Commercial cleaning bid template — El Paso, TX
El Paso's commercial cleaning market is defined by Fort Bliss and William Beaumont Army Medical Center, UTEP's research corridor, and the US-Mexico border crossing infrastructure. Texas follows the federal minimum wage floor of $7.25/hr; the market wage for commercial janitors in El Paso runs $12–$14/hr.
West Texas Labor Cost Inputs
BLS OEWS May 2024 (SOC 37-2011) puts the El Paso MSA mean in the $12–$14/hr range. Texas minimum wage follows the federal $7.25 per the Texas Workforce Commission. See the wages breakdown for the El Paso MSA.
Burden math on a $13/hr El Paso base: FICA 7.65% = $1.00; FUTA/SUTA ~2.7% = $0.35; Texas workers' comp is not mandated but de facto required; approximately $2–$3 per $100 payroll; health insurance ~$2.50/hr; vacation ~4%. Total burden: 27–32%, loaded rate near $16.50–$18.50/hr.
Sample Scope of Work: Class B Office Building
Hypothetical 28,000 sq ft Class B building on Mesa Street or the Westside Loop 375 corridor. Chihuahuan Desert climate: intense heat May through September, high UV, frequent wind-driven dust storms (haboobs) from April through August, and dramatic day-night temperature swings.
| Task | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restroom service + restock | 5x/week | Full Monday detail; desert dust elevates HVAC and restroom demand |
| Lobby and entry service | 5x/week | Desert dust and haboob aftermath require daily mat and glass service |
| Common-area vacuuming | 5x/week | HEPA filter; desert dust load is among the highest in the US |
| Hard-floor auto-scrub | 2x/week | Desert grit tracking; increase to 3x/week after dust storm events |
| Breakroom and kitchenette | 5x/week | Pest protocols year-round; desert climate with warm winters |
| Conference room reset | 5x/week | Whiteboard, AV, glass surfaces |
| Day-porter coverage (4 hr) | 5x/week | Lobby and restroom mid-day; military and federal office standard |
| High-dusting: vents and ledges | Monthly | Desert wind loads HVAC systems and ledges faster than any comparable US market |
| Carpet extraction (full) | 2x/year | Spring and fall; desert buildings prefer hard floor where possible |
| Exterior glass wipe | 3x/week | Desert dust and UV film glass rapidly; post-haboob glass service is a separate T&M line |
El Paso Going Rates: Class B Office and Day Porter
Downtown Mesa Street and Westside Class B commands $0.07–$0.10/sq ft/month. Northeast El Paso and Airport corridor: $0.06–$0.09. Lower Valley and East El Paso: $0.05–$0.08. Day-porter bill rate: $16/hr x 2.25 = approximately $36–$38/hr; 4-hr/day porter near $760/month. Use the production rate calculator. William Beaumont Army Medical and Del Sol Medical adds +25–35%.
Texas Licensing and Insurance Requirements
Texas requires a state business registration through the Texas Secretary of State. El Paso requires a city business license. Texas workers' comp is not mandated by law but virtually all commercial accounts require proof; obtain through private carriers. GL minimums: $1M/$2M for Class B; $2M/$5M for Fort Bliss and medical accounts. Bonds of $10,000–$25,000 standard.
Fort Bliss and Federal Contract Density
Fort Bliss is one of the largest US Army installations in the world; the William Beaumont Army Medical Center adds a major federal medical cleaning segment. All Fort Bliss building cleaning contracts require SCA compliance; pull current El Paso wage determinations from SAM.gov. SCA guidance: dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/sca. Fort Bliss base-access credentials are required for every crew member; budget 4–8 weeks for initial processing and US citizenship or valid work authorization verification.
What El Paso Buyers Expect in a Bid Response
- Monthly base service: labor hours by position at loaded rate.
- Desert dust protocol: post-haboob T&M rate quoted explicitly; exterior glass service frequency stated.
- SCA compliance note: for any Fort Bliss or federal facility account, include SCA wage determination reference and compliance statement.
- 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: El Paso MSA
- Confirm Fort Bliss or federal facility status before bidding; base-access credentials take 4–8 weeks to process and the bid is worthless without them.
- Walk HVAC filter banks; Chihuahuan Desert wind loads filters faster than any comparable US market and should drive a higher filter-change frequency in the scope.
- Ask about haboob response protocol; dust storms can deposit significant particulate in lobbies and HVAC intakes within hours and require immediate T&M response.
- Confirm bilingual crew availability; El Paso's binational workforce makes Spanish-English bilingual day porters a standard expectation for many accounts.
Fort Bliss Scale and the SCA Wage Floor Reality
Fort Bliss is so large that it has its own zip codes, school district, and hospital, and cleaning contracts on base cover everything from barracks dayrooms to medical clinics to VIP guest quarters. All of this volume is priced at the SCA wage floor, not the local commercial market rate. In El Paso, where the market commercial janitorial wage runs $12–$14/hr, the SCA wage determination for janitorial often lands at $14–$16/hr, meaning Fort Bliss accounts require above-market labor pricing but pay at a fixed government-negotiated rate. The resulting margin is often tighter than commercial accounts of similar size. Model Fort Bliss accounts separately, verify the current SCA wage determination at bid time through SAM.gov, and use the account profitability auditor to track federal contract margin against commercial account performance.
Primary Sources
- BLS OEWS SOC 37-2011 (Janitors and Cleaners)
- Texas Workforce Commission, Minimum Wage
- Texas Secretary of State, Business Registration
- US DOL, Service Contract Act
- SAM.gov, SCA Wage Determinations
- OSHA Worker Rights and Protections
Build your El Paso accounts with the Opora bid generator. For William Beaumont Army Medical and Del Sol accounts, see the healthcare cleaning hub. Run Fort Bliss federal SCA account margin models with the account profitability auditor.
By the Opora Editorial Team · Last updated: 2026