Are there any tips or approaches you can take to minimize the cost and maximize the value of a cleaning contract?

Yes, there are a few that work well.

1. First, make sure the number of visits per week is logical for the size space. Larger office buildings need daily cleaning, but many smaller offices in the size range of 2,000 to 10,000 square feet may be fine with 3 times per week or maybe less. Each visit is an expense you may not need
2. Clarify the actual area you need serviced. Don’t use lease square footage numbers to request quotes; check the actual size you really need cleaned, subtracting storage closets, basement spaces, electrical rooms, warehouses, and any other spaces that don’t require service. Don’t rely on the cleaning contractor to measure the space accurately – most don’t know how to.
3. Don’t allow the list of tasks to become ‘bloated’. Take a careful look to see if the tasks are really what you want, or if it includes unnecessary things copied and pasted carelessly from their last proposal or your last contract.
4. Lastly, don’t assume that a large nationwide chain of franchisees necessarily delivers the best value: in many cases a highly motivated local company can provide not only a lower price but also in many cases better quality. With a nationwide, your dollar has to pay the cleaner, the manager and the national franchise organization’s cut. With a local company, the price you pay doesn’t have to stretch as far, so you can get more value.
5. Check out the company’s reputation – start with www.google.com

Towns where we do janitorial service, tile cleaning and colorsealing, marble polishing, regrouting, carpet cleaning, tile installation, tile repair: Boston, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Downtown Boston, Brighton, Brookline, Milton, Wellesley, Newton, Weston, Wayland, Dover, Carlisle, Concord, Acton, Lincoln, Lexington, Bedford, Westford, Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington, Winchester, Belmont, Brighton,Woburn, Waltham, Ashland, Framingham, Sherborn, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, Walpole, Norwood, Westwood, Sharon, Stoneham, Foxborough, Foxboro, Canton, Stoughton, Needham, Ashland, Chestnut Hill, Waban, Newton Corner, West Newton, Thomsonville, Newton Centre, Newton Center, Natick, Sudbury, Maynard, Stow, Watertown, Dedham, West Roxbury, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain, Randolph, Weymouth, Braintree, Holbrook, Quincy, Rockland, Hanover, Hingham, Medway, Franklin, Medford, Malden, Everett, Revere, Bedford, Burlington, Reading, Lynnfield, Wilmington, Middleton, Wenham, Hamilton, Essex, Manchester, Gloucester, Topsfield, Boxford, Boxborough, Boxboro, Rowley, Georgetown, Andover, North Andover, Haverhill, Carlisle, Billerica, Ayer, Harvard, Lawrence, Methuen, Peperrell, Westford, Salem, Beverly, Salisbury, Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, Harvard, Lancaster, Bolton, Franklin, Mendon, Newtonville, Hopedale and Milford