A commercial proposal is read by someone who will be asked to justify the decision. That changes what has to be in it. A homeowner buys reassurance; a facilities manager buys a specification they can hold you to and a price their finance team will approve. The document therefore has to be precise where a residential proposal can be warm, and it has to make the price legible as a rate rather than as a number.
What a facilities buyer is looking for
A scope written area by area with frequencies, so it can be compared against two other bids line for line. Staffing: how many cleaners, on what shift, supervised by whom. Insurance and bonding, with limits stated. The term and the notice period. A named contact who answers the phone. And a price expressed so that it can be checked: a monthly figure with the square feet and the frequency it rests on.
Pricing a bid so the arithmetic is visible
Commercial bids are built from cleanable square feet and a production rate for each type of space, converted into hours and then into a loaded labour cost. Showing the rate rather than only the total makes the bid comparable, and comparable bids win more often than mysterious ones because they are easier to defend internally. It also protects you: a scope change becomes a rate calculation instead of a negotiation.
The parts that lose bids quietly
No named exclusions, so the buyer assumes everything is included. No mention of consumables, which are a real cost and a routine argument. No holiday or shutdown provision. No escalation clause, so a wage rise in year two comes out of your margin. Each of these is one sentence in the proposal and months of grievance if it is missing.
Questions people ask about commercial cleaning proposal
Should I include references in a commercial proposal?
Yes, two or three of similar size and type, with permission. A reference for a building nothing like theirs is worse than none.
How do I price consumables?
Either excluded and invoiced at cost, or included at a stated monthly allowance. Both are fine; silence is not.
What term should I propose?
Twelve months with a thirty or sixty day notice period is the common shape. Longer terms need an escalation clause or you are betting on wages standing still.