Cleaning Requirements and Contracts in Schools

Mr Zainal Sapari asked the Minister for Education (a) how does the Ministry ensure that the gross floor area (GFA) for every school is accurately reflected in the cleaning tender specifications; (b) whether the Ministry consults every school on their cleaning requirements such as the number of classrooms and student population; and (c) whether the Ministry allows for contract variations in their cleaning contracts when there is a discrepancy in the GFA stated in the tender or there is an increase in GFA during the contract period.

When calling for school cleaning tenders, key information like the GFA and toilet details, for example, number of cubicles, shower facilities, staff toilets, and so on of each school are provided to assist tenderers to price their bids. The GFA is taken from "as-built" information submitted to the building authority when the schools were developed or upgraded, and is further verified by MOE's Managing Agents prior to tender calling. Tenderers also visit a typical Primary school, Secondary school and Junior College to familiarise themselves with the nature and scope of services expected of them.

Before a tender is called, schools will also provide input into the specifications so that their requirements are incorporated.

The existing cleaning contract generally does not allow for price adjustments due to temporary changes or marginal discrepancies in GFA. Tenderers know that the numbers in the specifications serve as a guide, and it is in the interest of all parties not to have a tendering system that is too exact and detailed, as that will add administrative burden to everyone and can end up creating more disputes. However, if a new category of school infrastructure is added to an existing school site, such as adding a MOE Kindergarten, the price would be adjusted to include the new areas to be cleaned.