How to Bid Office Cleaning Jobs: Walkthrough, Math and Proposal
How to quote a commercial or office cleaning job: the walkthrough checklist, production-rate math, monthly pricing and the proposal that wins.
Office cleaning is priced by the month, not by the visit. The client wants one number they can put in a budget. Your job is to make sure that number still pays you in month eight.
Do the walkthrough
Never bid from a phone call. Walk the space and record:
- Total cleanable square footage, by floor type
- Number of washrooms, fixtures and kitchens
- Visits per week and the allowed time window
- Trash, recycling and compost handling
- Who supplies consumables like paper towel and soap
- Alarm, keys and access rules
- Special areas: glass, lobbies, server rooms, carpeted offices
The math
Estimate minutes per visit from your production rate: how many square feet you clean per hour for that type of space. Add fixed time for each washroom and kitchen.
Hours per month = hours per visit × visits per week × 4.33.
Labour cost = hours per month × your loaded labour rate (wage plus payroll costs, or your own hourly target if you work alone).
Add supplies, consumables if you provide them, equipment wear, and travel. Then add your margin on top. The result is the monthly price.
Check the margin before you send
If the numbers only work when everything goes right, the bid is too low. Test it: add 15 percent to the hours. If you'd lose money, raise the price or cut the scope.
Write the proposal
A good office cleaning proposal is short: the scope by area and frequency, the monthly price, what's excluded, the start date, the term, and the notice period. Add proof that lowers the client's risk: insurance details, a sample checklist, how you handle a missed visit.
Follow up
Commercial decisions take longer and involve more people. Follow up a week after sending, then again before the proposal expires. Ask who else needs to see it.
Tools
The Cleaning Business Kit includes an office walkthrough checklist, an office bid calculator that flags low-margin bids, and a commercial proposal template.
General information for small service businesses. Not legal, tax or financial advice. No particular results are promised. Example numbers are illustrations, not market rates.