Marina,

Well there is a great question!! Consider base costs you can not escape. Minimum wage, insurances, solutions, equipment, taxes state, federal and city then there is the amount of time it will take. On average it takes an hour to clean 5,000 square feet on a 5 day a week account. On. 3 day a week account it's in between 2,000-3,000.

So ask a few more questions. Do the clients spend more than 8 hours a day there? If they live there all the time it will be dusty. 70% of dust is exfoliated skin. Do you start past 9 pm?(Cleaners get tired and will be slower after 9) Can you compare this account with any other account you clean? 16 stall bathroom is big. That will require more time than is standard. What is the scope of work? If cleaning the dishes and putting them away every day or cleaning out the fridge every week is an additional cost. What do the bathrooms look like? Is there hard water or calcium buildup on the porcelain toilets and sinks? These will take longer to maintain.

Ok there is a lot of questions. So bottom line most companies charge 20-26 an hour. I always figure out all these time issue questions then figure out the other business costs. That should get you closer to a fair price.

I always ask the future client what they pay. If it's super low. I tell them right away. Most all of my new accounts are 10-50% more then they currently pay. My thought is im not going out of business serving people and taking care of their needs. I've seen at least 6 companies go out of business because they did low balling bids. You may get the work that way but it will waste your most valuable resource. That is your people's time.

Cheers and good luck!!

Rob