Most cleaning firms lose tenders for one reason. They guess the price. They either go too high and get beaten, or too low and win a contract that bleeds money for three years. The firms that win profitably do something different. They price against real evidence, the actual values that similar contracts were awarded at, who holds them now, and when they expire. Here is how to do that in 2026.
TL;DR
To price a cleaning tender well you need three facts that are already public but scattered. What comparable contracts were awarded at, who won them, and when the current contract ends. Pull those from official government award notices, build a value per square metre or per visit benchmark, then price just inside the market with your real cost base underneath. CQD New Gen pulls this award and renewal data into one place so you are not reading hundreds of portals by hand.
Key facts
- A published contract award notice usually names the winning supplier and the awarded value, which is the single most useful number for pricing your own bid.
- Most public cleaning contracts run a fixed term, commonly three to five years, and are re-tendered on a known cycle, so the end date tells you exactly when to pitch the buyer.
- CQD New Gen lists over 2,400 public cleaning contracts out to tender across 58 countries, sourced from official government procurement portals, with award winner, value and renewal timing where published.
- Pricing to win is not pricing to the floor. The lowest bid often loses on quality scoring, and a loss-making win is worse than no win at all.
- Buyers re-tender for a reason, usually service failure or price, so knowing why the last contract is ending shapes how you pitch, not just what you charge.
Step one, find the real award values
Start with contracts like yours that have already been awarded. Match on sector first, schools, hospitals, offices, transport, because scope and specification drive price far more than geography. The award notice gives you the awarded value and usually the contract length, so you can derive an annual figure. Collect five to ten comparable awards and you have a defensible range rather than a single data point.
Step two, turn values into a benchmark
A raw contract value means little until you normalise it. Divide by the measurable unit the specification uses, usually square metres cleaned, number of sites, or visits per week. That gives you a value per unit you can apply to the tender in front of you. If three comparable schools cleaned for a similar annual figure per square metre, you now know roughly where a winning bid sits for the one you are pricing.
Step three, put your real cost base underneath
The market benchmark tells you the ceiling. Your cost base tells you the floor. Labour at the real local wage plus on costs, supplies, equipment, insurance, supervision and a margin you can live with. If your floor sits above the market benchmark, walk away, because winning that contract loses money. If there is a gap between your floor and the market, that gap is where you price to win.
Step four, use the renewal calendar
The best contract to win is often the one that is not out to tender yet. If you know a three year contract was awarded in 2024, it re-tenders around 2027, so you start building a relationship with that buyer now, long before the formal process opens. Renewal timing turns cold bidding into warm, planned pursuit, and warm pursuits win far more often.
Why guessing is the expensive option
Every bid you price blind is a coin flip. Too high loses the work, too low wins the wrong work. Firms that price against real award data stop flipping coins. They know the range, they know where they sit in it, and they know which contracts are worth chasing. That is the difference between a pipeline and a hope.
See the award and renewal data in one place
Reading hundreds of government portals by hand is not realistic for a working cleaning firm. CQD New Gen pulls public cleaning contract awards, values and renewal dates from official procurement sources into one intelligence feed, so you can benchmark a bid in minutes instead of days. You can view a free sample of live biddable contracts, then unlock the full award and renewal intelligence for 29 pounds a month.
FAQ
Where can I find what a cleaning contract was awarded for?
Official government procurement portals publish contract award notices that usually name the winning supplier and the awarded value. CQD New Gen aggregates these cleaning contract awards across 58 countries into one feed so you do not have to search each portal by hand.
How do I turn a contract value into a price for my own bid?
Normalise the awarded value by the unit the specification uses, such as square metres, number of sites or visits per week, to get a value per unit. Apply that benchmark to the tender you are pricing, then check it against your real cost base so you never bid below your floor.
How long do public cleaning contracts usually run?
Most run a fixed term, commonly three to five years, and are re-tendered on a known cycle. Knowing the award date tells you roughly when the contract expires, which is when you should start pitching the buyer.
Is the lowest bid the one that wins?
Not usually. Public tenders score on quality and method as well as price, so the lowest bid often loses, and a loss making win damages the firm for years. Price to win inside the market range, not to the floor.
How much does CQD New Gen cost?
There is a free sample of live biddable cleaning contracts, and the full contract intelligence feed with award values and renewal dates is 29 pounds a month. Posting a job and using the marketplace is free on both sides right now.