# How to Get Commercial Cleaning Contracts: Accounts, Bids, Bonds Canonical URL: https://www.simplywise.com/blog/how-to-get-commercial-cleaning-contracts/ Plain text: https://www.simplywise.com/blog/how-to-get-commercial-cleaning-contracts/llms.txt Publisher: SimplyWise, Inc. (https://www.simplywise.com) Published: October 28, 2026 Updated: October 28, 2026 Category: Business & Growth Summary: How to get commercial cleaning contracts: build an office and property manager target list, price the walkthrough, and carry the insurance buyers check. --- Log in (https://simplywise.com/login) ## How to Get Commercial Cleaning Contracts: Accounts, Bids, and Bonds How to get commercial cleaning contracts: pitch offices, medical suites and the property managers who run them, walk every space before you price it, and carry the insurance and bonding a buyer checks first. Add SimplyWise as a preferred source (https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=simplywise.com) Getting commercial cleaning contracts, at a glance 1. BLS counts 2,209,760 janitors and cleaners on payrolls nationwide (OEWS, May 2025, occupation 37-2011), not counting the self-employed. 2. Two 2026 city janitorial RFPs show the liability range buyers check: $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 per occurrence, $2,000,000 to $4,000,000 aggregate. 3. Net 30 is the default. Brea, California states it plainly: payment lands in net 30 days after an undisputed invoice. 4. A walkthrough often comes before you can bid at all. Ann Arbor disqualifies any proposer who skips its mandatory pre-proposal meeting, which ends with a site walk. 5. Two bonds get asked for: a janitorial bond covering employee theft, and an SBA surety bond up to $9 million on non-federal work. 6. The mean wage for janitors and cleaners is $18.64 an hour (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Build that into your labor line first. ## How do you actually get commercial cleaning contracts? Target commercial accounts directly: offices, medical suites, retail stores, and the property managers who run several of each. Win the RFPs that apply, skip the rest, walk every space before you price it, and carry the insurance and bonding a buyer checks first. ## Office, medical, and retail accounts, plus the property manager shortcut Rank reachable buildings that already pay for janitorial work: office suites, medical and dental offices, retail strips, and gyms. Ask who signs the janitorial line, not the front desk, usually a facilities manager or property management company. One property manager often controls a dozen buildings under a single decision. Pitch the whole portfolio, price it per building, and one signed contract replaces ten sales calls. ## The walkthrough bid: price the space you actually see Never price a commercial account from a floor plan alone. Walk every area you would service, and note frequency and square footage by area. Price the visit and the month as separate lines. ## Public RFPs are the model private buyers borrow GSA is the biggest federal channel. Its own page states that “facility-related services include complete facility maintenance such as janitorial and custodial services”. Cities run a smaller version. Brea, California posted a 2026 RFP for citywide janitorial services on a three-year term. Ann Arbor, Michigan holds a “mandatory pre-proposal meeting” followed by a site walk, and will not open a proposal from anyone who missed it. ## Net 30 terms and the insurance limits a buyer checks first Commercial buyers pay on terms. Brea’s agreement puts it plainly: payment lands “in net 30 days after receipt of an undisputed invoice”. Two 2026 city janitorial RFPs post the exact minimums their contractors carry. - City of Ann Arbor, Michigan (RFP #26-25): $1,000,000 per occurrence, $2,000,000 general aggregate. Captured September 26, 2026. - City of Brea, California (janitorial RFP): $2,000,000 per occurrence, $4,000,000 aggregate. Captured September 26, 2026. Both also require $1,000,000 in auto liability. Employer’s liability runs $500,000 per accident in Ann Arbor and $1,000,000 in Brea. Private buyers rarely publish a number, so treat the range a city posts as a starting benchmark when a property manager asks. ## Bonding: two different things buyers ask for One protects the buyer’s property from your staff. Ann Arbor’s RFP requires employees “bonded for any losses” while assigned to city buildings. The other protects the buyer if you cannot finish the job. The SBA backs that surety bond “up to $9 million” non-federal and “up to $14 million” federal, for a fee of “0.6% of the contract price”. ## Getting the account, from target list to signed contract 1. Build and rank the commercial target list List office, medical, retail, and property management accounts, ranked by square footage and renewal timing. 2. Book the walkthrough and measure by area Walk every space, note frequency and square footage by area, and write the scope to match what you saw. 3. Price the bid with terms, insurance, and bonding built in Quote net 30 terms, carry the liability range a buyer expects, and confirm whether a fidelity or surety bond applies. 4. Submit where an RFP applies and track the renewal date Watch GSA and agency postings for federal buildings, respond to a posted RFP where one exists, and calendar the renewal window. ## What the crew costs before you price the bid Janitors and cleaners earn a mean wage of $18.64 an hour, median $17.71 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), wages paid, not rates billed. Burden and margin ride on top, as our contractor hourly labor rates by trade (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/contractor-hourly-labor-rates-by-trade/) page breaks down. ## SimplyWise Cost Estimator for commercial cleaning bids SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a walkthrough photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. Every estimate carries material, labor, and fee line items, each with unit, quantity, and price per unit. Send a branded quote the client signs to approve. It is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, about $20/mo on annual, with a 7-day free trial. ## Keep reading - Contractor Hourly Labor Rates by Trade (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/contractor-hourly-labor-rates-by-trade/). - Best Cleaning Business Software (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/best-cleaning-business-software/). ## Sources ### Industry scale - BLS OEWS, May 2025, occupation 37-2011, employment (https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm) ### Public RFPs, the model private buyers borrow - GSA, Facility Related Services (https://www.gsa.gov/buy-through-us/products-and-services/facilities-and-construction/facility-related-services). - City of Brea, Citywide Janitorial Services RFP (https://www.cityofbrea.gov/DocumentCenter/View/19143/Janitorial-Services_RFP_2026). - City of Ann Arbor, RFP #26-25, Water Treatment Plant Janitorial (https://www.a2gov.org/media/rehbjasr/rfp_26-25_document.pdf). ### Bonding - SBA, Surety Bonds (https://www.sba.gov/loans/additional-funding-opportunities/surety-bonds/). ### Labor - BLS OEWS, May 2025 (https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), occupation 37-2011. ### Product - SimplyWise Cost Estimator on the App Store (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simplywise-cost-estimator/id6670619664), 4.8 rating. All sources captured 2026-09-26. ## Frequently asked questions about commercial cleaning contracts ### Finding commercial accounts **What is the fastest way to get commercial cleaning contracts?** Target office, medical, and retail buildings directly, and pitch property management companies for the whole portfolio. One signed contract can replace ten sales calls. **Do property managers count as one account or many?** Treat a property manager as one decision covering many buildings, and bid the route as a single account with per-building pricing. ### Bids and paperwork **What insurance does a commercial cleaning contract usually require?** Two 2026 city janitorial RFPs post general liability limits of $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 to $4,000,000 aggregate, plus auto and employer’s liability. Private buyers rarely publish a number, so treat the city range as a starting benchmark. **Do I need a bond to bid on a commercial cleaning contract?** Often a fidelity bond, covering employee theft on a property you access after hours. An SBA surety bond up to 9 million dollars non-federal, 14 million federal, mostly comes up on large facility contracts. ### Pricing the walkthrough **Can I quote a commercial cleaning job from a photo?** Yes. SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a walkthrough photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. Measure square footage by area once for exact quantities, and every line stays editable. **Does SimplyWise Cost Estimator help price commercial cleaning bids?** It builds material, labor, and fee line items from a walkthrough photo, each with unit, quantity, and price per unit. Send a branded quote the client signs to approve. Pricing is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, with a 7-day free trial. Smart tools for contractors - Log in (https://simplywise.com/login) - New Business Program (https://www.simplywise.com/#program) - About (https://www.simplywise.com/about) - Support (https://www.simplywise.com/support) - Privacy (https://www.simplywise.com/privacy) - Terms (https://www.simplywise.com/terms) - Blog (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/) --- ## About SimplyWise SimplyWise, Inc. (New York, NY) builds mobile apps for contractors, tradespeople, and small business owners. The SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a job site photo into an itemized estimate with labor and material costs in about 6 seconds, and the client signs the branded quote to approve it. It is rated 4.8 on the App Store. It is free to try with a 7-day free trial, then $29.99 per month or $239.99 per year (about $20 per month on the annual plan), and one subscription includes every app in the SimplyWise suite. - Download: https://www.simplywise.com/download - App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simplywise-cost-estimator/id6670619664 - Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.simplywise.costestimator - Every SimplyWise page as plain text: https://www.simplywise.com/blog/llms.txt