Cleaning sub contracts from contractors that need local crews
National facility service companies and regional contractors win buildings in cities where they have no crews of their own. They fill those gaps with local cleaning companies. Janitorial connects you with cleaning sub contracts in your service area and helps you check the numbers before you accept a rate someone else set.
Commercial and public-sector work only. Cancel any time. Your pricing data stays yours.
What sub contract cleaning means for your company
In a subcontract, a prime contractor holds the agreement with the building owner or agency, and you perform some or all of the cleaning under a separate agreement with that prime. The prime handles the client relationship, invoicing and often the supplies. You provide the crew, the supervision and the quality.
For a small or growing company, subcontracting is a practical way to add volume. You skip the sales cycle, you get access to multi-site portfolios and public contracts you could not bid alone, and you build a track record with larger buildings. The cost is margin and control: the prime sets the rate, the scope and the inspection standards, and pays on its own terms.
- Work comes from primes: national facility service providers, integrated facility management firms and regional janitorial companies
- Typical scopes: single sites in a multi-site portfolio, overflow buildings, nightly routes or periodic floor care
- The prime contracts with the client, you contract with the prime
- Payment terms and rates are set by the subcontract agreement
Janitorial subcontracting: how to get and keep the work
- 1 Get your documents ready before you ask. Primes usually require a certificate of insurance naming them as additional insured, a W-9, proof of workers compensation coverage and background checks for staff.
- 2 Price the site yourself, even when the rate is offered. A rate per visit or per month only makes sense next to the labor hours the building really takes.
- 3 Read the payment terms. Net 30, net 45 or net 60 terms change your cash flow, especially when you pay crews every week.
- 4 Clarify who supplies what: equipment, chemicals, paper products and liners.
- 5 Report well. Primes keep subcontractors who send checklists, photos and quick incident notes without being asked.
- 6 Watch the non-solicitation clause. Most subcontracts forbid you from approaching the end client directly during the term and for a period after it.
When a subcontract is worth taking
A subcontract is worth it when the rate covers your labor, supplies and overhead with a margin you accept, when the site fits your existing routes and when the payment terms do not strain your payroll. If the numbers only work by cutting hours below what the building needs, quality slips, and the prime replaces you.
Check a subcontract rate against the real labor
The calculator below is preset to an office building, the most common subcontracted site. Enter the square footage and frequency from the prime's offer and compare the monthly price with the rate on the table. If the offer is far below the calculated labor cost, you know before you sign. No account needed.
AI bid pricing
Enter the facility details. Get a monthly contract price, a crew plan and a proposal preview.
Results
Monthly contract price
6,000 USD
Price per sq ft0.326 USD
- Low
- Target
- High
- Production rate (sq ft per labor hour)
- Labor hours per visit
- Crew size
- Time on site
- Monthly labor hours
- Labor cost
- Supplies
- Overhead
- Margin
Note on the estimate
The estimate uses general industry ranges for commercial cleaning production rates and wages. On the Pro plan you set your own production rates and wage rates per area, and every price in your account uses them.
Proposal preview
Scope of work
Cleaning schedule
Pricing
- Labor cost
- Supplies
- Overhead
- Margin
- Monthly contract price
Full PDF proposals with your logo are part of every plan.
How Janitorial helps with cleaning subcontracts
- The subcontracting board on Growth, Pro and Enterprise lists sub contract cleaning opportunities from contractors that need crews in your service areas.
- AI bid pricing shows the labor hours, crew size and monthly cost behind any site, so you can judge a rate in minutes.
- The proposal builder lets you answer a prime with a clear scope, schedule and pricing table under your own logo.
- Win and loss tracking on Growth keeps your subcontract rates and results next to your direct bids.
- For companies that act as the prime, Growth and higher let you post overflow sites to the board and find local crews in other areas.
Growth costs 199 USD per month and includes 3 service areas, unlimited bid responses and 2 team seats.
Cleaning sub contracts: common questions
Which plan includes the subcontracting board?
The subcontracting board is part of Growth, Pro and Enterprise. Starter includes the direct contract request feed.
Who posts cleaning sub contracts?
Contractors that hold agreements in areas where they need local crews, from regional janitorial companies to national facility service providers.
What documents do primes usually ask for?
Most ask for a certificate of insurance, proof of workers compensation, a W-9 and background checks for staff who work on site. Some also ask for bonding or specific training records.
How do I know if a subcontract rate is fair?
Calculate the labor hours the site needs, add supplies and overhead, and compare the result with the offered rate. The bid calculator does this in a few inputs.
Can I use subcontracting to reach public-sector work?
Yes. Prime contractors on government contracts often use local subcontractors. The public-sector feed on Growth also shows the solicitations themselves, so you can decide whether to bid directly or team with a prime.
Find cleaning sub contracts in your area
Set your service areas, open the subcontracting board and price every offer before you commit.