By Total Site Solutions · Published October 24, 2026
This guide is for Chicago general contractors, project managers, developers and owners who are hiring for a build-out, renovation or new construction.
1. Insurance comes first
On commercial jobs, and in most managed buildings, a cleaning company can't start until the GC or building has its certificate of insurance (COI). Ask every bidder:
- Can you send a COI before the start date?
- Can you list the GC, owner or building management as certificate holder or additional insured if the contract requires it?
- How quickly can you turn around a COI request?
A company that can't produce a COI quickly will delay your schedule on day one. Ask for it with the bid, not the week of the clean.
2. A written scope, priced per phase
Post-construction cleaning is usually done in three phases: rough, final and touch-up. A good bid prices each phase separately and says what's included. Watch for:
- A single lump sum with no scope. You can't compare it to anything, and disputes at turnover are likely.
- Unclear glass scope. Interior glass only, or exterior too? Ground floor or every floor?
- High work. Who cleans exposed ductwork, high ceilings or fixtures that need a lift?
- Debris. Does the price include hauling what's left, or is the dumpster yours?
- Number of visits. Is the touch-up clean included or extra?
Send every bidder the same scope sheet so the numbers mean the same thing. Our post-construction final clean checklist is a good starting point for the final phase.
3. Can they work within the building's rules?
Chicago high-rises and managed buildings, especially in the Loop, River North, Streeterville and the West Loop, often have rules that affect cleaning:
- Freight elevator reservations and loading dock time windows
- After-hours or weekend-only work in occupied buildings
- Floor and elevator protection requirements
- Sign-in, badge or escort requirements for vendors
Ask whether the company has worked under these conditions and how they schedule around them. A crew that shows up without an elevator reservation loses the day.
4. Who checks the work?
Ask who walks the job before the crew leaves, and what they check against. You want:
- A named point of contact who answers the phone during the job
- A walkthrough against a checklist before the crew leaves
- Photos of finished areas when you can't be on site
- A clear process for callbacks if the punch walk finds something
5. Can they handle what comes before and after the clean?
Turnover gets slower every time another vendor has to be scheduled. Ask whether the company can also:
- Haul debris left after the trades finish, so the final clean isn't working around piles. See construction debris hauling.
- Do touch-up painting on scuffs and dings found during the final clean. See interior painting and drywall touch-ups.
- Return for a touch-up clean after punch-list work.
One vendor for haul, paint touch-ups and the clean means fewer handoffs and one schedule.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Can you send a certificate of insurance with the bid?
- Is your price per phase, and what exactly does each phase include?
- What is excluded: exterior glass, high dusting, debris, after-hours work?
- Can you price from drawings or photos, or do you need a walkthrough?
- Who is my point of contact during the job, and who checks the work?
- Can you work nights and weekends, and around freight elevator windows?
- Do you haul debris and do touch-up painting?
- If the project has union or other labor requirements, can you meet them? Ask this up front.
Red flags
- No COI, or "we'll send it later"
- No written scope, or a scope that just says "post-construction clean"
- No one accountable at the walkthrough
- Pressure to start before the scope is agreed
- A price that's far below every other bid with no explanation of what was left out
Check the work before the punch walk
Even with a good crew, walk the space yourself before the owner or tenant does. Bring a flashlight and check:
- Glass in raking light: streaks, paint specks and sticker residue show up when you shine a light across the surface
- Tops of things: door frames, cabinets, light fixtures and window sills, where dust settles after the crew leaves
- Inside cabinets and drawers, and inside appliances, where protective film and sawdust hide
- Floor edges and corners, where grout haze and drywall mud get missed
- Vents and returns, which collect sanding dust
Write down what you find and send it to the cleaning company the same day. A good company fixes it before the walkthrough, not after.
How Total Site Solutions works with GCs
We're a locally owned, insured Chicago crew that does post-construction cleaning across Chicago and Cook County, and larger commercial projects in DuPage, Lake and Will counties. We give a free written estimate that prices each phase separately, we work around trades and building rules, and we can bundle debris hauling and touch-up painting in a Construction Closeout Package. More on how we work with contractors is on our general contractors page.