TRSA vs HLAC: Which Certification Should Your RFP Require?

Bottom line: Require both TRSA and HLAC in your RFP, but map each certificate to a product line and demand test reports for surgical loads.

The binder had three different audit dates and no page numbers. I had to ask twice to find out which certificate covered the OR packs, and the sales rep still didn't know. In ten years of running laundry contracts, I've learned that a certificate is a snapshot, not a seal of safety. You need the data behind it. So when you draft your RFP, don't write 'must be certified' and move on. Write the specific certification per product line, and require the latest test results as an attachment. That small change cut my vendor's quality complaints in half. Healthcare Linen Service

Last month I stood on the loading dock at our processing plant while a vendor dropped off 14,000 pounds of surgical linen. He handed me a binder with both TRSA and HLAC certificates, and then he couldn't tell me which one applied to the sterilized packs headed for the OR. That moment told me exactly why this question matters.

When I send out an RFP for hospital linen services, the certification line used to be an afterthought. I'd check "accredited" and move on. Then a surgeon asked me what the accreditation actually meant, and I realized I didn't have a crisp answer. So I dug in. This is what I learned comparing TRSA Hygienically Clean and HLAC accreditation, and how I'd tell another hospital manager to handle it.

What TRSA Hygienically Clean and HLAC Actually Cover

TRSA Hygienically Clean is a third-party certification built around a textile services standard. It looks at your entire operation: wash chemistry, water temperatures, microbial testing, and the maintenance of the laundry equipment. The plant gets audited, and they take surface swabs and run them through a lab. HLAC is more of an inspection program for healthcare laundry facilities specifically. It's based on a seven-point standard that covers everything from receiving and sorting through the clean side, the air handling, ventilation, personnel practices, and even the barrier between clean and soiled areas.

The biggest difference is in the name. HLAC is explicitly healthcare. TRSA's certification is broader—it covers hospitality and industrial as well. For a hospital RFP, you want to know whether a plant can handle the infection control demands of surgical packs, not just a hotel's sheets. Neither certification is a substitute for the other, and they're not interchangeable. But both give you a baseline. Both also assume you're following OSHA's bloodborne pathogen standard (1910.1030) when handling contaminated textiles.

The Difference in Testing: Swabs vs. Inspection

I keep a list of what each certification requires on my phone, because I get asked about it constantly. TRSA Hygienically Clean requires bacterial testing on finished goods and on the equipment itself. The testing is done at a third-party lab, and they look for things like CFUs—colony-forming units—on the fabric. They have a pass/fail set of limits. HLAC doesn't have the same lab testing component. Instead, it relies on inspection and documentation. They'll check your logs, your temperatures, your validation records, but they won't necessarily swab the final product.

That distinction matters when you're buying surgical linen that needs to be sterile, but you have to remember: neither certification is the same as sterile processing. Sterility comes from your OR's own sterilizers, not from the laundry. The laundry gets you to a hygienically clean state, and then you take it further. So when you're evaluating a plant, ask to see their most recent lab reports from TRSA if they have that certification. For HLAC, ask for the accreditation letter and the corrective action history. That tells you more than the certificate on the wall.

Cost Reality and Contract Clauses

A lot of this comes down to money, and the pricing model for healthcare linen is usually per pound, per piece, or per patient day. Uniform rental, to give you one benchmark, commonly runs $4-15 per employee per week depending on the service level. That doesn't include the hospital linens themselves, which are going to be billed by weight or by piece count. All else equal, a plant with both certifications is going to be more expensive than one with only one—not because the certifications themselves are pricey, but because the processes they demand add labor and monitoring time.

But I'll tell you the same thing I tell every vendor who quotes us: I'd rather pay an extra half a cent per pound and have the plant's compliance manager call me when a wash formula changes, than save that half cent and discover it during a joint commission surveyor's visit. The contract should also spell out what happens if a certification lapses. You don't want a plant that loses its accreditation and still holds your weekly volume hostage while they fix it. Give them 45 days to cure in the contract, but a missing certification is a material breach.

Writing the RFP Requirement

Start with your own clinical risk tolerance. If you run a Level I trauma center like ours, you need the strongest available baseline, which means require both TRSA Hygienically Clean and HLAC accreditation. If you're a small critical access hospital, you might get away with one, but I wouldn't. The cost isn't the issue—it's the lack of redundancy.

Write the requirement as a scope statement, not a banner. Instead of saying "vendor shall have TRSA or HLAC," say, "all processing plants shall maintain current TRSA Hygienically Clean certification and HLAC accreditation, and shall provide copies with the bid." Also add: "If a certification is not held at bid time, the vendor may offer equivalent evidence, subject to approval." That last clause saves you from disqualifying a good small plant that's in the middle of the process, but it puts the onus on them to prove it. And require that both certifications remain valid for the duration of the contract.

My Current Approach, and What I'd Tell You

The conversation with that vendor on the loading dock changed how I run our RFPs. Now I include a two-page addendum titled "Certification Matrix" and make every bidder fill it out. They check off each plant, list their current certificate number, the expiration date, and the name of the third-party auditor. That clipboard paperwork has saved me more times than any single inspection. Because let me be honest—your vendor can have all the certificates in the world, and you still need to visit the plant yourself. Both TRSA and HLAC do their audits, but they don't live there. I do, at least once a quarter.

If I had to start from scratch, I'd require both certifications in the RFP, but I'd also weigh the difference. For my money, TRSA Hygienically Clean gives you better science—they're doing actual testing. HLAC gives you better operational rigor—they're nitpicking every workflow. Neither is perfect. But if you can only ask for one, ask for TRSA and then do your own HLAC-style inspection on the plant. Or ask for HLAC and then add your own swab testing. The point is to make the certification a starting line, not the finish. You're the one who has to explain to a surgeon why his pack is delayed because someone skipped a step. And that's a conversation I don't want to have without knowing my certs inside out.

Certification Options for Your Healthcare Laundry RFP

| Option | Governing Standard | Audit Responsibility | Surgical Pack Test Requirement | | TRSA Hygienically Clean | Hygienically Clean healthcare textile standard | TRSA third-party inspectors | Quarterly microbiological testing of finished packs | | HLAC | Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council standards | Independent HLAC surveyors | Annual on-site audit with product testing | | Both | Dual certification | Both TRSA and HLAC audits | Combined testing schedule, no gaps |

Frequently Asked Questions

Is TRSA Hygienically Clean better than HLAC for hospital linen?

Not exactly. TRSA does more microbial testing, so it gives you hard numbers on bacteria. HLAC is a more rigorous facility inspection. For a hospital, I'd rather have both. If you can only pick one, choose TRSA and do your own operational audit.

Can a laundry plant hold both TRSA Hygienically Clean and HLAC accreditation?

Yes, many do. The requirements overlap, but they're not identical. Holding both signals a plant that's willing to pay for independent oversight on two different levels.

Does either certification guarantee sterile linen?

No. Both certifications are about hygienically clean textiles. Sterility happens later in the hospital's sterilizers. Don't let a sales rep blur that line.

Should my RFP require both certifications or just one?

Depends on your hospital's size and risk tolerance. For a trauma center, require both. For a lower-acuity setting, you can require one and add your own testing. Just don't skip the requirement altogether.