Why break the scope down by frequency?

Because it's the only way a facility manager can compare two bids, and it's your protection against scope creep. 'Restrooms — full clean and restock, 5x weekly' is a commitment; 'general cleaning' is an invitation for someone to ask why the windows weren't done.

Should supplies be included?

Either way works, but say which. Including consumables — paper, liners, soap — makes your number look higher against a bid that excludes them, so state it prominently. Many contractors bid both ways on the same page for exactly this reason.

What's an escalator clause and do I need one?

A stated annual increase, commonly 3–5%, written into the contract at signing. Labor costs rise every year, and without an escalator you're either absorbing that or reopening a negotiation that puts the whole account back in play.

Should periodic work be in the monthly price?

No — quote strip and wax, carpet cleaning, and window work separately with their own schedule and price. Bundled into the monthly rate they're invisible, and the customer forgets they're paying for services they only see twice a year.

Janitorial Contract Bid Template (Free)

What belongs on the bid

Business name, insurance and bonding, contact info
Facility name, address, and cleanable square footage
Service nights per week and access window
Scope of work — by area, task, and frequency
Monthly contract price
Supplies — included or excluded, stated clearly
Periodic services — quoted separately
Escalator clause, term, and termination notice
Exclusions

The template

[Your Business Name] · Insured & Bonded
[Phone] · [Email]

Bid #____        Date: __________
Facility: _____________________________________
Contact: ______________  Phone: _______________
Cleanable sq ft: ______  Service: ___ nights/wk
Access window: ____ to ____

SCOPE OF WORK
Area          | Task                    | Freq
--------------|-------------------------|------
Restrooms     | Full clean + restock    | 5x/wk
Restrooms     | Deep scrub / descale    | 1x/mo
Offices       | Trash, spot vac, dust   | 5x/wk
Offices       | Full vacuum             | 3x/wk
Breakroom     | Clean, sanitize, trash  | 5x/wk
Common areas  | Mop, spot clean glass   | 5x/wk
Entry glass   | Full clean              | 2x/wk
Hard floors   | Dust mop + damp mop     | 5x/wk
High dust     | Vents, ledges, corners  | 1x/mo

--------------------------------------------------
MONTHLY CONTRACT PRICE                   $______
Supplies + consumables: [included/excluded]
   If excluded, est. monthly              $______

PERIODIC SERVICES (quoted separately)
Strip + refinish hard floors — ___ sq ft  $______
Scrub + recoat — ___ sq ft                $______
Carpet cleaning — ___ sq ft               $______
Interior window cleaning                  $______
Post-event / deep clean (hourly $___)     $______
--------------------------------------------------

TERM: ___ months. Annual escalator: ___%.
Termination: ___ days written notice, either party.

NOT INCLUDED: exterior windows above ground floor,
snow removal, biohazard cleanup, pressure washing,
maintenance repairs, supply of paper goods unless
stated above.

The frequency table is the whole document

Two janitorial bids are basically impossible to compare until someone writes down what happens and how often. Yours does, which puts you ahead of most competitors right there — and it’s the thing you point to later when someone asks why the blinds weren’t dusted.

Bid supplies both ways

A bid that includes consumables is going to look more expensive than one that excludes them, so just show both numbers. It clears up the single most common apples-to-oranges comparison in this trade before it even comes up.

Put the escalator in at signing

3–5% annually, written into the original contract. It’s invisible then and impossible later — a mid-term increase request is usually how a stable account ends up back out to bid.

Skip the copy-paste next time

Software that saves your scope templates and periodic service rates builds this bid in a couple minutes, and it’ll bill the monthly contract automatically once it’s signed.