Commercial cleaning bid template — Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
Louisville’s UPS Worldport anchors one of the densest air-logistics cleaning markets in the Midwest, while Norton Healthcare, Baptist Health, and UofL Health generate institutional volume that keeps occupancy rates in adjacent medical office high. The downtown NuLu district and the East End have absorbed the bulk of new Class B office development. Kentucky’s minimum wage holds at the federal floor of $7.25/hr, and Indiana’s side of the MSA matches it. The effective market wage in Louisville runs $15–$16/hr for commercial janitorial, pulled upward by logistics and healthcare competition for workers.
Kentucky Labor Math: What the Market Pays
BLS OEWS May 2024 (SOC 37-2011) puts the Louisville-Jefferson County MSA mean in the $15–$16/hr range. Kentucky’s minimum wage is $7.25 per the Kentucky Labor Cabinet. See the wages breakdown for the Louisville MSA.
Burden math on a $15.50/hr Louisville base: FICA 7.65% = $1.19; FUTA/SUTA ~2.5% = $0.39; Kentucky workers’ comp for janitorial approximately $1.80–$2.40 per $100 payroll; health insurance ~$3/hr; vacation ~4–5%. Total burden: 26–31%, loaded rate near $19.50–$21/hr.
Sample Scope of Work: Class B Office Building
Hypothetical 38,000 sq ft Class B building in downtown Louisville or the East End Galleria corridor. Ohio Valley climate means humid summers and ice-prone winters.
| Task | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restroom service + restock | 5x/week | Full Monday detail; summer humidity accelerates odor risk |
| Lobby and entry service | 5x/week | Ice-melt Nov–Mar; red-clay mud intrusion in wet spring |
| Common-area vacuuming | 5x/week | HEPA filter during spring pollen season |
| Hard-floor auto-scrub | 2x/week | Winter ice-melt adds extra cycle Jan–Feb |
| Breakroom and kitchenette | 5x/week | Pest protocols in summer; refrigerator monthly |
| Conference room reset | 5x/week | Whiteboard, AV, glass surfaces |
| Day-porter coverage (4 hr) | 5x/week | Lobby and high-traffic restrooms mid-day |
| Entry mat exchange | 2x/week Oct–Apr; monthly May–Sep | Separate line item |
| High-dusting: vents and ledges | Monthly | Ohio Valley humidity accelerates dust adhesion |
| Carpet extraction (full) | 2x/year | Spring and fall; separate bid line |
Louisville Going Rates: Class B Office and Day Porter
Downtown Louisville and East End Class B commands $0.08–$0.12/sq ft/month for 5x/week. Shelbyville Road and Hurstbourne suburban: $0.07–$0.10. Day-porter bill rate: $20/hr x 2.3 = approximately $46–$48/hr; 4-hr/day porter near $960/month. Use the day-porter ROI calculator. Medical office adds +20–30%; post-construction +40–55%.
Kentucky and Indiana Licensing and Insurance
Kentucky requires an Occupational License (OL license) through Louisville Metro Government’s Occupational License Management for businesses operating in Jefferson County. Kentucky workers’ comp: private carriers permitted; rates through the Kentucky Department of Workers’ Claims. Indiana-side accounts require separate Indiana workers’ comp coverage. GL minimums: $1M/$2M for Class B; $2M/$5M for hospital systems and Class A. Bonds of $10,000–$25,000 standard.
Union Presence and Prevailing Wage Triggers
Louisville janitorial union presence is weak. Both Kentucky and Indiana are right-to-work states. SEIU has minimal footprint outside a few UofL Health and Baptist Health campus accounts. Federal contracts at the Gene Snyder US Courthouse, Standiford Field federal buildings, and Fort Knox support facilities require SCA compliance; wage determinations at SAM.gov. SCA guidance: dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/sca.
What Louisville Buyers Expect in a Bid Response
- Monthly base service: labor hours by position at loaded rate.
- Winter services add-on: mat exchange and ice-melt protocol as a separate line item.
- Supplies schedule: consumable unit prices.
- Equipment depreciation: 36-month amortization.
- Insurance allocation: GL, workers’ comp (both KY and IN if applicable), and bond.
- Overhead and margin: 12–18% overhead; 8–14% profit; pass-throughs quoted separately.
Local quirk: Louisville Metro’s Occupational License tax applies to gross receipts earned within Jefferson County. New-to-market operators sometimes overlook the OL filing requirement and face a back-tax assessment in year two. Register before beginning service.
Bid Walk Checklist: Louisville MSA
- Confirm Jefferson County OL license requirement and verify the business is registered before starting service.
- Walk all entry points for mat storage capacity; winter mat exchange requires adequate bay storage.
- Check floor material: downtown Louisville buildings often use terrazzo or polished concrete requiring alkaline-free chemistry.
- Note Indiana-side jurisdiction for any accounts in Clarksville or Jeffersonville; separate workers’ comp obligation applies.
- Ask about UPS Worldport or logistics adjacent accounts; 24/7 shift operations require a distinctly scoped cleaning contract.
The OL License and Two-State Workers’ Comp Trap
Louisville’s two most common compliance surprises for new operators are the Jefferson County Occupational License tax on gross receipts and the Indiana workers’ comp obligation for crews working across the river in Clark or Floyd County. Neither is difficult to satisfy once you know it exists. But BSCs who set up operations in Louisville without registering both tend to discover the gap during a bid qualification review or an insurance audit, not before. Get both in place before submitting your first Kentucky or Indiana bid. Use the account profitability auditor to model the OL tax impact on per-account margin.
Primary Sources
- BLS OEWS SOC 37-2011 (Janitors and Cleaners)
- Kentucky Labor Cabinet, Minimum Wage
- Kentucky Department of Workers’ Claims
- Louisville Metro, Occupational License Management
- US DOL, Service Contract Act
- SAM.gov, SCA Wage Determinations
Build your Louisville accounts with the Opora bid generator. For Norton Healthcare and Baptist Health accounts, see the healthcare cleaning hub. Run logistics-facility pricing through the scope-of-work generator.
By the Opora Editorial Team · Last updated: 2026