Is my document uploaded or stored?

No. Your document is read in your browser and is never uploaded or stored. If you ask for the PDF report, we save only the results (covered, vague or missing for each point) so the link in your email can reopen them.

What makes a school cleaning specification weak or unclear?

The most common weaknesses are vague wording around supervision and accountability, no defined absence-cover response time, missing detail on how periodic tasks like windows or floor care are scheduled, and no clear process for escalating or resolving problems. Gaps like these are where misunderstandings about what 'good' looks like usually start.

Will it tell me my specification is legally unenforceable?

No. It identifies gaps and ambiguities to clarify, not a legal determination that a specification is unenforceable — this is practical guidance only, not legal or compliance advice.

Should safeguarding and DBS checks be written into a cleaning specification?

Yes, especially for school and education sites. A strong specification states the DBS process for both permanent and relief staff and explains how ongoing compliance is tracked — vague or missing wording here is one of the areas this health check specifically flags.

How does a weak specification affect cleaning tender pricing?

Vague specifications make it harder for bidders to price accurately, because assumptions about hours, staffing and periodic work differ between providers. A clearer, more measurable specification typically produces more comparable, more credible tender responses — see the Pricing Realism Checker for reviewing bids once responses are in.

When should I run a specification health check?

Before a re-tender or contract renewal, whenever standards on site have started to slip, or simply as a periodic sense-check that your specification still reflects how the building is actually used.

Can ICS help fix a weak specification?

Yes. Alongside this free check, ICS can talk through your specification directly or build a new one using the Cleaning Specification Builder, and can discuss the findings on a free, no-obligation site survey.

Free Tool

Specification Health Check

Upload your school cleaning tender pack, contract or specification and check it against 23 areas, from safeguarding and KPIs to TUPE, insurance and exit, with suggested wording for every gap.

For: School business managers, trust procurement leads and contract managers preparing a specification for review or procurement.

Education relevance: Built around what UK school cleaning tenders and contracts need to cover: safeguarding and DBS, absence cover, standards, periodic cleaning, keys and lock-up, KPIs and remedies, TUPE and pensions, insurance and procurement process.

Developed by ICS Cleaning using practical commercial-cleaning experience, and provided as free decision support — not a substitute for a site-specific review.

What this tool does

The problem it addresses: Most specifications mention the right topics but rarely make them measurable: no KPI targets, no audit pass mark, no absence-cover time, no deductions. Bidders then price the risk and the school has nothing firm to manage the contract against.

What you enter: Your tender pack, contract or specification as a PDF or Word document (or pasted text), plus whether it is a new tender, your current contract or a draft, and whether TUPE applies.

The result it produces: A score out of 100, a score for each of 23 areas, each point marked covered, vague or missing with the wording found, suggested wording for every gap, and housekeeping flags such as placeholders and out-of-date references. The full report downloads as a PDF.

How it may support planning or review: It helps schools tighten a tender or contract before it is issued or renewed, so requirements are measurable, bidders price on the same basis and the contract can be managed.

How it works

1
Tell us what you are checking: a new tender pack, your current contract or a draft specification.
2
Upload the document as a PDF or Word file, or paste the text. It is read in your browser and never stored.
3
Review your score and each area: what is covered, what is too vague to enforce and what is missing.
4
Copy the suggested wording for the gaps, fix any housekeeping flags, and download the full report as a PDF.

Use the tool below, then read how to interpret the result and its limitations.

Specification Health Check

Tender & Contract Specification Check

Upload your cleaning tender pack, contract or specification. We check it against the 23 areas a school cleaning contract needs, show what's missing or too vague to enforce, and suggest wording for every gap.

Free, instant, no sign-up Your document stays in your browser Suggested wording for each gap

About your document

This tells us which checks apply.

What are you checking?

Type of school (optional)

Will staff transfer under TUPE?

If you have an existing cleaning team or contractor, TUPE usually applies.

Your document

Upload your specification, tender pack or contract, or paste the text.

Drop a PDF or Word document here, or click to choose

PDF or .docx, up to 25 MB. Scanned PDFs can't be read, so paste the text instead.

or paste the text

Your document is read in your browser and is never uploaded or stored.

0 words

Which tool do I need?

Our free school cleaning tools work together and use the same BICSc-based data, so the figures always agree.

Cleaning Hours Estimator

How many cleaning hours and staff does my school need?

Cleaning Schedule Builder

A quick area-by-area list of duties and how often.

Cleaning Specification Builder

The full room-by-room specification, hours, staffing and job cards.

Periodic Cleaning Planner

Holiday deep cleans, floor care and job cards for the year.

Specification Health CheckYou are here

Is my tender or contract wording complete?

How to interpret the result

Scores come from fixed rules, so the same document always gets the same result. Covered means the topic is there with a clear or measurable requirement; vague means it is mentioned without a figure, timescale or firm obligation; missing means it was not found. A short AI summary explains the results but does not change the scores. Findings are prompts to clarify, not a judgement that a contract is unenforceable, and suggested wording should be adapted to your school and checked by your procurement or legal adviser.

Limitations

Not formal procurement advice or legal advice.
Not a binding quotation or contractual commitment.
Not legal advice and not a replacement for a full specification review.
It checks whether topics are covered and measurable, not whether the requirements are right for your school. Scanned PDFs cannot be read; paste the text instead.

Related guidance

Delivering Value Beyond the Cleaning Specification

Education Cleaning Insight

Understanding School Cleaning Procurement and Tendering

Education Cleaning Insight

School Cleaning Mobilisation: From Contract Award to First-Day Readiness

Education Cleaning Insight

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 (KCSIE): School Cleaning Contractors & Safeguarding

Education Cleaning Insight

Related services

Ask IntelliClean Cleaning Specification Builder School Cleaning Services Education Cleaning Request a Quote

Frequently asked questions

It checks your document against 23 areas grouped under people, service delivery, quality and contract management, and commercial and legal: management and supervision, safeguarding and DBS, staffing and absence cover, training, pay, scope and exclusions, cleaning times, standards and task schedules, periodic cleaning, equipment and COSHH, keys and lock-up, waste, KPIs and audits, rectification and remedies, meetings and complaints, hours tracking, term and termination, pricing and variations, mobilisation and TUPE, insurance and health and safety, business continuity, social value and environment, and data protection. Tender packs are also checked for the evaluation split, scoring scale, site visit, clarifications, bid validity and pass/fail requirements.