Here’s how to get commercial cleaning contracts: pick a type of building you can serve well, get the insurance and clearances buyers ask for, register on government bid portals, and go after private clients like property managers and offices directly. Then win the work with a proper walkthrough, a price built from cleaning hours, a clear proposal and steady follow-up. Most small companies win their first contracts from private clients and referrals, and add public tenders once they have references.
This guide walks through each step for Canada and the US, with real requirements taken from recent cleaning tenders. It isn’t legal or insurance advice; confirm requirements with your insurer and the buyer.
1. Pick the buildings you want
“Commercial cleaning” covers very different jobs. A dental clinic, a 40,000-square-foot warehouse and a municipal library each need different skills, hours and equipment. Pick one or two to start, so your pitch, pricing and references all line up.
| Building type | Typical schedule | What buyers care about |
|---|---|---|
| Small offices | Evenings, 2 to 5 nights a week | Reliability, security, keys and alarm codes |
| Medical and dental | Daily, after hours | Infection control, training, consistency |
| Retail and restaurants | Before opening or after close | Floors, washrooms, fast turnaround |
| Property management (common areas) | Several visits a week | Inspections, quick response, one invoice for many buildings |
| Public buildings | Set by tender | Insurance, clearances, background checks, price |
2. Get the paperwork buyers check
Commercial buyers screen out bidders on paperwork before they look at price. Look at what recent tenders asked for:
- Commercial general liability (CGL) insurance. A 2026 cleaning RFP from the Township of Chapple, Ontario asked for at least $2,000,000. A 2025 St. Catharines Public Library RFQ asked for $5,000,000, plus at least $50,000 of crime or employee dishonesty coverage.
- Bonding. That same library RFQ asked for a fidelity bond of at least $50,000 per employee, which protects the client if a cleaner steals.
- WSIB clearance (Ontario). Both Ontario tenders asked for a WSIB clearance certificate. WSIB says clearances are valid for up to 90 days and only available to registered businesses in good standing. Other provinces have their own workers’ compensation boards.
- Background checks. Criminal record checks for every cleaner on the contract.
- Chemical safety. Safety data sheets on site and WHMIS labelling in Canada.
- References. Usually three, ideally from similar buildings.
Buyers rarely wait while you shop for insurance. Get a quote for $2M and $5M CGL limits now, so you can raise your cover the week a tender asks for it.
3. Register on the bid portals
Public cleaning contracts are posted on procurement portals. Registration is usually free but can take days, so do it before you see a tender you want.
| Portal | Who posts there | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| CanadaBuys | Federal government of Canada | An SAP Ariba supplier account for many tenders; supplier registration with a procurement business number |
| Ontario Tenders Portal | Ontario government and broader public sector | Free supplier registration |
| BC Bid | BC government and public bodies | A Business BCeID (a Basic BCeID isn’t accepted) |
| Alberta Purchasing Connection | Alberta public bodies | Anyone can view; registration needed to bid |
| MERX | Many Canadian public and private buyers | Free tier shows federal tenders; paid tiers for others |
| SAM.gov | US federal government | Full SAM registration (free), renewed every year; a Unique Entity ID alone isn’t enough to bid |
| State and city portals | US states, counties, school boards | Each runs its own vendor registration |
Municipalities, school boards, libraries and housing providers often post smaller cleaning contracts on their own sites or on regional portals. These are the best first public bids for a small company, because a large national firm may not bother.
4. Find private clients
Private clients don’t publish tenders. You find them:
- Property managers. One manager can control dozens of buildings. Ask who handles janitorial and when the current contract ends.
- Walk-ins. Visit small offices, clinics and shops in one area with a one-page flyer and offer a free walkthrough. Clustering clients cuts drive time.
- Your residential customers. Ask who owns a business. A happy homeowner is a warm introduction.
- Google Business Profile and website. Build a page for “office cleaning in [city]” with your insurance, clearances and services listed.
- Referrals from other trades. Window cleaners, carpet cleaners and building maintenance companies hear when a building is unhappy with its cleaner.
Our guide on how to get more contractor leads covers the online side in more depth.
5. Subcontract to get a foot in the door
Large facility management companies win big multi-site contracts and then subcontract cleaning to local companies. The margins are thinner, but you get commercial references, steady work and a reason to grow your team. Ask about payment terms (many pay 30 to 60 days after invoice), inspection standards, and whether you can bid on the building directly when the contract ends.
6. Do a proper walkthrough
Never price a commercial contract from a phone call. Walk the building with the person who’ll sign, and use a checklist so nothing is missed:
| Check | Write down |
|---|---|
| Square footage by floor type | Carpet, hard floor, tile, and whether hard floors need scrubbing or refinishing |
| Washrooms | Number of toilets, urinals and sinks |
| Kitchens and break rooms | Dishes, appliances, how messy it gets |
| Traffic | How many people use the space each day |
| Frequency | Nights per week, and any day porter or daytime cleaning |
| Access and security | Keys, alarm codes, sign-in rules, hours you can work |
| Supplies | Who provides paper, soap and liners |
| Pain points | What the current cleaner does badly; this is your pitch |
Ask the last question directly: “What would you change about your current cleaning?” The answer tells you what to put at the top of your proposal.
7. Price from hours, not guesses
Online cost guides quote per-square-foot ranges, for example Housecall Pro’s guide lists about $0.10 to $0.20 per square foot for recurring office cleaning. Those are useful sanity checks, but buildings vary too much to price from them. Price from the hours it will take instead.
ISSA, the cleaning industry association, uses a simple formula: cleaning time in minutes equals square footage divided by your production rate per hour, times 60. It also lists task times, such as about 3 minutes per washroom fixture. Your production rate depends on the building and your equipment; time your own crew to find it.
| Worked example: 8,000 sq ft office, 5 nights a week | Number |
|---|---|
| General cleaning at an assumed 2,500 sq ft per hour | 3.2 hours a night |
| Washrooms: 10 fixtures × 3 minutes | 0.5 hours a night |
| Hours per night | 3.7 |
| Nights per month (5 × 52 ÷ 12) | About 21.7 |
| Hours per month | About 80 |
| Labour at $30/hour loaded (wage plus payroll costs) | $2,400 |
| Supplies and equipment wear | $150 |
| Direct cost | $2,550 |
| Price for a 35% margin over direct cost: $2,550 ÷ 0.65 | About $3,925 a month |
Change the assumptions to your numbers: your real production rate, your loaded wage and your target margin. Then compare the result with local cost guides. If you’re far off, recheck your hours before you change your price.
8. Send a proposal that wins
Send it within 48 hours of the walkthrough while they still remember you. Keep it short and specific:
- A one-line summary of what they told you was wrong, and how you’ll fix it.
- Scope by area and frequency: what gets done nightly, weekly and monthly.
- Monthly price, what’s included (supplies or not), and the term.
- Your insurance limits, clearances, bonding and background check policy.
- How quality is checked: inspections, a contact person, response time for complaints.
- Start date and a simple way to accept, ideally an e-signature.
Offering two options (for example 3 nights versus 5 nights) lets the client choose instead of saying no. A clean, consistent proposal also makes you look bigger than you are.
9. Follow up and keep the contract
“Hi Dana, just making sure the cleaning proposal reached you. Happy to walk through it.”
“I noticed your lobby floor could use a scrub and recoat. I can quote that separately if helpful.”
“Are you still looking to switch cleaners this quarter? If the timing’s off, when should I check back?”
Note when their current contract ends and follow up a month before.
Winning is half of it. Contracts are lost on missed visits and slow responses to complaints. Do regular quality checks, reply to issues the same day, and ask for a reference once you’ve done three months of good work.
Contruva helps a cleaning company run that process in one place: quotes with options and e-signature, visits on a shared schedule, a crew app for your cleaners, automatic follow-ups on proposals, and monthly invoices with card payments and reminders. An AI receptionist answers calls from new prospects while you’re on a walkthrough. See how it works for cleaning businesses, or compare tools in the best cleaning business software.