Commercial cleaning bid template — Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
The Lehigh Valley is one of the most active logistics and distribution markets in the Northeast, with Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke's University Health Network anchoring the medical segment. Pennsylvania's minimum wage is $7.25/hr; the market wage for commercial janitors runs $15–$17/hr, pushed above the state floor by Amazon and warehouse competition.
Lehigh Valley Labor Cost Inputs
BLS OEWS May 2024 (SOC 37-2011) puts the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton MSA mean in the $15–$17/hr range. Pennsylvania minimum wage: $7.25/hr per Pennsylvania L&I. See the wages breakdown for the Lehigh Valley MSA.
Burden math on a $16/hr Allentown base: FICA 7.65% = $1.22; FUTA/SUTA ~2.5% = $0.40; Pennsylvania workers' comp for janitorial approximately $2.20–$3 per $100 payroll; health insurance ~$3.25/hr; vacation ~4%. Total burden: 27–33%, loaded rate near $20.50–$22.50/hr. The NJ side of the MSA (Easton, Phillipsburg) follows New Jersey's $15.49/hr minimum wage, raising NJ-side employee cost.
Sample Scope of Work: Class B Office Building
Hypothetical 40,000 sq ft Class B building in downtown Allentown or the Bethlehem Route 22 business corridor. Lehigh Valley winters bring significant snowfall; the region also sees spring and fall frost events that extend the salt-tracking season.
| Task | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restroom service + restock | 5x/week | Full Monday detail; LVHN accounts require daily documentation |
| Lobby and entry service | 5x/week | Snow-melt and ice-melt salt Nov–Apr; mat exchange required |
| Common-area vacuuming | 5x/week | HEPA filter; LVHN and St. Luke's accounts require documented filtration |
| Hard-floor auto-scrub | 2x/week | Salt tracking Nov–Apr; polished concrete common in newer Bethlehem builds |
| Breakroom and kitchenette | 5x/week | Refrigerator monthly; pest protocols year-round |
| Conference room reset | 5x/week | Whiteboard, AV, glass surfaces |
| Day-porter coverage (4 hr) | 5x/week | Medical and logistics campus standard |
| Entry mat exchange | 2x/week Nov–Apr; monthly May–Oct | Separate line item |
| High-dusting: vents and ledges | Monthly | LVHN and St. Luke's require quarterly HVAC documentation |
| Carpet extraction (full) | 2x/year | Spring post-salt and fall; distribution center offices prefer hard floor |
Lehigh Valley Going Rates: Class B Office and Day Porter
Downtown Allentown and Bethlehem CBD commands $0.09–$0.13/sq ft/month. Route 22 and I-78 suburban: $0.08–$0.11. Distribution center office buildings: $0.07–$0.09. Day-porter bill rate: $20/hr x 2.35 = approximately $46–$49/hr; 4-hr/day porter near $975/month. Use the day-porter ROI calculator. LVHN and St. Luke's medical adds +25–35%.
Pennsylvania Licensing and Insurance Requirements
Pennsylvania requires a state business registration through the Pennsylvania Department of State. Allentown and Bethlehem require city business licenses. Workers' comp through the Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers' Compensation. NJ-side accounts require a separate New Jersey business registration and New Jersey workers' comp coverage. GL minimums: $1M/$2M for Class B; $2M/$5M for LVHN and St. Luke's accounts. Bonds of $10,000–$25,000 standard.
Union Presence and Prevailing Wage Triggers
Lehigh Valley janitorial union presence is limited; SEIU has minimal organization outside of a few Allentown Class A buildings. Federal accounts at the Allentown VA Clinic and federal buildings require SCA compliance; pull wage determinations from SAM.gov. SCA guidance: dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/sca. Pennsylvania prevailing wage applies to publicly funded cleaning.
What Lehigh Valley Buyers Expect in a Bid Response
- Monthly base service: labor hours by position at loaded rate; NJ-side accounts priced at NJ minimum wage.
- Winter entry protocol: mat exchange and salt-neutralization schedule, November through April.
- Distribution center scope note: if bidding logistics campus accounts, specify office-vs-floor cleaning boundary explicitly.
- Insurance allocation: GL, workers' comp, and bond pro-rated to account.
- Overhead and margin: 12–18% overhead; 8–14% profit; pass-throughs quoted separately.
Bid Walk Checklist: Lehigh Valley MSA
- Confirm PA vs. NJ side of the account; NJ-side accounts in Easton and Phillipsburg require New Jersey workers' comp and New Jersey minimum wage compliance.
- Walk distribution center office buildings separately; the boundary between office cleaning and warehouse floor cleaning must be explicitly scoped.
- Ask about LVHN or St. Luke's system affiliation for any medical office; affiliated clinics carry hospital-level infection control requirements.
- Note ArtsQuest and Sands Bethlehem hospitality accounts; event-driven cleaning has different scope than standard office.
The PA-NJ Cross-State Cost Split
Lehigh Valley BSCs with accounts on both the Pennsylvania and New Jersey sides of the Delaware River operate under two minimum wages, two workers' comp systems, and two payroll tax regimes. Pennsylvania's $7.25/hr floor versus New Jersey's $15.49/hr floor means that the same position on the NJ side costs approximately $1.50–$2.50/hr more in base labor than on the PA side. BSCs who apply a single Pennsylvania cost sheet to NJ-side accounts will underprice Easton and Phillipsburg accounts by that margin. Use the account profitability auditor to track PA and NJ accounts in separate cost pools and flag any cross-state pricing inconsistencies before the next renewal cycle.
Primary Sources
- BLS OEWS SOC 37-2011 (Janitors and Cleaners)
- Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Minimum Wage
- Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers' Compensation
- Pennsylvania Department of State, Business Registration
- US DOL, Service Contract Act
- SAM.gov, SCA Wage Determinations
Build your Lehigh Valley accounts with the scope-of-work generator. For LVHN and St. Luke's accounts, see the healthcare cleaning hub. Run PA-NJ cross-state margin models with the account profitability auditor.
By the Opora Editorial Team · Last updated: 2026