Contract Client Overstepping Contract Boundaries - What To Say?

Ken Wainwright

Cleantalker Veteran
You need to have a face to face meeting.

By the terms of the contract, you are required to complete a set number of tasks. To complete these in the most effective way within the given hours, you have devised a system and routine to follow.

If he continues to interfere with the way you work, efficiency will be affected. So ask him this sort of thing: "If you want us to deviate from the mutually agreed contract, what would you like us to miss out in order to fulfil your changed requirements"? Then get him to put it in writing. You need to be firm.

As for faeces, if this is not part of the contract, ask for a written order. You will need to double or more the time taken on the task in order to allow for disinfection of this bio-hazard to your equipment afterwards. This sort of thing should encourage him to make sure that it is dealt with by the appropriate staff immediately at the time of the incident, especially as it becomes a greater H&S issue if left there for a few hours waiting for you to arrive and start work.
 

Dave Atkins

Cleantalk Member
My answer to the client would be simple. We have cleaned to your specifications if you are concerned about an inspection, you better tell your staff not to mess it up !!! After all you don’t employ chimpanzees do you?
 

Stephen courtney

Cleantalk Member
Thank you all for the replies everyone, I have had a bit of a nightmare personally since posting but I'll reply as soon as I'm home today.

Many thanks,

Ste
 

Nick Robertson-Vousden

Solution World of Clean
I guess the decision is down to whether you want to run your business or are happy to allow the customer to?? it sounds like you want to so you need to either sit him down and tell him to back off and let you get on with the job or he can employ someone and then he can call the shots. Either way you need to deal with it or it will bite you later, kill it or cure it.

Regards

Nick
 

Stephen courtney

Cleantalk Member
Thank you all for all of the advice and input on this thread it's greatly appreciated.

I'm at a point where I am prepared to walk and end this contract if I need to.

I have carefully crafted a document with each of the points where he is overstepping the boundaries some of which will point out his answers for him regarding what he is doing which will make him see that he is over stepping and some with issues and my only offers of solutions.

Some solutions are to simply end the contract in the best interest of both me and him depending on what sort of control he needs or others are for him to make provisions for his staff to perform some cleaning duties if he is having maintenance performed which takes me away from cleaning.

Either way he has no argument against any points raised because they are factual and clear.

I have a 1.5 hour meeting scheduled to go through the lot rather than quick sporadic meetings squeezed in when he can so it will be sorted either way.

Many thanks again, I appreciate all of your advice.

Ste
 

Rolph Groth

Cleantalk Member
This might sound cynical but when we used to clean offices it seemed like the relationship with the customer always had a certain shelf life. They will start off fine then try to get a little more out of you, ("we have just had that window replaced, would you mind scraping the plaster and paint off it") . Eventually this builds resentment that you can only hide for so long. When i first got a big cleaning contract in the city my friend asked me if i thought i was their first cleaner, i said "i guess not". My friend then asked "do you think you will be their last cleaner?" I said i did not know and my friend just laughed and said, "you will learn".
 

Stephen courtney

Cleantalk Member
This might sound cynical but when we used to clean offices it seemed like the relationship with the customer always had a certain shelf life. They will start off fine then try to get a little more out of you, ("we have just had that window replaced, would you mind scraping the plaster and paint off it") . Eventually this builds resentment that you can only hide for so long. When i first got a big cleaning contract in the city my friend asked me if i thought i was their first cleaner, i said "i guess not". My friend then asked "do you think you will be their last cleaner?" I said i did not know and my friend just laughed and said, "you will learn".
Yeah he's certainly a taker, so this contract he supplies the chemicals, well we use the ones in the house because they are specialist and he said he'd order rather than me up the contract price to get my own in.

He recently asked me to do the ordering of chemicals, blueroll and mops etc for him and manage the coshh cupboard 🤣🤣

I point blank refused that because it's not my job in the first place, too many people mess the cupboard up and I suspect he had something mentioned to him about it by Ofsted because a few times he has had staff totally reorganising it and he has checked it a good few times.

The cynic in me says this would be an easy blame deflector next time he has an inspection and the inspector says where are the yellow mop heads for urine and he can simply say the contract cleaner is in control of the coshh, product ordering and organising.
 

Jamie Biles

Cleantalk Member
Generally speaking ofsted won't go anywhere near cleaning supplies/cupboards etc period. Now HSE inspection,that's different and yes vast amounts of paperwork required for locked store cupboard then. Ordering chems not really an issue as if supplying own,still got to be done. Even if email him to forward on. Same goes for coshh really. Even if take own chems or use what's on site,irrelevant tbh. Still need paperwork in place. In theory not essential if only 2 of you but get in good practice now if haven't already.
 

Stephen courtney

Cleantalk Member
Generally speaking ofsted won't go anywhere near cleaning supplies/cupboards etc period. Now HSE inspection,that's different and yes vast amounts of paperwork required for locked store cupboard then. Ordering chems not really an issue as if supplying own,still got to be done. Even if email him to forward on. Same goes for coshh really. Even if take own chems or use what's on site,irrelevant tbh. Still need paperwork in place. In theory not essential if only 2 of you but get in good practice now if haven't already.
Thanks James,

I appreciate the advice, the only issue I have really with ordering everything is that it's impossible to judge the quantities.

Because it's not only myself using them, and he wants the bare minimum which is understandable but not practical.

They will only order monthly and with the blueroll for instance one month they could go through 6 in a week and be on rations for two weeks and have none for the final one.

Plus there are things he wants me to order that I have absolutely zero idea how much and how often they use it.

Laundry detergent and softner for instance.

If I order too much he will be on at me about the budget and if I don't order enough he will be on at me for the lack of products.

I've given him plenty of advice before, the main one being stop buying window spray for a month or two and spend the extra on blueroll however there is currently a pile of 26 window cleaner sprays and zero blueroll (well they have some because I take some for them) but if I didn't there would be none.
 

Jamie Biles

Cleantalk Member
Efficient ordering of supplies is an art specific to each job,like you said. Ordering monthly is do-able if you/somebody has been taking notes/spreadsheet etc for usage. Couple bad months but then should all be sorted. Got mine down to tee now and at any one time have a months worth of stock in place nearly all the time.
 

Jamie Biles

Cleantalk Member
I feel your pain with bad stock management. Got theatre contract but MD is on the board for global cleaning supply/manufacturer and they just order stuff for fun. (All gratis I believe). 20 litres washing up liquid (got dishwasher). 80 standard toilet rolls (don't even go in dispensers as versatwin). 10 litres air freshener but have can dispensers. Go figure,it happens (a lot) get used to it I'm afraid until you take control.
 
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