What does APPA level mean in a cleaning bid?

APPA levels are cleanliness standards published by APPA (formerly the Association of Physical Plant Administrators). Level 1 is orderly spotlessness, level 2 is ordinary tidiness, level 3 is casual inattention, level 4 is moderate dinginess, and level 5 is unkempt neglect. Most commercial contracts specify level 2 or 3. Higher standards require more labor hours and drive the bid up.

How do I calculate my loaded labor rate?

Start with the base hourly wage you pay cleaners. Add payroll taxes (FICA, unemployment, workers' comp), then add the cost of benefits like health insurance, paid time off, and uniforms. Divide the total annual cost by total annual hours worked. A $16/hr base wage typically loads to $22 to $26/hr depending on your state and benefit package.

What is the difference between margin and markup in a cleaning bid?

Margin is profit as a percentage of the selling price. Markup is profit as a percentage of cost. A 38% margin means if you bid $100,000, your profit is $38,000 and your costs are $62,000. The same deal expressed as markup is 61% because $38,000 is 61% of $62,000. Contractors usually think in margin, but you need to know which one a client is asking for.

Should I bid the low, target, or high number?

Open at target if hours and loaded labor are honest. Use low only when you have a documented efficiency edge — never as a hope. High is for richer scopes or tougher appearance levels.

How do I turn this annual bid into a monthly invoice?

Divide the annual target by 12 for a calendar-month invoice. Avoid quoting a “4-week month” as if it were a calendar month — that undercharges ~8% over a year.

Bid Generator

Hours × rate × days — then defend the number.

Inputs

Account / building name

Facility type

State

Sets regional cost factor + SUTA / WC 9014 burden seeds

Total cleanable sqft

Service frequency

APPA level

Base wage ($/hr)

What you pay the cleaner — burden is applied in Advanced

Target margin (%)

Space & surface mixTotal 100%

Carpet %

Hard %

Restroom %

Office %

Common %

Restroom fixtures

Tip: Enter fixture count for higher labor precision.

Labor & burden rates

Payroll burden %

Overhead %

Day porter hrs/wk

Supplies & direct expenses

Contractor supplies $/sf/yr

Paper / soap $/sf/yr

Consumables markup %

Equipment $/yr

Travel $/mo

Generate a three-tier annual contract bid for a commercial cleaning account based on facility type, square footage, service frequency, APPA cleanliness level, loaded labor rate, and target margin. The calculator returns low, target, and high bid amounts plus monthly invoice and cost per square foot per year.

Instruction

Enter total cleanable sqft, pick facility type and region, and set service frequency.
Set APPA level, loaded labor rate ($/hr), and target margin (%).
Read the target annual bid, monthly invoice, and $/sqft/yr.
Send the number through Bid Stress-Test before you submit.

Worked example

A 65,000 sqft national office, nightly 5×/week, APPA Level 2, $24/hr loaded labor, 35% target margin (tool defaults).

Open around $215,000/yr (~$17,900/mo) — about $3.31/sqft/yr — then stress-test before you submit.

Questions operators ask

What does APPA level mean in a cleaning bid?: APPA levels are cleanliness standards published by APPA (formerly the Association of Physical Plant Administrators). Level 1 is orderly spotlessness, level 2 is ordinary tidiness, level 3 is casual inattention, level 4 is moderate dinginess, and level 5 is unkempt neglect. Most commercial contracts specify level 2 or 3. Higher standards require more labor hours and drive the bid up.
How do I calculate my loaded labor rate?: Start with the base hourly wage you pay cleaners. Add payroll taxes (FICA, unemployment, workers' comp), then add the cost of benefits like health insurance, paid time off, and uniforms. Divide the total annual cost by total annual hours worked. A $16/hr base wage typically loads to $22 to $26/hr depending on your state and benefit package.
What is the difference between margin and markup in a cleaning bid?: Margin is profit as a percentage of the selling price. Markup is profit as a percentage of cost. A 38% margin means if you bid $100,000, your profit is $38,000 and your costs are $62,000. The same deal expressed as markup is 61% because $38,000 is 61% of $62,000. Contractors usually think in margin, but you need to know which one a client is asking for.
Should I bid the low, target, or high number?: Open at target if hours and loaded labor are honest. Use low only when you have a documented efficiency edge — never as a hope. High is for richer scopes or tougher appearance levels.
How do I turn this annual bid into a monthly invoice?: Divide the annual target by 12 for a calendar-month invoice. Avoid quoting a “4-week month” as if it were a calendar month — that undercharges ~8% over a year.