Commercial cleaning bid template — Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
Portland’s bi-state market creates a compliance wrinkle that catches BSCs from outside: Oregon accounts operate under Oregon BOLI and Oregon’s workers’ comp system, while Vancouver, WA accounts cross into Washington L&I territory with its per-hour assessment structure. The Silicon Forest semiconductor corridor from Hillsboro through Beaverton runs Intel and Nvidia campus contracts that require ISO cleanroom-adjacent protocols for support corridors. These pay 30–50% above standard Class B office in the same zip code.
Oregon and Washington Labor Cost Inputs
BLS OEWS May 2024 (SOC 37-2011) puts the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro MSA mean near $19/hr, median around $17.50. Oregon’s Portland metro minimum wage is $15.45/hr as of July 2025 per the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. Washington’s state minimum is $16.66/hr for Vancouver-side accounts; higher than Oregon’s Portland rate.
Burden math on an $18/hr Portland base: FICA 7.65% = $1.38; FUTA/SUTA ~2% = $0.36; Oregon workers’ comp approximately $2.00–$2.60 per $100 payroll per the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services; health ~$3.50/hr; vacation ~5%. Burden: 28–33%, loaded rate near $23–$25/hr. See the wages breakdown for the Portland MSA.
Sample Scope of Work: Class B Office Building
Hypothetical 45,000 sq ft Class B building in downtown Portland or the Beaverton-Hillsboro tech corridor. Rain and mud tracking from October through May is the main seasonal scope driver.
| Task | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restroom service + restock | 5x/week | Green product spec common in Portland’s sustainability-focused tenant base |
| Lobby and elevator service | 5x/week + midday pass | Rain tracking Oct–May; seismic strapping on all carts |
| Entry mat exchange | 2x/week Oct–May; monthly Jun–Sep | Rain-season mat program as separate line item |
| Common-area vacuuming | 5x/week | HEPA for semiconductor-adjacent and medical buildings |
| Hard-floor auto-scrub | 2x/week | Polished concrete and stone tile dominant in Pearl District and Beaverton stock |
| Breakroom and kitchenette | 5x/week | Refrigerator monthly; green products standard for LEED-certified buildings |
| Conference room reset | 5x/week | Whiteboard, AV equipment, glass table |
| Day-porter coverage (5 hr) | 5x/week | Rain-season mat management and lobby pass Oct–May |
| Carpet extraction (full) | 2x/year | Separate bid line item; spring and fall cycles |
Portland Going Rates: What Buildings Pay in 2026
Downtown Portland and Pearl District Class B: $0.13–$0.19/sq ft/month for 5x/week. Beaverton-Hillsboro tech corridor: $0.11–$0.17. Vancouver, WA: $0.10–$0.15. Lake Oswego and Tualatin: $0.09–$0.13. Day-porter bill rate: $24/hr x 2.35 = approximately $56/hr; 5-hr/day porter near $1,400/month. Use the day-porter ROI calculator. Semiconductor adds +30–50%; medical +25–40%; post-construction +40–55%.
Oregon and Washington Licensing Requirements
Oregon requires business registration through the Oregon Secretary of State. Portland requires a city business license. Vancouver, WA accounts require a separate Washington UBI number and L&I enrollment. Standard GL minimum is $1M/$2M; semiconductor campus work requires $2M/$5M. Oregon workers’ comp: approximately $2.00–$2.60 per $100 payroll; Washington L&I per-hour assessment applies to Vancouver accounts.
SEIU-USWW Presence and Prevailing Wage
SEIU-USWW covers most Class A commercial office in downtown Portland. USWW scale runs $1.50–$3/hr above BLS mean with health and pension contributions. Oregon’s Prevailing Wage Rate applies to public works janitorial contracts; rates at Oregon BOLI. Federal facilities fall under the SCA; pull the OR or WA wage determination from SAM.gov. Full SCA guidance: dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/sca.
What Portland Buyers Expect in a Bid
- Monthly base service: hours x loaded rate; rain-season mat supplement shown separately.
- Green product spec: Oregon Green Certification or equivalent for LEED-certified buildings; Portland buyers ask for this more than any other market outside SF.
- Bi-state compliance note: OR vs. WA workers’ comp and minimum wage shown separately for Vancouver accounts.
- Equipment depreciation: 36–48 months; seismic-strapped carts and HEPA vacuums for semiconductor buildings.
- Insurance and overhead: GL, OR/WA workers’ comp, bond, and 13–18% indirect costs.
- Profit margin: 8–14%.
Bid Walk Checklist: Portland MSA
- Confirm which state the account is in; OR and WA have different workers’ comp systems that cannot share a single rate.
- Check rain-season entry protocol; October–May rain tracking is the biggest seasonal scope item and must be priced explicitly.
- Verify seismic strapping requirements; Oregon and Washington both mandate strapping on rolling equipment in hospital and life-sciences buildings.
- For Hillsboro Silicon Forest accounts, ask for the facility’s contamination control plan before pricing any corridor adjacent to a semiconductor fab.
- Confirm green product requirements; Portland’s sustainability expectations are strong across most Class B and above accounts.
The Bi-State Workers’ Comp Gap
Oregon workers’ comp is a percentage-of-payroll system. Washington L&I is a per-hour assessment system with no private carrier option. A BSC who models all Portland-metro labor using the Oregon rate will be off on every Vancouver account. A 10% comp error is small per hour but compounds across a multi-account Vancouver portfolio. Register for Washington L&I before taking on the first Vancouver account.
Primary Sources
- BLS OEWS SOC 37-2011 (Janitors and Cleaners)
- Oregon BOLI, Minimum Wage
- Oregon DCBS, Workers’ Compensation
- Washington L&I, Workers’ Comp Rates
- US DOL, Service Contract Act
- SAM.gov, SCA Wage Determinations
Build Intel and Nvidia campus SOWs with the scope-of-work generator. For OHSU and Legacy Health accounts, see the healthcare cleaning hub. Model bi-state payroll with the Opora bid generator. Benchmark rates with the cleaning bid benchmarks tool.
By the Opora Editorial Team · Last updated: 2026