A quote starts with the scope.
Square footage can help describe a building, but it does not tell you how long its tasks take. Restrooms, flooring, occupancy, access windows, periodic detail work and the agreed standard all affect labor. Measure the work and revisit your assumptions after service starts.
From a walkthrough to a monthly bid
- List each task or area, its quantity and measured person-minutes.
- Choose its frequency. Keep per-visit work separate from weekly, monthly and quarterly detail work.
- Count every paid hour, including setup and travel allocated to this contract.
- Enter wages, employer burden, supplies, equipment and allocated overhead.
- Set a target margin and test a slower shift before sending the quote.
Worked example: $900 of monthly account costs
This example demonstrates arithmetic. It does not supply market prices or recommended production rates.
| Entered scope or cost | Monthly result |
|---|---|
| 3 visits/week × 52 ÷ 12 | 13 visits |
| 100 task minutes + 20 setup/travel minutes per visit, plus 120 monthly detail minutes | 28 paid person-hours |
| $20 wage with 20% employer burden | $24 loaded hourly cost |
| 28 × $24 | $672 labor |
| $60 supplies + $28 equipment + $140 overhead | $228 other account costs |
| $900 ÷ (1 − 25%) | $1,200 target monthly price |
Count person-hours, not just time on site.
Two cleaners working for 30 minutes create 60 person-minutes of labor. A two-person crew may finish sooner, but both people are paid. Use the same basis for your estimate and actual-hours review.
Common estimating questions
Does this supply a square-foot market rate?
No. SweepTally calculates from the scope and costs you enter. You supply production times and commercial assumptions.
What about holidays and closures?
Weekly schedules use a 52-week average divided by 12. Adjust monthly visits for actual closures or an agreed contract schedule.
Can I save and send a proposal?
The free workbench is for calculating and exploring. Pro saves up to 100 estimates on your device, creates portable backups and exports a client proposal without your internal costs.
How do I evaluate an existing contract?
Enter its current price and compare the modeled margin. Then use the renewal calculator to test actual paid hours.
Method context: ISSA on workloading. SweepTally is an independent Pytrel Systems LLC product and does not claim ISSA endorsement.