More than 73%of the cleaning contractors base their bids on a combination of three factors of square footage of the building; time it will take to clean the facility; and the number of people necessary to service the location, according to a survey by Tornado Industries.
However, what is surprising is that “about half of the BSCs questioned do not follow up with prospects if their bid was not accepted,” says Jolynn Kennedy, Marketing Director for professional cleaning equipment manufacturer Tornado Industries. “That feedback could help them win the next bid.”
Among the other findings of the survey were the following:
- Some 64% of respondents said they base their bids on what they are charging current customers and not necessarily on current rates charged by other cleaning contractors in their communities.
- Some 47% of respondent said they do not ask customers how much they are currently paying for cleaning services; 40% said they sometimes ask; 13% said they always ask.
- As to presenting their bids, 60% of respondents said they make appointments with customers and hand deliver their bids; a third send bids via e-mail; the rest deliver bids using a priority or overnight delivery service.
- More than half of respondents said their contracts are either annual or on a month-to-month basis; a third have only annual contracts; the rest have only month-to-month agreements with their clients.
- Finally, more than a third of respondents said they submit three or four bids per month; 27% submit one to two bids each month; the rest indicated they submit fewer than 10 bids per year.
“It is important for jansan manufacturers to know as much as possible about how building service contractors operate their business, including the bidding process,” says Jolynn Kennedy.
“This information helps us design the equipment BSCs need to stay competitive in the marketplace.”