Vendor changeover
How Do You Switch Commercial Cleaning Companies?
The risky part of changing janitorial vendors is not choosing the new one. It is the week when one crew leaves, another arrives and the keys change hands.
The short answer
To switch commercial cleaning companies without a gap in service, sign the new vendor before giving notice, then run a scheduled changeover: collect and reissue keys, badges and alarm codes, count closet supplies and settle who owns the equipment and dispensers, brief tenants, and have the incoming supervisor walk the building with your contact before the first night. Plan for California's displaced janitor rule, which generally requires the new contractor to keep qualifying workers from the old one for 60 days, and inspect daily during the first week.
When you switch commercial cleaning companies: a no-gap timeline
Treat the switch as a short project with dates and owners. The sequence below fits a typical single-building change; stretch it for portfolios or for secure sites where badging takes longer.
| Stage | Owner or manager | Incoming vendor |
|---|---|---|
| Before notice | Finish the bid, sign the new agreement, set the start date | Confirm crew size, supervisor and supply plan |
| Notice sent | Deliver notice under the old contract, naming the successor if one is chosen | Request the employee information the law requires from the outgoing contractor |
| During the notice period | Start badge requests, draft the tenant notice, book the orientation walk | Make job offers, hire to fill gaps, order supplies and equipment |
| Final week | Key audit and closet inventory with the outgoing vendor | Orientation walk with your contact; route and closet plan |
| Last night of old vendor | Collect keys and badges against the log; change alarm user codes | Confirm the first-night roster |
| First night | Contact reachable by phone | Supervisor on site for the full first shift |
| First week | Short daily walk or check-in | Daily supervisor inspections and a written punch list |
Keys, badges and alarm codes
Access is where a switch most often goes wrong. Collect every key, card and fob issued to the outgoing vendor against your key log, not against its memory. If any key is missing, rekey that lock before the new crew starts rather than after something disappears.
Deactivate the old badges and alarm user codes on the outgoing crew's final night, not earlier, or the last shifts cannot get in. Issue new credentials from the incoming vendor's named roster, update the security desk's after-hours list, and check the less obvious access points: elevator cards, parking gates, freight doors and the trash enclosure padlock.
Closets, supplies and equipment
Walk every janitor closet with both vendors if you can, or with the outgoing supervisor and your own staff if not. Count the paper, liners, soap and chemicals, and settle ownership in writing: owner-purchased stock stays, vendor-owned equipment and chemicals leave, and nothing unlabeled stays behind.
Dispensers deserve a separate check. If the outgoing vendor or its distributor owns proprietary towel and soap dispensers, they may come off the walls, and the new vendor's refills may not fit what remains. Find out before the last night, so restrooms are not left without paper on day one.
Who will be cleaning on day one
In California, a covered successor contractor generally must offer jobs to the prior contractor's workers at the site for a 60-day transition period under the Displaced Janitor Opportunity Act. Offers are made in writing, in a language the worker reads, with at least ten days to accept, though wages and benefits need not match the old employer's. If the successor needs fewer people, it retains by seniority within each job classification, and it may decline an individual only for reasonable, substantiated cause based on that person's performance or conduct.
For an owner, that often means familiar faces with a new supervisor, new procedures and new accountability. Ask the incoming vendor how it will train retained workers on its scope, products and inspection system during those first weeks.
Telling tenants and running the first week
Send tenants a short note about a week before the start date, after notice has gone to the outgoing vendor. Give the start date, any change to service hours, how to report a problem and a reminder to secure valuables and confidential papers. Keep it practical; tenants care about who to call, not about why the vendor changed.
During the first week, walk the building briefly each morning or review the supervisor's inspection notes, and keep one punch list both sides can see. Concentrate on the areas that drove the change. A formal baseline inspection and scope tuning follow in the rest of the first month.
Changing over to EBS
A move to EBS begins with a walkthrough by a supervisor and a written scope and schedule for the building. Transition periods are part of the project work EBS handles, and field supervision and backup staffing are in place from the first shift. Experience in access-controlled facilities means key, badge and alarm procedures follow your rules from day one. Teams travel to each site from the Corona office.
Related questions
Still not sure? A supervisor can answer at the walkthrough.
Request a walkthroughAll questionsHow long does it take to change janitorial vendors?
For a single building with a clear scope, the switch usually fits inside the old contract's notice period, provided the new vendor is chosen first. Secure sites take longer because background checks and badging must clear before the first shift. Portfolios are often switched in phases rather than all at once.
Should the old and new crews overlap on the same night?
Rarely. Two crews in one building blur responsibility when something is missed or goes missing. A better overlap is supervisor to supervisor: a walk together before the last night, or the incoming supervisor reviewing the route and closets with your contact.
Can we require the new vendor to bring an entirely new crew?
Not simply by preference, where California's displaced janitor rule applies. The duty to retain qualifying workers for the transition period sits with the successor contractor, and exceptions turn on documented performance or conduct. Raise specific concerns with the incoming vendor and counsel before notice is sent.
What if the outgoing vendor does not return keys?
Rekey the affected locks and change codes before the new crew starts, then pursue the cost under the old contract if it requires return of owner property. Going forward, keep a signed key log so every key's holder is known at all times.
Do we need a deep clean when we switch?
Often, yes. A vendor change usually follows a period of slipping standards, and the new crew cannot hold a level the building has not reached. Many owners schedule restorative floor, carpet and restroom work in the first month, then judge the new vendor against that reset.
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