Build a cleaning bid
you can explain.
Start with the work. Calculate the costs. Then choose a price with a clear view of what remains. This guide explains the calculation used by Sweepdraft.
1. Define the job before pricing it
Walk the site and record the spaces, surfaces, access restrictions and service frequency. An office with dense furniture, several restrooms and restricted access may require a different workload from an open showroom of the same size.
Write the included tasks and exclusions before committing to a monthly figure. Specify whether consumable restocking, specialist floor treatments, initial deep cleaning and holiday visits are included. Confirm the final schedule with the customer.
Turn a walkthrough note into a scope decision
“Client supplies paper and soap” leaves a question: who checks and refills the dispensers? Separate purchasing from restocking before you price the work.
The client buys paper and soap and keeps stock on site. Your team checks and refills the agreed washroom dispensers on each scheduled visit.
- Work: Washroom dispenser checks and restocking
- Frequency / responsibility: Each scheduled visit; client purchases and provides stock
- Price coverage: Included in monthly price
In Sweepdraft’s Service schedule, record that agreement in the three fields above. Include the restocking time in your routine visit hours. Do not add the client’s purchases to your supply costs. State any stock-shortage reporting or service limit in the agreed scope.
If the responsibility is still undecided, leave the item as To confirm and save the draft. Resolve it with the client before sharing. A completed row does not check for missing tasks or conflicting wording elsewhere in the proposal.
2. Estimate labor for one visit
Multiply the number of cleaners by hours per cleaner and the hourly wage or cost. If your base wage excludes employer costs, add your own labor-burden percentage. If your hourly figure already includes those costs, use a zero burden to avoid counting them twice.
Example: 2 × 4 × $20 × 1.25 = $200
Revisit the time estimate after measured work. The calculator cannot infer site productivity or determine your employment, insurance or tax obligations.
3. Include the other costs
Add supplies and travel or other variable costs per visit. Then allocate a monthly amount for overhead attributable to this contract. This might include relevant administration, equipment and insurance costs, depending on what you have already included elsewhere. Avoid both omissions and double counting.
| Example input | Amount |
|---|---|
| Labor per visit | $200 |
| Supplies per visit | $12 |
| Travel and other per visit | $8 |
| Allocated monthly overhead | $400 |
| Included monthly partition-glass clean | $50 |
| Visits per week | 3 |
Allow for included periodic work
A monthly glass clean or quarterly floor treatment can belong in the contract without happening on every routine visit. Work out its cost per occurrence, including labor, employer costs, supplies and equipment, then convert the agreed frequency to a monthly equivalent.
Starting example: $50 × 12 ÷ 12 = $50 / month
If a $300 quarterly task is also included: $50 + $300 × 4 ÷ 12 = $150 / month
Enter that total in Included periodic work / month. It is added once per month before the margin calculation. Use zero if you already allowed for those tasks in your visit hours or other costs; moving them here means removing the same allowance elsewhere. Excluded work and separately quoted extras do not belong in this amount.
The starting sample includes a monthly partition-glass clean with an illustrative full cost of $50 per occurrence. Its routine visit hours and other costs exclude this task, so the $50 is counted once in the periodic allowance. Adding the separate $300 quarterly task would raise that allowance from $50 to $150, monthly costs from $3,310 to $3,410 and the calculated price from $4,413.34 to $4,546.67 at a 25% target margin. A fixed price override stays fixed; its remainder and margin change instead.
The service schedule records the agreement; it does not calculate task hours or costs. Check that the frequency, coverage and costing agree before sharing. Annualized allowances assume the stated work across the stated year. Agree a separate initial clean or shorter contract explicitly rather than assuming a year's recovery.
4. Convert to a monthly equivalent
Sweepdraft uses 52 weeks divided by 12 months. Three visits per week become an average of 13 visits per month. Actual calendar months and agreed holidays differ, so this is an annualized pricing basis—not a promise of exactly 13 visits every month.
Monthly cost = ($200 + $12 + $8) × 13 + $400 + $50 periodic allowance
Monthly cost = $3,310
Monthly costs use the unrounded visit amounts. Displayed amounts are rounded to cents, so adding the displayed lines can differ slightly from the total. The suggested price is rounded up to the nearest cent.
5. Set a margin, not a markup
Margin describes the portion of your price remaining after the entered costs. Markup describes an addition to cost. They produce different prices. A 25% target margin uses cost divided by 0.75, not cost multiplied by 1.25.
Example: $3,310 / 0.75 = $4,413.34 (rounded up)
Remainder after entered costs = $1,103.34
The remainder is an estimate, not verified profit. Missing costs, schedule changes and taxes can change the real result. You can override the suggested quote in Sweepdraft and see the resulting margin. A warning appears if the price falls below your entered costs.
6. Send the client a focused proposal
The client copy should explain the quoted price, service frequency, included tasks, exclusions and proposal validity. Final taxes, access arrangements, payment terms and contract terms still need agreement. Keep your internal cost model separate.
Sweepdraft publishes a versioned client copy. Later edits do not silently change it. Publish a new version when your proposal changes and revoke old links when appropriate. A response from the client records interest or feedback; it is not a signature.
Work through the exampleFurther reading: ISSA’s guide to computer-based bidding systems discusses evaluating bidding software. ISSA’s workloading guide separates routine, detail and project work and relates task frequency to annual hours. ILBEX’s walkthrough checklist distinguishes supply purchasing, monitoring and replenishment. The scope example and worked calculations on this page are our own illustrations, not provider recommendations or ISSA rates. Updated November 5, 2026.