Custodial Services for Colleges and Universities
Campus custodial services built on APPA standards and run on live building data, so every building gets what it actually needs, every night.
Contract Service Solutions (CSS) provides custodial (janitorial) and facility services for colleges and universities, built on APPA cleaning standards and run as a Living Campus. Sensor technology reports how each space is actually used, dynamic scheduling turns that data into each night's plan around the academic calendar and campus events, and Facility Hub Live, CSS's proprietary system, shows your team live quality scores, sensor alerts, and response times. CSS is an APPA Business Partner.
Why Campus Custodial Is Different
No two campus buildings are used the same way, and no campus is used the same way two weeks in a row. A residence hall, a research lab, a recital hall, and a lecture building each have their own APPA space type, their own traffic pattern, and their own calendar. Then the calendar moves: move-in weekend, midterms, athletics, commencement, admissions tours, and summer turns. A custodial program that runs the same route every night cleans some spaces that sat empty and misses the ones that took the day's traffic.
The stakes are real. APPA-commissioned research links the appearance and cleanliness of campus buildings to student recruitment and retention, and the first people to judge your restrooms are often prospective families on a tour.
How CSS Runs a Living Campus
The building reports what it needs
Door counters and dispenser sensors tell us which restrooms took heavy traffic and which are running low, before anyone complains. They are counters, not cameras, and they never touch your campus network, so there is nothing for your IT department to approve or worry about.
The day tells the night what to do
Instead of a static schedule written years ago, CSS builds each night's plan from that day's data: the lecture hall that sat empty gets a light pass, the building that hosted a 300-person event gets the full crew. APPA levels are set by space type and adjusted to real use.
Machines that document their work
Autonomous floor scrubbers handle long corridor runs with validated trip reports, freeing your custodial team for the detail work people notice. The machines don't replace people; they multiply what the team can do.
One screen for everything
Facility Hub Live brings quality scores, sensor alerts, response times, and inspection results into one real-time view your facilities team shares with ours. It includes a turn tracker for residence-hall summer turns, so every unit's status is visible instead of buried in spreadsheets.
What Your Campus Gets
- APPA-based staffing you can see. Every program starts with a space-by-space work-loading analysis and CSS's six-step staffing method, from productive manning to CAD overlay zone maps.
- Measured quality, not opinions. Continuous overlapping inspections, ATP surface testing, and slip meter readings, with results visible to your team.
- Hours where they matter. Service levels can shift from low-visibility space to the buildings that carry your reputation, within the same budget.
- Open-book contracts. You see all effort and associated costs, with no hidden margins.
See the Idea in Action
CEO Keith Mowen explains the Living Campus model in the first episode of our video series:
Episode 1 of The Living Campus · 8 min
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a university look for in a custodial contractor?
Proof, not promises: APPA-based staffing math, performance-based quality measurement, client-accessible reporting, open-book cost structure, and a real retention record. Our guide to choosing a custodial services company lists the seven capabilities and ten questions to ask every bidder.
What APPA level should a university target?
Most campuses target APPA Level 2 (Ordinary Tidiness) for general space and Level 1 for showcase areas such as admissions lobbies, executive suites, and labs, with Level 3 reserved for low-traffic support space. The right mix is set building by building and space type by space type.
How does dynamic scheduling work on a campus?
Sensors and usage data from each day show which spaces were used and how heavily. That data builds the next night's work plan, so crews go where the traffic was instead of following a fixed route.
Do the sensors use cameras or connect to our network?
No. They are counters, not cameras, and they never touch your campus network, so there is nothing for your IT department to approve.
What is a Campus Opportunity Assessment?
A walk-through of how your buildings are used today, where service is going to spaces that don't need it, and where a Living Campus would change the plan. Ask about one through our contact form or by calling (727) 648-6272.
Keep Reading
See what your campus would look like as a Living Campus
Ask about a Campus Opportunity Assessment, or watch the series first.
Ask About an Assessment Watch the Living Campus Series