Is there an industry standard for bidding on commercial properties for janitorial services. I can not seem to get a straight answer anywhere and am trying to standardize my estimating process.
You should check out Cleanbid.net. It is a web based service that helps in the bidding process
Here's a short article from Contracting Profits to help you get started. Also, our April issue coming out in a couple weeks will have a cover story on building the perfect bid. It should provide a lot of great advice on the bidding process.
www.cleanlink.com/.../article.asp
go to www.globalcleaningassociation.com
We have mentors there with over 30 years of experience who will assist you in doing your bids and it's all FREE!!!
Get help from pro's that are out in the field every night
The "bidding process" is part art, part science, part relationship and part just dumb luck. There are many aspects of bidding that go beyond just using ISSA Cleaning Times Standards or APPA or some other studies to develop a bid. One of the most crucial is simply establishing credibility with the prospect. If they do not trust you and are not confident that you can do the job, the price probably will not matter. If they do not like you due to a personality difference, the price probably will not matter. If they have hidden agendas and do not divulge all the information you need to know to be successful, the price probably will not matter. Successful bid preparation comes with time. Some of the preceding suggestions are excellent starts but the key is your investing the time and energy to get it right since you seldom will get a second chance.
Speaking from the perspective of someone who has written what I feel were quite detailed cleaning specs and then requested bids, I have noticed that bids show a remarkable range. I typically get some bids that are ridiculously low (10 to 20 times lower than the highest bid) and others that seem absurdly high. The lowest bids just don't jive at all with the ISSA Cleaning Times and minimum wage laws. The highest bids sometimes seem like they are from bidders who are hoping that no one else is bidding. If there are standards, they are widely ignored.
Get yourself a copy of the ISSA cleaning times-that is a real good ( and fairly accurate) place as a jumping off point. There are so many variables involved in each bid that you will need to tweak your figures to refelect them.