How to Price a Day Porter Contract
Price a day porter contract from a bill rate, not a monthly guess: take the fully-loaded wage (typically 1.25–1.4× the hourly wage), add supervision, supplies, equipment, and overhead, then apply margin — commonly landing at a bill rate of 1.8–2.5× the base wage. Multiply by hours per day and days per month, and write an annual escalator into the contract so wage increases don't come out of your margin.
Build the bill rate from the wage up
- Base wage — what the porter actually earns
- Payroll burden — taxes, workers’ comp, benefits: 1.25–1.4×
- Coverage — absences, vacation, turnover
- Supervision — a real cost even for one site
- Supplies and equipment — if included
- Overhead — insurance, admin, vehicle
- Margin
The result usually lands at a bill rate of 1.8–2.5× base wage. Anything below about 1.7× is a contract that only looks profitable.
Coverage isn’t an exception
A staffed contract promises a person. People get sick, take vacation, and quit, and each of those is a cost you’ll absolutely eat if you haven’t priced for it.
Contractors who price as if the same person shows up 250 days a year are the ones who get surprised in month seven.
Write the escalator at signing
3–5% annually, in the original contract. Wage pressure never really stops, so without an escalator you’re stuck either absorbing increases indefinitely or asking mid-term — and that’s what puts the account back in play.
Define the scope or staff the building for free
A person on site all day turns into everyone’s helper pretty fast. Task rounds written into the contract, with anything else routed through the facility manager, are what keep a staffed contract from quietly turning into two people’s work.
Quote coverage, events, and holidays separately
Extended hours, event support, and holiday staffing sit outside the standard schedule. Name a rate for each, or they’ll just get absorbed — a building that never sees a price attached to something will keep asking for it for free.
Log the work, because budget season decides your renewal
A staffing line is usually the first thing questioned in a facilities budget review. A daily record of rounds completed turns an abstract cost into a documented service, and it’s one of the best defenses a day porter contract has.
Frequently asked questions
What multiplier should I use over the wage?
1.8–2.5× the base wage as a bill rate is the common range, depending on supervision load, supplies included, and market. Below about 1.7× there is usually no margin left after payroll taxes, workers' comp, coverage, and overhead.
How do I handle a wage increase mid-contract?
With the escalator clause you wrote at signing. Without one, you're choosing between absorbing it and reopening the contract — and a mid-term increase request is the most common reason a staffed account goes back out to bid.
Who pays for coverage when the porter is sick?
You do, and it must be in your rate. A staffed contract promises a person on site, and the cost of covering absences is a real, predictable expense — contractors who price as if coverage never happens lose money in exactly the months they can least afford it.
Should supplies be included in the bill rate?
Either way, but state it. Including consumables makes your rate look higher against a competitor who excludes them — quote both so the facility manager compares like with like.