01
One vendor or several?
When consolidating facility vendors makes sense, and how to do it.
Read the guideResources
Guides for property and facility managers.
Practical guidance on choosing a facility partner, planning the work and budget, checking quality and scheduling periodic, exterior and turnover work across a commercial property or portfolio.
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Resources
Choosing a facility partner.
02
Comparing janitorial bids
Put competing proposals on one grid and see which tasks and nights each one really covers.
Read the guide03
Janitorial service agreement
The operating sections that keep a cleaning contract clear long after it is signed.
Read the guide04
Switching facility vendors
How to plan the handover so tenants never notice.
Read the guidePlanning, schedules and cost.
01
Building a facility services scope
Areas, frequencies, day versus night work, exteriors and maintenance.
Read the guide02
Office cleaning frequency
Daily, weekly, monthly and periodic standards for each area of an office building.
Read the guide03
24-hour building schedules
How to work cleaning around shifts at sites that stay open around the clock.
Read the guide04
Facility services cost
Cost ranges for cleaning, porters, floors and exteriors, with worked examples.
Read the guideQuality and common areas.
01
Cleaning quality inspections
What a supervisor checks on an inspection walk and how to read the scores.
Read the guide02
Signs office cleaning is slipping
The early clues that a cleaning program is drifting, and how to raise them so fixes last.
Read the guide03
Lobbies, elevators and stairwells
What the shared lobby, elevator cabs and stairs need, from daily touch points to move-in days.
Read the guidePeriodic and exterior work.
01
High dusting schedule
Overhead vents, beams and fixtures, and how many visits a year each kind of space needs.
Read the guide02
Interior glass and partitions
Glass walls, doors and railings, with daily touch-ups and a full clean on a set cycle.
Read the guide03
Exterior upkeep schedule
How often to sweep, wash and maintain the grounds.
Read the guide04
Facade cleaning by material
How glass, stucco, brick, metal panel and stone facades are cleaned.
Read the guideTurnovers, sales and showings.
01
Tenant move-out cleaning
A room-by-room walk and a plan for turning a vacated suite around for leasing.
Read the guide02
Sale and showing prep
The order to tackle washing, cleaning and touch-ups before a buyer, appraiser or prospect arrives.
Read the guideWhy Continental
One partner.
The whole property.
One partner simplifies operations for property and facility managers and raises the standard everywhere.
01
A single point of contact
One service manager coordinates every service, so you stop juggling vendors.
02
Consistent standards
The same checklists and supervisor inspections at every property in your portfolio.
03
Trusted teams
Background-checked crews who learn your buildings and work around your tenants.
Which guide to read first.
If your property has a different vendor for every service, start with one vendor or several. It explains where consolidation pays off and which trades should stay with specialists.
If you already know you want one partner, read building a facility services scope next, then the switching guide once you are ready to set a start date. Together they take you from the decision to a working program.
How property managers use these guides.
Each guide is written for the property manager, facility manager or asset manager who answers to tenants and owners. Use them to prepare for a walkthrough, to compare quotes side by side, or to explain a vendor change to ownership.
The exterior upkeep schedule works well as a planning worksheet. Take its task list, add the frequencies your property needs and bring it to the walkthrough, where it becomes part of the quote.
A few useful answers
Common questions.
Which property types are these guides written for?
Any commercial property, from office buildings and business parks to retail centers, medical offices and apartment communities.
What should we read before requesting a quote?
Our planning guide, Building a Facility Services Scope. It lists the areas, frequencies and inspection checks that make quotes easy to compare.