A 180,000 RSF Class A tower in Atlanta came to market in Q3 2024 with cleaning bids ranging from $1.19 to $1.87 per RSF per year for a 5-night-per-week scope with day-porter coverage. That 57 percent spread is not an anomaly. It reflects genuine differences in how bidders are staffing the building, what wage rate they assumed, and whether they actually included a day porter or just wrote one in to win the bid. Understanding where that spread comes from is the only way to evaluate whether the low bid is real or a problem deferred to month six.
Typical Price Bands by Frequency and Tier
The table below reflects 2024–2025 market data from BOMA member surveys and ISSA industry benchmarking for major U.S. metros. Secondary markets (Southeast, Midwest suburban) run 15–25 percent below. Ranges assume a fully loaded BSC price including labor, supplies, equipment depreciation, management, and overhead. They do not include day porter as a separate add-on.
| Frequency | Under 50K RSF | 50K–150K RSF | 150K–400K RSF | Day Porter Add |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 nights/week | $0.78–$1.10/RSF/yr | $0.65–$0.92/RSF/yr | $0.55–$0.78/RSF/yr | N/A |
| 5 nights/week | $1.30–$1.75/RSF/yr | $1.10–$1.55/RSF/yr | $0.92–$1.35/RSF/yr | $0.18–$0.30/RSF/yr |
| 7 nights/week | $1.60–$2.20/RSF/yr | $1.35–$1.85/RSF/yr | $1.10–$1.55/RSF/yr | $0.20–$0.35/RSF/yr |
These numbers anchor against the BOMA Experience Exchange Report cleaning OpEx median and the ISSA Cleaning Industry Management Standard benchmarks. The BLS Employment Cost Index for service workers should be used as the escalator anchor in any multi-year contract.
Labor Productivity Table (ISSA Cleaning Times)
The labor component typically represents 55–68 percent of a Class A office cleaning contract price. The production rates below are drawn from the ISSA 447 Cleaning Times for common office tasks.
| Task | ISSA Production Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vacuum carpet, open plan | 2,800–3,200 sf/hr | Upright machine, no furniture moving |
| Dust mop hard floor | 4,500–5,500 sf/hr | Straight corridor runs |
| Damp mop VCT/LVT | 1,800–2,400 sf/hr | Includes bucket change time |
| Restock/clean restroom | 12–18 min/fixture set | Full detail; 3-fixture restroom |
| Empty trash/reline | 130–180 stops/hr | Open-plan with set-out bins |
| Clean glass/surfaces | 600–900 sf/hr | Entry glass and reception counters |
At the BLS OEWS 2024 median for SOC 37-2011 Janitors and Cleaners of $17.62/hr and the SOC 37-1011 supervisor rate of $25.18/hr, fully loaded labor (including FICA, workers' comp, and benefits) runs approximately $24.00–$27.00 per cleaner-hour in most non-union markets.
Line-Item Cost Build: 120,000 RSF Class A, 5 Nights/Week
The build below is a representative model. Your actual numbers will shift based on local wage rates, union status, building density, and restroom count.
| Cost Line | Calculation | Monthly Total |
|---|---|---|
| Direct labor, nightly cleaners | 4.2 FTE × $25.50/hr × 173 hrs/mo | $18,543 |
| Day porter (1 FTE) | 1.0 FTE × $26.00/hr × 173 hrs/mo | $4,498 |
| Working supervisor | 0.4 FTE allocation × $30.00/hr loaded | $2,076 |
| Cleaning supplies | $0.014–$0.018/RSF/mo × 120K | $1,680–$2,160 |
| Equipment depreciation/lease | Scrubber, vacuums, carts | $420–$680 |
| Overhead + management (18–22%) | Applied to labor + supplies | $4,630–$5,300 |
| Total before margin | $31,847–$32,777 | |
| Target margin (8–12%) | $2,740–$3,930 | |
| Bid price | ÷ 120,000 RSF ÷ 12 months | $1.27–$1.41/RSF/yr |
Use the Opora Production Rate Calculator to run this build for your specific building before committing to a square-foot rate. Small changes in restroom count or building density can shift the output by $0.08–$0.14/RSF/yr.
Variables That Move the Price
Several factors push Class A office pricing toward the high or low end of the range.
- Union market premium: SEIU Local contracts in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco add $4–$8/hr to base labor cost, pushing the total price up 15–25 percent.
- Restroom density: Buildings with more than 1 restroom per 8,000 RSF carry higher labor allocations than the model above assumes.
- LEED/WELL compliance: Green chemistry mandates, product documentation, and certification reporting add $1,200–$2,800 annually on a mid-size building.
- Day-porter scope: A porter covering lobby plus all restroom circuits every 90 minutes costs more than a porter running a single circuit twice daily.
- After-hours access: Buildings requiring security escort for the crew add 12–18 minutes per shift in non-productive time that must be costed.
Tradeoffs: Frequency vs Coverage
A 5-night program with a day porter typically delivers better tenant-perceived quality than a 7-night program without one. The day porter handles the visible, real-time failures (empty dispensers at 11 a.m., coffee spilled in the elevator at 2 p.m.) that tenants actually notice. Nightly detail frequency affects floor appearance and deep-clean quality, which tenants feel over weeks, not hours. For buildings where tenant satisfaction scores drive lease renewal conversations, the day porter allocation is usually the higher-return investment per dollar spent. The tradeoff is that a day porter requires a manager or property-manager-accessible supervisor on site during business hours; the night crew can operate with lighter supervision.
Red Flags in a Bid That Is Too Low or Too High
A Class A bid below $0.90/RSF/yr for 5-night service on any building under 300,000 RSF should be examined line by line. At current wage rates, that price cannot cover the labor hours the scope requires without either understaffing the building or paying wages below market. Ask the bidder for their labor model: hours-per-week by position, wage rate assumed, and FTE count. If they cannot produce it, the price is a guess. A bid above $1.90/RSF/yr for a standard 5-night scope on a building over 100,000 RSF warrants similar scrutiny — typically this reflects union-scale pricing applied to a non-union market, equipment leasing built into an unusually high overhead rate, or an account manager padding for scope uncertainty.
For the full context of how pricing models are structured in Class A contracts, see the sibling guide on medical office building pricing and the higher education facility pricing article. The Opora Pricing by Facility hub indexes all 25 facility-type benchmarks. The office cleaning resource hub connects all program-design and compliance guides. Use the Opora Bid Generator to turn this cost model into a proposal-ready document. The IFMA Operations and Maintenance Cost Benchmarks and the GSA Facilities Management cost guidance provide additional anchor data for federal and Class A portfolio benchmarking.
By the Opora Editorial Team · Last updated: 2026