Bidding and Cleaning Records | How to Start/Run a Successful Commercial RealEstate/Construction Business

Bidding and Cleaning Records

Every quarter, check with your accountant and go over all of the money making or losing details of each daily, weekly, and monthly task you did during the past three months. You want to see if you are making money and are within the budget you used to develop your bid for each job. Staying on budget will keep you in good standing with your building property manager, staff, accountant, and, most of all, your banker. You also want to use this information to keep from spending too much money on each specific task.

Make a chart listing all jobs that should be done in each building and how often each should be done, based on your contract. Hang the chart in your storage closet. It should be filled in every time a large task is completed during that, day/week/month/quarter. If you have a record of completed tasks on this sheet, it will really help you down the road. For example, your records will help settle questions on a walk-through inspection by the owner or building manager or if anyone has a question about any part of your cleaning service. Keeping track of these details will also help you know how much you are spending on each task, which will help you spend as little money as possible, while still doing an excellent job doing what you contracted to do.

For example, when you strip and wax the floors every couple of months, keep a record of how many man-hours it took to strip the floors, so you will know whether you can cut a few hours the next time you strip and wax the same floors. Get the sheet signed by someone with authority, like a supervisor, who will state that the job was completed in a timely manner and, most importantly, correctly. Calculate how much it cost you to have this task done, so that you will know how much you spent, how much you should spend next time, and how much your costs will be for such tasks the next time you bid on this building. The reason for doing of this is to try to save a little more money each time a task is done and to make sure the task is done right. Dates, time, and money all work in the same way when you’re in business for yourself. Time is money, so try to schedule large work items at the same time each year.

For example, you do not want to strip the floors too soon, because they will get dirty weeks before the next scheduled stripping. Then you’ll have to pay the cleaning crew to clean them again before they are actually due to be cleaned.

Keeping good cleaning records may also keep you out of a lot of trouble. For instance, in the winter months, you might strip and wax a floor only to have people walk all over the floor days later with mud, snow and salt on their shoes. The next thing you know, the floor looks terrible and your phone is ringing with a complaint from the property manager. Someone from the property manager’s office, or the property manager himself, might suggest that the floors were not stripped this quarter as required by your contract. Because you have documented all of your floor -stripping tasks, you can show the property manager your signed, record sheet which shows who did the job, when, where, how long it took, and who approved the work. If the manager wants those floors to look good all year, he or she will have to decide whether to have the floor stripped and waxed two more times each year, contract or no contract. Because a change in your contract will subtract or add extra money to your budget, there will have to be a written agreement to pay you extra for the additional work. Again, most owners and property managers will pay the additional cost if you have kept records, and can prove that you have kept your end of the original contract bargain.

Your records are very important on all daily jobs due to changes in the amount of work being done each day. For example, the building occupants may have occasional meetings or office parties. As a result, you may need to do more intense cleaning at those times than was budgeted. You need to speak up and let the property manager know. High visibility areas, especially the entrance lobby, are easy to soil and are the first to be inspected or noticed by the owner, property management, staff, and visitors. If they need extra cleaning, the property manager must recognize that the cost will go up and agree to add extra pay into next month’s payment, or let the area look somewhat dirty.

Also, keep in mind that expensive carpeting, like oriental rugs in front lobbies, can easily be damaged by wet or snowy shoes and boots, and if you haven’t kept records on the dates on which you cleaned the carpets, it can make it look like you aren’t doing your job as well. The rugs, like the floors, can get very dirty before the scheduled time comes to clean them again. You must train your employees to do a good job on these tasks and ask them to help you keep good records on carpet, floor care, and other large items, so the building manager can see that you are doing what you have contracted to do with out deviating from the specifications.

When you have a potential client, the cleaning equipment to do the job, and lots of good information, your next step is to give that potential customer an estimate. How you price a job is very important; it could mean the difference between getting the job or not. Remember, though, that you want to make it worth your while, too. You must do your research for the type of building you are bidding on, and find out exactly what the property manager wants from you and your staff each month. After I show you how to bid, sit down and come up with some estimates that are fair for both the client and you.