How to Get Strata Cleaning Contracts: Complete Guide 2026

How Do Strata Cleaning Contracts Go to Tender in NSW?

Understanding the tender process is the foundation of any strategy for how to get strata cleaning contracts in competitive Sydney markets. Strata cleaning contracts typically enter the market through two pathways: open tender and direct negotiation.

An open tender occurs when the strata managing agent issues a formal Request for Tender (RFT) or Request for Quotation (RFQ) to multiple cleaning providers. The RFT specifies the property address, building size (sqm of common area), cleaning frequency, scope of work, and mandatory compliance requirements. Responses are evaluated against price, credentials, references, and methodology. Most strata schemes over 50 lots go through a formal tender process, particularly after a contract expiry or service failure.

Direct negotiation - also called a closed bid - occurs when the strata agent approaches known and trusted providers directly, often based on existing relationships or referrals from other scheme managers within the same agency. This is how the majority of smaller residential schemes (under 20 lots) are contracted in Sydney's inner suburbs.

Practical steps to access the tender market in NSW:

Step 1: Register on tender notification platforms. AusTender (federal), eTendering NSW (state), and commercial platforms like Tenderlink and Vendor Panel list cleaning contracts across government-managed strata and housing assets. BIC Alliance and industry bodies such as the Cleaning Council of Australia (CCA) also publish member contract opportunities.

Step 2: Build a relationship with Strata Plus, Bright & Duggan, PICA Group, and Strata Choice. These are among the largest strata management agencies in Sydney by portfolio size. Each manages hundreds of schemes across the metro area. A single vendor approval with any one of these agencies places a cleaning business within the referral pool for multiple properties.

Step 3: Attend industry events. Strata Community Association (SCA) NSW hosts annual conferences and networking events where strata managers, committee members, and service providers interact. In-person introductions at SCA events carry materially more weight than cold emails because they establish trust and recall before a tender lands.

Step 4: Target new developments. Sydney's apartment construction pipeline consistently creates new strata schemes requiring cleaning contracts from the point of first occupancy. Development managers and building completion teams - particularly for mixed-use and residential projects in growth corridors like Parramatta, Macquarie Park, and Green Square - require cleaning providers 4-6 weeks before practical completion. Monitoring development applications through the NSW Planning Portal and approaching developers directly is a repeatable source of first-contract opportunities.

What Does a Winning Strata Cleaning Proposal Include?

The proposal is where most cleaning businesses lose contracts they could otherwise win. Generic templates submitted without site-specific detail signal inexperience to strata managers who evaluate dozens of proposals per year. A competitive strata cleaning proposal addresses the following:

• Site-specific scope of work - itemising every common area to be cleaned (lobby, lifts, stairwells, car parks, bin rooms, letterbox areas, pool surrounds, gym), the cleaning method for each surface type, and the frequency per area. A proposal that references the actual building - its address, lot count, and known common areas - demonstrates that a site inspection has occurred.
• Staffing allocation - naming the number of cleaners per visit, their experience level, and the supervision structure. Strata managers want to know who will be on-site, not just that "a team" will attend.
• Quality assurance process - describing how cleaning standards are verified after each visit. Digital inspection reports, before-and-after photo documentation, and a clear complaint response protocol (24-48 hour response standard is the industry benchmark) address the single most common reason strata committees change providers: lack of accountability.
• Pricing structure - presenting a per-visit rate, a monthly rate, and an annual contract rate. Breaking pricing into line items (common area cleaning, bin management, lift deep clean, car park sweep) allows the committee to understand the value allocation and make scope adjustments rather than rejecting the total price.
• Contract terms - including a clear commencement date, a notice period (typically 30-60 days for strata contracts), and an escalation clause tied to CPI or the Fair Work Award rate for cleaners under the Cleaning Services Award 2020.

How Does Relationship Management Determine Contract Retention and Referrals?

Getting a strata cleaning contract is one challenge. Keeping it - and converting it into referrals for additional schemes - is where cleaning businesses build compounding revenue. Strata contracts that renew without re-tender are the most efficient form of revenue in the sector, and they are earned through consistent delivery and proactive communication, not pricing.

Strata committee members and managing agents respond strongly to cleaning providers who function as the eyes and ears of the building - reporting maintenance issues, graffiti, damage, or safety hazards observed during cleaning rounds. This behaviour transforms a cleaning provider from a commodity vendor into a trusted building partner, which directly influences renewal decisions and word-of-mouth referrals within managing agent networks.



Concrete retention practices include monthly service reports distributed to the strata manager, quarterly scope reviews to adjust frequency based on seasonal occupancy changes, and a named account manager whom the agent can contact directly without navigating a call centre. For Sydney-based strata cleaning providers, demonstrating this level of service accountability is the primary differentiator in a market where dozens of competitors are competing on price alone.

FAQs About How to Get Strata Cleaning Contracts

Cleaning business owners frequently raise the same questions when entering the strata market for the first time. The answers below address each with specificity relevant to the NSW strata environment.

How do I find strata cleaning contracts near me in Sydney?

The most direct pathway is to identify the strata managing agents operating in your target Sydney suburbs and contact their facilities or contractor intake teams directly. In NSW, licensed strata managers are listed on the NSW Fair Trading public register, which is searchable by suburb and licence class. Large agency groups, including PICA Group, Strata Plus, and Bright & Duggan, each manage hundreds of residential and commercial strata schemes across Sydney and have structured vendor onboarding processes. In parallel, monitoring the NSW Planning Portal for newly registered strata schemes - particularly in high-density corridors like Zetland, Rhodes, and Ryde - provides early access to contracts before they reach formal tender. Attending SCA NSW events and joining the Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI) Australia chapter also places a cleaning business within the referral networks that generate closed-bid opportunities. For detailed guidance on what strata cleaning involves operationally, reviewing the scope expectations upfront helps calibrate proposals accurately.

What insurance do I need to get strata cleaning contracts in NSW?

The minimum insurance requirement for strata cleaning contracts in NSW is $10 million public liability coverage, issued by an APRA-regulated insurer and evidenced by a current certificate of currency. Workers' compensation coverage is mandatory for any business with employees under the Workers Compensation Act 1987 (NSW). Some strata schemes - particularly those managed under building management contracts for large residential towers - require $20 million public liability and professional indemnity insurance in addition to the standard public liability policy. All insurance documents must be current at the time of contract commencement and renewed without lapse throughout the contract term. Strata managing agents typically request updated certificates of currency at each annual contract renewal. Cleaning businesses that allow coverage to lapse risk immediate contract termination under the indemnity clause standard in most strata cleaning contract agreements.

How much should I charge for strata cleaning contracts in Sydney?

Strata cleaning pricing in Sydney is calculated per visit, per month, or on a per-square-metre basis for larger common areas. A standard residential scheme with weekly cleaning of lobbies, lifts, stairwells, and bin areas typically ranges from $400 to $1,200 per month, depending on building size, lot count, and the number of common areas serviced. Larger schemes with car parks, gymnasiums, and swimming pool surrounds sit in the $1,500 to $4,000 per month range. Per-square-metre rates for strata common areas typically fall between $2 and $6 per sqm per visit. Pricing too low to win a contract is a compounding error - award wage obligations under the Cleaning Services Award 2020, superannuation, insurance, equipment, and materials must all be covered within the margin. Undercutting on price without operational capacity to deliver results in poor service performance, contract loss, and reputational damage within the close-knit network of strata managers who share contractor feedback across agencies. For a full breakdown of commercial cleaning costs in Sydney, reviewing current market rates before submitting any proposal is recommended.

What is the difference between a strata cleaning contract and a commercial cleaning contract?

A strata cleaning contract is a service agreement between a cleaning provider and an owners corporation - the legal entity that governs a strata scheme under the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015. The contract covers common property only: lobbies, lifts, stairwells, car parks, bin areas, pool surrounds, and shared amenities. Individual lots (apartments or commercial tenancies) are outside the scope of a strata contract unless separately engaged by lot owners. A commercial cleaning contract, by contrast, is an agreement with a single business entity covering a privately owned or leased commercial tenancy - an office, retail space, gym, or warehouse. The key structural differences are the procurement authority (owners corporation vs. a single business decision-maker), the governance framework (Strata Schemes Management Act vs. standard contract law), the invoicing structure (usually raised to the strata managing agent on behalf of the owners corporation), and the scope boundaries (common property only vs. the entirety of the leased space). Providers expanding from office cleaning Sydney into strata should treat these as distinct sales processes requiring different compliance documentation, proposal formats, and account management approaches.

Everyday Clean has delivered strata cleaning services in Sydney for over 20 years, maintaining common areas across residential and mixed-use schemes with documented compliance, transparent reporting, and quality assurance built into every service agreement.