A proposal is the document that turns a site visit, a price and a scope into something a client can actually say yes to. Where a scope of work is an internal-facing operational document, a proposal is client-facing — it needs to read as a confident, professional offer, not a spreadsheet dump of everything you know about the job.
This guide covers what a commercial cleaning proposal should include and what should stay out of it.
Start with client and site information
Every proposal should open with who it's for and where the work happens — client or company name, a contact name if you have one, the site name and address. This sounds obvious, but a proposal that makes the client re-read to figure out which site you're quoting has already lost some credibility.
Give a short, honest introduction
One or two sentences is enough: thank the client for the opportunity, and state that the proposal outlines the service, frequency and pricing based on the information available at the time of assessment. Avoid overselling language — claims like "best," "guaranteed" or "perfect clean" tend to undermine trust rather than build it. A clear, accurate proposal does more work than a flattering one.
Include a service overview
Before the detailed scope, summarise the service type, frequency and proposed commencement (by agreement, a specific date, or to be confirmed) in a few lines the client can scan quickly.
Attach the approved scope
The proposal's scope section should be a direct extension of the scope of work you've already built and reviewed — not a fresh summary written from memory. Keep regular cleaning tasks and periodic or additional work in clearly separated sections, exactly as they'll be delivered. See How to Build a Commercial Cleaning Scope of Work if you haven't built that yet.
Present pricing the way your client thinks about it
Some clients think in price-per-visit terms; others budget monthly or want to see the annual contract value. You don't need to show every figure — choose the presentation that suits the conversation: price per visit, an approximate monthly value, an annual contract value, or a combination. For a one-off job, a single service price is usually enough.
Be explicit about GST or tax treatment — whether it's not applicable, included, excluded, or a custom tax — so there's no ambiguity about what the client will actually pay. Don't assume every cleaning business is GST-registered; state your own position and confirm your obligations with your accountant.
Handle periodic and additional work pricing deliberately
Decide upfront whether periodic or additional services (carpet extraction, floor treatments, external windows) are included in the regular price, separately priced, or to be quoted on request. Leaving this unstated is one of the more common sources of disputes once a contract is running.
State payment terms and validity
Simple, clear payment terms — 7, 14 or 30 days, or due on completion — belong in the proposal itself, not left as an assumption. If you want the pricing to have a shelf life, state a validity period or date; if you don't need one, it's fine to leave it out rather than forcing an artificial deadline.
Name your exclusions clearly
What isn't included matters as much as what is. Carry your exclusions across from the approved scope rather than leaving them as an unstated assumption — this protects both you and your client from disagreements once work begins.
What should stay internal
Your labour cost, overhead allocation, target margin, markup, break-even price and profit are internal business figures — never something a client needs or expects to see in a proposal. A proposal built well keeps these figures out entirely, showing only the selling price you've chosen to present. See How to Price a Commercial Cleaning Contract for where those internal figures belong.
A proposal is not a legal contract
A well-built proposal is a commercial offer — it describes the service, scope and price you're proposing. It is not a substitute for a proper service agreement, and an optional manual acceptance section (a printed space for a client/company name, contact name, position, signature and date) is not the same as an electronic signature or a binding contract. If you need contractual terms covering liability, termination or other legal matters, that belongs in a separate agreement, ideally reviewed with appropriate professional advice.
Building proposals consistently, job after job
The Commercial Cleaning Quote & Proposal Builder is designed to give you this structure automatically — it brings in your approved client, site, scope and selling price from your other tools, lets you set your own business branding, pricing presentation and tax treatment, and keeps internal cost and margin figures out of the client-facing document entirely.
Build a Commercial Cleaning Proposal — free, runs in your browser, no account required.