The MBTA is looking to hire a new cleaning contractor after workers complained that cost-saving measures are making it too difficult to keep the system tidy.

The T will solicit proposals from vendors to take over the work currently done by S.J. Services, the company many cleaners say isn't giving them the tools they need to clean the system. S.J. Services can compete to retain the work for the 18 months remaining in the contract.

The T cut it's janitorial costs in September, switching to a performance-based contract with its two cleaning contractors. The new system saves money, but resulted in overnight shifts and layoffs for janitors, as well as complaints that they no longer had the resources needed to keep the transit system clean.

"We're not closed-minded. We're willing to negotiate," David Shea, president of S.J. Services told the T's board Monday. "We greatly value this contract. We want to still partner with you. We want to resolve all the issues for the remaining 18 months of the contract."

Roxana Rivera from SEIU 32BJ, the union the represents the janitors, said the original agreement was flawed and asked the board to put more worker protections into a new version.

"It ended up putting the burden on the workers who were asked too much with very little and resulted in a loss of hours and benefits for workers who have been cleaning the T for years," Rivera said.

The review of the janitorial contract comes as the T completes its own evaluation of station cleanliness. After the September cost cuts, the MBTA averaged a station cleanliness score of 97.1 from September 2016 to January 2017 based on 1,888 inspections. That was down from 97.8 from the first half of 2016, based on 917 inspections.

The T reports four failed cleanliness inspections bad enough to warrant additional recovery plans. Failing stations were reported as Downtown Crossing on Dec. 20, State Street Station on Dec. 22, Aquarium on Dec. 22 and Aquarium again on January 12.

S.J. Services has responsibility to clean the entire Blue Line, Orange Line stations between Oak Grove and Downtown Crossing, the Red Line between South Station and Braintree and the Red Line's Ashmont/ Mattapan branch.

Responses for proposals are due February 22 and MBTA officials say need to retain the cost-savings the current performance-based arrangement provides. The MBTA also has staff looking at future long-term arrangements for keeping the T clean.