Stop rebuilding a proposal from scratch every time you win a walkthrough
Three templates below cover the situations independent contractors actually bid: a single office building, an add-on services quote, and a multi-building portfolio. Copy the structure, drop in your numbers, send it the same day.
Template 1: Single-building office cleaning bid
Copy this structure into a document and fill each bracket with your own details. Before you fill in the scope section, run through the discovery questions to ask a facilities manager so you're not guessing at square footage, restroom count, or access rules.
[Your Company Name] — Cleaning Services Proposal Prepared for: [Facilities Manager Name, Title] Building: [Building Name/Address] — [Square Footage] sq ft Date walked: [Date] | Proposal date: [Date]
Scope of Work *Nightly/per-visit:* trash removal and reline, vacuuming of carpeted areas, restroom cleaning and restocking, breakroom surface wiping, high-touch point disinfection (door handles, light switches, elevator buttons). *Periodic (state frequency for each):* hard-floor mopping — [X]x/week; carpet spot-cleaning — [X]x/month; high dusting — [X]x/month; interior glass — [X]x/month.
Schedule: [Days] between [start time] and [end time]. Holiday coverage: [state how holidays are handled].
Pricing: $[rate]/month for [frequency] service, supplies [included/billed separately at cost + X%].
Terms: [contract length] initial term, [net 15/net 30] payment, [30/60]-day cancellation notice, insured and bonded — certificate available on request.
Signatures: [Your name/title] ___ [Client name/title] ___
Template 2: Add-on services quote (for upsells or standalone jobs)
Use this when a facilities manager wants pricing for periodic work separate from the recurring contract, or when a current client asks for something extra.
Add-on Services — [Building Name]
| Service | Price basis | Rate | |---|---|---| | Carpet extraction | per sq ft, per occurrence | $[0.08–0.15] | | Strip and wax (VCT/hard floor) | per sq ft, per occurrence | $[0.30–0.55] | | Interior window cleaning | per pane or per sq ft of glass | $[state your rate] | | Post-construction deep clean | flat rate or per sq ft, one-time | $[state your rate] | | Day porter add-on | per hour, on-site | $[state your rate] |
State clearly on the quote: minimum job charge (if any), how far in advance you need notice to schedule the work, and whether the rate assumes normal access hours or after-hours work at a premium.
Template 3: Multi-building portfolio bid
For a property manager or REIT putting several buildings out to bid at once. The structure is the same as Template 1, repeated per building, with one summary page in front.
Summary page: total buildings [#], total square footage [#], combined monthly total $[#], and a one-line note on any volume discount you're offering for the portfolio versus pricing each building alone.
Per-building detail: repeat the full Template 1 scope, schedule, and pricing block for each address, so the client can approve the whole portfolio or negotiate building by building without you rewriting anything.
Terms page (shared across all buildings): contract length, payment terms, insurance/bonding, and what happens if one building is added or dropped from the portfolio mid-contract — this is the clause contractors most often leave out and regret.
Questions about using these templates
Do I need to use all three templates for one bid?
No. Most bids only need Template 1. Reach for Template 2 when you're pricing add-on work alongside or instead of a recurring contract, and Template 3 only when a client explicitly asks you to bid on more than one building at once.
Where do the actual numbers in the brackets come from?
Pull your base rate and frequency multiplier from the rate guide, then adjust for anything specific to the building you walked. These templates are the format — the pricing guide is where the numbers come from.
Should I attach my insurance certificate or just reference it?
Reference it in the proposal and attach the actual certificate as a separate document. Facilities managers who need to verify coverage with their own risk or legal team want a document they can forward, not a line of text.
What if the facilities manager wants a different format than this?
Some larger management companies issue their own RFP template you're required to use. When that happens, keep your own scope-of-work and pricing logic from these templates, but transfer it into their required format rather than sending both.
Have a specific building you're bidding this week?
Send the square footage, building type, and frequency and we'll help you land on numbers to drop into these templates.