tendering, and has said it looks up the supply chain when it finds cleaners have been underpaid (FWO inquiry report). Cleaners employed in the industry are covered by the Cleaning Services Award 2020, which sets minimum pay, penalty rates and overtime.

Some contractors hold certification or prequalification through the Cleaning Accountability Framework (CAF), an independent body that checks labour practices in the cleaning supply chain. It isn't mandatory. If a contractor claims it, ask for the certificate and confirm it with CAF.

"The same team every visit" is a common promise. It's a good one, but no contractor can guarantee it forever. What you can check is the plan for when the regular team changes: who briefs the new person, using what site notes, and who checks their first clean.

3. Check insurance and certificates against the contract

"Fully insured" and "ISO certified" are easy to write on a website. The documents behind them take two minutes to check, and that check is worth doing.

Public liability insurance

Ask for a current certificate of currency. Check three things:

• The insured name and ABN match the business you're signing the contract with.
• The policy hasn't expired, and won't expire early in the contract.
• The limit meets any requirement in your lease, head contract or strata by-laws.

Workers compensation

Ask for the contractor's workers compensation certificate of currency. In NSW, icare's guidance for businesses that engage contractors is to obtain a subcontractor's statement under section 175B of the Workers Compensation Act 1987 and to check that the number of workers and wages declared look reasonable for the work. Whether this applies to your arrangement depends on how the contract is set up, so check with your adviser.

ISO certification

ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environment) and ISO 45001 (health and safety) are management system standards. ISO itself doesn't certify companies; independent certification bodies do. When a contractor says it holds ISO certification, check:

• The certificate is in the same company name as your contract.
• It's current, and its scope covers cleaning services.
• The certifying body is accredited, which you can confirm on the JAS-ANZ register.

An ISO certificate shows the contractor runs a documented management system. It doesn't prove your site will be cleaned well, and it isn't a legal requirement. Treat it as supporting evidence, then test the system with the questions in checks 4 and 5.

4. Review safety, chemicals and after-hours access

When you bring a cleaning contractor onto your premises, both businesses can have work health and safety (WHS) duties for the same work. Safe Work Australia explains that these duties can't be transferred or contracted out. Each business must consult, cooperate and coordinate with the other, so far as is reasonably practicable.

In practice, that means you share information about the risks on your site, and the contractor shows you how it manages them.

In NSW, the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 commenced on 22 August 2025, replacing the 2017 Regulation (SafeWork NSW). If a contractor's documents still refer to the 2017 Regulation, ask when they were last reviewed.

What to ask the contractor for

• A risk assessment for your site, not just a generic company policy.
• A list of the chemicals they'll use, with current safety data sheets (SDS), and how cleaners are trained to use them (SafeWork NSW: hazardous chemicals).
• How cleaners working alone or at night are checked on. SafeWork NSW lists cleaners as an example of remote or isolated workers.
• How incidents and near misses are reported to you.
• Their procedure for keys, swipe cards, alarm codes and locking up, including a written key register.

What to tell the contractor

• Your operating and access hours, and any areas that are off limits.
• Known hazards: sharps, clinical waste, machinery, forklift traffic, wet areas.
• Your own site induction requirements.

You may see contractors offer a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS). Under NSW law, a SWMS is required for high-risk construction work. For routine cleaning, the useful document is a site-specific risk assessment and safe work procedures, whatever the contractor calls it.

5. Ask how cleaning quality is proven and problems are fixed

You shouldn't have to walk the building every morning to know whether the clean happened. A good contractor gives you evidence without being asked, and fixes misses without an argument.

Questions to ask

• How often is my site inspected, by whom, and is it scheduled or unannounced?
• What does the inspection check? (It should match the scope from check 1.)
• What do I receive, and how often: an inspection report, photos, an attendance log?
• Who is my single point of contact, and who do I escalate to if they don't respond?
• If a task is missed, how quickly is it fixed, and is that written into the contract?
• Can I audit the service myself, or with a third party?

There is no industry standard for how fast a missed clean must be fixed. Some contractors promise a re-clean within a set number of hours. That's useful only if it's written into your contract, along with what happens if it's missed again.

Some contractors also offer ATP testing, a swab that measures organic residue on a surface. It can be a useful extra check for medical, childcare, food or gym areas. If it's offered, ask which surfaces are tested, how often, what result counts as a pass, and what happens when a surface fails.

For health settings, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care's auditing principles say audit results should be reported and acted on. That's a sensible standard for any site.

6. Compare quotes on equal scope, not headline price

Two quotes can differ widely in price because they price different work. Before you compare numbers, make sure you're comparing the same thing.

How to line quotes up

1. Convert every quote to the same period, such as a monthly total, for the same scope.
2. Ask how many labour hours a week sit behind each price, and how many cleaners.
3. Check what each quote includes and excludes (see the list below).
4. Ask how the price will change each year, and what it's linked to.

Items that often sit outside the headline price

• Consumables such as toilet paper, hand towels, soap and bin liners.
• Periodic work such as windows, carpet extraction and hard-floor maintenance.
• Public holiday, weekend and after-hours rates.
• One-off or emergency call-outs.
• Extra work outside the scope, and how it's approved before it's charged.
• Annual price reviews.

Pay rates for cleaners are set by the Cleaning Services Award and change each year. Rather than relying on a figure from a website, check the current rates in the Fair Work Ombudsman's pay guides.

A much lower quote isn't proof of anything on its own. A contractor may simply be more efficient. But if one quote is well below the others, ask how many hours it allows and at what rate. If the answer doesn't add up, the cost will usually show up later as missed tasks, extras or turnover.

7. Read the contract terms and plan the handover

The contract decides what happens when things go wrong. Read it before you sign, not when you want to leave.

Terms to check

• Term and notice: how long the contract runs, and how much notice either side must give.
• Renewal: whether it renews automatically, and how long you have to opt out.
• Missed cleans: whether you get a re-clean, a credit or both, and how quickly.
• Ending for performance: whether you can end the contract if standards repeatedly fall short, and what notice applies.
• Price changes: when and how the price can change during the term.
• Trial period: whether a trial is offered, how long it runs, and how either side can exit at the end.

"No lock-in contract" is a common selling point. Check what it means in writing: the notice period, and whether any fees apply if you leave.

If your business has fewer than 100 employees or annual turnover under $10 million, the unfair contract terms protections in the Australian Consumer Law may apply to a standard form cleaning contract made or renewed since 9 November 2023. If a term looks one-sided, such as an automatic renewal with a very short cancellation window, get advice before signing.

Strata committees should also check their own approval and quoting requirements with their strata manager before accepting a new cleaning contract.

Planning the changeover (practical steps, not legal requirements)

• Confirm the notice date and final service date with the outgoing contractor.
• Agree a start date with the new contractor, and any trial period.
• Hand over keys, cards and codes against a written register; change codes if needed.
• Walk the site with the new contractor and record its condition, with photos.
• Complete the site induction before the first clean.
• Book the first inspection within the first fortnight.

Extra checks for your type of site

The seven checks apply everywhere. Some sites need a few more questions.

Contractor comparison checklist

Copy this table, fill it in for each contractor, and use it in your decision meeting.

Frequently asked questions

How often should an office be cleaned?

It depends on how many people use it, how heavily, and what happens there. Kitchens, amenities and high-touch points usually need cleaning more often than low-traffic areas such as storerooms. Rather than choosing one frequency for the whole building, agree a frequency for each area and write it into the scope.

Do school and childcare cleaners need a Working With Children Check in NSW?

In many cases, yes. Cleaners at NSW schools are generally treated as doing child-related work, and school systems commonly require contractors to verify a Working With Children Check for every cleaner, including subcontractors. Check your own school's or service's policy, and ask the contractor how it verifies and records clearances.

Should a cleaning contract include a trial period?

A trial can be a sensible way to test a new contractor, especially at a complex site. There's no standard length. If you agree one, write down how long it runs, how the service will be assessed, and what happens at the end, including how either side can exit.

Who is responsible for a cleaner's safety on my premises after hours?

Both businesses can be. The cleaning company is responsible for its workers, and you are responsible for risks you control on your site. Under WHS laws, each must consult, cooperate and coordinate with the other so far as is reasonably practicable. Share your site hazards and access rules, and ask how the contractor checks on cleaners working alone.

How B&K Services handles these checks

We're happy to be measured against this checklist. When you ask us to quote for a site in Wollongong or the Illawarra, we:

• walk your site with you before we price it, then give you a written scope by area, task and frequency
• tell you who will clean your site, who supervises them, and how relief cover works
• induct every cleaner on WHS obligations, safe chemical handling and site-specific risk assessments before their first shift
• provide our insurance certificates of currency and our ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certificates on request
• manage Illawarra sites from our office at 51 Montague Street, Wollongong, so issues are followed up locally.

Sources

• SafeWork NSW: legislation
• SafeWork NSW: remote and isolated work
• SafeWork NSW: hazardous chemicals
• Safe Work Australia: working with other duty holders
• Fair Work Ombudsman: Cleaning Services Award 2020
• Fair Work Ombudsman: inquiry into the procurement of cleaners in Tasmanian supermarkets
• RACGP: infection prevention and control guidelines, cleaning
• ACSQHC: principles of environmental cleaning auditing
• JAS-ANZ register

This guide is general information, not legal or insurance advice. Laws, award rates and standards change; check the current position with the relevant authority or your adviser.