Commercial cleaning bid template — Boise City, ID
Boise has been one of the fastest-growing metros in the US for a decade, with Micron Technology, HP Inc., and a wave of California and Washington technology company relocations transforming a regional agricultural capital into a Mountain West tech hub. St. Luke's Health System and St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center anchor the medical segment. Idaho's minimum wage is $7.25/hr (federal floor); the market wage for commercial janitors in the Boise MSA runs $16–$18/hr, pushed above most Idaho markets by tech sector competition for service workers.
Treasure Valley Labor Cost Inputs
BLS OEWS May 2024 (SOC 37-2011) puts the Boise City MSA mean in the $16–$18/hr range. Idaho minimum wage: $7.25/hr (federal floor) per the Idaho Department of Labor. See the wages breakdown for the Boise MSA.
Burden math on a $17/hr Boise base: FICA 7.65% = $1.30; FUTA/SUTA ~1.8% = $0.31; Idaho workers' comp for janitorial approximately $1.80–$2.40 per $100 payroll; health insurance ~$3.25/hr; vacation ~5%. Total burden: 26–32%, loaded rate near $21.50–$23.50/hr.
Sample Scope of Work: Class B Office Building
Hypothetical 35,000 sq ft Class B building in downtown Boise or the Meridian tech corridor. High desert climate: low humidity, significant snowfall and ice November through March, and spring willow and sage pollen.
| Task | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restroom service + restock | 5x/week | Full Monday detail; low humidity reduces mold but elevates static dust |
| Lobby and entry service | 5x/week | Snow-melt and ice-melt salt Nov–Mar; spring pollen Apr–May |
| Common-area vacuuming | 5x/week | HEPA filter; tech campus accounts often specify allergen control |
| Hard-floor auto-scrub | 2x/week | Desert grit and winter salt tracking; polished concrete common in tech builds |
| Breakroom and kitchenette | 5x/week | Tech campus breakrooms often have espresso equipment; scope carefully |
| Conference room reset | 5x/week | Whiteboard, AV, glass surfaces; tech campus standard |
| Day-porter coverage (4 hr) | 5x/week | Tech campus and medical standard; continuous visible presence |
| Entry mat exchange | 2x/week Nov–Mar; monthly Apr–Oct | Separate line item |
| High-dusting: vents and ledges | Monthly | St. Luke's accounts require quarterly HVAC documentation |
| Carpet extraction (full) | 2x/year | Spring post-pollen and fall |
Boise Going Rates: Class B Office and Day Porter
Downtown Boise and Capitol Boulevard Class B commands $0.09–$0.13/sq ft/month. Meridian tech corridor and Eagle: $0.09–$0.13. Nampa and Caldwell: $0.07–$0.10. Day-porter bill rate: $21/hr x 2.35 = approximately $49–$52/hr; 4-hr/day porter near $1,040/month. Use the day-porter ROI calculator. St. Luke's and St. Alphonsus medical adds +25–35%; Micron and tech campus adds +15–25%.
Idaho Licensing and Insurance Requirements
Idaho requires a state business registration through the Idaho Secretary of State. Boise requires a city business license. Workers' comp through private carriers; contact the Idaho Industrial Commission for rate guidance. GL minimums: $1M/$2M for Class B; $2M/$5M for St. Luke's and Micron accounts. Bonds of $10,000–$25,000 standard.
Union Presence and Prevailing Wage Triggers
Boise janitorial union presence is minimal. Idaho is a right-to-work state. Federal accounts at the VA Medical Center and Boise Airport TSA areas require SCA compliance; pull wage determinations from SAM.gov. SCA guidance: dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/sca. Idaho has no statewide prevailing wage law for private service contracts.
What Boise Buyers Expect in a Bid Response
- Monthly base service: labor hours by position at loaded rate.
- Winter entry protocol: mat exchange and salt-neutralization schedule, November through March.
- Tech campus scope note: if bidding Micron, HP, or tech campus accounts, include polished concrete care specification and fragrance-free chemistry note.
- 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: Boise MSA
- Walk tech campus breakrooms and conference areas separately from standard office; Micron, HP, and relocated California companies often have expectations calibrated to San Jose or Seattle standards.
- Confirm Idaho Industrial Commission workers' comp rate for janitorial before finalizing burden calculation; Idaho's rates are relatively low and can shift slightly year to year.
- Ask about Micron cleanroom adjacency; if any cleaning scope is near fabrication or cleanroom areas, scope and chemistry requirements change completely.
- Note Meridian and Eagle suburban accounts; rapid construction in these corridors means many buildings are brand-new with polished concrete and specific floor-care requirements.
Tech Migration and the Boise Wage Escalation Problem
Boise's decade of tech migration from California and Washington has compressed the janitorial labor supply in ways that are not visible in historical BLS data. Market wages for experienced commercial janitors have risen from roughly $13–$14/hr in 2019 to $16–$18/hr in 2026, driven by Amazon, Micron, and tech company hiring competing for the same Treasure Valley service-worker pool. BSCs using pre-2022 Boise pricing for current bids will underprice labor by $2–$4/hr. Verify current going wages before pricing any new Boise account, model labor escalation at 3–5% per year for multi-year contracts, and use the bid stress-test tool to test margin under continued wage escalation scenarios.
Primary Sources
- BLS OEWS SOC 37-2011 (Janitors and Cleaners)
- Idaho Department of Labor, Minimum Wage
- Idaho Industrial Commission, Workers' Compensation
- Idaho Secretary of State, Business Services
- US DOL, Service Contract Act
- SAM.gov, SCA Wage Determinations
Build your Boise accounts with the scope-of-work generator. For St. Luke's and St. Alphonsus accounts, see the healthcare cleaning hub. Run wage escalation stress-tests with the bid stress-test tool.
By the Opora Editorial Team · Last updated: 2026