Most cleaning specifications arrive as a spreadsheet of frequencies. Washrooms twice daily, desks once, floors three times a week. It reads like a specification and behaves like a wish.
The problem is that a frequency says nothing about the finish. Twice daily could mean a wipe of the visible surfaces or a full reset of every fitting, and the difference is several hours of labour per week. When the standard is not written down, the dispute is guaranteed and it usually arrives eighteen months in, when nobody can remember what was agreed.
A working specification names the area, the task, the method, the chemical, the frequency and the standard to be reached. It also names the evidence. If a task cannot be audited, it cannot be defended, so each line should map to something an auditor can see or photograph.
We also insist on measured areas. Labour hours calculated from a headline square footage ignore the difference between open plan floor and a laboratory with restricted access. Measurement takes a morning and it prevents a twelve month argument.
Finally, a specification should say what happens when something falls outside it. Additional work, one off deep cleans and specialist tasks need a route to approval before they happen, not an invoice afterwards. That single paragraph removes most of the friction we see in inherited contracts.