Public sector cleaning contracts: how councils and public bodies buy

By Faisal Rehman · Last updated 8 October 2026

Councils, schools, NHS bodies, universities, police forces and government departments all buy cleaning. How they buy it is set by law and published in advance. Once you understand the process, council cleaning contracts and other public work become much less mysterious.

Which rules apply

Since 24 February 2025, most public bodies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland buy under the Procurement Act 2023. Procurements that started before that date continue under the old rules, such as the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. Scottish public bodies buy under Scottish legislation, including the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, and Welsh bodies also have duties under the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Act 2023.

Under the Act, buyers must treat suppliers the same unless a difference between them justifies different treatment, and must have regard to the particular barriers that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may face.5

Thresholds from 1 January 2026

A contract "above threshold" must follow the Act's full rules for covered procurements. The amounts below apply to procurements that start on or after 1 January 2026. They include VAT.1

Type of contractThreshold (incl. VAT)What it means for cleaning
Goods, services or works for a central government authority£135,018Government departments and similar bodies
Goods, services or works for a sub-central government authority£207,720Covers authorities other than central government departments; check the notice for the threshold that applies to the buyer
Light touch contracts (most cases)£663,540Applies only to services classed as light touch; check the notice
Below-threshold tender notice, central government£12,000If the buyer advertises the contract, it must publish a notice first
Below-threshold tender notice, other authorities£30,000Same rule for councils, schools and other bodies

Which category a buyer falls into is set by the Act and its regulations. Below threshold, a buyer does not have to advertise at all; it can invite quotes from a closed group of suppliers. It must still publish a contract details notice after awarding a notifiable contract.2

How a cleaning tender runs

For covered procurements the Act offers two competitive procedures:3

  • Open procedure: a single stage where any interested supplier can submit a tender. The buyer can check conditions of participation at any point before award.
  • Competitive flexible procedure: any other competitive procedure the buyer designs. It is usually multi-stage and can limit the number of suppliers going through, and can include negotiation, dialogue or presentations. For example, Caerphilly County Borough Council's 2026 window-cleaning tender (Find a Tender notice 091158-2026) uses this procedure, with stages set out in the tender documents.

A typical sequence for a cleaning contract:

  1. The buyer may publish a preliminary market engagement or planned procurement notice in advance.
  2. The tender notice appears, with a link to the buyer's e-tendering portal.
  3. You register, download the pack and ask clarification questions by the deadline. Book any site visit early.
  4. The buyer checks exclusion grounds and conditions of participation, such as insurance, financial standing and accreditations.
  5. Tenders are scored against the published award criteria, usually a mix of quality, price and social value, and the contract goes to the most advantageous tender.
  6. Each bidder gets an assessment summary, and there is a standstill period of at least eight working days before the contract is signed.

Where public cleaning notices are published

  • Find a Tender is the central digital platform for the Act. Suppliers register there, store their core business details for reuse and can set up free alerts.4
  • Contracts Finder still carries notices for procurements started under the earlier rules.
  • Public Contracts Scotland for Scottish bodies, Sell2Wales for Welsh bodies and eTendersNI for Northern Ireland.
  • Frameworks and dynamic markets. Many buyers call off cleaning from frameworks set up by public buying organisations. Call-offs are competed among the framework's suppliers, so watch for the notice that sets up the framework.

Our cleaning tenders pages list the open notices from these sources by region, every day.

TUPE: assume staff will transfer

When a cleaning contract moves to a new contractor, the cleaners who mainly work on it usually transfer to the new contractor on their existing terms under the TUPE Regulations 2006 (in Great Britain). That makes the staff information in the tender pack the single most important pricing input: hours, pay rates, holiday, pension and any accrued rights. If it is missing, ask for it through the portal. Our guide to TUPE in cleaning tenders covers the detail.

Social value

The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 requires public bodies to consider social value for services contracts. Central government departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies must give social value a minimum 10% weighting of the total score under Procurement Policy Note 002, and other authorities may choose to follow the same approach.6 Councils often set their own. For cleaning, credible commitments include local recruitment, paying staff a stated wage, training and qualifications, and reducing chemicals and waste. Whatever you commit to is written into the contract, so promise only what you will report on.

Routes in for small cleaning firms

  • Lower-value contracts. For below-threshold contracts, buyers generally cannot restrict who may tender by assessing suppliers' suitability, with limited exceptions such as frameworks.2
  • Lots. Before publishing a tender notice, buyers must consider splitting a contract into lots and give reasons if they do not.5 Bid for the lots that match your area.
  • Dynamic markets. These replace dynamic purchasing systems under the Act and must accept applications to join at any time.
  • Subcontracting. Large FM contractors often subcontract cleaning. See facilities management tenders.
  • Payment. Public contracts under the Act carry an implied term that undisputed invoices are paid within 30 days.

For the practical side, from pass/fail checks to pricing, read how to win public sector cleaning contracts and our broader page on cleaning contracts.

Looking at a council cleaning contract? Send us the link. We read the notice and the pack and send a one-page go/no-go check within one working day of the tender pack, for a fixed £95. If you decide to bid, we can help write it.

Order a £95 go/no-go check

Sources

  1. Cabinet Office, PPN 023: 2026 Threshold Amounts, and Guidance: Thresholds (amounts include VAT). gov.uk/government/publications/ppn-023-2026-threshold-amounts; Guidance: Thresholds. Checked 8 October 2026. Back
  2. Cabinet Office, Guidance: Below-Threshold Contracts. gov.uk below-threshold guidance. Checked 8 October 2026. Back
  3. Cabinet Office, Guidance: Competitive Tendering Procedures. gov.uk competitive tendering guidance. Checked 8 October 2026. Back
  4. Cabinet Office, Central Digital Platform factsheet. gov.uk factsheet. Checked 8 October 2026. Back
  5. Procurement Act 2023, section 12 (equal treatment, SMEs) and section 18 (lots). Back
  6. Cabinet Office, PPN 002: Taking account of social value. Checked 8 October 2026. Back

General information about public procurement in the UK, written on 8 October 2026. It is not legal advice. Thresholds are revised every two years, and every tender pack sets its own requirements. Always follow the pack and take professional advice where needed.