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home | Bidding & Estimating
 

Bidding & Estimating

What can make or break a cleaning company is bidding and estimating correctly. 

Too high of a bid and you are most likely going to lose the job, but too low of a bid and you will not make any profit.  A proper bid depends on the type and size of the building, the services you are asked to provide, and the production rates for your cleaning company. 

The articles in this section will help you learn the many factors that go into preparing that successful cleaning bid - from measuring a building correctly, to knowing what questions to ask the building's owner, to analyzing employee workloads, and much more!

How to Track Cleaning Jobs on a White Board
Jean Hanson
How to Track Cleaning Jobs on a White Board As you grow your cleaning business, you may find yourself struggling to make sure you're getting everything done that you're supposed to do. This is especially true for cleaning companies who offer various services to their clients - such as window washing, carpet cleaning and ceramic tile cleaning. How do you keep track of who wants what done and when they want it done? . . . keep reading
How Much Time Will it Take to Clean?
How Much Time Will it Take to Clean? This is a question that cleaning business owners ask themselves all the time. After all, how can you know how much to charge if you don't know how long it takes to clean? . . . keep reading
Mobile Pressure Power Wash Price Survey
Robert M. Hinderliter
If you've ever thought about offering pressure washing services, then you need to read this article. Not only does it list prices for a multitude of mobile pressure washing services, but it offers great advice on everything from how to get the job to how to charge for travel time and expense. . . . keep reading
How to do a Site Inspection When Bidding on Cleaning a Building
Steve Hanson
How to do a Site Inspection When Bidding on Cleaning a Building If you want to bid accurately, then you need to do a complete site inspection with the prospective client. You don't want to "wing it" and then discover you under-bid and can't make a profit. You'll also want to see the condition of the building in order to determine what you'll need to charge for the initial cleaning. . . . keep reading
How to Measure a Building for a Cleaning Bid
Steve Hanson
How to Measure a Building for a Cleaning Bid If you're in the commercial cleaning business, then one of the steps necessary in bidding a new account is to measure the building. Sometimes the customer will tell you the total square footage, but this number is not always accurate. Plus, it doesn't break down how many square feet there are per type of floor surface. So how do you measure a building? Read on. . . . keep reading
What to Include in Your Cleaning Bid Packet
Jean Hanson
Putting together a bid packet to present to a prospective client shows that you are a professional in the cleaning business. Many small businesses seeking cleaning services do not know what to expect when receiving a bid, or their experience has been receiving a single page bid, which is not very impressive. When you present a nicely packaged proposal, you've just increased your chances of winning the bid, regardless of price. . . . keep reading
How to Analyze Employee Workloads
Jean Hanson
One of the most important things you need to know is how long it will take to clean a building. Production times will vary depending on the specific building that you are cleaning; however, there are some basic formulas that you can apply to figure out how long and how many employees you will need to clean your clients' buildings. . . . keep reading
How to Develop Production Rates for Your Cleaning Company
Steve Hanson
There are a number of cleaning production rates charts available to cleaning contractors. One such chart is available at TheJanitorialStore.com. They usually list how many minutes it takes to perform a particular task or how many minutes per 1,000 square feet it takes to get the job done. . . . keep reading
Understanding Cleaning Production Rates
Jean Hanson
Are you bidding on a new cleaning account? When bidding a cleaning account, labor is always the biggest expense. In order to determine your labor expense for a cleaning account you'll need to figure out how many hours it will take to get the job done. This article will help you to understand different circumstances that could affect a "normal" cleaning production rate. . . . keep reading
A Simple Formula for Bidding on Cleaning Accounts
Contributed by Stacie and Joe Gorse
A Simple Formula for Bidding on Cleaning Accounts Getting that cleaning job will most often require that you put together a bid and present it to your potential customer. But how do you figure out what to charge? There is no "cookie cutter" formula to preparing a bid for your cleaning jobs. However, you can come up with a reasonable bid by using bidding calculators and applying a few simple guidelines. . . . keep reading
What's the Difference Between Class A, Class B, and Class C Office Buildings?
Steve Hanson
If you clean commercial office buildings, you should know the difference between Class A, Class B, and Class C buildings. This article tells you why. . . . keep reading
Streamlining Your Cleaning Operations Through Work Loading
Steve Hanson
Streamlining Your Cleaning Operations Through Work Loading Your cleaning business has only so many hours in a day to get its clients' buildings cleaned. Did you know that there is a way for you to clean more and improve employee morale at the same time? By implementing a work loading system in your cleaning business you can save time and money! . . . keep reading
Why You Should Charge Extra For First Time Residential Cleaning
Steve Hanson
Why You Should Charge Extra For First Time Residential Cleaning When starting a new residential cleaning account you'll need to explain to your new customer why you charge more for the "first time" cleaning. A first time cleaning of a new residential cleaning account is more like a "spring-cleaning" and needs extra staff time to remove extra soil and build-up . . . keep reading
Increase Your Profits by Bundling Your Cleaning Services
Jean Hanson
Increase Your Profits by Bundling Your Cleaning Services Anytime you place an order in a fast-food restaurant you're asked if you would like the "meal special" or "value deal". Instead of just ordering a sandwich you are now given the choice of a complete meal at a value price. The same principle applies to how your market your cleaning services - you can make additional income by "bundling" services together. . . . keep reading
Be Prepared to Answer These Questions From Residential Cleaning Customers
Jean Hanson
Be Prepared to Answer These Questions
From Residential Cleaning Customers Are you ready to start your residential cleaning service? After your business is set up, your employees are hired and your supplies are purchased, you're ready to sign up clients. Are you prepared to answer those tough questions your clients might ask? . . . keep reading
Tips for Offering Move-In / Move-Out Cleaning Services
Steve Hanson
Tips for Offering Move-In / Move-Out Cleaning Services People and businesses are moving from homes, apartments, and offices on a daily basis. As people and businesses move, they either need their old location cleaned or want to make sure their new location is clean before moving in. Your cleaning company can fill this niche.... . . . keep reading
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