---
title: "ISSA CIMS Standard — Commercial Cleaning Glossary"
description: "ISSA CIMS certifies commercial cleaning organizations on their management systems — quality, service delivery, HR, health/safety. Used in LEED procurement."
canonical: https://www.commercialcleaningsd.com/glossary/issa-cims/
---

 GLOSSARY · Certifications & Standards 

#  ISSA Cleaning Industry Management Standard CIMS 

 Management-system certification for commercial cleaning organizations from ISSA, the trade association for the global cleaning industry. Audits operational maturity, not field technique. 

## Detailed definition

The Cleaning Industry Management Standard, published by ISSA — the worldwide cleaning industry association — is a third-party-audited management-system certification for commercial cleaning organizations. Unlike technician certifications (which validate that an individual knows how to clean a carpet correctly), CIMS validates that the business has the management systems in place to deliver consistent, high-quality service: quality control, service delivery procedures, HR practices, health and safety programs, environmental compliance, and management commitment.

There are two tiers:

* **CIMS** — the base certification, covering five core areas: Quality Systems, Service Delivery, HR & Workforce Management, Health Safety and Environmental Stewardship, and Management Commitment.
* **CIMS-GB (Green Building)** — adds requirements aligned with LEED Existing Buildings Operations & Maintenance (EBOM) procurement credits. A facility pursuing LEED EBOM that hires a CIMS-GB-certified cleaning contractor can claim the procurement credit directly.

The audit cycle is typically every two years, conducted by an independent CIMS-trained auditor. Findings are documented; the contractor either passes, passes with non-conformances to remediate, or fails.

Why does this matter for facility managers? Two reasons. First, on LEED EBOM jobs, the procurement credit is often easier to capture with a CIMS-GB contractor than by tracking individual product purchases. Second, the audit forces a contractor to document and operate against a quality system — the kind of consistency a multi-site facility manager actually cares about when expanding a single-site relationship into a portfolio contract.

CCSD is not currently CIMS-certified. For our typical book of work, the credentials and operating discipline are sufficient without the audit overhead. For LEED EBOM procurement-credit work, we can partner with a CIMS-GB contractor on the affected scope.

HOW WE HELP

## Related Commercial Cleaning of San Diego services

* [ Sanitization & Disinfection Electrostatic spray + EPA-approved disinfectants. Medical, restaurant, school, public spaces.](/services/sanitization/)
* [ Carpet Cleaning Truck-mounted hot-water extraction. Higher heat, higher vacuum, faster dry times than portable units.](/services/carpet-cleaning/)

RELATED TERMS

## See also

* [ IICRC ](/glossary/iicrc/)
* [ SDS ](/glossary/sds/)
* [ LEED EBOM ](/glossary/leed-cleaning-credits/)

AUTHORITATIVE SOURCES

## External references

* [ ISSA CIMS standard  (opens in new tab) ](https://www.issa.com/certification/cims/)

##  Need help applying CIMS to your business? 

 We've done this kind of work across California. First conversation is free. 

[ Get In Touch ](/contact/) [ Back to Glossary ](/glossary/)

## Sitemap

- [Site map](https://www.commercialcleaningsd.com/sitemap.md)
- [llms.txt](https://www.commercialcleaningsd.com/llms.txt)
- [Canonical URL list](https://www.commercialcleaningsd.com/sitemap.xml)