How to price commercial cleaning contracts in 2026
Stop guessing. The exact formula and bid sheet we use with CleanReach clients to win profitable commercial cleaning contracts.
Start with the production rate, not the price
Every profitable commercial cleaning bid starts the same way: how long will this account actually take, every single visit? Production rate (square feet per hour) is the variable that drives every other number on the page. A general office at 3,500 sq ft/hr is a very different math problem from a medical clinic at 1,800 sq ft/hr. Get the production rate wrong by 20% and your margin disappears — get it right and pricing becomes a calculator exercise. Measure or estimate the square footage, walk the building, then pick a defensible production rate by facility type. Multiply it out per visit, per week, per month.
Build labor cost from the loaded rate, not the wage
The single biggest mistake we see new cleaning companies make is bidding off the hourly wage. That number is fiction. The real labor cost is the loaded rate: wage + payroll taxes + workers' comp + benefits + paid time off + supervision. Depending on your state or country, the load is typically 22–38% on top of the wage. Multiply monthly labor hours by your loaded rate, not your wage.
Add supplies, equipment and a true margin
Supplies typically run 4–7% of revenue for general office, 6–10% for medical, 8–12% for industrial. Equipment depreciation is small but real — bake in a flat percentage. Then add your target gross margin (we coach our clients to bid 38–55% gross depending on facility type and contract length), and stop apologizing for it. You're not selling labor. You're selling guaranteed results, insurance, supervision and the buyer's peace of mind.
Use a bid sheet, not a gut feeling
Build a single-page bid template you fill in for every walkthrough. Square footage, facility type, frequency, production rate, monthly hours, loaded labor cost, supplies %, equipment %, target margin → monthly price. Same sheet every time. It removes the emotion and stops you under-bidding to land the contract.
Bonus: how lead quality changes the math
Cold inbound prospects (people who Googled you) negotiate hard because they're shopping. Outbound walkthroughs — where you're booked into the decision-maker's calendar before they've talked to anyone else — close 30–50% higher because there is no competitive set yet. That alone is often the difference between a 35% and a 48% gross margin on the same account. It's why CleanReach focuses entirely on booked walkthroughs.
FAQs
What is a fair price per square foot for commercial cleaning?+
It depends entirely on facility type and frequency. General office at 5 nights a week typically lands $0.05–$0.15 per sq ft per visit. Medical and industrial run higher. Always bid off production rate and loaded labor cost, not a flat per-sq-ft number.
How much margin should a commercial cleaning contract make?+
Target 38–55% gross margin. Below 35% and the first late payment or no-show wipes you out. Above 55% on a general-office bid and you'll lose it on price.
Should I include supplies in the price?+
Almost always yes. Fold supplies into the monthly price as a percentage of revenue (4–10% depending on facility type). Itemizing supplies invites the buyer to negotiate them down line-by-line.