How to Price a Deep Cleaning Job
Deep cleaning can be defined as a special one-time project or a periodic task that occurs on a set schedule or as needed basis. In educational facilities, floor and carpet care, along with wall and furniture cleaning are often referred to a deep cleaning and may be scheduled once or twice a year and often during the summer months or over holidays. In an office building, deep cleaning may refer to tasks that are done every 6 mos. or possibly annual or even less frequently or a special project like upholstery cleaning or complete cleaning of desks or wall washing. In manufacturing or industrial environments, we could be cleaning in or around equipment, the equipment itself or ceiling structures or a dust collection system. In high tech, it could be a complete clean of everything in a lab or production area before it opens or during a maintenance shut down, remodel or upgrade.
Keys to Deep Cleaning Success
- Planning
Put you plans in writing, review what needs to be done, who’s going to do it and will supervise each task or groups of tasks. Next determine what supplies, labor and equipment will be needed. Make lists, review procedures and diagrams and have a backup plan in case things don’t go as expected. No body likes delays so plan ahead so projects don’t take longer than expected. Allow as little slop time in the process, so when thing do go wrong or take longer than expected, you are the only one who knows it.
- Scheduling
Coordinate with other departments, contractors and suppliers so you don’t run into road blocks or delays. Know who and how to contact key contacts when problems come up or help or support is needed from other departments, contractors, suppliers or upper management.
- Staffing
Overstaff by at least 20% – 50%. Count on it, there will be someone who doesn’t show up or needs to leave early. If everyone shows up, have a list of projects or crews where extra help can be assigned. You can always cut back or send people home early if you don’t need them, but getting people on short notice will only disrupt and slow down what you are trying to accomplish in a set period of time.
- Budgeting
Estimate your costs, make a detailed list of everything you will need (and its cost) in terms of labor, supplies, equipment, overhead, profit before you start the project. This will help you with planning, scheduling and avoiding cost overruns due to surprises and overtime.
How to Price
Nothing too complicated here, the basic costing approaches apply.
- Time and Materials
Plus a management fee, which normally runs between 4% to 8%, but could be as high as 25% – 35% depending on what’s included. Don’t forget to include profit and overhead as line items or bury them in your management fee.
- Fixed Rate/Fee
Add up all your costs for labor, equipment and supplies, add in profit and overhead on top and you should have the number you need to bid the job. Labor normally accounts for 55% – 80% depending on what’s included. Supplies can range from 4% – 12%, Equipment 2%-5%, this should leave a little room for profit and overhead or you will need to include/bury some or all your profit and overhead in your labor, supply and equipment costs. If the customer wants a square foot price, take the total cost you have come up with and divide it by the square footage and you’ll have a sq. foot cost. In most cases we avoid giving a square foot price unless the customer demands it.
- Hourly Rate
For this calculation you will need to come up with a burdened hourly rate that includes your overhead and profit. One approach is to take your labor costs and double or triple them. This may be ok for a small job, but when bidding larger accounts, you need to know exactly what your cost are. When bidding on an hourly rate basis, we normally have a minimum charge for a worker and vehicle that covers your mobilization costs. If you don’t know your costs, you shouldn’t be bidding on the job.
Best of luck. Let me know if you have any questions.
Keep it clean and profitable out there.
