01
Facility profile
Address, total cleanable square footage (not gross), floor types by area, restroom fixture counts, occupancy and hours of operation. Bids that are not built on cleanable square footage cannot be compared.
For facility managers & procurement teams
Commercial Cleaning RFP & Procurement Guide for Wisconsin Facilities
Most janitorial bids are impossible to compare because every vendor priced a different scope. This guide gives you the scope-of-work sections to issue, the insurance language to require, the method for normalizing bids to a cost per square foot, and a transition plan that avoids an uncovered night.
Fully insured
General liability & workers’ comp
Background-checked crews
Uniformed, badged, trained
48-hour re-clean promise
Not right? We come back free
24/7 storm & emergency line
A real person, not a queue
Scope of work template
The eight sections every janitorial RFP should contain
Issue the same document to every bidder. Anything left out of the scope becomes a change order later.
02
Scope of work by area
Task list broken out by area — offices, restrooms, break rooms, entries, stairwells, production or clinical space — with frequency for each line (nightly, weekly, monthly, quarterly).
03
Service schedule and access
Nights per week, service window, holiday schedule, keys/badging/alarm procedure, and who the vendor may contact on site after hours.
04
Supplies and consumables
State whether the vendor stocks and bills liners, towel, tissue and soap, or whether the owner supplies them. This single line moves bids by a wide margin.
05
Periodic and floor care
Strip and wax, burnish, carpet extraction, hard-surface scrub, high dusting and window washing — with frequency and whether it is bundled in the monthly rate or quoted per event.
06
Insurance and compliance
Required general liability limits, workers' compensation, additional-insured status, certificate delivery, background-check requirements and any site-specific safety orientation.
07
Quality assurance
Inspection frequency, documentation format, escalation path, response window for corrections, and what happens on repeated deficiencies.
08
Pricing format and term
Ask for a monthly rate plus a rate per cleanable square foot, periodic work itemized separately, contract term, escalation terms and cancellation notice.
Bid evaluation
How to compare bids that were not written the same way
Normalize to cost per square foot per month
Divide each monthly bid by cleanable square footage. In Wisconsin, commercial janitorial commonly lands in the $0.09–$0.16 per square foot per month range depending on frequency, floor type and building use. A bid far below that range is usually short on labor hours.
Ask for the labor hours behind the number
A credible bid can state cleaner-hours per night. Two bids at the same price with different hours are not the same service — the hours tell you whether the scope can physically be completed.
Check what is excluded
Consumables, periodic floor care, day porter coverage, snow and ice, and window washing are the usual carve-outs. Re-price every bid with the same items included before ranking them.
Verify insurance before award, not after
Request the certificate naming your entity as additional insured during evaluation. A vendor who cannot produce it in a week will not produce it after the contract is signed.
Vendor transition
Switching vendors without an uncovered night
The risk in changing janitorial vendors is not price — it is the gap between the last night of the old contract and the first night of the new one. This is the sequence we run.
- 1Award and sign scope — the task list, not just a price, becomes part of the contract
- 2Site walk with the incoming supervisor and outgoing vendor's task list in hand
- 3Access setup: keys, fobs, alarm codes, badging and after-hours contacts documented
- 4Crew assignment and site-specific training before the first service night
- 5Overlap or same-week start so there is no uncovered night between vendors
- 6Weekly documented inspections through month one, then monthly with your account contact
What we include in every bid response
- Line-by-line response to your scope document
- Monthly rate and rate per cleanable square foot
- Cleaner-hours per service night
- Periodic floor care itemized separately
- Certificate of insurance naming your entity
- References matched to your building type
See program profiles by building type or review multi-site portfolio management if you are bidding more than one location.
FAQ
Procurement questions we get from Wisconsin facility teams
What should a commercial cleaning RFP include in Wisconsin?
A facility profile with cleanable square footage, a task list by area with frequencies, service schedule and access procedure, consumables responsibility, periodic floor care scope, insurance requirements, quality-assurance and escalation terms, and a required pricing format. Without those, bids cannot be compared line to line.
How much does commercial cleaning cost per square foot in Wisconsin?
Most commercial janitorial programs in Wisconsin run about $0.09–$0.16 per cleanable square foot per month. Frequency, floor type, restroom counts and building use drive the range; medical and industrial space typically price above office space.
How many bids should we collect?
Three is usually enough if all three price the same written scope. Collecting six bids against six different scopes produces a spread you cannot evaluate — issue one scope document to every bidder.
What insurance should we require from a janitorial vendor?
General liability with your entity named as additional insured, and workers' compensation coverage for everyone on site. Ask for the certificate during evaluation and again at each renewal.
How long does it take to switch janitorial vendors?
Most single buildings transition in one to two weeks from signed scope to first service night. Portfolios are staged region by region so no location goes uncovered during the changeover.
Can All-In respond to a formal bid or municipal RFP?
Yes. We prepare bid packets to the requested format, including insurance certificates, references by building type and line-by-line scope responses. Send the documents to Sales@allinwi.com or call 414-710-1445.
Send us your RFP or scope document
Email Sales@allinwi.com or call 414-710-1445. We respond to formal bid packets in the format your organization requires.