Cleaning

Policy

This policy sets out the types of arrangements for school cleaning contracts, and provides details of the responsibilities for both central and school staff in managing cleaning arrangements, contracts, and standards, in order to keep school environments safe and clean.

Summary

Metropolitan schools

• Principals or a nominated member of school staff must work with their school cleaning service provider to complete and agree upon a cleaning services plan – which is drafted and provided by the cleaning services provider for their school campus. For more information refer to the guidance chapter Cleaning metropolitan Melbourne schools: establishing services and agreeing a cleaning services plan.
• The cleaning services plan is an agreement between the school and their provider detailing requirements for cleaning services specific to the campus.

Regional schools

• School councils of regional schools are responsible for entering into a School council agreement for the provision of cleaning services (DOCX) (cleaning contract) with a cleaning service provider.
• Regional school principals are responsible for managing the performance of their cleaning service provider against their cleaning contract and for updating their contract details on the Asset Information Management System (AIMS).
• The VSBA School cleaning unit is available to assist and support regional schools to obtain and maintain a cleaning contract.
• Regional schools unable to source a cleaning service provider can contact the VSBA School cleaning unit for assistance or to apply for an exemption to employ a cleaner as a local payroll School council employee or source an alternate arrangement such as a cluster or network cleaning partnership.

Details

Cleaning contract arrangements are different for metropolitan and regional schools. However, all principals and nominated school staff play a key role in ensuring school environments are cleaned to the appropriate standards under both metropolitan and regional arrangements. Central department staff such as the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) School cleaning unit, also play a joint role in managing and supporting cleaning contracts within schools.

Metropolitan schools

The department has centrally appointed contracts with cleaning service providers to clean metropolitan schools. Five providers have been appointed across 10 areas under the cleaning services agreements, which came into effect on 26 December 2024.

The cleaning model for these contracts is performance-based and all cleanable areas must be cleaned to meet the required standards set by the department. Minimum frequency requirements are also in place, with service providers required to clean more frequently if needed to maintain the relevant standard.

Responsibilities of principals and key school staff

The principal can self-appoint or nominate a member of staff as their school representative for managing the cleaning at their school or campus.

The principal or the school representative is responsible for:

• conducting an initial meeting, and then after that an annual review in conjunction with their service provider for the completion of a bespoke Cleaning service plan which will drafted for the school by their provider
• collaborating and cooperating with the VSBA School cleaning unit in relation to scheduling internal and third-party on-site audits, when required
• managing cleaning issues, concerns or complaints by:
  • communicating minor cleaning requests, changes or issues directly with their service provider’s local cleaning team, and ensuring this is documented on the communication book or other agreed upon method
  • escalating unresolved issues or major cleaning concerns, such as failure to deliver cleaning services in accordance with the cleaning services plan, by submitting a cleaning incident via AIMS
• arranging for emergency cleaning by:
  • submitting an incident report in AIMS
  • calling their service provider – details including the emergency clean criteria, and the phone number of all service providers can be found in Cleaning metropolitan Melbourne schools in the Guidance tab
• ensuring relevant site-specific information is shared with the cleaning service provider, as per the Contractor OHS Management policy
• notifying the Conduct and Integrity Division of any incident involving cleaners which relates to child safety so that the Conduct and Integrity Division can form a view as to whether a reportable allegation has occurred and needs to be reported and investigated, as per the Reportable and Notifiable Conduct policy
• monitoring their building area changes and ensuring school plans are up-to-date in AIMS.

Responsibilities of all school staff

All metropolitan school staff are responsible for:

• reporting any non-cleaning related incidents with the cleaning service provider as per the Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies) policy and also the Contractor OHS Management policy
• protecting the safety and wellbeing of children and young people, as per the Protecting Children – Reporting and Other Legal Obligations policy and by following the Four Critical Actions and any relevant local school level policies.

Department supports for schools

The VSBA School Cleaning Unit in consultation with the relevant school, is responsible for the engagement and overall management of a cleaning service provider for each school campus including:

• distributing a standardised induction to school cleaning service providers to give to school cleaning staff as part of their onboarding with the service provider, ensuring consistency and clarity in relation to the department’s relevant policies and procedures
• maintaining oversight of the cleaning providers performance, including supporting schools to rectify issues or concerns that have been escalated via AIMS, which may include:
  • following up issues with service providers
  • including AIMS data in performance reporting as part of the contract arrangements
  • supporting schools through rectifications or as needed to resolve issues
• in consultation with school staff, arranging internal on-site quality audits and third-party audits at relevant intervals.

Funding for metropolitan schools

For metropolitan schools, the contracted service providers are centrally funded through the department for the ordinary costs of cleaning their entitled spaces, as per their bespoke cleaning services plan, which identifies areas based on the school plan and is housed in AIMS.

The cleaning service provider provides bin liners but no other school consumables such as toilet paper, paper towels, soap, disinfectant blocks and hand sanitiser. The metropolitan area-based cleaning model does not include cleaning school-owned assets such as school-funded teacher housing, structures or building changes that are not part of normally used school facilities, or leased facilities not used by the school.

Schools are provided with SRP funding each year for greater flexibility to purchase additional cleaning services when required, such as after external hirer usage of school rooms, before or after fetes or sports events, and out of hours use. Schools will receive this funding in instalments through SRP offline payments in Term 1 and Term 3 each school year.

When purchasing additional cleaning services, schools must use their nominated service provider and use the additional cleaning provision under the school cleaning services agreement. Under the model, each service provider must provide schools with a quotation on additional services at the school’s request. The service provider must quote based on the agreed pricing, as stipulated in the contract. For detailed information on additional cleaning please refer to the Additional cleaning services section in the Guidance tab.

For more information on metropolitan Melbourne cleaning, please refer to Cleaning metropolitan Melbourne schools in the Guidance tab.

Regional schools

The department provides funding directly to regional schools via the SRP, for schools to contract cleaning providers that best suit their local circumstances after undergoing the procurement process outlined in this policy, for up to 5 years at a time. The VSBA School Cleaning Unit, as well as the department’s Schools Procurement Branch is available to assist and support regional schools in this process.

Schools can also apply for exemptions or obtain support from the VSBA School cleaning unit to pursue alternative bespoke arrangements, such as the coordination of service providers across school-led clusters or partnerships, or an exemption to employ a school cleaner via the school’s local payroll.

Regional schools that are unable to source a cleaning service provider and would like to employ a cleaner directly can submit an application for exemption by email to cleaning@education.vic.gov.au

Responsibilities of principals

If utilising a cleaning service contract, regional school principals are responsible for:

• initiating and managing the procurement process to contact a cleaning provider (noting schools can use AIMS to search for local cleaning service providers (PDF) (staff login required), including utilising a school council agreement and uploading the contract and registering the provider (if not already registered) in AIMS. For more information on the process refer to Cleaning regional schools
• managing the cleaning service provider contract as per the guidance in this policy, including;
  • having a process for knowing who is on the school grounds, as per the department’s Visitors in Schools policy, and Contractor OHS Management policy, including annually or when a new cleaner is on-site, validating the Working with Children Check (WWCC) for all the employees who may work on-site, including labour hire employees, as per the department’s Working with Children Checks and other Suitability Checks for School Volunteers and Visitors policy and the school’s own local WWCC register and procedure
  • providing an induction to all the employees who may work on-site, including labour hire employees, as per the Contractor OHS Management policy
  • responding to any need to vary the agreement as described in the guidance Varying the agreement
  • monitoring and reporting cleaning incidents
  • reviewing and updating contracts, as required
• monitoring their building area changes and ensuring school plans are up-to-date in AIMS.

If employing individual cleaners directly (via local payroll), regional school principals are responsible for:

• initiating and managing the process of obtaining an exemption
• ongoing compliance with the relevant HR and employment processes and entitlements, as per the School Council Employment policy, and all other relevant department policies such as OHS Induction and Training for School Staff, Suitability for Employment Checks, Reportable and Notifiable Conduct
• ensuring the relevant insurance arrangements have been obtained including WorkSafe WorkCover insurance.

Responsibilities of school councils

If utilising a cleaning service contract, regional school councils are responsible for:

• assisting in the procurement process when undertaking a contract renewal process or appointing a new provider, including completion of the School council cleaning checklist (DOCX)
• approving the contract with the successful provider from the procurement process by completing the school council agreement.

If employing individual cleaners directly (via local payroll), regional school councils are responsible for:

• approving the position as per the School Council Employment policy
• obtaining and approving the relevant insurance arrangements as per the Insurance for Schools policy and information from WorkSafe Victoria – WorkCover insurance.

Department supports for schools

The VSBA School Cleaning Unit in consultation with the relevant school, is responsible for:

• assisting with guidance and support for regional schools looking to modify or enter into new cleaning provider arrangements
• monitoring and managing exemptions for schools who require a bespoke approach or are unable to source a contract cleaning provider
• supporting schools to rectify issues or concerns that have been escalated via AIMS or raised directly to the VSBA School Cleaning Unit.

Regional schools can access additional guidance about establishing their School council agreement and reporting requirements in Cleaning regional schools on the Guidance tab. Supporting documents required to engage and manage a cleaning service provider are also available on the Resources tab.

Funding for regional schools

School funding for contract cleaning is included in the Student Resource Package (SRP) based on normal and low-use areas as determined by cleanable spaces identified in the school’s Cleanable Area Report. For more information, refer to Contract cleaning (Reference 28 of the SRP guide) or email studentresourcepackage@education.vic.gov.au

In addition to contract cleaning SRP funding, further flexible funding is allocated directly to regional schools to purchase additional cleaning services when required, such as external hiring, fetes, sports events, and out of hours. Schools receive this funding through SRP offline payments in Term 1 and Term 3 each year.

Further additional funding has been allocated to regional schools to cover the requirement for school contract cleaners to be paid at least 5% above cleaning services award rate for all contract cleaners.

Definitions

Area supervisor or manager
The supervisor or manager of the cleaning service provider’s local cleaning team.

Asset Information Management System (AIMS)
The Asset Information Management System (AIMS) is a web-based, centralised portal that has replaced schools' existing asset information management systems.

Building area changes
Building area changes (for example, whether the changed areas are part of the school’s area entitlement and whether they involve designated cleanable areas) can impact the amount of funding a school receives for cleaning. For more information, refer to Contract cleaning (Reference 28 of the SRP guide) or Repurposing and Renaming School Spaces, or email the Information and Reporting Unit at sams@education.vic.gov.au

Cleaning area entitlement
The cleaning area entitlement (normal use) for both primary and secondary schools is allocated in square metres according to enrolment bands of 25 students.

For more information, refer to Contract cleaning (Reference 28 of the SRP guide).

Contract administrator
For metropolitan schools, this is the VSBA School Cleaning Unit as the department’s representative responsible for managing the contractual relationship with the service provider. For regional schools this is the school principal.

School representative
The person nominated by each school to be responsible for the school’s relationship with the service provider. The school representative is usually the principal or school business manager. They are responsible for agreeing to the cleaning services plan, communicating cleaning incidents to the service provider and escalating any unresolved issues as per this policy and guidance.

Service agreement
The contract between the department and the service provider.

Service provider
The cleaning service provider appointed to deliver cleaning services to the school. In metropolitan schools the service provider is appointed by the department. In regional schools the service provider is appointed by the school council.

Related policies

• Child Safe Standards
• Contractor OHS Management
• Graffiti – Prevention and Management
• Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies)
• Reportable and Notifiable Conduct
• Student Resource Package – School Infrastructure
• Working with Children Checks and other Suitability Checks for School Volunteers and Visitors

Relevant legislation

• Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic)
• Labour Hire Licensing Act 2018 (Vic)
• Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)
• Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Vic)

Guidance

This guidance contains the following chapters:

• Cleaning regional schools:
  • Understanding the schools cleaning needs
  • Determining the school’s budget
  • Determining the market approach
  • Developing request for quote or tender documentation
  • Releasing a quote or tender
  • Conducting site visits
  • Evaluating the cleaning proposals
  • After completing the evaluation
  • Exemptions
  • Managing the agreement
• Cleaning metropolitan Melbourne schools:
  • Types of cleaning services
  • Establishing services and agreeing a cleaning services plan
  • Monitoring and reviewing services
  • Resolving issues with the school’s cleaning
  • Specific arrangements and service provider responsibilities during cleaning activities

Cleaning regional schools

This chapter supports regional schools to procure and deliver contract cleaning. This guidance is only intended for regional Victorian government schools. Metropolitan Melbourne Victorian government schools should refer to the chapter on Cleaning metropolitan Melbourne schools.

Schools must undertake a procurement process for a new cleaning service provider if:

• the current contract is or will be expiring
• the current contract is terminated before the contract completion date
• there is no current contract in place.

To procure a cleaning service provider, regional schools must follow this guidance which has been developed to ensure compliance with relevant department policies, such as the Procurement – Schools policy, Contractors – Insurance and Contract Arrangements and Suitability for Employment Checks. There are exemptions available for schools where a school employs a cleaner directly, or chooses to take a different market approach. More information can be found under the Exemptions section.

The procurement process includes the following steps:

1. Understanding the school's cleaning needs
2. Determining the school’s budget
3. Determining the market approach
4. Developing request for quote or tender documentation
5. Releasing a quote or tender
6. Conducting site visits
7. Evaluating the cleaning proposal
8. Finalising the agreement.

Understanding the school's cleaning needs

It is important to understand the school’s cleaning needs before going out to market.

Review facility plans and reports

Before engaging with the market, and in order to understand their specific cleanable areas, schools can review their SRP contract cleaning funding against their Cleanable Area Reports (CAR) which are developed from the school’s School Plan (formerly known as SAMS plan). A school can update their School Plan by marking it up and sending it to sams@education.vic.gov.au. For guidance on downloading a School Plan – refer to Facilities Management Centre – School Plan (PDF) (staff login required).

The CAR shows which areas of the school attract the SRP contract cleaning funding. The CAR classifies school areas as 'cleanable' and 'non-cleanable'. To access the CAR, contact the VSBA School Cleaning Unit on 1300 415 453 or email cleaning@education.vic.gov.au

Note: The VSBA School Cleaning Unit is unable to change the data within the CAR. To change a CAR classification from 'non-cleanable' to 'cleanable, schools can liaise with their relevant region’s Senior Provision and Planning Officer to request to have areas reviewed and re-classified. This process is outlined in the Repurposing and Renaming School Spaces policy.

Determining the school’s budget

Before going to market, the school must establish a cleaning budget. The SRP allocation will inform deliberation of a budget, as will the scope of cleaning and the area to be cleaned. Once a budget is determined, schools can estimate the total cost of the contract which will then determine the appropriate market approach.

Considerations for schools to determine a budget include:

• the SRP contract cleaning funding
• the size, location and use of areas that need to be cleaned. For example:
  • location – high-use areas or areas that get more soiled may need to be cleaned more often or more frequently than other areas. These areas may need thorough cleans, whereas other areas may only need spot cleans
  • size – using the data from the CAR, schools can estimate how many hours of cleaning they might need per week, using a production rate of 300 to 350 square meters per hour as a ‘rule of thumb’ for the cleaning of public spaces
  • use – certain areas that are used for specific purposes such as toilets, kitchens, eating areas and sick bays might need to be prioritised or cleaned more frequently, such as daily during school term, to maintain health and safety. Schools can also consider the user of the space, for example, if a staff member or student has a health care need that would necessitate cleaning to a higher frequency or standard in particular areas. Where the school’s facilities are also used outside of school hours by another community user, the school can take into account the appropriate contribution for cleaning costs from any hire and licence or joint use agreement. Community activities may increase cleaning demands and cause wear and tear on the facility. For more information see the Community Use of Schools – Hiring and Licensing policy
• the suitability and cost of the existing cleaning schedule.

Once a budget has been determined, it is recommended that schools keep this information confidential to help attract competitive quotes from service providers.

Cleaning service providers may have different pricing models compared to other service providers schools may be familiar with. Factors such as service levels, cleaning frequency, and profit margins can influence the fee structure.

Determining the market approach

Once the school has estimated a budget, schools can determine the total cost of the contract (the entire contract, including extension options, not year by year) to ensure that they follow the correct procurement process, as per the department’s Procurement policy.

Each procurement threshold has a corresponding minimum requirement for market engagement. This means that depending on the estimated total contract cost, schools must seek the following minimum number of quotes:

• less than $2,500 = one quote (either verbal or written)
• more than $2,500 and less than $25,000 = one written quote
• more than $25,000 and less than $150,000 = 3 written quotes
• $150,000 or more = tender process.

The procurement threshold is the value of the entire contract (including any additional year options).

For more information, including a full list of templates and forms available against each threshold, please refer to the Procurement – Schools policy and the Schools procurement procedure (PDF) (staff login required).

Schools that wish to undertake a different market approach must have a valid justification and seek appropriate approvals first. Please refer to the different market approach section for more details.

Considerations for multi-campus schools

Procurement thresholds apply to multi-campus schools, with the larger budget including all campuses. Multi-campus schools can choose to use the same service provider or different ones for each site.

Developing request for quote or tender documentation

Schools must follow the department’s tender or quote template to develop documentation. Additional forms may be required. Please refer to the Procurement – Schools policy and the Procurement tools and templates for more information.

In the quote or tender documentation, schools must include:

• a copy of their School Plan
• a copy of their Cleanable Area Report (CAR)
• a completed School council cleaning checklist (DOCX)
• the relevant scope (if required, using the procurement template (staff login required) relevant to their threshold). Schools are recommended to include a clause within the scope that states ‘the final engagement of the successful provider will be subject to the final approval of the bidder’. This allows the school to reject the bid should the service provider fail to meet compliance standards when the cleaning contract is uploaded to AIMS. For assistance to develop an appropriate scope, please contact cleaning@education.vic.gov.au for advice and support.

Tips for developing the scope document and selection criteria

• Key performance indicators (KPIs): it would be useful to include any KPIs in the scope and selection criteria, so potential providers are aware of the criteria and performance standards they might need to meet. For assistance to develop appropriate KPIs, please contact Schools Procurement via email at schools.procurement@education.vic.gov.au
• Quality and value: in line with the Procurement – Schools policy, the quality of service and value for money will be of high consideration in the decision-making process. Therefore, it should be weighted heavily in the tender/quote selection criteria.
• Fees adjustment: allow for Consumer Price Index (CPI) price increase and minimum wage increases in multiple-year contracts, noting that a service provider’s price must not increase outside the agreement unless agreed by both parties in writing.
• OHS: it is useful to have an outline about the OHS compliance of providers to ensure that potential cleaning service providers are aware they will (if successful) need to work in line with department policies, and demonstrate compliance with all the required legislated documentation required in the Contractors – Insurance and Contract Arrangements policy and Contractor OHS Management policy.
• Professional relationship: given the long-term relationship with the successful service provider, it is important to select a provider with sound and professional customer service skills. Therefore, including a customer service element in the selection criteria is advisable.

Releasing a quote or tender

Quotes or tenders must be open for a minimum of 10 business days.

When releasing a tender or quote, it's important to include the school council agreement alongside the document. This ensures potential bidders understand the terms of engagement if they are successful.

Regional school councils must engage cleaning service providers using the school council agreement. This agreement outlines the responsibilities and obligations of the service provider. School councils should make every effort to avoid entering into supplier standard form contracts. The school council agreement can be found on the Resources tab, along with a guide for completing it. For any enquiries about the School council agreement or the guide, please contact the department's Legal division at legal.services@education.vic.gov.au or call 03 9637 3146.

After releasing the quote or tender, schools can notify service providers about the opportunity, for example via the community notice board, school website or local newspaper.

Schools can use AIMS to find contact details of registered cleaning service providers in their area, and check their compliance documents. Providers can be searched by Local Government Area (LGA), Australian Business Number (ABN), or name.

Conducting site visits

Schools are recommended to arrange a site visit for interested bidders within 3 to 5 business days of releasing the quote or tender. Schools may decide that the site visit should be mandatory for all interested service providers.

The quote or tender scope can include a site inspection. This enables the school to inform the suppliers that they can book a time to inspect the school in order to provide a more detailed and accurate quote, if desired.

Schools may wish to customise the below example with their quote or tender scope.

Evaluating the cleaning proposals

Once the tender or quote closes, the school must evaluate submissions based on:

• the selection criteria
• any of the guidance in the Finance Manual for Victorian Government Schools as relevant
• the required templates and process relevant to the procurement threshold.

Schools can refer to the Schools procurement procedure (PDF) (staff login required) for guidance on required templates, how to evaluate supplier responses, and to assist in determining value for money.

Key factors to consider could include:

• ensuring the cleaning service provider understands their responsibilities and agrees to the scope outlined in the tender
• verifying that the tenderers agree to the terms of the School council agreement. If there are any requested changes, contact the Legal division for advice
• ensuring compliance with fair work practices, including payment of wages, superannuation, and entitlements as per the relevant award. The Cleaning Services Award provides current minimum hourly rates. More information is available on the Fair Work Australia website
• confirming the service provider includes applicable wages and entitlements in their pricing, which is subject to Consumer Price Index (CPI) increases
• checking required documentation, such as insurances, Working with Children Check (WWCC), ABN, WorkCover, Labour Hire Licence (LHL), and referees. Noting that school will need to upload copies of these documents in AIMS as part of the provider registration, but only once a provider has been appointed. See below for further information on these requirements.

Public liability insurance

All cleaning service providers must maintain current public liability insurance with a coverage of at least $10 million. Schools must not contract with cleaning service providers who cannot demonstrate evidence of valid public liability coverage.

For further details, please refer to Contractors – Insurance and Contract Arrangements.

The department arranges public liability insurance through the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority for sole traders who struggle to secure insurance independently. Sole traders eligible for this coverage must only work at Victorian government schools and have no other employment.

Australian Business Number

Cleaning service providers must have an active Australian Business Number (ABN) registered. Schools can verify a provider’s ABN and GST registration status using the ABN lookup tool.

Businesses only need to register for GST if their annual turnover exceeds $75,000.

WorkCover or personal accident and sickness insurance

Cleaning service providers with employees are required to hold a valid Victorian WorkCover insurance policy, unless exempt. Additional information can be found on the WorkSafe Victoria website.

Exemptions apply in the following cases:

• Companies without apprentices and whose total remuneration is less than $7,500 per year can apply for an exemption.
• Sole traders, partnerships, or individual trustees of trusts who do not employ workers are exempt.

Schools are recommended to ask sole traders and partnership contractors exempt from WorkCover to consider obtaining personal accident and sickness insurance cover with their preferred insurance provider.

Labour hire licence

Cleaning service providers employing cleaners at schools must hold a valid labour hire licence. The Labour Hire Authority ensures compliance with employer obligations, including appropriate wages, entitlements, and superannuation. More details are available on the Labour Hire Authority website.

Sole traders or partnership contractors who work independently at schools are exempt from needing a labour hire licence, such as sole traders who supply themselves as a cleaner.

Sole traders eligible for this coverage must only work at Victorian government schools and have no other employment.

Working with Children Check

In line with the department’s Working with Children Checks and other Suitability Checks for School Volunteers and Visitors policy, and Contractor OHS Management policy, schools are required to verify who is on site, and in their local policy and procedures may determine that all visitors including contracted cleaners, working on-site hold a current ‘Employee’ Working with Children Check (WWCC).

Schools must check that these requirements would align with the polices of the potential cleaning service provider. Additionally, a valid employee WWCC from the successful provider will be required to be uploaded in AIMS as part of the provider registration process.

Schools should request updated an updated list of WWCC details from their service provider as needed, and ensure these are checked and validated each year in line with the WWCC Visitor and Volunteer policy.

Referees

Reference checks are a crucial part of evaluating cleaning service providers. Schools are advised to conduct reference checks on suppliers prior to offering them a contract, particularly for more complex or higher value purchases. Refer to the optional Reference check template (DOCX) (staff login required) for guidance.

After completing the evaluation

Once the evaluation is completed and a recommended provider is identified, the school must:

• obtain copies of the provider’s:
  • public liability insurance certificate of currency
  • Working with Children Check (WWCC)
  • ABN
  • WorkCover certificate of currency
  • labour hire licence (LHL)
• fill out the School council agreement template (including Schedule 1) with the successful bidder’s details
• seek approval from the School council, using the Procurement Evaluation Report (DOCX) for procurements with a value of greater than $150,000
• register the provider in AIMS. For details on how to add a contractor in AIMS, refer to the AIMS Knowledge Centre (PDF) (staff login required) and Adding a regional cleaning contract (PDF) (staff login required)
• sign the contract and upload it to AIMS (refer to contract finalisation)
• notify the provider using the Notification to successful respondent (DOCX) (staff login required)
• retain the original signed agreement and provide a copy to the service provider. Both parties must keep a signed copy for enforcing the contract terms in the future
• notify unsuccessful service providers, using the Notification to unsuccessful respondent (DOCX) for procurements with a value of greater than $150,000.

Note that once agreed, fees are fixed for the contract’s term but are subject to CPI increases.

For more details, refer to the Schools procurement procedure (PDF) (staff login required).

For support with this process, schools can contact the VSBA School Cleaning Unit.

Exemptions

The VSBA School Cleaning Unit evaluates exemption requests from schools unable to engage a compliant provider and wishing to hire a cleaner directly as an Education Support Officer.

Requests to employ a cleaner directly

Permission to directly employ a cleaner is typically granted to schools in isolated areas or with special circumstances. Schools must submit this exemption request (DOCX), signed by the School council president, to the VSBA School Cleaning Unit at cleaning@education.vic.gov.au

Exemption requests should be submitted no earlier than 3 weeks before the current contract or exemption expires. Approval is usually granted for up to 12 months, with the option to seek renewal before the expiry.

If approved to hire directly, schools must comply with employment obligations, including paying entitlements such as leave, and managing performance and termination where necessary.

For advice, contact the VSBA School Cleaning Unit at cleaning@education.vic.gov.au

Requests to take a different market approach

Schools must follow the Procurement – Schools policy to ensure competitive pricing and service. However, schools may seek an exemption from the go-to-market approach with valid justification using the A12 Exemption Request Template (DOCX) (staff login required.

For advice, contact the Schools Procurement Branch at schools.procurement@education.vic.gov.au

Managing the agreement

Active management of the Cleaning services agreement ensures consistent service quality, value for money, and ongoing performance reviews.

Terms and conditions

The school representative is recommended to familiarise themselves with the contract’s terms and conditions, including the service provider’s responsibilities.

Induction

Before commencing the service, all providers must be briefed on the school’s policies, operations, and protocols, such as working hours, child safety requirements, OHS requirements, chemical management, and security protocols.

Initial phase of the agreement

Compliance with the Cleaning services agreement is essential. Schools are recommended to regularly communicate with the provider, provide feedback, and address issues promptly. Schools are recommended to complete an initial review of the provider’s performance within 8 weeks of the contract start to ensure expectations are met.

Varying the agreement

Varying the value of the agreement

Variations to the agreement may occur due to changes such as:

• space usage
• increased enrolments
• building projects.

Both the school council and the service provider must agree on any contract variations. A Variation agreement (DOCX) must be signed by both parties, and uploaded to AIMS, along with any other supporting documents.

The service provider must propose fee variations through written notice. The school has discretion to accept the proposal in writing within 5 business days, otherwise services continue at existing fees. Where a service provider proposes a variation to its fees, the school does not need a formal contract variation agreement. Schools can simply provide written confirmation to the service provider accepting their fee variation proposal, and retain a record of that written acceptance to upload to AIMS with any other supporting documents.

Extending the agreement

The school council agreement can be extended for up to 5 years, made up of an initial 3-year extension, with options for 2 additional one-year terms (for example initial contract of 3 years, with the option for an additional one-year extension, and following that, again an option for another additional one-year extension, therefore the total of the contracted service term as 5 years). Extensions are at the school council’s discretion, based on the provider’s performance. Extensions must be formalised with a signed extension letter, available on the Resources tab.

If the school council and service provider agree to a change in the cleaning cost for the additional one year terms, then a Variation agreement (DOCX) must be completed and executed.

Ending the agreement

At least 12 weeks before contract expiry, the principal is recommended to meet with the service provider to discuss next steps.

A formal termination letter must be sent with at least 20 days’ notice. Schools can find a termination letter template on the Resources tab.

If the school council doesn’t make a decision by the time required in the contract, the current agreement will continue on the same terms and conditions, on a rolling month-by-month basis until the agreement is terminated.

Ending the agreement before expiry

Below are options if the school council wishes to terminate the agreement before its expiry:

1. Termination due to breach: the school must first issue a Notice for breach of school cleaning services agreement (DOCX). This written notice outlines the specific breaches and requires the service provider to rectify them within 14 days. If the breaches are not addressed within that timeframe, the school may proceed with termination using the Contract termination – service failures template (DOCX).
2. Termination without cause: alternatively, the school can terminate the contract without cause by providing 20 days’ written notice to the service provider, using the Termination without cause template (DOCX).

We strongly recommend that schools contact the department’s Legal Division at legal.services@education.vic.gov.au for specific legal advice and guidance on terminating an agreement before it’s expiry.

Performance management

Schools are expected to assess the provider’s performance, offer feedback, and ensure the provider addresses any performance issues.

Schools are recommended to document performance issues and attempts to resolve them to support management of the agreement.

If issues arise with the provider, schools should address them promptly. If issues persist, schools can seek advice from the VSBA School Cleaning Unit or the Legal Services Division.

Communication

Regular communication with the service provider ensures clear expectations and identifies issues early. Schools are recommended to:

• conduct routine checks and provide performance feedback
• establish a dedicated method of communication, such as a communication book to share updates, raise concerns, and advise of any changes to access or requirements.

Formal meetings

Schools are recommended to undertake performance reviews with cleaning providers. It is recommended to meet during the last 2 weeks of term, each term, to review the current performance, agree on the periodical cleaning schedule and communicate any upcoming building works and site closures.

Formal meetings can be recorded to track performance, review feedback, and address issues.

Cleaning metropolitan Melbourne schools

Cleaning service providers are appointed to 10 metropolitan areas for most metropolitan schools. Each area is serviced by a single service provider under a contract administered by the department.

The cleaning model is performance-based. It is based on an agreed standard of cleanliness and an agreed frequency, not on the number of hours spent cleaning. All cleanable areas must be cleaned to meet the required cleaning standards set by the department. Service providers are required to meet the cleaning standards and frequency set out in the Cleaning standards and frequency guide (DOCX), including the expectation that service providers clean more often than the minimum frequency in the guide, if required to maintain the expected standard.

Schools serviced through public private partnerships or where cleaning is organised by other government departments, such as hospital schools and youth justice schools, are not included in this model.

Funding of the additional cleaning services

The routine (base) cleaning services delivered under the model are funded directly by the department. The department pays service providers directly, meaning that schools do not receive their base cleaning budget through their Student Resource Package (SRP).

Additional cleaning services can be procured for specific school cleaning requirements, through an offline SRP payment. Schools must use their nominated service provider for any additional cleaning services. The additional funding is transferred to schools in 2 equal payments. The first payment in Term 1 and the second in Term 3 of each year. The allocation of funds considers each school’s total cleanable area and the minimum shift allowance as per the Cleaning Services Award. Schools can find their specific additional allocation amount through the Cash Grant Report available on the SRP portal under Student Resource Package – Reports.

Each service provider is required to provide schools with a quotation for additional services at the school’s request and have agreed pricing for the life of the contract.

This additional funding can be used for things like additional cleaning before or after school fetes.

Schools are required to fund their own cleaning consumables (except for bin liners). For more information, refer to the personal consumables section in this guidance.

Role of the department

As the department’s contract administrator, the VSBA School Cleaning Unit is responsible for:

• performance monitoring, such as conducting meetings with service providers and assessing overall contract compliance, monitoring logged issues in AIMS to ensure resolution, and compliance with all aspects of the service agreement
• performance management, such as auditing schools to determine cleaning standards are being met and manage any service failures to resolution
• paying for the base services in accordance with the service agreement
• relationship management, such as providing a framework for positive working relationships between schools and service providers.

Role of the school

Schools have an important role in working with cleaning service providers to establish, monitor and review cleaning services. This includes working with the provider and agreeing to a site-specific Cleaning services plan, if needed conducting termly review meetings and monthly on-site cleaning audits, and raising issues through incident reports in AIMS, as well as participating in the mandatory annual review meeting, and allowing for any audit activity arranged by the VSBA.

The Cleaning services plan is the guiding document for delivering specific cleaning services to a school, and an important accountability tool to ensure consistent standards are being provided. The plan gives schools the flexibility to determine their individual cleaning arrangements. It covers access times, security arrangements, cleaning tasks, staff rosters, additional cleaning requirements, periodic (holiday) cleaning arrangements and induction processes. It is important to note this plan is an agreement between the school and service provider that the department can help enforce. More detail is in the Cleaning services plan section of this chapter.

The department has also implemented ongoing third-party quality assurance audits that complement existing performance monitoring.

Types of cleaning services

This section provides an overview of the cleaning services, including additional service requests and the process for completing a work order agreement for additional requested cleaning services.

Routine (base) cleaning services

Routine (base) services are the department’s minimum requirements for cleaning services in schools. The base cleaning services are designed to be easily understood by school staff and cleaning service provider staff.

Cleaning standards and frequencies for routine (base) services

The Cleaning standards and frequency guide (DOCX) outlines the standard required for a facility to be considered clean. It outlines common requirements applicable across rooms and cleanable elements, with clear identifications of areas that require different level of cleaning. The department has simplified the frequency, with most areas now requiring daily cleaning and daily checks.

Periodic (holiday) cleaning services

The service provider must complete periodic (holiday) cleaning services during the term break in accordance with the approved cleaning services plan. There are recommended frequencies and agreed standards for all periodic cleaning services.

Before school holidays, schools may meet with the service provider before the commencement of each term break. In these meetings, schools are recommended to discuss:

• the periodic cleaning to be completed
• any elements not up to standard that have been captured during the termly checks
• any maintenance and building works or other activities such as school holiday programs scheduled over the term break which could impact the periodic cleaning
• site access, security and safety
• scheduled cleaning days with service providers, as per the end of term checklist.

No routine (base) cleaning services are provided during the term breaks – if the school would like base cleaning at this time, they must procure additional cleaning services with their nominated cleaning service provider.

After school holidays, the periodic clean must be delivered as per the cleaning services plan to ensure the cleaning standards are met before students return for the first day of term. If this has not occurred, a school representative is recommended to report this to the department via AIMS or the service providers’ contact centre. This will escalate the issue so rectification can begin.

Emergency cleaning requests

Under the agreement, each school is entitled to emergency cleans paid for by the department. An emergency situation is when a functional area of the school such as a classroom, bathroom, hallway, or any space used for teaching and learning becomes unusable due to an unexpected significant incident that cannot wait until the next scheduled clean.

Cleaning is classified as ‘emergency cleaning’ if it meets the below criteria:

1. the cleaning requirement is unexpected and has an immediate impact on the school’s operations, such as creating a hazard to staff or student health and safety or risk damage to the school/environment
2. school staff cannot readily resolve or make the site safe until the next scheduled clean
3. the service provider needs to respond to the incident outside scheduled cleaning times
4. results in major financial or reputational consequences for the school.

All cleaning requests that do not meet this definition fall into the category of non-emergency additional cleaning services, for which the school is responsible to pay for.

Emergency cleaning requests for spaces that are not entitled on the school’s Cleanable Area Report (CAR) are considered an additional cleaning service request and are the school’s responsibility to pay.

Entitled spaces are defined in the Capacity and Area Allocation policy and reflected in each school’s CAR.

Examples of situations that would classify under as an emergency clean include:

• vomit, urine or faeces in a classroom that renders a functional learning area unable to be used
• urine/faeces in a toilet block rendering the entire area unusable
• offensive graffiti.

Examples of situations when an emergency cleaning request may be declined include:

• calling for an emergency clean within the last 2 hours of the school day, understanding the regular cleaner will be onsite soon
• if a cleaner must return during school hours to fix poor cleaning from the night before. This needs to be raised as a cleaning incident in AIMS (this is not an emergency or additional clean).

Requesting an emergency clean

Schools can log emergency cleaning service requests via AIMS and with their service providers’ contact centre at any time. The cleaning services plan will detail the process. Where additional cleaning is required unexpectedly and urgently, schools are recommended to follow up with a phone call to their service provider after submitting the AIMS incident report.

Emergency cleaning must be addressed by the service provider within 2 hours of the request during the hours of 6 am and 7 pm. For emergency calls after 7 pm there is a 4-hour timeframe, with the expectation that the school representative will be kept reasonably informed of the progress.

If the service provider cannot complete the service request within the allocated timelines as above, they can request additional time from the school representative, provided they have a legitimate and unforeseeable reason.

Additional cleaning services

Additional cleaning services may be procured at the school’s discretion when required, such as for external hirer, fetes, sports events, and before/after school cleaning requirements. Additional funding is allocated to each school per year to procure such services. The school is responsible for the cost of any additional cleaning services undertaken.

The requirement to complete additional cleaning on a regular basis must be reflected in the school’s cleaning services plan as well as documented as an additional cleaning services request, and be procured via a work order agreement. For example, a weekly requirement to clean the gym after an external weekly hire.

One off, ad hoc additional clean requests do not need to be captured in the cleaning services plan.

Schools must use their nominated service provider for any additional cleaning service requests, and apply the following steps:

1. The school must log an ad hoc or routine additional service request via their service provider’s contact centre.
2. The service provider must provide a quotation within 5 business days (with the option to request an extension of up to 2 business days).
3. If the school accepts the quotation, the school must enter into a work order agreement. This work order agreement is created and logged in AIMS.
4. The service provider invoices the school directly, and the school is responsible for payment.

A work order agreement is a direct contractual arrangement between the service provider and the school. A work order agreement can be used either as a standing order for regular additional cleaning services or as an individual agreement for ad hoc additional cleaning services.

For detailed instructions, refer to the External contractor work orders (PDF) (staff login required) and the Routine maintenance tasks schedule (PDF) (staff login required) available in the AIMS Knowledge Centre (staff login required).

Establishing services and agreeing a cleaning services plan

This section provides an overview of school actions to establish cleaning services with the service provider, including agreeing to a cleaning services plan. Establishing services is expected where there is a change to school cleaning requirements (for example, a new or closed building) or before the start of each school year.

Initial meeting

The service provider will schedule an initial meeting with the school’s office. The school representative must attend this meeting.

The initial meeting is recommended to cover:

• key staff introductions (from the service provider and school)
• the cleaning services plan
• a tour of the school facilities
• discussion of the school’s service requirements.

School representatives are recommended to read this guidance chapter before the initial meeting with the service provider.

Inducting cleaning staff

School cleaners should be welcomed as any other member of staff in a school environment. While the service provider is required to train cleaning staff to do their job, schools should assist by helping to bring them into the school community and ensure that any school based inductions for facility services is provided to the cleaners. All school cleaners will also receive a standardised Department of Education induction from their employer.

The cleaning services plan: what it is and why it is important

Service providers are responsible for supplying schools with a draft cleaning services plan, and the school representative must review and communicate any issues with their plans to their service providers in order to finalise the plan.

A cleaning services plan is an agreement between the school and the service provider that the department can help enforce and it details:

• a schedule of the expected regular cleaning tasks (schools should be guided by the department’s Cleaning standards and frequency guide (DOCX))
• access times and security arrangements
• a schedule of periodic (holiday) cleaning, including maintenance work scheduled and school holiday programs
• additional cleaning requirements
• cleaning staff rosters to identify when they will be at the school
• compliance, including details of Working with Children Checks for each cleaner
• the induction process for new cleaning staff
• non-entitled space.

The service provider will seek to understand the school’s unique cleaning needs, such as chemical requirements, specific employee induction requirements, access times for cleaning services and any additional cleaning services required by the school. Schools can determine individual arrangements that work in their unique school environments. The minimum standard in the Cleaning standards and frequency guide (DOCX) must be met, but outside of that, schools have some flexibility in tailoring the cleaning to suit their needs.

The cleaning services plan as an accountability tool

An agreed cleaning services plan provides an important accountability tool – alongside the Cleaning standards and frequency guide (DOCX) – to receive and monitor consistent cleaning and standards from the provider. Agreeing to the plan provides both the school and the department with a written agreement on how the standards are applied to the school’s environment. It can be used to hold the service provider accountable for access times, security arrangements, and more.

School cleaning providers must comply with health and safety legislation, and with all school policies. This includes securing Working with Children Checks for all school cleaners.

If schools have concerns about cleaners’ conduct in relation to child safety, they must take action. The required actions are set out in the Protecting Children – Reporting and Other Legal Obligations policy.

The cleaning services plan is not a contract with the service provider, as the department owns the contract. It is, however, the guiding document for delivering cleaning services to the school.

School representatives should assist the service provider in understanding particular requirements related to their environment including local school-based policies and procedures.

Approving the cleaning services plan

The school must take the following steps to approve their cleaning services plan:

1. Advise school council of any additional cleaning requests. The school council must be aware that regular additional cleaning services will be an added cost to the school and, if relevant and recommended by the principal, approve these costs as an ongoing requirement of the school in the cleaning services plan
2. The service provider sends the draft cleaning services plan to the school for review and approval. If there are errors, the school can advise the provider, who will update and resend it for sign-off
3. The cleaning services plan must be provided to the school and a copy must sit with the communications book and in the cleaners room as per the agreement. The school may request a copy of their cleaning services plan at any time from the service provider, or via the VSBA School Cleaning Unit.

It is recommended that the plan is reviewed during the termly review meetings to ensure that it incorporates any periodic cleaning requirements. The plan also must be reviewed in the annual review meeting, as part of assessing the school’s cleaning requirements for the upcoming year. More information on this is provided in the Monitoring and reviewing services chapter.

School facilities tour

Touring the school facilities allows the service provider (usually the area supervisor or manager) to establish an efficient cleaning service and identify any occupational health and safety risks.

The school representative and the service provider should walk the site together to ensure expectations are aligned with the cleaning scope. The tour can also help to identify discrepancies in what the school or provider has noted as cleanable area.

Third party agreements

Where a school has an agreement with a third party to use or hire facilities, the terms of the agreement must specify the cleaning responsibilities of the school and third party.

The department highly recommends building cleaning requirements into third party agreements to avoid questions with the school’s nominated cleaning provider around cleaning requirements, understanding that the routine (base) cleaning scope does not cover before/after school cleaning unless the school pays for it through an additional cleaning request.

• If an agreement states that the third party is responsible for cleaning the area, they must clean the area to the cleaning standards or the school's satisfaction.
• If an agreement states that school is responsible for cleaning the area, the service provider will assume the cleaning duties of that area. This arrangement must be captured in the cleaning services plan and raised as an additional clean.

Specific arrangements and service provider responsibilities during cleaning activities

This section details specific arrangements that should be established to facilitate cleaning activities and ensure that they take place safely. This includes specific responsibilities of service providers in helping to manage school premises whilst carrying out cleaning activities.

The school must ensure the cleaning staff are provided a safe working environment.

Access times

Unless otherwise agreed with the school representative, the service provider can only undertake cleaning activities at the school:

• in the morning from 6 am to 8:30 am on a school day
• between 3:30 pm and midnight on a school day
• between 6 am and midnight during school term breaks.

The school approved cleaning services plan must include rosters for routine cleaning.

Security arrangements

Where directly associated with delivering cleaning services, the service provider must ensure that:

• all lights, appliances and water taps are turned off after use and before leaving the premises
• all internal doors, windows and locker bays are closed when leaving an area
• all external windows and doors are closed and securely locked when leaving an area
• the school security system has been activated when leaving the premises
• heating and cooling are turned on in the morning and off at night.

The service provider is only required to open/close doors and gates to undertake the cleaning services. If the school requests that the service provider open or close doors or gates at other times (that is, open doors and gates in the morning when cleaning services are delivered only in the afternoon), this is an additional service request, that the school must cover.

Waste movement

The service provider must:

• empty all waste bins throughout the school at least once each school day
• deposit all waste in the bulk waste storage units within each school
• ensure that waste remains in the correct stream from collection through to bulk storage (for example, landfill, recycling)
• ensure that each waste bin is clean, non-odorous and does not present an OHS hazard to school occupants following each empty.

The service provider is not responsible for the removal of waste from the school site.

Confidential documents, personal hygiene (sanitary) and clinical (medical) waste streams are excluded from this requirement as they are separate service contracts.

Cleaning equipment and materials

The service provider must supply all their equipment, material and cleaning consumables to undertake the cleaning services.

As per the contract, if the school requires the use of specific cleaning equipment to maintain the integrity of a school asset (for example, use of a certain polisher for a dance studio floor), then the service provider must supply this equipment.

Personal consumables

The school must supply personal consumable items, including toilet paper, shared soap, hand towels and hand sanitiser, to allow the service provider to keep dispensers and point of use locations stocked for continuous use. Bin liners are supplied by the service provider.

By default, the payment and supply of these items are not with the service provider (except for bin liners). However, schools can agree that the service provider purchases these on the school’s behalf.

The school and service provider should communicate regularly on whether personal consumables stocks are low.

Graffiti removal

The service provider only completes graffiti removal as a base cleaning service where the graffiti can be cleaned and removed relatively simply (that is, within 10 minutes).

The school must make an additional cleaning service request (refer to Types of cleaning services) for graffiti that requires lengthy cleaning time or other actions to remove.

Storage and use of chemicals

The service provider must:

• provide all relevant details of chemicals to the school to ensure that school-based chemical registers can be updated
• use the safest practical chemicals to achieve the cleaning standards
• ensure all chemicals and materials are stored and secured at all times to ensure the safety of school occupants
• ensure all chemicals and materials are supported with current SDS fact sheets that are not older than 5 years from date of issue
• ensure the cleaners’ storeroom (if relevant) is tidy and uncluttered
• comply with the department's Chemical Management policy.

School representatives can reasonably request the use of low allergenic or alternative products, and the service provider will put in place procedures to ensure that only suitable products are used in areas directed by the school representative.

Resolving issues with the school’s cleaning

How to resolve issues with the school’s cleaning

The school representative is recommended to follow the following steps to attempt a quick resolution to any issues with the school’s cleaning:

1. Review the agreed cleaning services plan and the Cleaning standards and frequency guide (DOCX) to confirm that the issue is in scope.
2. Speak with the local cleaning team about the issue to attempt to resolve it. This can be done by logging the issue in the school’s communication book or by having an informal discussion with the cleaning staff. The school representative can also speak with the area supervisor or manager, particularly if the issue is not resolved in the discussion with the cleaning staff. The cleaning staff should resolve any minor cleaning issues within the next cleaning cycle.
3. If not resolved, log the issue via AIMS as an escalated issue so that the department can ensure the service provider is held accountable and the issue is rectified. The VSBA School Cleaning Unit will work with schools and is responsible for managing the performance of each service provider and to ensure cleaning standards are being met via regular on-site quality cleaning audit.
4. For concerns not related to the quality of cleaning, such as the provision of a Working with Children Check or hazardous chemicals in an accessible area, schools must manage and report any incidents or concerns in line with the relevant department policies, such as the Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies) policy, Chemical Management policy, Contractor OHS Management policy, and any other related policy. Schools must follow the Four Critical Actions when responding to an incident, disclosure or suspicion of child abuse. The School Cleaning Unit can also be notified, and the issue or concern logged in AIMS.

Contact centres and contact details for service providers

The service provider's contact centre serves as a central hub for managing, coordinating additional cleaning services, and handling emergency cleaning requests. To escalate issues, schools can use the department’s AIMS portal to raise an incident report.

The relevant details for all service providers for each cleaning area are provided below.

Southern Melbourne, Hume Merri-bek, Bayside Peninsula

• Service provider: Menzies Facilities Services
• Phone number: 1300 557 511
• Email: helpdesk@menziesgroup.com.au
• Serviced Local Government Areas (LGA):
  • Cardinia (S)
  • Casey (C)
  • Frankston (C)
  • Hume (C)
  • Kingston (C)
  • Moreland (C)
  • Mornington Peninsula (S)

Outer Eastern Melbourne, North Eastern Melbourne, Inner Eastern Melbourne

• Service provider: Tradeflex Services Group
• Phone number: 03 9826 2788
• Email: DE@tradeflex.com.au
• Serviced Local Government Areas (LGA):
  • Banyule (C)
  • Boroondara (C)
  • Darebin (C)
  • Knox (C)
  • Manningham (C)
  • Maroondah (C)
  • Nillumbik (S)
  • Whitehorse (C)
  • Whittlesea (C)
  • Yarra Ranges (S)

Brimbank, Melton, Western Melbourne

• Service provider: Serco Australia
• Phone number: 1300 165 040
• Email: fm.vicschoolsenquiries@serco-ap.com
• Serviced Local Government Areas (LGA):
  • Brimbank (C)
  • Hobsons Bay (C)
  • Melton (C)
  • Moonee Valley (C)
  • Wyndham (C)

Central Inner

• Service provider: ISS Facility Services
• Phone number: 1300 039 650
• Email: Vicschools@au.issworld.com
• Serviced Local Government Areas (LGA):
  • Bayside (C)
  • Monash (C)
  • Port Phillip (C)
  • Stonnington (C)
  • Yarra (C)

Central Lower

• Service provider: ARA Property Services
• Phone number: 1300 889 210
• Email: customerservice@arapropertyservices.com.au
• Serviced Local Government Areas (LGA):
  • Glen Eira (C)
  • Greater Dandenong (C)
  • Maribyrnong (C)
  • Melbourne (C)

Resources

Cleaning metropolitan Melbourne schools

• How to raise a Cleaning Incident Report (PDF) (staff login required)
• Cleaning standards and frequency guide (DOCX) – information about school cleaning standards and an overview of the cleaning frequency for primary and secondary schools and specialist schools
• Area-based cleaning model for metropolitan Melbourne – Activity calendar (DOCX) – a yearly calendar which provides a guide on how schools can work together with their service provider throughout the school year. The calendar also sets out recommended actions and required actions for schools
• Student Resource Package – contract cleaning – the base cleaning services provided to your school by the service provider are funded directly by the department. The credit line incorporated into your Student Resource Package (SRP) funding for cleaning reflects the funding being held centrally by the department to meet these costs. For further information, refer to SRP Contract Cleaning
• School Asset Management System (SAMS) plans – school building and room information are recorded in school layout (CAD) drawings and in the department’s asset management system. If you have any issues with the school layout plans (SAMS plans), please email sams@education.vic.gov.au with your concerns
• The Asset Information Management System (AIMS) is a web-based, centralised portal that has replaced schools' existing asset information management systems

Cleaning regional schools

The following supporting documents are required to engage and manage a regional school cleaning service provider:

• School council cleaning checklist (DOCX) – enables schools to customise their cleaning requirements by identifying their particular needs, before going to tender
• School council provision of cleaning services agreement (DOCX) – intended for use when a school purchases cleaning services
• Guide to completion – school council agreement – provision of cleaning services (DOCX)

Templates

Cleaning services agreement (CSA)

• School council provision of cleaning services agreement (DOCX)
• Contract extension letter (DOCX) – where a school council wishes to extend its cleaning services agreement by exercising any available further terms, this template is available
• Notice to unsuccessful respondents letter (DOCX)
• Notice to successful respondents letter (DOCX)

Variations

• Variation agreement to services (DOCX)
• Variation notice (scope services suspension) (DOCX)

Breach, termination, expiring contracts

• Notice for breach of school cleaning services agreement (DOCX)
• Contract termination – service failures (DOCX)
• Contract termination – without cause (DOCX)
• Expiring contract – confirmation of end of services (DOCX)
• Exemption request letter (DOCX)

Background information on the department’s cleaning policy

• School cleaning reforms – Secretary’s policy (DOCX) – includes guidance to school councils on the way school cleaning is to be delivered
• Ministerial Order No. 1127 – School Cleaning in Government Schools (DOCX)
• Ministerial Order No. 1127 – School Cleaning in Government Schools (PDF)

Information for cleaning contractors

For more information on school cleaning, please contact the VSBA School Cleaning Unit at cleaning@education.vic.gov.au or phone 1300 842 754.