How to Bid on Janitorial Contracts (2026 Guide)

Janitorial bidding that wins (and stays profitable).

Most janitorial bids lose for one of two reasons: priced from gut feel or written like a brochure. Here's the production-rate-based bidding framework CleanReach clients use to win commercial contracts at 38–55% gross margin.

Production-rate-based pricing

Labor burden formula

Bid template structure

Start every janitorial bid from production rate, not price

Production rate (square feet cleaned per labor hour) is the variable that drives every other number on the page. For general office, expect 3,000–4,000 sq ft/hour. Medical clinics: 1,500–2,000. Industrial/warehouse: 8,000–15,000. Post-construction: 200–500. Walk the building, measure (or estimate from floor plans), then pick a defensible production rate by facility type. Multiply out: visits per week × hours per visit × weeks per month = monthly labor hours.

Build labor cost from the loaded rate

The biggest janitorial bidding mistake is pricing labor at the hourly wage. The real cost is the loaded rate: wage + payroll taxes + workers' comp + benefits + PTO + supervision. In most US/UK/CA markets the load is 25–38% on top of the wage. Example: $15/hr wage × 1.32 load = $19.80/hr loaded. Multiply by monthly labor hours to get true labor cost. Anything less and your margin is fiction.

Layer in supplies, equipment and your real margin

Supplies: 4–7% of revenue for office, 6–10% for medical, 8–12% for industrial. Equipment depreciation: 2–4% flat. Then add a target gross margin — 38–55% is the band CleanReach clients win at on recurring janitorial. Specialty (medical, post-construction) supports 50–65%. Don't apologise for the margin. You're not selling labor — you're selling supervision, insurance, consistency and the buyer's peace of mind.

Write the janitorial proposal to win, not to inform

A winning janitorial proposal is structured for the decision-maker, not the procurement form: • Page 1: a one-line summary of what they get (services, frequency, monthly price). No hidden numbers. • Page 2: scope of work as a clean bulleted matrix (daily / weekly / monthly). • Page 3: differentiators — insurance, supervision model, communication SLA, references. • Page 4: pricing, optional add-ons, term and start date. Keep it under 6 pages. Send a PDF, not a Word doc. Sign and date the cover letter.

Janitorial bidding — frequently asked questions

What's a good production rate for janitorial bidding?+

General office: 3,000–4,000 sq ft/hour. Medical clinics: 1,500–2,000. Industrial/warehouse: 8,000–15,000. Post-construction final clean: 200–500. Always confirm by walking the building.

What gross margin should I target on janitorial?+

38–55% gross is the band CleanReach clients win on recurring janitorial. Specialty work (medical, post-construction, day porter) supports 50–65%. Below 35% means a rebid is coming.

How do I handle a low-ball competitor in my janitorial bid?+

Don't match the price — explain the gap. Most low-ball janitorial bids are pricing off the wage (not the loaded rate) and will fail the contract inside 6 months. Educate the buyer on the math and let them choose.

Should janitorial bids be priced per hour or per square foot?+

Internally, always per labor hour at the loaded rate. Externally to the buyer, present a flat monthly price. Per-square-foot is useful for sanity-checking against market benchmarks.