Commercial cleaning bid template — St. Louis, MO-IL
St. Louis’s bi-state market splits cleanly along the Mississippi: Missouri accounts follow MO labor law and SEIU Local 1 patterns in downtown Clayton, while the East St. Louis and Belleville market operates under Illinois law and different minimum wage requirements. A BSC running payroll from a single state policy will create compliance exposure. The BJC HealthCare and Centene corridor in Clayton generates hospital-adjacent janitorial work at rates 25–35% above standard downtown Class B.
St. Louis Labor Cost Inputs
BLS OEWS May 2024 (SOC 37-2011) puts the St. Louis MSA in the $15–$16/hr range, median around $14. Missouri’s minimum wage is $13.75/hr as of January 2026 per the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Illinois minimum wage is $15/hr statewide as of January 2025 per the Illinois Department of Labor.
Burden math on a $15/hr St. Louis base: FICA 7.65% = $1.15; FUTA/SUTA ~2.5% = $0.38; Missouri workers’ comp approximately $2.00–$2.60 per $100 payroll per the Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation; health ~$3/hr; vacation ~5%. Burden: 27–32%, loaded rate near $19–$21/hr. See the wages breakdown for the St. Louis MSA.
Sample Scope of Work: Class B Office Building
Hypothetical 40,000 sq ft Class B building in downtown St. Louis or Clayton. Salt and ice management from December through February is the defining seasonal scope driver.
| Task | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restroom service + restock | 5x/week | Healthcare-adjacent tenants require EPA-registered disinfectants |
| Lobby and elevator service | 5x/week + midday pass | Ice-melt residue tracking Dec–Feb; daily damp-mop required |
| Entry mat exchange | 2x/week Dec–Feb; monthly Mar–Nov | Winter mat program as separate line item |
| Common-area vacuuming | 5x/week | HEPA for medical-adjacent buildings; low-noise for early starts |
| Hard-floor auto-scrub | 2x/week | Mix of VCT, terrazzo, and LVT across St. Louis office stock |
| 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 | Winter mat management Dec–Feb; spill response |
| Carpet extraction (full) | 2x/year | Separate bid line item; spring and fall cycles |
St. Louis Going Rates: What the Market Pays
Downtown and Clayton Class B: $0.09–$0.13/sq ft/month for 5x/week. Creve Coeur and Chesterfield suburban: $0.07–$0.11. East St. Louis and Belleville IL: $0.07–$0.10. Healthcare corridor (BJC, SSM, Mercy): $0.11–$0.16. Day-porter bill rate: $20/hr x 2.3 = approximately $46/hr; 5-hr/day porter near $1,150/month. Use the day-porter ROI calculator. Medical adds +25–35%; post-construction +40–55%.
Missouri and Illinois Licensing Requirements
Missouri requires no statewide janitorial license. St. Louis city and county require separate business licenses. Illinois requires an Illinois Business Registration for operations on the East Side. Standard GL minimum is $1M/$2M. Missouri workers’ comp: approximately $2.00–$2.60 per $100 payroll per the Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation.
SEIU Local 1 and Prevailing Wage Triggers
SEIU Local 1 covers portions of downtown St. Louis and Clayton Class A office. Local 1 scale runs $1.50–$3/hr above the BLS MSA mean with health and pension. Federal facilities fall under the Service Contract Act; pull the Missouri or Illinois wage determination as applicable from SAM.gov. Full SCA guidance: dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/sca. Missouri has no statewide prevailing wage for private janitorial work; Illinois’ Prevailing Wage Act applies to public works contracts on the East Side.
What St. Louis Buyers Expect in a Bid
- Monthly base service: hours x loaded rate by shift; winter mat supplement shown separately.
- Bi-state compliance note: MO vs. IL labor law and workers’ comp shown separately for accounts on each side.
- Supplies schedule: unit prices; ice-melt residue neutralizers for winter lobbies.
- Equipment depreciation: 36–48 months; specialty floor machines for VCT and terrazzo.
- Insurance and overhead: GL, workers’ comp, bond, and 12–17% indirect costs.
- Profit margin: 8–13%. Healthcare-adjacent accounts priced at premium tier.
Bid Walk Checklist: St. Louis MSA
- Confirm which state the building is in before writing a proposal; Missouri and Illinois have different minimum wage, workers’ comp, and prevailing wage rules.
- Check entry mat program for December–February; St. Louis ice-melt products are aggressive on hard floors.
- Identify floor types; older Clayton and downtown buildings mix terrazzo, VCT, and marble requiring different chemistry.
- Ask whether any tenants are hospital-affiliated; BJC and SSM corporate offices carry healthcare protocol expectations even when located in standard office buildings.
- Verify union status; confirm whether the prior BSC was a SEIU Local 1 shop before pricing downtown Class A labor.
The Bi-State Compliance Gap
Running accounts on both sides of the Mississippi out of a single payroll setup is a compliance exposure most regional BSCs in St. Louis manage without incident until an audit. Missouri workers’ comp and Illinois workers’ comp are separate state systems with different rate structures. If a crew member based out of St. Louis city gets injured while working a Belleville, IL account, the claim routes to Illinois’ system, not Missouri’s. BSCs who do not register separately in both states and maintain dual workers’ comp coverage face personal liability exposure on bi-state accounts.
Primary Sources
- BLS OEWS SOC 37-2011 (Janitors and Cleaners)
- Missouri DOLIR, Minimum Wage
- Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation
- Illinois Department of Labor, Minimum Wage
- US DOL, Service Contract Act
- SAM.gov, SCA Wage Determinations
Build bi-state compliance models with the Opora bid generator. For BJC and SSM health-system accounts, see the healthcare cleaning hub. Benchmark rates with the cleaning bid benchmarks tool. Check profitability with the account profitability auditor.
By the Opora Editorial Team · Last updated: 2026