Healthcare cleaning is a profitable and competitive industry. Healthcare cleaning contracts can be lucrative and stable, but they can also be difficult to secure.

Healthcare facilities have strict requirements, so standard lead generation strategies are less effective than they are in other industries. You’ll need a tailored approach to developing a winning proposal that lands large hospital contracts.

This approach often begins with meeting specific requirements and establishing credibility through smaller contracts. Along the way, you’ll need to navigate some common challenges and pitfalls that many commercial cleaners encounter when they leap into healthcare cleaning.

Read on for a comprehensive overview of how to get healthcare cleaning contracts, what to do once you’ve secured one, and how the software you choose can help you excel in this dynamic industry.

What are cleaning contracts for healthcare facilities?

Cleaning contracts for healthcare facilities are legal documents that define the working relationship between a healthcare facility and your cleaning business.

Your contract should include things like:

• The scope of work

• Rates and additional fees

• Payment terms 

• Termination policies

• Insurance and liability

A formal contract is especially crucial for healthcare cleaning, where biohazards can increase your legal liability. If you have a contract in place, it will protect your cleaning business from legal action and fines resulting from issues outside the scope of your services.

Always have a lawyer review your cleaning contracts to ensure you’ve covered all the legal bases.

Why are healthcare cleaning contracts important?

The importance of cleaning in healthcare facilities can’t be understated—in fact, the stakes are often life or death. Healthcare facilities require specialized cleaning services that extend beyond aesthetics to thoroughly disinfect and sterilize medical equipment, patient beds, and common areas. 

Below are a few reasons why it’s important to formalize these services with a contract:

• Patient safety: Infections acquired during hospital stays cost the healthcare industry $40 billion last year and put many vulnerable patients at risk. Cleaning businesses must ensure that proper protocols are clearly outlined in contracts to handle airborne and resilient pathogens.

• Regulatory compliance: Healthcare facilities must comply with OSHA regulations, as well as state and local laws, to ensure proper sanitation. Contracts should clearly state which cleaning and disinfection methods your business will use.

• Reputation: Any infections patients get from improper cleaning are publicly reported. Contracts are essential for establishing whether you’re liable for this type of reputational damage.

Hospitals often have internal cleaning staff as well, so ensure your contract clearly outlines your responsibilities in comparison to those of the internal staff.

How do you get cleaning contracts with healthcare facilities?

Securing healthcare cleaning contracts can be challenging, even if you possess all the necessary credentials. 

The credibility gap is often the biggest barrier to entry. Healthcare decision-makers are risk-averse, so they prefer to hire companies with prior experience, due to the complexity of:

• Infection control protocols

• Compliance

• Healthcare workflows

That means securing healthcare contracts will require a more strategic approach than the tactics used to acquire cleaning clients in other industries.

Build your professional network and secure small projects first to establish credibility. Then, leverage that experience to begin marketing your healthcare cleaning services.

1. Networking

Attending local and national networking events, such as those hosted by associations like the IFMA, can help you build relationships with industry partners and generate new leads. Conferences and trade shows can also provide you with unique insights into the latest commercial cleaning equipment and techniques available for use in healthcare cleaning.

When attending conferences, be prepared with an elevator pitch that highlights your credentials and expertise in healthcare cleaning. 

You can also join your local chamber of commerce to meet a broader range of business owners in your community. 

Finally, don’t overlook the power of your informal networks. An important decision-maker might be just one connection away from the people you interact with daily.

2. Professional organizations

Join organizations like the Association for the Health Care Environment (AHE) and the American Hospital Association (AHA) to expand your network to professionals in the industry and the decision-makers who hire them.

These communities can offer tips and advice for breaking into the healthcare cleaning field and help you navigate the industry's unique requirements. For example, AHE has community forums where members share tips and advice about suppliers, procedures, and events.

Pick two to three organizations that align with your target market size and focus, then actively participate in their events and programs.

3. Strategic partnerships

As you grow your network in the healthcare industry, you’ll be more likely to find providers who have the potential to become strategic partners. These business partnerships can lead to subcontracting opportunities that let you build experience and avoid costly mistakes.

Look for businesses that offer:

• Laundry services for healthcare

• Medical waste disposal

• Facility management

• Medical equipment repair and maintenance

• Healthcare renovation and construction

Find partners who have established trust in the industry and understand the compliance requirements for healthcare facilities. They can help bridge the credibility gap that creates barriers for new entrants.

4. Referrals

Healthcare decision-makers tend to rely heavily on referrals from trusted contacts. Strategic partnerships naturally lead to referrals, which help you build trust early since they come with an implicit endorsement. That’s especially true if your referral partners make introductions rather than general recommendations.

You could also offer existing clients special promotions for referring your cleaning services to healthcare clients. Make it easy for them to refer you with a brief email template or your contact info in a shareable format.

Keep in mind that timing is key. The best time to ask clients for referrals is right after a successful project.

5. Secure contracts with smaller clinics

Smaller clinics often rely less on formal bidding and more on relationship-based selling. Once you have referrals, you are in a much better position to actively pursue and win opportunities with practice owners and office managers.

Schedule brief meetings to understand their specific challenges, then send a one-page proposal with transparent pricing, compliance acknowledgement, and relevant references from your network.

Mention the partnerships you’ve established to demonstrate your understanding of healthcare environments and your trusted connections within the industry.

6. SEO

By this point, you’ll have a better understanding of your target market’s needs and will have some case studies to showcase. This leaves you in a perfect position to start with marketing strategies for healthcare cleaning contracts.

That includes SEO tactics to make your website show up higher in search results, such as:

• Dedicated landing pages for healthcare facility cleaning

• Healthcare cleaning keywords in title tags and meta descriptions

• Case studies of successful healthcare cleaning contracts with location-based keywords

• A Google Business Profile with posts about healthcare cleaning

• Publications in industry magazines that provide authoritative backlinks to your site

These tactics are likely to be the most effective for securing contracts from smaller clinics that search for providers online.

Also, consider adding lead magnets to your site (like downloadable whitepapers) to build your contact list for direct marketing campaigns.

7. Direct marketing

Once you have compiled a list of potential leads, try tactics such as targeted mailers and email campaigns to keep them engaged with what you offer. 

These materials should have a strong sales pitch that describes your differentiator (such as your understanding of healthcare cleaning safety protocols) and displays testimonials or other social proof.

Larger organizations tend to have larger buying groups. If you’re pitching your services to a larger organization, consider sending direct marketing materials to several different decision-makers.

Personalization is key in direct marketing. Divide your outbound marketing list into segments to tailor your message to different types of healthcare facilities.

8. Online reviews

Yelp, Angi, and Google all offer an important form of social proof: reviews. After each successful cleaning project, let clients know that a quick review will help your business. Collecting online reviews will help you establish credibility, making it easier to secure future clients.

If you get negative reviews, make sure you respond to each one. Even if your client was difficult, your response should demonstrate your willingness to learn and resolve the situation for your customer.

Feature the best online reviews on your website and direct marketing materials to boost their impact.

9. Social media

Once you have some credibility and healthcare knowledge, you’ll be ready to position yourself on social media as an expert. You can leverage social media to boost your networking efforts, secure additional partnerships, and win smaller contracts.

Some clients will be reluctant to let you post photos due to privacy issues, so make sure you get explicit permission before posting any case studies.

Educational content can work as well. For example, sharing posts about how specialized cleaning can reduce infections. 

Keep in mind that timing matters. If there’s a healthcare crisis, avoid posting about cleaning topics when anxiety is high, as it could come across as opportunistic.

10. Bid on larger healthcare contracts

Once you’ve built up proven experience, case studies, and references, you’ll be competitive for bigger contracts. 

Most large hospitals will source new cleaning services through a ‘request for proposal’ (RFP) process that includes a pre-qualification phase, during which you must provide proof of insurance, certifications, and experience.

The RFP document itself will outline the requirements for your proposal. That may include healthcare-specific cleaning techniques, employee screening and training processes, and cost breakdowns for multi-year contracts. You’ll also likely need to make site visits to demonstrate your skills.

Evaluation can take three to six months, so expect a large contract bid to be a process rather than a single document.

What are the requirements to qualify for healthcare cleaning contracts?

Both larger hospitals and smaller clinics need to comply with local, state, and federal sanitation regulations. 

However, larger hospitals often have more stringent requirements for cleaning companies, including more substantial insurance coverage and additional certifications.

Certifications required for healthcare cleaning

The most critical certification for healthcare cleaning staff is the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Certification. It covers training in the proper handling of infectious materials, using PPE, and responding to exposures. Your employees will need to renew this certification annually.

The ISSA Cleaning Industry Management Standard is another common certification you may need as you obtain larger contracts, along with Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI) prevention training.

Legal considerations for healthcare cleaning contracts

Cleaners working with larger facilities should have $2-5 million in general liability insurance coverage and $1-2 million in professional liability insurance. You may also need cyber liability insurance that covers data breaches involving patient information.

Your contract can help you avoid liability issues by clearly defining the scope of your company’s responsibility. You’ll also need to specify what cleaning logs and compliance documentation your company will provide for proof of proper service.

Tools and equipment needed for healthcare cleaning

Healthcare cleaning requires specialized equipment and tools. All disinfectants must be EPA-registered and effective against their target pathogens. Other specialized tools include:

• HEPA filtration vacuums

• UV-C disinfection equipment

• Biohazard waste-handling equipment

• Electrostatic sprayers

The tools you need will depend on the facility, so it’s important to do a walkthrough to assess what additional equipment you’ll need to purchase.

Staff training for healthcare cleaning

Healthcare cleaning demands more from your staff than typical commercial cleaning, as improper procedures could be life-threatening.

Beyond their annual OSHA training, your employees will also need ongoing training on issues like:

• Specific protocols for operating rooms, emergency departments, different equipment, and other medical environments.

• Infection control training, such as learning to identify high-risk areas.

• Chemical safety and product knowledge, including contact time requirements for various pathogens.

Be prepared to include evidence of certification, training, insurance, and knowledge of healthcare cleaning in proposals, especially for larger contracts.

What should be included in a healthcare cleaning proposal?

When bidding on jobs, the content of your proposal will depend on the contract size. Generally, your proposal should consist of:

• The scope of your services, including the specific cleaning duties and quality assurance procedures your team will be responsible for.

• The proposed schedule, including the days and times your team will be on site and how many of your staff will be needed.

• Emergency response capabilities, such as how your staff handles urgent situations, after-hours emergencies, and spills.

• Compliance information, such as certifications and proof of insurance.

• Staff credentials and background checks, including documentation of staff training records.

• Pricing, along with payment terms, frequency of invoices, and the length of the contract.

• References from other healthcare facilities.

For larger contracts, RFPs will often ask for very specific and detailed information about your protocols, staffing, and compliance. Having a proposal template that you can customize will help you bid faster while ensuring you don’t miss any details.

What are the common challenges when securing healthcare cleaning contracts?

Healthcare contracts aren’t impossible to get. Below is more detail on some typical obstacles you might encounter, and how to manage them.

1. High standards

One of the biggest challenges in healthcare cleaning contracts is adjusting to the high standards. Many new entrants underestimate the complexity of healthcare cleaning, focusing only on surface-level cleanliness rather than true infection control.

Those high standards often translate to high demands for cleaning certifications, prior experience, and industry knowledge.

Solution: Make sure you can demonstrate your infection control expertise with case studies, certifications, and healthcare-specific protocols. If you can’t demonstrate this knowledge yet, start with smaller contracts until you’ve built up enough documentation for larger bids.

2. High competition for bids

High competition is a top challenge across the commercial cleaning industry, but it’s even more pronounced in healthcare. Contracts tend to be lucrative and long-term, attracting many applicants. Established companies with a proven track record have the upper hand.

Solution: Keep building your network in healthcare. As you make a name for yourself in the industry, you’ll be more likely to know which facilities will be seeking new providers, so you can start building relationships before the official bidding process begins.

3. Meeting complex qualification requirements

Larger healthcare providers might require specific certifications or equipment that will cost time and money before you can even bid for the contract. Since not all requirements will be universal, trying to qualify for every bid won’t be realistic.

Solution: First, focus on the most common requirements, like OSHA bloodborne pathogen training. Then, work slowly toward more specialized certifications or partner with other providers to share costs and resources.

4. Insurance demands

Since healthcare cleaning involves a higher level of liability, it also requires more extensive insurance coverage than typical commercial cleaning, often including $2.5 million in general liability coverage alone. Higher premiums can significantly impact your profit margins, especially when you’re just starting out.

Solution: Starting with partnerships can help with insurance, since you’ll usually need lower coverage as a subcontractor. For example, the prime contractor’s insurance may cover general and professional liability for the overall project, while you cover only the general liability for your operations. 

That way, you can upgrade your insurance coverage only when you’re truly ready to take on larger contracts.

Mistakes to avoid when pursuing healthcare cleaning contracts

When you’re just starting out in a competitive market, it can be easy to make rookie mistakes. Over time, too many errors can damage your reputation and make it harder to secure contracts. 

Here are some common mistakes to watch out for:

• Using the wrong products: Some cleaning products can damage sensitive medical equipment or interfere with medical devices. 

• Lacking proper insurance: Standard commercial policies sometimes exclude healthcare-specific risks, meaning you shouldn’t assume you’re covered unless you’ve reviewed the exclusions in your policy.

• Overlooking soft skills training: Healthcare cleaning staff must work closely with patients and their families. This requires an understanding of people and professional conduct that goes beyond technical skills.

Avoiding these mistakes requires careful planning and attention to detail, and your operational systems can make all the difference.

How does janitorial management software help in managing healthcare cleaning contracts?

Janitorial management software can help you maintain efficient operations, preventing administrative issues from leading to critical errors.

Here’s how the right technology can help you win more cleaning contracts, gain valuable insights on performance, and manage contracts more easily.

Winning contracts

Aspire can help you simplify the bidding process and win more contracts by putting all your business information at your fingertips.

• With Aspire’s estimating software, you can refine your pricing strategies for healthcare cleaning contracts based on actual labor and material costs and avoid underbidding.

• Track your sales pipeline with CRM software for a complete overview of where all your bids stand. 

• Use Aspire’s marketing tools for targeted email and direct mail campaigns with instant performance insights.

Real-time analytics and reporting

Aspire’s reporting tools give you instant visibility into the performance of all your contracts…

• Get an instant overview of direct costs for full visibility into the profitability of your healthcare cleaning contracts.

• Stay on top of accounts receivable to improve cash flow for new credentials, equipment, and training.

• Filter completed job data by healthcare cleaning service so you can decide what contracts to renew.

Contract management

Aspire’s CRM streamlines the management of complex cleaning tasks by linking all relevant project information to individual work tickets.

• Maintain open lines of communication through three-way communication among management, customers, and cleaning staff.

• Let cleaning staff track time from their mobile phones for accurate billing and payroll.

You’ll also have a full view of all customer data in Aspire’s CRM, so you can keep on top of contract renewals more efficiently.

How do you retain healthcare cleaning contracts? 

Winning your first healthcare cleaning contract can feel like the end of an uphill battle. After you’ve achieved this milestone, you’ll need to focus on retention strategies like:

• High service quality: Conduct regular quality checks and monitor staff performance to maintain high cleaning standards. Proactively address any issues before they significantly affect client satisfaction.

• Regular communication: Maintain open lines of communication and send timely updates on job progress to keep healthcare staff informed. Real-time communication platforms like Aspire can help clients feel confident that any issues they report will be dealt with swiftly.

• Staff training: Maintain high standards for staff training and ongoing professional development, so their skills stay current as regulations evolve. Instill a sense of accountability and purpose in staff to motivate them to stay current on new protocols.

• Value-added services: Offer services such as ATP testing, environmental monitoring for infection control, or technology integration, including IoT sensors and predictive maintenance. 

• Performance documentation: Detailed documentation of your services' impact can help healthcare facilities with compliance reporting and enable data-driven improvements.

Healthcare clients tend to prefer long-term providers, so focusing on quality will position you well when it’s time to renew your contract.

Over to you!

Getting cleaning contracts with healthcare facilities can be a challenge, but it can also be a way into meaningful work that truly makes a difference.

Building the right foundation for these contracts starts with the tools you already use to manage your business. Aspire’s all-in-one platform makes your current processes more efficient, allowing you to take your business in new directions.

Ready to see Aspire in action? Book a free demo to learn how to prepare for healthcare cleaning contracts today.