Scope & checklists · updated August 2026
Who Buys the Toilet Paper: The Three Supply Models
There are three models, and confusing them is where the arguments start. Client-supplied and cleaner-stocked is most common for small and mid-size offices. Vendor-supplied means the cleaner procures and bills. Building-supplied means the landlord stocks common-area restrooms through your operating expenses — which is very often already the case in a multi-tenant Manhattan building. Budget $3–$8 per employee per month.
The Three Models
| Client-supplied | Vendor-supplied | Building-supplied | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who buys | You | Cleaning vendor | Landlord |
| Who stocks | Cleaning vendor | Cleaning vendor | Building's contractor |
| Liable for a stock-out | Shared — you if stock ran out, vendor if it did not | Vendor | Building |
| Cost | $3–$8 / employee / month at your purchase price | Same plus markup or fixed adder | Inside your operating expenses |
| Best for | Under ~50 staff; purchase control, no markup | Larger offices; one invoice, no procurement | Multi-tenant buildings — often already the case |
In most multi-tenant Manhattan buildings, the common-area restrooms on your floor are cleaned and stocked by the building's own contractor as part of the base-year operating expenses you already pay. Your suite pantry is yours. A meaningful number of offices buy consumables for restrooms someone else is already stocking, and never notice.
The Dispenser Lock-In
A vendor who installs proprietary dispensers has made switching expensive. Their dispensers take their rolls, so when you change vendor you either replace every dispenser or keep buying from a company you no longer employ. It is a quiet, effective form of lock-in.
Two sentences in the contract prevent it: dispensers must be universal or open-market compatible, and any dispenser installed by the vendor becomes client property at no cost on termination.
Par Levels and the Sudden Consumption Jump
Running out mid-day is a par-level problem, not a cleaning problem. Set a par per dispenser based on actual consumption, hold a defined buffer on site, and check nightly. When consumption jumps without a headcount change, it is almost always mechanical — a jammed dispenser feeding three times what it should, or a faulty soap pump. Flagging that is often worth more than the supply management itself.
Specify the Liner
Liners are cheap, constantly consumed, and the single most disputed line in this category. Specify size, gauge and count in the agreement, and state who buys. It sounds trivial and it prevents more invoice queries than anything else.
Last reviewed August 2026. Figures for prevailing wage and regulatory schedules change on 1 January and 1 July — we re-verify this page each cycle.
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