Commercial cleaning bid template — Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Kendall Square’s biotech density makes Cambridge the highest-value janitorial market in New England: BSL-2 lab cleaning and GMP-adjacent scope command rates that dwarf a standard Back Bay office building two miles away. SEIU 32BJ covers most Financial District Class A towers. Historic district rules in Back Bay limit loading dock access to windows many operators miss until their first delivery gets turned away.
Massachusetts Labor Cost Inputs
BLS OEWS May 2024 (SOC 37-2011) puts the Boston-Cambridge-Newton MSA mean near $19/hr, median around $17.50. Massachusetts minimum wage reached $15/hr statewide in 2023, per the Massachusetts minimum wage schedule. New Hampshire holds to the federal floor of $7.25 in the Nashua fringe.
Burden math on an $18/hr Boston base: FICA 7.65% = $1.38; FUTA/SUTA ~2.5% = $0.45; Massachusetts workers’ comp for janitorial approximately $2.80–$3.30 per $100 payroll per the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents; health insurance ~$3.75/hr; vacation ~5%. Total burden: 28–33%, loaded rate near $23–$25/hr. See the wages breakdown for the Boston MSA.
Sample Scope of Work: Class B Office Building
Hypothetical 45,000 sq ft Class B building in the Financial District or Seaport Innovation District.
| Task | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restroom service + restock | 5x/week | Full detail on Monday; biotech-adjacent tenants require EPA-registered products |
| Lobby and elevator service | 5x/week + mid-morning pass | Salt-residue removal Nov–Apr; granite and terrazzo entry |
| Entry mat exchange | 2x/week Nov–Apr; monthly May–Oct | Quote winter mat program as a separate line item |
| Common-area vacuuming | 5x/week | HEPA required in life-sciences buildings; low-noise for early-AM starts |
| Hard-floor auto-scrub | 2x/week | Seaport: polished concrete; older Financial District: terrazzo |
| Breakroom and kitchenette | 5x/week | Refrigerator monthly; Friday detail clean |
| Conference room reset | 5x/week | Whiteboard, AV equipment, glass table |
| Day-porter coverage (5 hr) | 5x/week | Mat management added November–April; spill response |
| Carpet extraction (full) | 2x/year | Separate bid line item; spring and fall cycles |
Boston Going Rates: What Buildings Pay in 2026
Financial District and Back Bay Class B commands $0.15–$0.22/sq ft/month for 5x/week. Seaport Innovation District: $0.14–$0.20. Cambridge Kendall Square office (non-lab): $0.16–$0.22. Route 128 suburban corridor: $0.10–$0.14. Day-porter bill rate: $24/hr x 2.35 = approximately $56/hr; a 5-hr/day porter runs near $1,400/month. Use the day-porter ROI calculator. Life-sciences lab adds +40–60%; medical +25–35%; post-construction +40–55%.
Massachusetts Licensing and Insurance Requirements
Massachusetts requires no statewide janitorial license. Boston requires a Boston Business Certificate; Cambridge has a separate local license requirement. GL minimum is $1M/$2M; life-sciences buildings require $2M/$5M. Workers’ comp: approximately $2.80–$3.30 per $100 payroll per the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents.
SEIU 32BJ, Prevailing Wage, and SCA Triggers
SEIU 32BJ covers most Class A commercial office in the Financial District, Back Bay, and Cambridge. 32BJ scale runs $2–$4/hr above the BLS MSA mean with health and pension contributions. Massachusetts’ Prevailing Wage Law applies to publicly funded janitorial contracts; rates published at mass.gov/prevailing-wages. Federal facilities fall under the SCA; pull the Massachusetts wage determination from SAM.gov. Full SCA guidance: dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/sca.
What Boston Buyers Expect in a Bid Response
- Monthly base service: hours x loaded rate by shift; winter mat supplement shown separately.
- Life-sciences supplement: EPA-registered product list and BSL-level cleaning protocols for Cambridge accounts.
- Supplies schedule: unit prices; life-sciences accounts require full SDS and EPA documentation.
- Equipment depreciation: 36–48 months; HEPA vacuums and floor machines for terrazzo and polished concrete.
- Insurance and overhead: GL, workers’ comp, bond, and 13–18% indirect costs.
- Profit margin: 8–14%. Lab deep-cleans and post-construction quoted as pass-throughs.
Local quirk: Boston historic district properties limit loading dock access to 6am–10am in Back Bay and Beacon Hill. Missing that window delays supply delivery and complaints accrue to the BSC.
Bid Walk Checklist: Boston MSA
- Confirm loading dock windows; Back Bay and Beacon Hill historic properties limit to 6am–10am.
- Identify floor types; older Financial District buildings mix terrazzo, VCT, and granite, each requiring different chemistry.
- Ask whether any tenants operate BSL-2 labs or GMP production; these require separate scope and a separate price.
- Verify entry mat program; winter mat exchange Nov–Apr adds labor and storage that must be priced.
- Check whether the prior BSC was a 32BJ shop before pricing labor on any Financial District or Back Bay Class A tower.
Where Boston BSCs Price Lab Scope Incorrectly
Kendall Square biotech buildings look like office buildings from the street. Inside, they have autoclave rooms, chemical storage corridors, and BSL-2 labs requiring EPA-registered disinfectants, trained crew, and documented protocols the EHS team will audit. A standard office janitorial price per square foot loses money on every GMP-adjacent visit. Price lab and office as two separate line items; buyers asking for a single blended rate are obscuring the lab premium.
Primary Sources
- BLS OEWS SOC 37-2011 (Janitors and Cleaners)
- Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents
- Massachusetts Minimum Wage Schedule
- Massachusetts Prevailing Wage Rates
- US DOL, Service Contract Act
- SAM.gov, SCA Wage Determinations
Build life-sciences SOWs with the scope-of-work generator, benchmark prices with the cleaning bid benchmarks tool, and audit accounts with the account profitability auditor. For Kendall Square and hospital-adjacent accounts, see the healthcare cleaning hub.
By the Opora Editorial Team · Last updated: 2026