Local service guide
Commercial cleaning in Gatineau: scope and quotes
Arrange commercial cleaning in Gatineau by giving bidders the same room-by-room task list, access schedule and waste-handling instructions. Request a site visit and separate prices for recurring visits, floor treatment and hauling. Before signing, confirm who manages recycling and compost collection: the City requires businesses to have both, and its current guidance identifies October 15, 2026 as the deadline to contact the City or submit collection-contract proof before possible enforcement notices. [1]
Write a scope that bidders can price
Walk through the premises with each bidder. Identify the rooms to clean, floor materials, washrooms, kitchenette, entrance glazing and shared areas. Mark spaces that cleaners may enter and those that require your permission. Specify tasks per visit and list periodic work in a separate schedule.
For example, request vacuuming, washroom cleaning and bin servicing as recurring tasks, then ask for separate proposals for carpet extraction or floor stripping. Give bidders the same instructions about desk surfaces, moving furniture and handling confidential papers. Ask who supplies soap, paper products and liners, and who notices and reports shortages.
Set the access window before accepting a quote. Name the person who provides keys or alarm instructions, the cleaner's emergency contact and the procedure for securing the building. Ask for a written approach to missed visits, staff replacement and correcting incomplete work.
Compare the full contract price
Request a recurring total, the number of scheduled visits and an itemized list of extras. Ask bidders to state taxes, consumables, equipment, hauling and disposal charges rather than leave you to infer what the total includes. For periodic work, agree on a price and authorization process before the cleaner starts.
The Comité paritaire's Montréal-region jurisdiction includes Outaouais. Its decree covers cleaning performed for others, subject to its territorial rules and exclusions. The text includes offices, stores and other commercial establishments within its definition of public buildings. Ask the contractor to confirm how the decree applies to the proposed staffing arrangement. [2] [3]
As of October 11, 2026, covered employees' minimum hourly wages are CAD 23.25 for class A heavy work and class B light work, and CAD 23.90 for class C work at height. The decree schedules increases to CAD 23.83 for classes A and B and CAD 24.49 for class C on November 1, 2026. Ask a bidder offering a long contract how it accounts for that change. [2]
Use these wages to ask about staffing assumptions. Do not calculate your contract price by multiplying the wage floor by an assumed visit duration. Request the contractor's own price for the agreed work, including its supplies, equipment and other charges.
Keep waste sorting in the cleaning instructions
Gatineau has required recycling and compost collection for institutions, businesses and industries since September 16, 2025. The City also requires access to sorting for employees and customers. Tell the cleaning contractor which internal bins feed each collection container, and ask it to preserve those separate streams during bin servicing. [1]
Check your lease and speak with the property owner before assigning collection duties. For buildings without municipal recycling and compost collection, the City requires the owner to arrange private collection or ensure tenants have contracts when it delegates that responsibility. The owner must provide the collection-contract proof to the City. [1]
Distinguish carrying materials from indoor bins to the building's containers from transporting them off site. Put each responsibility in writing. Ask the cleaner to report overflowing containers or sorting problems to a named contact rather than improvise a disposal route.
Check chemicals and specialist work
Ask the provider which products it proposes to use and where it will store them. For hazardous products covered by workplace rules, CNESST describes employer duties to ensure appropriate labels, make safety data sheets available to workers and provide training and information. Request an explanation of how the provider handles these duties on your premises. [5]
Discuss surface compatibility, occupied rooms and access during cleaning. If you operate a clinic or another premises with a dedicated sanitation procedure, give bidders that procedure and ask them to confirm their scope against it. Request separate approval for unfamiliar products or changes to the agreed method.
Treat high window cleaning and floor treatment as defined tasks. The decree distinguishes heavy work, light work and specified work at height. Ask who will perform each task, what equipment they will bring and what access they need. Request proof of liability insurance and ask whether the provider uses subcontractors. [2]
Covered cleaning employees' minimum hourly wages
Local details that affect your job
Act on collection proof before October 15
The City's current guidance says businesses that have not contacted it or sent recycling and compost collection-contract proof by October 15, 2026 may receive violation notices, followed by a CAD 600-per-day infringement ticket. Confirm your status with the property owner now. Tenants who manage their own collection contracts must give copies to the owner, who submits proof for the building. Municipal collection of both streams removes the proof requirement; municipal service for only one stream leaves proof necessary for the other. [1]
Confirm hauling eligibility before booking a cleanup
Gatineau's mobile ecocentres exclude materials from commercial activities. At its fixed ecocentres, the City lists construction residues at CAD 36.30 per cubic metre for eligible small businesses, with a minimum billable volume of one cubic metre for charged visits. It lists construction residues at the transfer centre at CAD 185 per tonne with a CAD 100 minimum for small businesses. Ask the hauler to confirm its user category, accepted materials and destination, then separate transport and disposal charges in the quote. [4]
Match the quote to the work
| Your situation | Request in the quote | Confirm before signing |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring office or shop cleaning | Tasks per room and per visit, plus periodic work | Access, supplies, exclusions and correction of missed tasks |
| Recycling and compost bin servicing | Separate handling to the designated collection containers | Gatineau collection arrangements and the owner's contract-proof responsibilities |
| Floor treatment or high window cleaning | A separate scope, equipment plan and price | Who performs the work and how applicable decree classifications affect staffing |
| Post-renovation cleanup with hauling | Separated materials, transport and disposal charges | Destination eligibility, business user category and applicable disposal minimums |
Your hiring checklist
- Prepare one task list and give the same version to each bidder.
- Show bidders floor materials, washrooms, shared areas and restricted rooms.
- Agree on visit times, keys, alarm instructions and the person responsible for lockup.
- Confirm landlord and tenant collection responsibilities before assigning bin servicing.
- Request recurring totals and separate prices for periodic work, supplies and hauling.
- Ask for insurance documentation, subcontractor details and the chemical-handling plan.
- Agree on inspection, correction of missed tasks and written approval for extra work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I budget for a cleaning contract?
Request site-specific quotes for the same task list and schedule. The cited wage figures are minimum pay for covered employees, so they do not establish a customer hourly rate or a price per square foot. Ask for a recurring total and separate periodic-work charges. [2]
Does collecting cardboard satisfy the recycling requirement?
No. Gatineau says businesses must sort all recyclable containers, packaging and printed materials. If you have cardboard-only collection, discuss adding collection for the remaining materials or switching to mixed recycling collection. [1]
Do I need compost collection if we produce little food waste?
Yes. The City requires businesses to have compost collection even when they generate little compostable material. Its guidance suggests a municipal brown bin or sharing a bin with other businesses in the building. Confirm the arrangement before instructing the cleaner. [1]
Does the Montréal cleaning decree matter in Gatineau?
The committee states that its Montréal region includes Outaouais. Application depends on the decree's scope and exclusions, including an exclusion for certain artisans working alone or with specified family members. Ask the provider to confirm its arrangement with the committee if coverage is unclear. [2] [3]
Sources and scope
This guide combines the sources below with practical planning guidance. Figures apply to the stated geography and period; request a written quote for your property.