For a cleaning business, a promise such as “we use environmentally friendly products” leaves several questions unanswered: which products, on which surfaces, at what dose and with what monitoring? A useful response connects each commitment to the required service and to evidence the buyer can check.
Since 22 August 2026, new French provisions have strengthened the role of environmental considerations in public procurement. This guide explains how to prepare an evidence file for a cleaning tender, separating the applicable rules from practical examples.
Check when the procurement began, then distinguish the two requirements
The new rules apply to contracts for which the procurement is launched or the call for competition is sent for publication on or after 22 August 2026. Your bid submission deadline alone does not determine which rules apply. The current versions of Articles L. 2152-7 and L. 2112-2 set out that transition.
Read the two requirements separately:
- Award criteria: at least one criterion must consider the offer’s environmental characteristics. Identify what the buyer will assess and its weighting in the procurement documents.
- Contract performance: performance conditions must take environmental considerations into account and relate to the subject matter of the contract. Identify the commitments you must deliver after signing.
This article concerns ordinary cleaning contracts in France. Defence and security contracts have a separate framework. The French legal affairs directorate’s July 2026 guidance, pages 3 and 10, explains this scope.
Build a short evidence matrix
Start by copying the requirements from the bidding instructions and technical documents into your own working table. For each one, record your response, supporting evidence, responsible person and proposed monitoring. These examples are preparation ideas, not documents required for every contract.
| If the procurement addresses… | Possible evidence and what to check |
|---|---|
| Cleaning products | Exact product references, technical sheets and evidence of the requested characteristics. The product allocated to each use, without treating one product as proof for an entire range. |
| Consumption and dosing | Dilution procedure, dosing equipment and staff training instructions. The method used on site and records that support monitoring. |
| Packaging and waste | Collection, reuse or take-back arrangements, with available supporting records. The relevant waste streams, responsibilities and collection frequency. |
| Contract-related travel | Route and delivery planning, using resources actually available. Which journeys are covered and how they will be monitored, without invented reduction figures. |
A safety data sheet describes hazards and handling precautions. Do not present it alone as proof of a label or of every environmental claim. Match each supporting document to the specific characteristic requested.
A label must cover the relevant service or product
French procurement rules govern the use of labels. Where a particular label is required, the buyer accepts labels confirming the requested characteristics. If a business cannot obtain the required or equivalent label in time for reasons beyond its control, other evidence is permitted under the conditions of Article R. 2111-17. Articles R. 2111-13 to R. 2111-16 set out the other conditions.
Check the certificate holder, validity and scope. A product certificate does not automatically demonstrate that the whole cleaning service is certified.
An example you can adapt
Hypothetical example, to complete only with real evidence: for the office cleaning lot, the bid assigns a product reference and technical sheet to each surface. The procedure describes the proposed dose, staff training and the person responsible for checks. Monitoring retains consumption records for that site. Any claimed reduction identifies its comparison period and calculation method.
This structure helps make the response verifiable. It guarantees neither compliance nor a better score: the contract’s requirements and assessment criteria determine those outcomes. The French guidance describes environmental weighting of at least 10% as a potentially useful practice to adapt to the contract, not a universal statutory minimum (guidance, page 9).
Before submitting, review the promises in your technical proposal alongside your available resources and price. If a requirement or equivalent form of evidence is unclear, ask through the buyer’s procurement platform within the deadline set for questions.
To apply this method, search for cleaning tenders in France, then open the buyer’s documents. Scoutee’s French-language overview of the 2026 changes provides the wider national context.