Eco-Conscious Cleaners and Disinfectants: Your Key to Government Cleaning Contracts

Government contractors must now purchase cleaning products for federal buildings that are free of “forever chemicals”

Beginning immediately for new contracts and over the next five years for existing contracts, custodial operations are required to use cleaners and disinfectants that are EPA Safer Choice or EPA Design for the Environment certified¹. According to their announcement, “This move is aimed at better protecting the health of custodial staff, federal employees, and the environment”¹. This change is the result of a collaboration between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to implement the President’s Sustainability Plan. The Sustainability Plan directs federal agencies to purchase more sustainable products and services.

How to leverage eco-conscious products to gain government contracts

The federal government is the largest buyer of goods and services in the world, which creates an opportunity for cleaning contractors who use eco-conscious products. Your cleaning service can get a contract to clean buildings through GSA. To learn more about how to gain federal government contracts, visit their website here for more information. If you are already a cleaning company with a federal government contract, know that you will need to start purchasing and using EPA Safer Choice and EPA Design for the Environment certified products soon. To get started and to find government contracts, here are three quick tips:

1. Start with the vendor toolbox website, where you can find information about GSA contracts, or manage existing contracts
2. Follow the roadmap for how to get an Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract
3. Visit GSA Advantage to create an account
4. Make sure you have EPA Safer Choice and Design for the Environment-certified products and the right processes in place to win a contract (see more below)

Products and processes you will need for your government contract cleaning service

GSA has a National Custodial Specification² that is part of the custodial contracts. In it are many details about how custodial contracts are expected to be run. There are several details specifically pertaining to cleaning and disinfecting that are worth noting:

1. Products: Use the GSA Advantage tool to find cleaning products and tools that can be used in government facilities. Cleaning and disinfecting products that are EPA Safer Choice and EPA Design for the Environment certified qualify, and they meet the new requirements laid out by the federal government!
2. Horizontal surfaces and glass: Surfaces and glass are expected to be cleaned well and frequently. Glass needs to be cleaned with a product that won’t leave water marks. You may be surprised to know that there are EPA Safer Choice glass cleaners that are streak-free! To learn more about what makes a good glass cleaner, refer back to my prior blog post.
3. High-touch surfaces: Surfaces in shared spaces that are frequently touched by multiple people, such as doorknobs, handrails, elevator buttons, and common area tables, should be disinfected minimum once daily, or once per cleaning shift.