Government & Public Sector Cleaning Services Ireland

Cleaning for Government and Public Bodies

The public sector in Ireland spends hundreds of millions of euros annually on facility services, including cleaning. Local authorities, the HSE, government departments, semi-state bodies, educational institutions, and public agencies all require professional cleaning services that meet rigorous procurement standards, employment legislation, and health and safety compliance requirements.

Optus Glean provides cleaning services to government and public sector organisations across Ireland. We are registered on eTenders (the national procurement platform), we maintain all required documentation for public sector tenders, and we are structured to participate in framework agreements established by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) and individual contracting authorities.

Unlike many cleaning companies that treat public sector work as a sideline, we have built our operational model specifically to meet the demands of public procurement: documented method statements, Garda vetted staff, TUPE compliance, SEO-rate wages, transparent reporting, and insurance cover that meets or exceeds tender requirements. When a contracting authority evaluates our tender submission, every box is ticked — because we built the company that way from the start.

Public Sector Environments We Serve

Optus Glean provides cleaning services across the full range of public sector environments in Ireland.

Local Authority Offices and Civic Buildings

County councils, city councils, and municipal districts operate offices, council chambers, public counters, and civic buildings that need daily cleaning to a consistent standard. These are public-facing environments where cleanliness directly impacts citizen experience and staff wellbeing. Our office and corporate cleaning service is designed for exactly this type of environment.

HSE Facilities and Health Centres

The Health Service Executive operates hundreds of health centres, primary care centres, community care facilities, and administrative offices across Ireland. Healthcare environments require specialist cleaning with infection prevention and control (IPC) compliance, particularly in clinical areas. Our healthcare cleaning service is HIQA IPC-compliant with full documentation for audit readiness.

Government Offices and Departments

Government department offices, from the Department of Social Protection to Revenue, require secure, reliable cleaning with vetted staff who have been cleared to work in sensitive environments. We provide daily contract cleaning with Garda vetted operatives, secure key-holding, and alarm-holding services where required.

Courthouses

Courthouses are high-security, high-footfall public buildings that need cleaning outside of operational hours. Our teams are experienced in working within the security protocols and access restrictions that courthouse environments demand, including working around court schedules and restricted areas.

Libraries and Community Centres

Public libraries and community centres are community-facing facilities that need to maintain high standards of cleanliness for the diverse populations they serve, including children, elderly users, and vulnerable groups. Daily cleaning, periodic deep cleans, and washroom management are core requirements.

Schools and Educational Facilities

Primary schools, secondary schools, and ETB (Education and Training Board) facilities require cleaning services that are safe for children and young people. All operatives on educational sites are Garda vetted, products are certified safe for use in educational environments, and cleaning schedules are designed around school hours and term times. See our education sector page for more detail.

eTenders Registered and Tender-Ready

Optus Glean is registered on eTenders (etenders.gov.ie), the Irish Government's national procurement platform. We actively monitor eTenders for cleaning opportunities across all CPV codes relevant to our service lines.

Our tender documentation pack is maintained and ready for submission at all times, including:

• Company registration and tax clearance documentation
• Insurance certificates (€6.5M PL, €13M EL, Professional Indemnity)
• Health and safety policy and management system documentation
• Method statements for all cleaning service types
• Risk assessments for all environment types
• COSHH data sheets and chemical management procedures
• Staff training records and Garda vetting confirmation
• Quality management procedures and audit frameworks
• Environmental and sustainability policy
• TUPE transfer management procedures
• References and case studies from comparable contracts

Framework Agreement Capability

Framework agreements are the preferred procurement mechanism for many public sector cleaning contracts in Ireland. The OGP establishes national frameworks for common goods and services, and individual contracting authorities can also establish their own frameworks for regional or specialist requirements.

Optus Glean is structured to participate in framework agreements, including multi-lot frameworks where cleaning is divided by geography, facility type, or service line. Our national reach across all 26 counties means we can bid on frameworks covering any region of Ireland, and our four-division structure allows us to compete in frameworks covering multiple service categories.

TUPE Compliance

When a public body changes cleaning provider, the European Communities (Protection of Employees on Transfer of Undertakings) Regulations 2003 (SI 131/2003) — commonly known as TUPE — apply. The existing cleaning staff transfer to the incoming provider on their existing terms and conditions of employment.

Optus Glean has documented TUPE transfer procedures covering:

• Pre-transfer due diligence and information requests
• Employee consultation and communication
• Transfer of contracts of employment on existing terms
• Transfer of accrued leave entitlements and service continuity
• Induction and training of transferred employees on Optus Glean systems
• Uniform and equipment provision
• Ongoing compliance with transferred terms and conditions

For a detailed guide on TUPE in the context of cleaning contracts, see our TUPE and cleaning contracts resource.

How Public Procurement Works for Cleaning

For facilities managers and procurement officers new to tendering cleaning services, here is a brief overview of how the process typically works in the Irish public sector.

1. Specification — The contracting authority defines the cleaning specification, including areas to be cleaned, frequencies, standards, and any specialist requirements (healthcare IPC, security clearance, etc.).
2. CPV codes — The tender is classified using Common Procurement Vocabulary codes. The main codes for cleaning are 90910000 (cleaning services), 90911200 (building cleaning), and 90919200 (office cleaning).
3. Publication — For contracts above EU thresholds (currently €215,000 for services), the opportunity must be published in the Official Journal of the EU (OJEU) via eTenders. Below threshold, national advertising on eTenders is sufficient.
4. Evaluation criteria — Tenders are evaluated using the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) criteria, typically weighted 60–70% quality and 30–40% price. Quality criteria include methodology, staffing, quality management, health and safety, environmental management, and relevant experience.
5. Award — The contract is awarded to the highest-scoring tenderer. A standstill period applies before the contract is signed, during which unsuccessful tenderers may request a debrief.

Our Documentation Advantage

In public sector procurement, the quality component of tender evaluation is almost entirely based on documentation. The tenderer who provides the most detailed, relevant, and credible written submissions scores highest. This is where Optus Glean's documentation-backed approach delivers a genuine competitive advantage.

Our 172 operational documents are not generic templates downloaded from the internet. They are working documents that our teams use daily, tailored to specific service types and environments. When a tender asks for our method statement for cleaning a healthcare facility, we submit a document that describes exactly how our teams clean healthcare facilities — because it is the document our teams actually follow.

Related Services

• Office & Corporate Cleaning — Daily cleaning for government offices and civic buildings
• Healthcare & Clinical Cleaning — HIQA IPC-compliant cleaning for HSE facilities
• Washroom Services — Consumables, hygiene units, and washroom management
• Window Cleaning — Internal and external window cleaning for public buildings
• Carpet & Floor Cleaning — Periodic deep cleaning and floor restoration
• TUPE & Cleaning Contracts — Guide to TUPE obligations when changing provider