Free cleaning proposal template

What goes in a cleaning proposal

A good cleaning proposal answers the questions a facility manager will ask before signing: who are you, what exactly do I get, when, for how much, and what happens if something goes wrong. The template above follows that order, and every part can be edited.

• Cover. Your company and the client, the facility address, the date, a proposal number and how long the price holds. The number makes it easy to refer to the right version when the client asks for changes.
• A short letter. Three short paragraphs: thank them for the walkthrough, say what the proposal covers, and invite questions. Leave the selling to the rest of the document.
• About us. How long you have been in business, and only the things that are true today: insurance, a janitorial bond, background checks, uniforms. A buyer may ask for proof of any of them, so never tick a box you cannot back up.
• Facility and scope of work. The building type and cleanable square feet, then each area with its daily, weekly and monthly tasks. This is the heart of the proposal.
• Schedule. Which days, the time window, and the start date.
• Price. One monthly number, what it includes, and extras such as floor stripping, carpet extraction and windows priced separately.
• Payment and terms. When you invoice and when payment is due, the length of the agreement, notice to cancel, who supplies restroom paper and soap, and how you check quality.
• Acceptance. Signature and date lines for the client and for you.

Keep it short enough to read in one sitting. A busy office manager skims the cover, jumps to the price, then reads the scope to see what they get for it. Make all three easy to find.

Proposal vs estimate vs contract

The three documents overlap, which is why people mix them up. The difference is what each one is for.

• An estimate is a price for a job, often a one-time clean. It lists the work and the cost and not much else. For a home or a one-off job, use the cleaning estimate template.
• A proposal is a sales document for ongoing work. It includes the price, but also the scope by area and frequency, the schedule, who you are and the terms you work under. Commercial clients usually expect one, and they compare several side by side.
• A contract is the signed agreement both sides rely on once the work starts. Some cleaning companies treat the signed proposal as the agreement, which is why this template has a terms section and signature lines. Others follow it with a separate service agreement. For residential clients, the cleaning contract template builds one clause by clause.

Whichever you use, make sure they say the same thing. If the proposal says weekly restroom grout scrubbing and the contract says monthly, expect an argument the first time the grout looks dark.

Writing the scope of work

The scope of work is the list of what you will clean and how often. It decides how many labor hours the account takes, so it drives the price, and it is what the client will check your work against. A vague scope leads to disputes. A clear one protects both sides.

• Go area by area. Entrance, offices, restrooms, break room, conference rooms, floors. Facility managers think in rooms, and so do your cleaners.
• Split each area by frequency. Daily tasks happen on every visit. Weekly and monthly tasks are where you add detail without adding hours to every night.
• Use plain, checkable words. “Clean and disinfect toilets, urinals and seats” can be inspected. “Restrooms cleaned thoroughly” cannot.
• Say what is not included. Interior windows, floor finish work and carpet extraction are common extras. List them under extras, so the client sees they exist and what they cost.
• Match the building. A medical office needs more restroom and disinfection detail than a warehouse. Remove tasks that do not apply and add the ones that do.

The defaults in the template are a routine office scope. For a full room-by-room list with daily, weekly and periodic tasks, see the office cleaning checklist guide, then bring the tasks that fit this building into the proposal.

Pricing the proposal

Most commercial cleaning is priced as one monthly amount. Behind that number is a simple chain: the square feet you clean, how many square feet a cleaner covers in an hour, how many visits a month, your labor cost per hour, supplies and overhead, then your margin.

If you choose “Suggest one from my costs” in the template, it runs that math for you, using the same formula as our commercial cleaning calculator, with the square feet and cleaning days you entered. The suggestion is rounded up to the next $5. Treat it as a starting point and check it:

• The production rate matters most. The starting rates in the calculator are assumptions. Time your own crew on similar buildings and use those numbers as soon as you have them.
• Restrooms and break rooms take longer than open offices. A building with many restrooms, lots of desks or heavy foot traffic needs a lower rate.
• Compare with the market. Our guide to office cleaning rates per hour and per square foot explains how prices are usually quoted and what moves them.

The proposal prints the monthly price, about how many visits that covers in an average month, and the price per visit, so the client can see the math is fair. Weeks vary, so an average month is 52 weeks divided by 12.

The walkthrough before you bid

Never price a building you have not seen. A walkthrough with the client is where you learn what the floor plan does not show, and it is your first chance to look organized.

• Measure or confirm the cleanable square feet. Leave out storage, mechanical rooms and space you will not clean.
• Count what takes time. Restrooms and fixtures, break rooms, desks, stairwells, glass doors, and the mix of carpet and hard floors.
• Ask what went wrong before. If they are replacing a cleaner, the complaints tell you what to put in the scope and what to check first.
• Ask about access and timing. Keys or cards, the alarm, the hours staff leave, and any rooms that are off limits.
• Ask about supplies. Who buys restroom paper, soap and trash liners today, and whether they want that to change.
• Take notes and photos with permission. They help when you write the scope that evening.

Send the proposal within a day or two, while the walkthrough is fresh for both of you. For the bigger picture of finding buildings to walk through in the first place, read our guide on how to find, bid and win commercial accounts.

Following up after you send it

Most proposals are not signed the day they arrive. The decision may need a manager, a landlord or a budget, and the client may be comparing several bids. A polite, steady follow-up wins accounts that silence loses.

• Confirm it arrived. A short email the same day: you sent it, here is the PDF again, happy to answer questions.
• Check in a few days later. Ask if they have questions about the scope or the price, and when they expect to decide.
• Offer to adjust, not just to discount. If the price is too high, offer fewer visits or move some tasks to weekly before you cut your margin.
• Mind the valid-until date. Near the end, ask whether they would like it extended, and update the price if your costs have changed.
• Ask why if you lose. A one-line answer, such as price, timing or scope, makes the next proposal better.

Answering public bids and RFPs

Schools, cities, counties and federal agencies usually buy cleaning through a formal request for proposals (RFP) or invitation to bid. These work differently from a proposal you write for a private office.

• Follow their format. Public bids come with their own forms, scope and pricing sheets. Answer every item, in their order, by their deadline. A late or incomplete bid can be thrown out no matter the price.
• Read the requirements closely. Bids may ask for proof of insurance, a bond, references, wage rules or site visits. Price them in before you submit.
• Register where needed. For federal work, the SBA says to register in the System for Award Management (SAM) before you pursue government contracts, and many federal opportunities are posted on SAM.gov. States and cities run their own vendor registrations, so check with the buying office.
• Use this template for the parts they leave open. When a bid allows a cover letter or company profile, the letter and about-us sections here are a good start.

If you are new to commercial work, our guide on starting a commercial cleaning business covers insurance, pricing and finding first accounts. Some buyers also ask for a janitorial bond, which covers theft by employees under its terms, so learn what one costs before you bid.

Where BroomBook fits

We make BroomBook for residential cleaning businesses: house cleaners and maid services with recurring home clients. It is not built for commercial janitorial accounts, porter shifts or public bids, so if those are your whole business, pick software made for them.

This free template works for anyone, whether you clean one dental office or twenty buildings, and you never need an account to use it. If you also run home cleaning, see every feature or try the live demo.

Sources

• U.S. Small Business Administration, Basic requirements for federal contracting: register in SAM before pursuing government contracts.
• SAM.gov, the federal System for Award Management, where many federal contract opportunities are posted.
• E-SIGN Act, 15 U.S.C. 7001: a signature or contract cannot be denied legal effect only because it is electronic.