CLEANING BID GUIDE / WORKED EXAMPLE
An office cleaning bid, worked from the ground up.
A price per square foot does not tell you whether a job covers your costs. This example starts with the work, adds the costs, and turns a target margin into a monthly bid.
1. Set the assumptions
Our fictional client, Northline Offices, needs three visits per week. We divide its 8,500 square feet of cleanable area into three groups because our assumed pace differs by area.
These are example inputs, not market rates. The wages, production rates, costs, and margin below are illustrative. Replace them with measurements, timed work, and costs from your business.
| Area | Cleanable sq ft | Sq ft per labor hour | Labor hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open office & meeting rooms | 6,500 | 2,500 | 2.600 |
| Reception & corridors | 1,500 | 3,000 | 0.500 |
| Restrooms & kitchenette | 500 | 800 | 0.625 |
| Total | 8,500 | — | 3.725 |
We also assume 20 person-minutes of other labor and 15 paid person-minutes of travel per visit. Only add work outside the area calculation; counting a restroom twice would overstate the workload.
To reproduce this example, open the free calculator and select Load an example.
2. Calculate labor hours
Divide each area's square footage by its production rate. Then add the other labor and travel time.
Labor hours per visit = 3.725 + 20 ÷ 60 + 15 ÷ 60 = 4.308333…
These are person-hours. Two cleaners working one hour each use two labor hours. If two employees are each paid for 15 minutes of travel, enter 30 paid person-minutes for that trip.
SweepBid spreads a weekly schedule over an annualized average month:
Average visits per month = 3 × 52 ÷ 12 = 13
Monthly labor hours = 4.308333… × 13 = 56.008333…
That is approximately 56.01 labor hours per month. A particular calendar month may have more or fewer visits; agree on holiday and service-day rules before sending a fixed monthly proposal.
3. Build the monthly cost
The example uses a $20 base hourly wage and a 20% payroll burden. This makes the loaded hourly labor cost $24. The burden is your input for employer costs beyond the base wage; use costs applicable to your business.
Loaded labor = 56.008333… × $20 × 1.20 = $1,344.20
| Item | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Loaded labor | Hours × wage × burden factor | $1,344.20 |
| Supplies | Example monthly input | $110.00 |
| Other direct costs | Example monthly input | $35.00 |
| Direct costs | Sum of the three lines above | $1,489.20 |
| Overhead allocation | $1,489.20 × 12% | $178.70 |
| Total modeled cost | Direct costs + overhead | $1,667.90 |
The calculation retains precision internally: overhead is $178.704 and total modeled cost is $1,667.904. Displayed amounts are rounded to cents. Avoid rounding every intermediate calculation when recreating the result in a spreadsheet.
Count each expense once. For example, an equipment allowance included in other direct costs should not also be included in the overhead percentage.
4. Turn the target margin into a price
Our example targets a 25% modeled operating margin. That means costs consume 75% of the price, so we divide cost by 0.75.
Price = $1,667.904 ÷ (1 − 0.25) = $2,223.872
Monthly price rounded to cents = $2,223.87
Modeled operating profit: $555.97 per month, approximately 25% of the price.
This example has no minimum price and uses a 0% sales-tax input solely to show the base calculation. It does not determine whether tax applies to your service. Enter the rate applicable to your own sale.
Profit here means the proposed price less the costs entered in the model. Actual results depend on hours worked, expenses, and the final agreement. Costs you omit remain your costs.
5. Check the number against the actual job
- Confirm that the measured area is cleanable space, and that the scope matches the production rates.
- Check whether setup, restocking, supervision, and paid travel are fully represented.
- Agree on visit days, access, holidays, and tasks that occur less often than each visit.
- Verify supply responsibilities and any separately priced work.
- Write clear exclusions and payment terms before sharing the proposal.
After your first visits, compare the actual person-hours with this estimate. Adjust future bids from that evidence. The useful outcome is a repeatable cost model you can improve.
Keep building your bid
Put your own site into the numbers.
Enter the workload, costs, and scope you can support. SweepBid shows the monthly calculation as you go.