Built by commercial cleaners. For commercial cleaners.
How to Bid Commercial Cleaning Jobs and Win Profitable Contracts
Winning commercial cleaning contracts starts long before you submit a price. Learn how to conduct walkthroughs, calculate labor costs, build professional proposals, and avoid the bidding mistakes that cost cleaning companies money.
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Winning the Contract Doesn't Matter If You Lose Money Servicing It
One of the biggest mistakes commercial cleaning companies make is focusing on winning the account instead of understanding what it will cost to service. A contract that looks great on paper can quickly become a financial problem when labor, supplies, supervision, and overhead aren't calculated correctly.
Underbidding
You win the contract but discover your actual labor costs are higher than expected.
Overbidding
You submit a price without understanding the building's cleaning requirements and lose an opportunity.
Missing the Scope
You price the building for one level of service, but the customer expects something completely different.
The goal isn't to be the lowest bidder. It's to submit a competitive price that allows your company to deliver quality service and remain profitable.
How to Bid a Commercial Cleaning Contract in 7 Steps
- 1
Research the Prospect Before the Walkthrough
Knowing the facility and the person making the decision helps you ask better questions and show up prepared.
- Facility type
- Approximate building size
- Industry and operating hours
- Likely cleaning requirements
- Decision-maker and purchasing process
- Current cleaning arrangement, when known
Don't walk into a building knowing nothing about the company you're trying to win.
- 2
Conduct a Thorough Walkthrough
Walk every area and document what actually needs to be cleaned. This is where accurate bids are made.
- Square footage
- Restrooms
- Breakrooms
- Offices
- Common areas
- Floor types
- Trash collection points
- High-traffic areas
- Special cleaning requirements
- Security and access requirements
Never price a commercial cleaning account based on square footage alone.
- 3
Confirm the Scope of Work
You and the customer need to agree on exactly what's included before a price means anything.
- Cleaning frequency
- Daily tasks
- Weekly tasks
- Monthly tasks
- Periodic services
- Supplies responsibility
- Exclusions
- Special requests
If it isn't clearly included in your scope of work, don't assume the customer understands what they're getting.
- 4
Estimate Your Labor Hours
Labor is often one of the largest expenses in commercial cleaning, so this number drives your whole bid.
- Cleaning production rates
- Building layout
- Cleaning frequency
- Travel between areas
- Restroom and detail cleaning
- Equipment efficiency
- Realistic labor allocation
Don't estimate the hours you hope the building will take. Estimate the hours it will realistically take to clean it correctly.
- 5
Calculate Your Total Operating Costs
An hourly wage is not the same as fully loaded labor cost. Add everything it takes to service the account.
- Hourly wages
- Employer payroll taxes
- Workers' compensation
- Benefits where applicable
- Cleaning supplies
- Equipment
- Supervision
- Insurance
- Administrative overhead
A $20/hr cleaner with 25% payroll burden actually costs you $25/hr.
- 6
Set Your Price and Profit Margin
Margin is a share of the price; markup is added to cost. A 20% markup on $4,000 is $4,800 — only a 16.7% margin.
Monthly operating cost$4,000Target profit margin20%Price ($4,000 ÷ 0.80)$5,000/monthEstimated monthly profit$1,000Illustrative figures, not universal pricing standards.Know the profit you need before submitting your price.
- 7
Present the Proposal and Follow Up
A clear, professional proposal makes it easy for the customer to say yes.
- Customer and facility information
- Scope of work
- Cleaning frequency
- Monthly pricing
- Service expectations
- Exclusions
- Contract terms
- Follow-up plan
Sending a proposal isn't the end of the sales process. It's the beginning of the follow-up.
Let's Walk Through a Sample Commercial Cleaning Bid
Here's how the steps come together for an example office building. These are assumptions for teaching, not a recommended price.
- Office building, 20,000 sq. ft.
- 5 cleaning visits per week
- 4 labor hours per visit
- $20/hr employee wage
- 25% payroll burden
- $150/month supplies & equipment
- 15% overhead on direct costs
- 20% target profit margin
- Monthly labor hours (4 hrs × 5 visits × 52 ÷ 12)86.7 hrs
- Loaded labor cost ($20 × 1.25 = $25/hr)$2,167
- Supplies & equipment$150
- Overhead (15% of direct costs)$348
- Total monthly operating cost$2,664
Suggested monthly bid ($2,664 ÷ 0.80)
$3,330
Estimated monthly profit: $666 · Annual contract value: $39,963
Educational example only. Actual bids depend on building conditions, scope, local labor costs and your other operating expenses.
Try the Commercial Cleaning CalculatorFrom Building Walkthrough to Professional Proposal — All in Cinch
Build Your Bid
Organize your building information, labor estimates, and operating costs to develop a more informed bid.
Create Your Proposal
Turn your pricing and scope information into a professional proposal you can present to a prospective customer.
Manage Your Sales Pipeline
Keep track of prospects, proposals, and follow-up activity without relying on scattered spreadsheets and notes.
5 Commercial Cleaning Bidding Mistakes That Cost Companies Money
1. Bidding based only on square footage
Two 20,000 sq. ft. buildings can need very different labor.
Fix: Price from the walkthrough and real labor hours.
2. Underestimating the labor required
A few missed hours a week adds up over a multi-year contract.
Fix: Use production rates from accounts you already clean.
3. Forgetting payroll burden and overhead
Wages alone understate what the account really costs.
Fix: Load wages and add supplies, supervision and overhead.
4. Submitting vague scopes of work
Unclear scope leads to disputes and unpaid extra work.
Fix: List tasks by frequency and spell out exclusions.
5. Failing to follow up after the proposal
Many contracts are won in the follow-up, not the first meeting.
Fix: Set a follow-up date and track it in your pipeline.
This Isn't Just Theory. It's How We Built a Commercial Cleaning Business.
Cinch was created from firsthand experience building and operating a commercial cleaning company. After more than 20 years in the industry, pricing contracts, managing employees, and servicing commercial facilities, the goal was to create software that makes the process easier for other cleaning business owners.
- 20+ years in commercial cleaning
- Founder of an eight-figure commercial cleaning company (iPro)
- 4× Inc. 5000 honoree through iPro
Frequently Asked Questions About Bidding Commercial Cleaning Jobs
More Resources to Help You Win Commercial Cleaning Contracts
Stop Guessing Your Bids. Start Building Profitable Contracts.
You've learned the process. Now see how Cinch can help you organize your numbers, create professional proposals, and manage your sales opportunities.
7-day free trial • 10 users included • $89/month
Credit card required. See trial and billing terms.