Cruz, new dummy here…but…it’s possible you were set up to fail from the beginning. 5K sounds like it could have been misinformation. If you went for that figure…you were set up to be too high from the beginning. Then there is the CHEAP DATE price to get the work and the bragging rights. Time to move on, be YOU, and find the customers you can service. I’m in this crap shoot making decent money…starting to bid higher so that the jobs I do get are worth the money. Did a house the other day…100 for all outsides…choke and puke…they said yes…it took me two hours and they were very happy. Would have done it for 40, but, choke and puke, I said a hundred to see how they would react. I got the job…spent two hours of my life on outsides of ancient aluminum storms…got paid…went to the bank. Move on friend, you’re going to find your niche, sit in it and have a great window cleaning business. 
Thanks. You too.
I’ve gone though this twice already, once with residential and once with storefront: learning how to estimate is seriously almost harder than learning how to actually clean windows. I’m going through it again now with commercial.
I’ve had to come to grips with the fact that, just like with resi and storefront in the beginning, I’m just gonna mess some bids up. I’ll proly work some and make too little, and lose others cause I bid too much.
As much as making “too little” sucks, I think the first few jobs of any branch of window cleaning are valuable beyond the actual paycheck. They help you get a feel for how long things will truly take, what problems you will run into, what equipment will work best, etc. Only once you have developed a sense for that will your confidence in the fairness of your prices grow.
It reminds me of @Luke and @K1ttenpantz’s video in which they teach storefront bidding by not really counting panes, but by mentally dividing it into sections that are $20 bucks each. @TheWindowCleanse has some neat storefront bidding videos that teach a similar approach. And it reminds me of a past member of this forum that was a huge advocate of just gut-feeling bidding. All these things have in common, I think, experience. You just kinda know eventually what the job will entail, how much time it realistically should take, and therefore how much you need to charge for it.
I also like the suggestion @wcs makes here, which he and @anon46335951 made to me in my thread looking for commercial bidding help and that is to follow up on bids. That makes so much sense as another great way to get a feel for the market and if your price was reasonable.
@cruzzer3, I feel for you right now…I’m not a total newbie anymore, but bidding commercial is a whole new world for me and I feel like I’m stumbling in the dark right now. I’m also terrified of the magnitude of these jobs, but share your feeling that you gotta move beyond your comfort zone.
Anyway, sorry you didn’t get this one. I know quite well how disappointing that is as I’ve gotten none of my commercial bids yet. I’m sure we’ll both get the knack of it soon enough though. Best of luck!
I think that is what makes it so hard with asking advice on pricing. Every area is so different.
I ate 10 Oreo cookies reading this thread.
Thanks for the laugh Chad! 
Anytime. I am here for entertainment purposes only. Just kidding.
I would like to know how you got your foot in the door to place the bid? There’s a school that is under going construction and I’m wanting to know the best way and how to get into contact to place bids. Thanks
Schools are tough, no budget typically.
If there’s construction going on builder will clean that area when completed.
