How to Bid Commercial Cleaning Jobs

Commercial cleaning bids are a different beast than residential. The spaces are bigger, the expectations are clearer, and the people making the decision usually have a spreadsheet open. They want to see numbers that make sense. Not some guess you pulled out of the air.

Here is how to build a bid that works.

Know what you are cleaning

Every commercial space is not the same. An office building with 20 employees is nothing like a medical clinic or a warehouse. Before you put a number on paper, walk the space. Actually walk it. Measure the square footage yourself or use a laser measure. Do not trust what the listing says. It is often wrong.

Make a list of what needs to be done each visit. Restrooms. Kitchen areas. Desks and common areas. Floors. Windows inside. Trash. Some buildings need daily service. Others need it five days a week. Factor that in.

Figure out your time

Most cleaners estimate about 2,000 square feet per hour for general office cleaning. That is a decent starting point but it will vary. A cluttered office takes longer. A building with lots of bathrooms takes longer. A place with hard floors that needs mopping takes longer than carpet.

Time your first couple of jobs. See how long it actually takes your crew. Then you have real numbers instead of guesses.

Price your labor right

This is where most cleaners mess up. They charge what they think the market will bear instead of what it costs them to do the work. You need to cover hourly wages, payroll taxes, workers compensation, and any benefits you pay. Do not forget about it.

If it costs you $20 an hour per employee to have them on payroll, you cannot bid $25 an hour and expect to make money. You need to charge what covers your actual costs plus profit. Most cleaners in commercial bidding charge between $30 and $50 an hour per cleaner. It depends on your market and what you offer.

Add your overhead

Your truck, insurance, supplies, background checks for employees, software, phone, advertising. These things add up. A common mistake is ignoring all of this and just bidding labor. You end up working for nothing after expenses.

Take your monthly overhead and divide it by the number of hours you bill each month. Add that number to every hour you charge. Even an extra $3 or $4 an hour makes a huge difference at the end of the year.

Build in profit

You are not just covering costs. You are running a business. You need to make money. A clean profit margin for commercial cleaning is usually 10 to 20 percent. That might sound low but it adds up when you are billing every week.

Do not forget the extras

Some jobs are one-time deep cleans. Carpet extraction. Window washing outside. Post-construction cleanup. These take more time and more equipment. Price them separately. Do not try to cram them into your regular square footage rate or you will lose money fast.

Put it in writing

Your bid should be clear. List what you are cleaning, how often, and what is included. Spell out what is not included. That saves arguments later. Include your price and payment terms. Make it look professional. It matters.

Commercial property managers get dozens of bids. The ones that look like you took the time to understand their building stand out.