How to Get Commercial Cleaning Contracts

Running a cleaning business sounds straightforward. What could go wrong? Grab a mop, a vacuum, some rags, and get to work. Easy enough, right? But landing commercial cleaning contracts? That’s a whole different ball game. Getting the commercial deals where you clean offices, schools, warehouses, or restaurants; Those jobs are your ticket to steady cash and growth and with a legit business to boot! Unlike one-off residential gigs, commercial contracts mean repeat business, monthly, yearly, even multi-year deals. They keep your crew busy and your bank account growing. The trick is knowing how to find clients, pitch your services, and seal the deal without tripping over your own bucket.

Great cleaning companies start small, some barely getting others raking it in because they cracked the code on commercial jobs and had the services to deliver. The payoff’s big—$1,000 to $10,000 a month per contract—but it takes grit, strategy, and a knack for standing out. This guide is your roadmap: we’ll cover finding leads, creating a professional proposal, nailing the bid, and keeping clients happy. Whether you’re a solo cleaner or running a small team, let’s roll up our sleeves and figure out how to snag those contracts.

Understanding Commercial Cleaning Contracts

So, what’s a commercial cleaning contract about? It’s a contract to provide regular cleaning services for businesses. These can be offices, retail shops, medical clinics, restaurants, factories, or even vacation rentals. Unlike a one-time house clean, these are ongoing commitments on a weekly or monthly basis. A law firm might need you five nights a week to vacuum, dust, and empty trash. A warehouse might want daily floor scrubbing. Contracts spell out the deal: how often you clean what tasks you do, how much you charge, and how long the deal lasts. Maybe six months, a year, or more.

The greatest benefit of a commercial cleaning contract is financial stability. Residential clients might call once and vanish, but a contract locks in steady work. For example, a cleaning company landed a deal with a small office park, $2,500 a month for nightly cleaning, year-long term. That’s money you can count on. What do you need to do in return? Client businesses expect reliability, professionalism, and often late-night hours. If they have huge spaces, you might need special gear like industrial vacuums or floor buffers and insurance to cover accidents. Costs vary, but small contracts might pay $500 a month, while big ones for large office buildings or schools can hit five figures. It’s a hassle to bid for them, but the right approach gets you in the door.

Why Commercial Cleaning Contracts Are Worth It

Chasing commercial cleaning contracts beats doing random jobs every day. You don’t have to worry about where the next job comes from for the next day or week. Here’s why commercial jobs matter:

Steady Income

A one-off house clean might net $200, but a contract with an office could bring $1,500 a month, every month. That’s cash you can plan around for business growth.

Long-Term Work

Contracts often run six months to years. A very good cleaning company, for example, can score a two-year deal with daycare for $3,000 a month, locked in.

Growth Potential

If you manage to get a deal from a major client, then the word spreads. Even a small office job can lead to more cleaning contracts for the whole building. Tripling income is possible.

Bigger Paydays

Residential cleaning jobs might pay $50 an hour, but businesses have larger scale of operations and consequently, a realistic figure of $1,000 to $10,000 monthly for bigger spaces like warehouses or hotels is not a distant dream anymore.

But it’s not easy. Businesses want consistency, showing up on time, every time. If you are late or miss a day, you’re out. You might need a bigger crew, better tools, or a business services dishonesty bond (in case of employee theft). Still, the payoff is huge. A 2024 report from Cleaning Business Today says commercial cleaning pulls in 60% more revenue per client than residential. If you’re ready to step up, these contracts can build your business into something solid.

Types of Commercial Cleaning Contracts

Not all contracts are the same. Different businesses need different cleaning tasks. Here’s a rundown:

Office Cleaning

These are nightly or weekly tasks like vacuuming, dusting, and trash removal. Small offices might pay $500-$1,500 a month; bigger ones more.

Retail Cleaning

Stores need floors to be shined, windows wiped, often after hours when closed, and the morning is hours away. A strip mall shop might run for $800 a month; a big box store for $3,000 or more.

Medical Facility Cleaning

Clinics or dentists need sterile work. They have demanding standards for disinfecting in accordance with biohazard rules. Strict standards mean increased pay around $2,000-$10,000 a month.

Industrial Cleaning

Warehouses or factories want heavy-duty tasks accomplished with floor scrubbing, machinery cleaning etc. Can pay $1,500-$5,000 monthly, but you need tough gear and a crew who can do the job well.

School or Daycare Cleaning

Desks, bathrooms, classrooms to be cleaned, daily or weekly. A small school might be $1,000 a month; a district could hit six figures if you have the scale and crew.

Restaurant Cleaning

Grease traps, hoods, kitchens, dining areas to be cleaned and floors scrubbed. Tough, late-night work that pays $800-$3,000 a month, depending on size.

Getting Ready to Chase Contracts

Before you go after commercial deals, here’s what you should do to prepare yourself to negotiate and grab lucrative cleaning contracts:

1. Build Skills: You should know basic cleaning like vacuuming, mopping etc., but also learn specialized stuff like carpet shampooing or sanitizing for clinics.
2. Gear Up: Invest in good quality mops, brooms, but also consider industrial cleaning gear like floor buffers, pressure washers etc. With these, you can land a contract with a factory job for $2000.
3. Get Insured: Commercial clients want liability insurance (covers property damage and bodily injury your business is liable for) and workers’ compensation if you’ve got staff as it is also mandatory in many states. Cost varies depending on the type of work performed, revenue, and payroll.
4. Bonding: A surety bond proves you’ll finish the job. An employee dishonesty bond covers potential employee crimes. Costs vary, but governmental entities may require.
5. Train Your Crew: If you’ve got employees, teach them consistency and safety. One sloppy worker can make a contract disappear in an instant.
6. Paperwork: Set up a business license, tax ID, and contracts. This will also help create a good impression on potential clients.

Finding Commercial Cleaning Leads

Landing contracts start with finding clients. Here’s how and where you can find them:

1. Network Locally: Chat up business owners at coffee shops, chambers of commerce, or local events. Such meetings, even at times in casual places, can land lucrative deals and if you have good social networking skills, you can strike gold.
2. Cold Calls & Walk-ins: By far, the oldest and hardest way to get contracts, especially when you are completely alien to the B2B arena, stop in at local businesses. Leave a card and introduce yourself at the reception area of offices, or commercial property management companies. Keep it short but professional. Persistence pays off here. Giving up is not an option. If you can, get an email to follow up on the places you visited.
3. Online Search: Check Google for property managers, office parks, or new businesses moving in. You’ll find that business request bids for contracts online. You can find a $3,000-a-month retail job on a real estate website.
4. Social Media: Post on Facebook, LinkedIn, or local groups. Something like, “We clean offices, so you shine!” Tag businesses and share photos of your work.
5. Referrals: Your current clients can help spread the word, especially if you do a great job. It also helps in in-direct marketing, when a client tells another about the amazing job you do. Referrals are by far the best leads you can get.
6. Bidding Sites: Sites like BidClerk or GovernmentBids.com list contracts for schools, offices, even city buildings. Some are free; others cost a small fee. Try them.

Crafting a Winning Proposal

If you’ve got a lead now is the time to go through some tips on how to sell yourself with a proposal. It’s your pitch to show that you are the real deal. Here’s how to nail it:

1. Start Simple: Introduce your business— “We’re Joe’s Cleaning, keeping offices spotless for 5 years.” Keep it personal and friendly.
2. List Services: Spell out what you’ll do once you get a deal: vacuum, disinfect, trash, whatever they need. Tailor it to their space so that they are satisfied.
3. Show Value: Value is that intangible quality you need to capture and express, by telling how reliable, fast and eco-friendly you are. Some companies have CSR standards; if you crack it, you will get it!
4. Price It Right: You should break down costs and explain what they are for, so that your potential client can clearly understand: $500 for weekly cleaning, $100 for extras like windows. Be concise, no surprises, and transparent.
5. Add Proof: Toss in a client testimonial in double quotes, so they know you mean business. Adding a photo of a shiny floor you cleaned could be an added bonus.
6. Keep It Short: Two pages max. That’s all you need to give to businesses who are too busy. Hand it over in person or email a clean PDF.

Bidding on Commercial Cleaning Contracts

Bidding is another great way to obtain secure and legitimate contracts in which you invest your name, your price and your business prestige. Here’s the playbook:

1. Scope the Job: Visit the site and first check square footage, dirt level, and special needs like carpet or biohazard cleaning. Bid for the contract only if you have the means to execute the contract.
2. Calculate Costs: This is the next critical step for making sure the contract is financially feasible. Add labor ($15-$25/hour per worker), supplies ($50-$200 a month), travel, and a bit for profit. Don’t forget the insurance coverage and bonds needed.
3. Set Your Price: Small offices might be $500-$1,000 a month; big jobs like factories are $3,000+. Be competitive but don’t reduce prices too low or demand too high a price. You need to find a sweet spot over which both parties can shake hands.
4. Submit the Bid: Follow their rules exactly. Some clients want paper, some online forms via sites like BidNet. Include the minimum required documents that are your proposal, licenses, and insurance.
5. Follow Up: Follow their rules exactly. Some clients want paper, some online forms via sites like BidNet. Include the minimum required documents that are your proposal, licenses, and insurance.
6. Be Flexible: Only if you can afford to do so. Clients do negotiate. So, make sure to negotiate well, and step back a little for small differences in amount.

Negotiating and Closing the Deal

Once you qualify as their prospective vendor, it is time to seal the contract with negotiation as the key skill. Let’s list how to do this:

1. Listen First: Listening will complete half of your negotiation. Ask what they need, how often, or special tasks like high-rise window cleaning. This helps clarify the essentials of the contract so that you can go through the details later.
2. Be Clear: Lay out your price, services, and timeline in a succinct and clear manner. Say, $1,500 a month, five nights a week, one-year term. No confusion.
3. Compromise Smart: Don’t under-negotiate yourself at a disadvantage. They want $1,200, you bid $1,500? Maybe you can drop to $1,350 if they sign up for two years. But don't cut so deep you lose money.
4. Show Confidence: “We’re reliable, thorough, insured.” Expression of confidence removes 90% of the doubts the negotiating party may have about you. Wavering makes you look shaky. So, chin up, and try not to appear too cocky for them to dismiss you.
5. Get It in Writing: Use a contract to list tasks, pay, schedule, and cancellation clauses. Everything on paper makes sense, so that in case of legal issues, you will be on the safe side.
6. Close Well: It is a great practice to shake hands on a good deal closed as it builds trust from day one. It also ensures your contract will continue to be re-negotiated, especially if your business does a good job.

Building Relationships for More Contracts

One contract is great enough as it is, but for an ambitious businessman, relationships are real investments that can get you more relationships after a period of dedicated work and years in business. Here’s how:

1. Go Above and Beyond: Spotless work is amazing. Extra work for that professional shine—priceless! Clients who notice may consider extending your contract, along with the pay.
2. Stay in Touch: Drop a note with “Need anything extra this month?”. It keeps you in their minds.
3. Ask for Referrals: One contract isn’t enough in a highly competitive market. Asking for referrals is a great way to expand your business and secure alternative sources of income in case a current client might have to cancel.
4. Network More: Attend local business meetups, chat with managers. Face time is the best advertising, and networking is a great way to meet prospects, while in a casual setting.
5. Showcase Wins: Post a “Before/After” on social media. Shiny floors sell. Tag clients if they’re fine with it. Advertise your victories.
6. Be Trustworthy: Honesty is the best policy and being on time at work turns clients into fans who spread the word.

Tips to Stand Out in the Market

If you want to win more contracts, then your business should have a unique selling proposition that makes it shine brighter than the rest of the competition. Here’s what you can do:

1. Specialize: Focus on either medical or restaurant cleaning. Specialized and niche skills are noticed. And you may get higher pay for it.
2. Go Green: With many businesses nowadays becoming more aware, it makes sense to use eco-friendly cleaners, and practice new ways of efficient, environment-friendly activities. Offices love it.
3. Get Certified: A Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) certificate means you are a recognized player in the cleaning business. It costs a bit but impresses many clients.
4. Smart Marketing: Easy visibility is possible when you build a simple website and list your services and show success pics. Hand out cards at local shops too. Whatever works.
5. Offer Great Deals: Plan good new client offers and discounts that make your current clients feel that they are being rewarded for using your services. The first month with 10% off is a good start.
6. Be Reliable: The key to success is perseverance and showing up on time, to do great work. The word spread fast on its own. Consistency wins renewals.

Conclusion

Landing commercial cleaning contracts isn’t a walk in the park, sure, but it’s your shot at steady, big money for your business. Payouts vary from $500 a month for a small office, to thousands for a factory. But the steps are clear: gear up with tools and insurance, hunt leads through networking and bids, craft sharp proposals, and deliver spotless work. We’ve seen cleaners turn a single $1,000 deal into a web of contracts by wowing clients and getting referrals. Learn to face the challenges of competition, late nights etc.—and stand out with skills, green products, or a killer pitch. Start small, build trust, and watch your business grow. Grab that mop, hit the pavement, and snag those contracts—your future waiting. And don’t forget to give us a call, our agent will eagerly help you mop up all insurance worries!