“Clean stairs weekly” does not identify entrance, landings, lift, windows or courtyard. A comparable communal cleaning offer links each area to activities and frequencies. Define these before calculating the fee.
Before pricing by square metre or building, check spaces, access and work. Example figures are teaching assumptions rather than cleaning rates. Actual service depends on observed conditions and agreed organisation.
Map areas and activities
At inspection, identify areas, surfaces, materials and conditions. Clarify access arrangements and possible hours. State excluded areas. Courtyards and internal stairs may need different tasks and schedules.
- Entrance: floor, door and specified surfaces.
- Stairs and landings: activities and number of floors.
- Lift: included surfaces.
- Windows: which elements and frequency.
- Outside spaces: boundaries and specific tasks.
Check compatibility and operating conditions before promising technical activities or products. Commercial descriptions should match work you can actually perform.
Frequency and fee need the same period
Weekly and four times monthly are not always equivalent. Define the calendar and treatment of holidays or rescheduling. If annual visits determine a monthly fee, retain the calculation and explain the offered service.
Give less frequent activities, such as particular windows, their own schedule. Do not leave them implicit in routine cleaning. Clients should distinguish weekly work from other tasks.
An internal calculation example
Assume 48 annual visits of 2 person-hours at €30 estimated full hourly cost. Labour totals €2,880 annually. Add €240 consumables and €480 allocated transport not already in the rate: total cost €3,600.
With hypothetical 20% markup, annual price is €4,320 or €360 monthly across twelve payments, before applicable taxes. If transport or consumables already belong to the hourly rate, do not add them twice.
The commercial quote can present the fee with defined activities and schedule without revealing every internal cost. Clients need the service explained, not your accounts.
Materials and equipment
State whether standard products and consumables are included. Distinguish separate supplies requested by the building. Check provision of water, power or necessary space. Missing operating information can alter visit duration.
“Materials included” should not cover every later request. Describe and assess exceptional work needing different products or equipment before execution.
Make extras recognisable
Post-construction cleaning, urgent visits and unscheduled tasks can be separate proposals if outside routine service. Explain requesting and pricing them. Avoid undefined extras mistaken for included work.
Reassess hours and organisation when areas or frequency change. A second weekly visit does not always double every cost: some remain fixed. Rebuild the case rather than apply an unchecked percentage.
The proposal to send
Identify building and contact, areas, tasks, frequencies, fee, validity and terms. Distinguish service start from agreement duration. Check specific contractual requirements with competent advisers.
Keep the confirmed document and service changes. Clear quotes also help assess delivery: agreed areas and tasks provide more useful evidence than monthly price alone.
Monthly fee and actual service
For a constant monthly amount, explain the activity programme it pays for. Months with five weekly occurrences and those with four may follow an agreed calendar, but clients should not infer that from fee alone. Identify service period and frequency.
List less frequent tasks and their schedule rather than hiding them in “routine cleaning”. For added windows or areas, compare the original proposal and check time and consumption. A small description change repeated through the year can materially change total cost.
Describe services and frequencies in PreventivOk items and notes and generate the proposal PDF. This does not imply an automatic visit calendar. Create your next quote with PreventivOk.