Hello, I have been given a tender to quote on numerous high rise window cleaning jobs int/ext. I’ve been cleaning for many years, but am unfamiliar with the bidding process for commercial high rise cleaning. Does anyone have a formula or tips to relay for a new business owner?
Example Details- 14 stories, approx. 1500 windows. Standard throughout. 52 drops and I am estimating about 26 hours to complete. How could I competitively quote on this job?
Thanks
Hello! Congratulations on the tender.
The biggest mistake people make when bidding on tenders, is worrying about whether or not they will get it!
You can’t look at a large number of buildings or drops and say what is this worth.
I would highly recommend starting with what it will cost you to do the job. Labour, taxes, equipment, depreciation, fuel, insurance etc. Etc. Once you know your costs, build in profit. I like 25% personally. It doesnt matter if you’re the lowest bid if you are only cutting your knees out from under you.
The last bid I put in was for a city tender - 1.4 million. That was with an 8% profit considering the sheer volume. The lowest bid was 999,900. I know that no matter what, I cannot pay my guys what they deserve, keep them in constant safety training, use proper equipment, and still make any money at that price, nor am I willing to sacrifice any of those things to get more work. Plus, who wants to do over a million dollars in windows and come out of it with enough money to finance (maybe) new work shirts?
Bid what is right for your company, and the greatest thing about tenders is that next year you can try again armed with the previous years knowledge.
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Also - don’t forget your 10% fudge factor on labour!
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