What to Ask About Supplies and Consumables in Your Contract

Consumables — paper towels, toilet paper, hand soap, trash liners — are one of the most common sources of confusion between a facility and its janitorial provider. The gap between what a facility assumes is included and what a contract actually says usually only becomes visible when a restroom runs out mid-week.

Two Common Models

• Contractor-supplied: the janitorial company stocks and restocks consumables as part of the monthly service, simplifying procurement for you.
• Facility-supplied: you purchase and stock consumables from your own account, and the crew restocks from what you provide.

Neither model is inherently better — the problem is when the contract doesn’t specify which one applies, and a restroom runs dry with neither side clear on whose responsibility it was.

Questions to Ask Before You Sign

• Are consumables included in the monthly price, or billed separately?
• Who monitors stock levels and reorders before running out?
• What brand or grade of paper products and soap will be used?
• Is restocking checked on every visit, or only when a crew member notices it’s low?

Get It in Writing

Whatever model you agree to, put it in the written scope of work — not a verbal understanding from the sales conversation. This is one of the simplest details to overlook and one of the most visible when it goes wrong.