Government Tenders for Cleaning Services in Zambia — How to Win

Cleaning and facilities management is one of the most active tender categories in Zambia. Government ministries, hospitals, schools, local authorities and parastatals all need cleaning services — and they procure them through ZPPA every year. If you run a cleaning company, here's how to win these contracts.

The Size of the Market

Cleaning services is one of the highest-volume categories on the ZPPA portal. Government offices, hospitals, schools and parastatals procure cleaning services on annual or multi-year contracts. Contract values typically range from K50,000 per year for a small government office to over K500,000 per year for large institutions like hospitals and universities.

These contracts are also renewed regularly — meaning once you win one, you have a good chance of renewal if you deliver quality service.

What Procurement Officers Look for in Cleaning Tenders

Unlike specialist technical tenders, cleaning service tenders are relatively straightforward to bid on. Procurement officers are looking for:

• Compliance: Full document pack — PACRA, ZRA, NAPSA, NHIMA, all valid
• Experience: Evidence of previous cleaning contracts, ideally with government or large institutions
• Equipment: What cleaning equipment do you own or have access to? List it specifically.
• Staffing plan: How many cleaners will you deploy? What are their shifts?
• Chemicals and consumables: What products do you use? Are they approved for the environment?
• Price: Your monthly or annual rate broken down by service type

Documents Required

For most cleaning service tenders you will need:

• PACRA certificate of registration (company or business name)
• ZRA TPIN certificate
• ZRA Tax Clearance Certificate (current)
• NAPSA compliance certificate
• NHIMA compliance certificate
• CEEC certificate (gives preference points — strongly recommended)
• Copies of previous cleaning contracts or reference letters
• List of cleaning equipment owned
• List of proposed staff with roles
• Company profile

Pricing Your Cleaning Tender

Getting the price right is critical. Too high and you lose on cost evaluation. Too low and you won't be able to deliver the service, which damages your reputation for future bids.

Key costs to include in your pricing:

• Staff salaries (minimum wage in Zambia is approximately K1,698/month — verify current rate)
• NAPSA employer contributions (5% of gross salary)
• NHIMA employer contributions
• Cleaning chemicals and consumables
• Equipment maintenance
• Protective clothing (uniforms, gloves, boots)
• Transport costs if applicable
• Your management fee and profit margin
• VAT at 16% if you are VAT-registered

The ZamBiz Bid Results section shows exactly what competitors have bid on previous cleaning tenders — use this intelligence to calibrate your pricing.

How to Find Cleaning Tenders Before They Close

The biggest challenge for cleaning companies is simply finding tenders in time to prepare a quality proposal. Most tender deadlines are 2–4 weeks after publication on the ZPPA portal, and if you find a tender with only a few days remaining, it's very difficult to prepare a competitive bid.

ZamBiz monitors the ZPPA portal continuously and sends you an instant WhatsApp and email alert the moment a new Cleaning & Facilities Management tender is published — giving you maximum time to prepare.

Building a Track Record

If you're newer to the market, start with smaller contracts to build your reference list:

• Target contracts valued under K100,000 — less competition from established companies
• Focus on tenders from smaller government offices and local authorities
• Deliver excellent service on your first contracts — request reference letters from clients
• Use those references to bid for larger contracts the following year