# How to win government cleaning contracts URL: https://us.falkview.com/guides/win-government-cleaning-contracts/ Updated: 2026-11-04 > **How does a small cleaning company win government contracts?** > > Register in SAM.gov, start with small set-aside contracts near where you already work, answer sources sought notices, price from the wage determination and the real square footage, and write a technical volume that mirrors the performance work statement. Past performance from commercial clients counts. Most first wins are small, local and repeatable. ## Key facts - Federal contracts above the micro-purchase threshold and up to the simplified acquisition threshold are generally set aside for small business when two or more small firms are expected to offer (FAR 19.502-2). - Federal janitorial work is usually NAICS 561720 and PSC S201. - The Service Contract Act wage determination sets the minimum wage and fringe benefits for each cleaner. - Many cleaning contracts are awarded on lowest price technically acceptable: meet every requirement, then the lowest price wins. ## What do you need before you bid? An active SAM.gov registration with a UEI, the right NAICS codes in your profile, insurance at the levels buyers ask for, and a short list of reference clients who will vouch for your work. - SAM.gov registration: free, and needed for any federal award. Renew it every year. - NAICS 561720 (and 561730 or 561210 if you do grounds or bundled work) in your profile. - A complete SBA Small Business Search profile, filled from your SAM.gov registration; contracting officers search it. - Workers' compensation, general liability and, for some buyers, a janitorial bond. - Three or more references for buildings of similar size, commercial or public. - [What a UEI is](https://us.falkview.com/glossary/uei/) - [NAICS and PSC codes for cleaning work](https://us.falkview.com/guides/naics-psc-codes-facility-services/) ## Where do you find cleaning bids? Federal bids are on SAM.gov. State and local bids are on each state's procurement portal and on city, county, school district and housing authority sites. On SAM.gov, save searches for NAICS 561720 and PSC S201 in the states you can staff, and include sources sought notices. For state and local work, register as a vendor on your state portal and with the largest cities, counties and school districts near you. Recompetes are predictable: contracts that end next year will usually be bid again. - [Federal recompete calendar](https://us.falkview.com/data/recompete-calendar/) ## Which bids should a small firm go after first? Small set-asides you can staff from your current crew and supervisors, within driving distance, in building types you already clean. - Single buildings or small campuses: an Army Reserve center, a VA clinic, a park visitor center. - Contracts under the simplified acquisition threshold, which are usually set aside and simpler to answer. - Work where the last award had few bidders, or where you can visit the site. - Skip bids where you can't meet the start date, the clearance or the insurance. ## How do you price a government cleaning bid? From the hours the work takes and the wage determination's rates: square feet divided by a production rate, times frequency, plus supervision, paid leave, health and welfare, taxes, insurance, supplies, overhead and profit. Read the performance work statement for frequencies by area, not just the total square footage. Restrooms, floors and periodic work like stripping and waxing drive hours. Check the price against the cost per square foot of similar contracts, and never price below the wage determination. - [Free janitorial bid calculator](https://us.falkview.com/tools/janitorial-bid-calculator/) - [How to price from an SCA wage determination](https://us.falkview.com/guides/sca-wage-determinations/) ## What makes the proposal win? Answering exactly what Sections L and M ask, in their order, with a staffing plan and quality control plan that fit this building, and a price that matches the plan. 1. Build a compliance matrix from Sections L, M and the performance work statement before writing. 2. Write the technical volume in the order of the evaluation factors, with the same headings. 3. Show a staffing plan by shift and area, with hours that tie to your price. 4. Include a quality control plan with inspections, a corrective action process and who does what. 5. Use past performance on buildings of similar size and type, with a contact who answers. - [How to build a compliance matrix](https://us.falkview.com/guides/compliance-matrix/) - [Janitorial proposal outline](https://us.falkview.com/guides/janitorial-proposal-template/) ## Questions ### Do I need government past performance to win? No. Commercial references for similar buildings count as past performance. Agencies evaluate how well you did similar work, and a firm without relevant past performance can't be rated favorably or unfavorably on it. ### How long does SAM.gov registration take? Plan for several weeks, longer if your entity information needs validation. Register before you need it, because an award can't be made without an active registration. ### Are state and local cleaning contracts easier? They are often smaller and closer to home, and some don't use federal wage determinations, though many states and cities have prevailing or living wage rules of their own. The proposal is usually shorter. ## Sources - [SAM.gov entity registration](https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration) - [FAR 19.502-2, total small business set-asides](https://www.acquisition.gov/far/19.502-2) - [FAR 15.101-2, lowest price technically acceptable](https://www.acquisition.gov/far/15.101-2) - [SBA contracting guide: how to win contracts](https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-guide/how-win-contracts) - [U.S. Department of Labor, Service Contract Act](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/service-contracts) --- Falkview US finds federal, state and local solicitations, scores them, builds the compliance matrix and price build-up, and drafts proposals from a company's own documents. People review and submit. Book a demo: https://us.falkview.com/contact/