How to price commercial cleaning per square foot
A per-square-foot price is an output, not a starting point. Build it from labour hours, then divide.
Why not just copy a rate?
Two 10,000 sq ft offices can take very different hours: carpet vs hard floor, number of restrooms, clutter, how often they're cleaned. A flat rate copied from someone else wins the easy jobs at a loss on the hard ones. Work out your own cost first, then express it per square foot if the client asks.
Step 1: hours per visit
Split the building into areas and divide each area's square footage by your production rate (sq ft cleaned per hour). Example: 8,000 sq ft of offices at 3,000 sq ft/hr = 2.67 hrs; 1,500 sq ft lobby and halls at 4,000 = 0.38 hrs; 6 restroom fixtures at 4 min each = 0.40 hrs. Total = 3.45 hrs per visit. See production rates for how to set yours.
Step 2: monthly hours
5 visits a week x 4.33 weeks = 21.65 visits a month. 3.45 x 21.65 = 74.7 labour hours a month.
Step 3: labour cost
Use a loaded wage: pay plus payroll taxes, workers' comp and any benefits. Example: $17/hr wage + 20% burden = $20.40/hr. 74.7 x $20.40 = $1,524 a month.
Step 4: supplies and overhead
Example: supplies at 5% of labour ($76) and overhead (insurance, vehicle, admin, software) at 10% of labour ($152). Total cost = $1,752 a month.
Step 5: price on margin, not markup
For a 25% margin: price = cost / (1 - 0.25) = $1,752 / 0.75 = $2,336 a month. Adding 25% to cost would give only a 20% margin; see margin vs markup.
Step 6: now divide
Cleanable area here is 9,500 sq ft. $2,336 / 9,500 = $0.25 per sq ft per month, or about $0.011 per sq ft per visit. Quote the monthly figure; give the per-square-foot number only if the client wants to compare.
Sanity checks before you send it
Divide the monthly price by monthly hours: $2,336 / 74.7 = $31.27 billed per labour hour. If that is below the minimum hourly rate you accept, raise the price. Add travel time if the site is far, and check the bid against a minimum monthly charge for very small sites.
All figures above are a worked example, not market rates. Replace every number with your own wage, rates and costs.
Run your numbers in the free calculator, or let the Bid Kit spreadsheet do it room by room (up to 15 areas, minimum-rate and travel flags).