Multi-tenant office bid guide
How to Bid Multi-Tenant Office Cleaning Without Losing the Scope
Multi-tenant buildings create a common bidding problem: the shared lobby and restrooms may be straightforward, but each tenant can have different hours, furniture, security rules, and expectations. A defensible bid separates the building-wide base service from tenant-specific variables before you put a price on the account.
What to take from this guide
- Separate shared building work from tenant-controlled spaces and optional requests.
- Create an access and schedule map before estimating staffing or travel between floors.
- Price changes by area, frequency, and responsibility instead of absorbing them into a vague base bid.
Map the building into shared and tenant-controlled work
Begin with the areas everyone uses: lobby, entrances, elevators, common corridors, shared restrooms, stairs, and any shared break or meeting space. Then list each tenant suite or floor separately. This makes it clear which work can be performed on one common route and which work requires separate access or timing.
Ask who has authority to approve the scope. A property manager may control shared areas while each tenant approves suite-specific work. Your proposal should make that ownership visible.
- Shared entrances, elevators, corridors, stairs, and restrooms
- Tenant suites, floors, storage rooms, and private amenities
- Vacant, occupied, or excluded suites
- Areas managed by the property owner versus individual tenants
Build an access and service-window map
A multi-tenant account can require several entry methods in one building. Record keys, badges, escorts, alarm procedures, elevator restrictions, loading access, and the contact for each tenant or floor. Also record when each area can be serviced and whether quiet work is required.
Do not assume that the building's main after-hours access grants access to every suite. If one tenant has a different schedule or security process, make it an explicit assumption and price the added coordination when needed.
- Entry method and contact for each tenant area
- Service window and occupied-hours restrictions
- Elevator, parking, loading, and supply-storage constraints
- Missed-access process and rescheduling responsibility
Price the base service before optional tenant work
Create a base scope for the predictable shared work. Then add tenant suites by area and service frequency. This structure helps the buyer understand what remains if a tenant moves out and what changes when a tenant requests extra kitchens, interior glass, private restrooms, or more frequent service.
Use separate line items for periodic tasks and tenant-requested add-ons. A monthly price that combines routine cleaning, carpet extraction, event support, and emergency calls is difficult to compare and difficult to manage.
- Building-wide recurring service
- Tenant suite recurring service by floor or area
- Periodic floor, glass, and high-dusting work
- Event, emergency, move-in, and special-request pricing
Write change rules for occupancy and tenant turnover
Tenant mix changes. A new suite may add a kitchen or private restroom, while a departing tenant may leave a vacant space that still needs periodic service. State how new areas are added, how frequency changes are approved, and how vacant or inaccessible areas are handled.
A short written change process protects both sides. It gives the property manager a predictable way to request work and gives you a way to revisit labor and access assumptions before the change becomes permanent.
- New suite onboarding and initial detail cleaning
- Vacant-suite service and turnover cleaning
- Tenant-specific add-ons and approval contact
- Written scope and price update for material changes