What to look for in a housekeeping contractor: a checklist for facility managers

Most housekeeping contracts in India are awarded on the per-head rate. Six months later, the facility team is chasing attendance, covering absences with their own staff and fielding complaints about washrooms. The rate was low because the contractor left out the things that make a contract work.

Who employs the staff, and can they prove compliance?

Staff should be on the contractor’s payroll, with PF, ESIC, minimum wages and bonus paid by the contractor. Ask for last month’s challans for an existing site. If a contractor hesitates, the principal employer, which is you, carries the liability.

How are people verified and trained?

• Police verification and ID checks for every person, not a sample
• Classroom and on-site training before deployment, with records
• Chemical safety and PPE training
• Site-specific induction for hospitals, plants and labs

What happens when someone does not turn up?

This is the single biggest source of friction. Ask for a written reliever SLA, for example a trained replacement within four hours. Ask how many relievers the contractor keeps in your city.

Who is accountable on site?

Above eight to ten staff, you want a dedicated supervisor. Below that, a visiting supervisor with a fixed schedule. Either way, you should have one name and one number for escalation.

What will you see every month?

• Attendance against roster
• Checklist completion by area
• Audit scores with photos
• Consumables against budget
• Complaints and time to close

Tip: Ask to see a real monthly report from an existing client, with names redacted. A contractor who reports well will be happy to show you.

How do they handle safety?

Glass, facades and atriums involve work at height. Ask what equipment is used, who is allowed to do it, and whether a supervisor is present. Also ask for safety data sheets for every chemical they will bring onto your site.

A contractor who answers all of this clearly is usually worth a slightly higher rate. The total cost to you, including your team’s time, ends up lower.