Roughly 40 federal facilities operate across Onondaga, Oswego, and Madison counties, anchored by Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, the Syracuse VA Medical Center on Irving Avenue, and a cluster of GSA-managed federal courthouses and Social Security offices in the city core. The SCA floor for this market is materially above the New York state minimum; janitors here earn base rates in the $18–$22/hr band before mandatory H&W fringes, compressing gross margin for vendors who price from commercial comp surveys. Set-asides,particularly 8(a) and HUBZone,dominate the smaller awards; understanding which tracts qualify is the prerequisite step before bidding. The SCA wage breakdown for the Syracuse MSA and the bid template for Syracuse federal RFPs are the right starting points for pricing and proposal structure.

Federal Building Inventory and Cleaning Contract Volume

The GSA Upstate New York sub-region manages federal offices in downtown Syracuse including the James M. Hanley Federal Building and the United States Courthouse. Hancock Field ANG Base (174th Attack Wing) contributes facility services demand distinct from standard civilian GSA contracts. The Syracuse VA Medical Center and its satellite CBOCs generate healthcare environmental services contracts under the VA’s medical services acquisition framework. Combined, the MSA supports six to twelve active NAICS 561720 solicitations annually. Check GSA’s inventory of owned and leased properties for specific building counts and square footage in Onondaga County.

SCA Wage Determinations That Apply

The applicable SCA Wage Determination for Onondaga County is available at sam.gov/wage-determinations, filtered by New York / Onondaga County. Occupation code 11150 (Building Cleaning and Maintenance) typically runs $18.00–$22.00/hr base, reflecting New York’s elevated wage structure. Add the CONUS H&W fringe of $5.36/hr per DOL Wage and Hour Division. New York state minimum wage for Upstate is $15.00/hr as of 2026; the SCA base runs significantly above it, eliminating any floor arbitrage. See the SCA wages guide for the Syracuse MSA for full occupation code details.

Active NAICS 561720 Activity at SAM.gov

Search SAM.gov using NAICS 561720, PSC S201, New York, Onondaga County. For Hancock Field, search AFICC and ANG contracting offices. The GSA Mid-Atlantic region handles James M. Hanley Building procurement. Syracuse generates five to ten active awards or solicitations per year. VA Medical Center contracts list separately under the Veterans Affairs contracting system with the same NAICS code but VA-specific Quality Assurance Surveillance Plans that require EVS certification familiarity.

SBA Set-Asides and Small Business Programs

Sections of Syracuse’s near-north and west sides hold HUBZone designations; confirm tract eligibility at the SBA HUBZone map. The 174th Attack Wing veteran community generates active SDVOSB pipelines for Hancock Field contracts.

• 8(a): sole-source threshold $4.5M; VA and GSA set-aside pipeline active
• HUBZone: urban Syracuse tracts; 35% employee residency requirement
• WOSB/EDWOSB: active for NAICS 561720 in federal civilian markets
• SDVOSB: strong fit given Hancock and Syracuse VA; verify at DSBS

Past Performance Reality for New Entrants

New BSCs in the Syracuse market typically enter through GSA courthouse or federal office subcontracting, VA Medical Center subcontracting with a prime holding an EVS-capable contract, or through a joint venture targeting HUBZone or 8(a) set-asides in city-center GSA buildings. Hancock Field requires base access protocols and security clearance coordination for facility services personnel. Timeline to first civilian prime award: 18–24 months; VA prime: 24–36 months with EVS familiarity preferred.

Bid Mechanics — What Federal Solicitations Demand That Commercial Bids Don’t

1. Active SAM.gov registration with current UEI and CAGE code
2. SCA compliance under FAR 52.222-41; Onondaga County WD posting required
3. E-Verify enrollment for contracts at or above $150,000
4. VA EVS familiarity for VAMC contracts; VAAR clauses supplement FAR
5. GL + WC insurance; New York workers’ comp for janitorial runs approximately $4.50–$6.50 per $100 payroll per the New York Workers’ Compensation Board

Reference FAR Part 52 provisions and VAAR Part 852 for VA Medical Center solicitations.

Local Conditions That Affect Bid Math

Syracuse averages over 120 inches of annual snowfall: the highest of any major US city. Hard winters mean above-average floor-care product consumption, salt tracking into federal facilities from November through March, and extended wet-floor protocols. Budget a seasonal uplift of $0.10–$0.18 per sq ft/year for administrative buildings. VA Medical Center contracts include infection-control protocols and terminal-clean requirements that carry higher per-sq-ft labor costs than standard GSA office cleaning. Staff turnover in upstate New York’s tight labor market means recruitment costs should be included in multi-year contract pricing from the start.

A Tradeoff: VA Environmental Services vs. Standard GSA Cleaning

VA Medical Center environmental services contracts in Syracuse carry genuinely different technical requirements than GSA office contracts. VA EVS involves infection-control protocols, terminal-clean procedures in exam and patient care areas, high-touch surface frequency standards, and Quality Assurance Surveillance Plans with quantifiable performance metrics reported monthly. The per-sq-ft labor cost is materially higher than for administrative office space. A BSC whose only past performance is commercial office or light industrial cleaning will need to address that gap in Section L of a VA solicitation; the CO will ask specifically about EVS experience. The safer entry point is GSA courthouse or federal office cleaning first, then VA subcontracting to build EVS familiarity, then a VA prime bid. Use the bid stress-test to model the EVS labor premium against standard GSA pricing and the account profitability auditor to confirm the VA margin story before committing to a multi-year performance period.

Primary Sources

• SAM.gov: Contract Opportunities (NAICS 561720)
• SAM.gov: SCA Wage Determinations (New York)
• GSA Inventory of Owned and Leased Properties
• SBA HUBZone Eligibility Map
• FAR Part 52: Solicitation Provisions
• New York Workers’ Compensation Board
• DSBS: Dynamic Small Business Search
• BLS OEWS Metropolitan Area Wage Data

See the companion bid template for Syracuse, NY. Use the bid generator to structure the federal capability statement and the cleaning bid benchmarks tool to calibrate pricing before submission.

By the Opora Editorial Team · Last updated: 2026