The per square foot rate is the most quoted number in this market and the most misread, because the same phrase covers two different measurements. Per square foot per VISIT and per square foot per MONTH are separated by the number of visits in a month, which on a five-night building is more than twenty. Reading one as the other is a twenty-fold error and it happens constantly.
The two units, and how to tell them apart
A per-visit figure is small: single cents for a light office. A per-month figure at the same building is an order of magnitude higher. If a page quotes tenths of a cent it is almost certainly per visit; if it quotes double-digit cents it is worth checking which.
Why the cheapest looking figure is often the most expensive contract
A low per-visit rate at high frequency can cost far more per month than a higher rate at lower frequency. The monthly total is the only figure that compares two contracts. Convert every bid to a monthly total at your own frequency before you rank them. It takes a spreadsheet column and it routinely reorders the list, because the cheapest per-visit rate is frequently attached to the highest number of visits.
What the range is really measuring
Almost all of the spread in published per square foot rates is building type and frequency rather than contractor margin. Narrow those and the range narrows with them. That is why a range quoted without a building type is close to meaningless, and why the companies in this record that break their figures down by type are more useful than the ones quoting a single wide band.
Questions people ask about commercial cleaning cost per square foot
What is a good rate per square foot?
There is no single good rate. A defensible one is inside the published range for your building type at your frequency, and states which unit it is in.
Should the rate be based on leased or cleanable area?
Cleanable. Mechanical rooms, shafts and unfinished storage usually come out, and every bidder should price the same number.
Why do medical rates sit higher per square foot?
Disinfectant contact time and touch-point frequency, which are both labour.
Does the rate fall as the building grows?
Per square foot, usually yes. The fixed costs of showing up spread across more area.