Syndicated cleaning services
Learn about the two syndicated cleaning contracts. The scheduled cleaning contract is with OCS (with NZ Police as the lead agency), while the tailored contract is with Spotless (with NZ Post as the lead agency).
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The syndicated cleaning contracts may be suitable for medium to large schools with extensive cleaning needs.
- Benefits of joining a syndicated cleaning contract
- How to join the syndicated contract
- General cleaning services buying advice
- Further information
Benefits of joining a syndicated cleaning contract
Joining a syndicated contract is likely to save a school both time and money, while also reducing risk.
See Collaborative contracts explained.
Both syndicated contracts offer benefits to schools that are specific to facility cleaning.
- Schools will be offered the best price available by cleaning suppliers.
- Schools can easily add or remove their contracted cleaning requirements/commitments through a simple variation process.
- Schools are not locked into the contract. They can terminate their participation in the OCS contract with 60 business days of notice, or 90 calendar days in the Spotless contract.
- The contract’s lead agency and the supplier carry out an annual price review to consider factors including living/minimum wage changes, CPI index changes and more. This is a transparent process and participating schools will be notified of any changes.
How to join the syndicated contract
The process for joining these syndicated contracts is similar to that for other collaborative contracts.
It is recommended that schools contact both OCS and Spotless to see what each business can offer within their syndicated contract.
| Step | Action |
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| 1 |
Before you begin
To enquire about the OCS contract, sign the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) available on the NZGP webpage and email it to the contact at NZ Police (lead agency in the contract) stated on the right of the page.
Scheduled cleaning services | New Zealand Government Procurement and Property(external link)
To enquire about the Spotless contract, email the contact at NZ Post (lead agency in the contract) stated on the right of the NZGP webpage. They will send an NDA for you to sign and return.
Tailored cleaning services | New Zealand Government Procurement and Property(external link)
When your school has submitted a signed NDA, the contract’s lead agency will send you further information about their syndicated contract and inform you of supplier contact details.
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| 2 |
Confirm current circumstances
Gather information on your school’s current cleaning contract, including the service level and contract value. This can later be compared to an offer made by the syndicated contract supplier(s).
Also confirm the expiry date of your current contract. If you are considering terminating the contract early, note any termination clauses and the required notice period.
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| 3 |
Site visits
Contact the syndicated cleaning supplier(s) and organise for them to come to your school for an initial site visit. This will provide them with a good understanding of the school’s facilities and cleaning requirements.
This may be done before or after gathering your requirements (Step 4).
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State your requirements to suppliers
Develop your cleaning requirements specifications.
See advice on specifying your requirements on the pages below.
Buying cleaning services
The supplier(s) can provide you with sample specifications if required, to help you through the process.
Provide the supplier(s) with your specification of requirements. Request that they make your school a proposal with pricing as per the pricing mechanism in their syndicated contract.
Neither syndicated contract specifies that the living wage is paid to cleaning staff. Therefore, it is recommended that schools specify their requirement that their contracted supplier pays their staff the minimum hourly wage stated in the collective agreement which is intended for cleaners employed-in house, for the their time spent providing services to the school. This can be incorporated into the supplier's pricing.
See Caretakers, cleaners and canteen staff
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Assess offer(s)
Evaluate the offers made by supplier(s), including their pricing and other factors which may be important to your school.
See the other considerations section on the General cleaning services buying advice page.
Cleaning suppliers are given the same set of requirements and are likely to pay their staff the same/similar rate, which will often result in quoted prices being comparable. Often, any difference in price is a result of the supplier’s productivity estimation (prediction of how long it will take for cleaning staff to meet your requirements).
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Join the contract
Once you have reviewed the offer(s) and confirmed your preferred syndicated cleaning supplier, ask the supplier to complete the syndicated contract Supplements 1-6.
Then sign the Agency Joining Form letter. The contract’s cleaning company and lead agency (NZ Police for scheduled/OCS, or NZ Post for tailored/Spotless) will also sign the letter.
Your new cleaning service will begin on the date stated in your contract.
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General cleaning services buying advice
The information linked to below is useful if buying cleaning services either under, or outside of a syndicated contract.
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