How to Get Government Contracts for Cleaning: 7 Steps 2026

By Aoba Works · Published October 30, 2026 · 15 min read

How this guide was made: drafted with AI assistance from the official sources linked below, then passed an automated editorial check before publishing. Our process

• Government Contracts
• Sam.gov
• Set Asides
• Small Business

To get government contracts for cleaning, start by registering your business in SAM.gov. Then list NAICS 561720 (Janitorial Services), confirm you're under its $22 million small business size standard, and search SAM.gov Contract Opportunities for that NAICS code with a small business set-aside. Before you price any bid, read its Service Contract Act wage determination. If you also want state work, register on your state's portal as well. In Missouri that's MissouriBUYS.

Which option is right for you?

Choose your first move based on where your business stands today. If you're still unsure after reading the table, the first row is the safe default.

How to Get Government Contracts for Cleaning Services

The short version: register in SAM.gov, claim NAICS 561720, check your size, then search for set-asides and Sources Sought notices that match. Each of the seven steps below has a specific gate, and most first-time bidders get stuck on step 1 or step 4.

The 7 steps

1. Register your entity in SAM.gov. On SAM.gov, go to Get Started under Register Your Entity or Get a Unique Entity ID. Choose to register for All Awards so you can bid as a prime contractor. GSA says registration is free (SAM.gov). Our SAM.gov registration guide walks through each screen, from getting a UEI to an active registration.
2. Add NAICS 561720 in the Assertions section. Mark it as your primary NAICS code if indoor cleaning is most of your revenue. Also add any secondary codes you actually perform, such as 561790 for exterior work (explained in the next section).
3. Confirm your size. As of October 2026, the size standard for 561720 is $22 million in average annual receipts, and your affiliates' receipts count toward it (SBA size standards table; HigherGov summary). SBA generally averages receipts over the last five completed fiscal years (13 CFR 121.104). See our SBA size standards by NAICS guide if you're near the limit.
4. Apply for any certification you qualify for. The 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB/EDWOSB and SDVOSB programs each get their own set-aside type. You only need a certification if you plan to bid on those reserved competitions. A plain small business set-aside requires no certification beyond what you state in SAM.gov.
5. Write a one-page capability statement. Lead with the NAICS code 561720, PSC code S201 (Housekeeping – Custodial Janitorial; see FSCPSC), your UEI and CAGE code, the square footage you clean now, and your bonding and insurance limits.
6. Answer Sources Sought notices. These are market research notices. When at least two capable small businesses respond, it helps the contracting officer justify a set-aside. Our Sources Sought response template covers the format.
7. Bid on solicitations whose wage determination you can price. Every covered cleaning solicitation includes a Service Contract Act wage determination. Your price has to cover those wages plus fringe benefits (see the pay section below).

Pitfalls and fixes

• Mistake: You let SAM.gov registration lapse. Fix: Registrations must be renewed every year. Set a calendar reminder 60 days before your expiration date.
• Mistake: You list 561720 but your affiliates' combined revenue is over $22 million. Fix: Add up affiliate receipts before you certify. Misrepresenting your size can lead to a size protest or worse.
• Mistake: You only search the word "janitorial." Fix: Agencies also use "custodial," "housekeeping," and "facility cleaning." Filtering by NAICS 561720 and PSC S201 finds more notices than keywords do.

A size change is coming, but it isn't final

On August 20, 2026, SBA published a proposed rule that would rewrite most size standards (Federal Register, 2026-17042). Summaries of the proposal list Janitorial Services going from $22 million to $58 million (Womble Bond Dickinson). The comment deadline was extended to November 20, 2026 (Fluet). Until SBA publishes a final rule with an effective date, certify against $22 million.

How to Get Government Contracts for Pressure Washing

Pressure washing usually falls under NAICS 561790 (Other Services to Buildings and Dwellings), not 561720. The catch is that the solicitation's NAICS code decides which size standard applies, not what you call your business. When pressure washing is bundled into a larger custodial contract, it's often posted under 561720. Read the statement of work (SOW) before you decide whether to bid.

Code 561790 excludes janitorial, landscaping, pest control and carpet cleaning (HigherGov 561790). That's why a pressure-washing-only company should add 561790 to its SAM.gov profile next to 561720.

Example (hypothetical): A pressure washing company has $12 million in average receipts. It counts as small for a 561720 custodial set-aside ($22M cap), but it's other than small for a 561790 set-aside ($9M cap). Same company, two different answers. That's why you check the code on each notice.

Pitfall: Bidding on a 561790 set-aside because "we're small," without checking the $9 million cap. Fix: Look up the size standard for the code on that specific notice every time.

How to Get Contracts for a Cleaning Business

To get contracts for a cleaning business, work three channels at once: federal set-asides on SAM.gov, state and local bids on their own portals, and subcontracts under larger primes. Federal registration doesn't carry over to state or city systems, so every channel needs its own vendor setup.

Steps

1. Get your base documents ready. You'll need your business license, a W-9, proof of general liability and workers' compensation insurance, and a capability statement. Our capability statement example shows which five sections buyers read first.
2. Check bonding requirements before you need them. Some solicitations ask for bid or performance bonds and some don't. The requirement will be in the solicitation itself, so read the instructions section before you spend time pricing.
3. Register in SAM.gov for federal work (the steps are above).
4. Register on your state's portal and select the commodity codes for janitorial and custodial services. States often use UNSPSC codes rather than NAICS. Missouri, for example, points vendors to the UNSPSC codeset during registration (MissouriBUYS).
5. Register separately with your city, county, school district and public university. Many of them run their own bid portals.
6. Contact prime contractors. Large custodial primes on federal contracts often need local subcontractors for specialty work like floor stripping, window cleaning, or post-construction cleanup.

Example (hypothetical): A three-person commercial cleaning company in Kansas City registers in SAM.gov with 561720 and 561790. It also registers in MissouriBUYS, emails its capability statement to the custodial prime at a nearby federal building, and answers one Sources Sought notice per week. Each channel takes paperwork once and then becomes a weekly routine.

Who can help for free

APEX Accelerators (formerly PTACs) offer one-on-one counseling, help with SAM.gov registration, and bid reviews. Services are free or carry a nominal cost (SBA). One limitation: counselors split their time across many clients, so they review drafts but won't write your proposal for you.

How to Get My Own Cleaning Contracts (as a Solo/First-Time Bidder)

Start with small jobs. As of October 2026, federal purchases over the $15,000 micro-purchase threshold and up to the $350,000 simplified acquisition threshold use streamlined procedures and are usually set aside for small businesses. Those thresholds rose on October 1, 2025 from $10,000 and $250,000 (SmallGovCon; Aprio).

FAR Part 19 was rewritten on September 26, 2025. It keeps the "Rule of Two": when the contracting officer reasonably expects offers from two or more responsible small businesses at fair market prices, the work must be set aside for small business (SmallGovCon; Holland & Knight). For a new janitorial company, this means a one-building cleaning contract under $350,000 is often a competition among small businesses only.

First-contract steps

1. On SAM.gov, open Search, choose Contract Opportunities, and set Status to Active.
2. Under Product or Service Information, enter 561720 in NAICS Code. You can add S201 in PSC Code in a second search.
3. Under Notice Type, check Sources Sought and Combined Synopsis/Solicitation. Combined synopses are common for small, simplified buys, and they often accept a quote rather than a full proposal. Our RFQ vs RFP guide explains how to tell which one you're looking at.
4. Under Place of Performance, enter your state so you only see buildings you can actually staff.
5. Open each notice and check four things: the set-aside type, the wage determination number, whether a site visit is required, and the response date and time zone.
6. Go to the site visit if one is offered. Square footage on paper rarely shows floor types, how many restrooms there are, or after-hours access rules.

Pitfalls and fixes

• Mistake: Bidding on a contract three states away. Fix: Custodial work needs local supervisors. Unless you already have staff there, stick to a radius you can drive to.
• Mistake: Missing the response deadline because of time zones. Fix: Notices show the time zone. Plan to submit a day early.
• Mistake: Pricing from your commercial rates. Fix: Start from the wage determination (next section). Your commercial rates may sit below the federal floor.

How Much Do Government Cleaning Contracts Pay

There's no single pay rate for federal cleaning contracts. What's fixed is the floor: Department of Labor wage determinations under the Service Contract Act (SCA) set the minimum hourly wage and fringe benefits you must pay workers, and your price has to cover them. The SCA applies to most federal service contracts over $2,500 (DOL Service Contract Act).

Official numbers (as of October 2026)

The EO 13658 rate covers only contracts entered into between January 1, 2015 and January 29, 2022 that haven't been renewed or extended since January 30, 2022 (Jackson Lewis). For a new bid, the wage determination's rate for the Janitor occupation is your real starting point.

How to read the wage determination

1. Find the WD number in the solicitation. It's usually an attachment or a clause in Section J.
2. Open SAM.gov Search, choose Wage Determinations, and filter by Service Contract Act, state and county. Or paste the WD number in directly (SAM.gov wage determinations).
3. Find the Janitor line. It's occupation code 11150 in the SCA directory (see this GSA wage determination compilation). Also check Maid or Houseman and Window Cleaner if the SOW includes that work.
4. Note the paid holidays and vacation rules printed on the WD. They're costs too.

Example price build (hypothetical numbers)

Say the WD lists a Janitor wage of $16.00/hour (an example, not a real rate). Your direct labor cost per hour then starts at $16.00 + $5.92 health and welfare = $21.92. On top of that you add payroll taxes, workers' comp, holiday and vacation accrual, supplies, supervision, overhead and profit. Every one of those comes from your own books, not from the government. If your final hourly price is below the wage plus fringe alone, you'll lose money on every hour, or the contracting officer may reject the bid as unrealistic.

Pitfall: Raising wages early to match a new WD before it's been added to your contract. Fix: Price adjustments under FAR 52.222-43 generally follow the WD being incorporated at the option year. Raising pay early can cost you the adjustment (PilieroMazza).

How to Get Federal Cleaning Contracts

Federal janitorial opportunities over the micro-purchase threshold are posted in one place: SAM.gov Contract Opportunities, under NAICS 561720 and PSC S201. Many are reserved for small, 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB or SDVOSB firms, so the set-aside label tells you whether you can bid at all.

Set-aside types you'll see on janitorial notices

To filter by these, use the Set Aside filter on the SAM.gov search page. If you're logged in, you can save the search so you don't have to rebuild it every time. Mixing filters works better than keywords alone, for example NAICS 561720 + a small business set-aside + your state (GovCon Chamber).

The AbilityOne check

Some federal custodial work is on the AbilityOne Procurement List. That means it goes to nonprofit agencies that employ people who are blind or have significant disabilities, and it never becomes an open bid (AbilityOne). If a building near you never seems to post custodial work, this is often why. Your path into that work is subcontracting, not bidding.

Steps for a federal-only pipeline

1. Search SAM.gov for Award Notice and Contract Award records under 561720 in your state. Expiring contracts tend to be re-competed.
2. Note the agency and the contracting office, and watch for their Sources Sought notices four to nine months before the recompete. (This is a common pattern, not a rule.)
3. Answer Sources Sought notices with real numbers: square footage cleaned, crew size, and current contracts.
4. Bid on the solicitation and attach every required form. Missing representations are a common reason a bid is ruled noncompliant.

How to Find Missouri Government Cleaning Contracts

Missouri state agencies post their bids on MissouriBUYS, the state's eProcurement system, not on SAM.gov. You need a separate supplier registration there before you can respond. MissouriBUYS calls itself a one-stop shop for state agency procurement, with a public Bid Board, online bidding and self-service registration (MissouriBUYS).

Steps

1. Open the MissouriBUYS vendors page and use the Self-Service Supplier Registration link for MissouriBUYS, powered by MOVERS.
2. Before you start, download the Supplier Registration Checklist and the Self-Service Supplier Registration Guide (FAQ).
3. Pick UNSPSC commodity codes for janitorial and custodial services. Your codes decide which bid notification emails the state sends you (MissouriBUYS vendors).
4. Check the NEW MissouriBUYS, powered by MOVERS Bid Board for current solicitations. The old WebProcure board only holds solicitations from before September 18, 2024.
5. If you qualify, look into Missouri's MBE/WBE and Service-Disabled Veteran Enterprise (SDVE) programs through the Office of Equal Opportunity. These are separate from SBA's federal certifications.
6. Register separately with Missouri cities, counties and school districts. The state's pages focus on state agencies, not local governments (OA Vendor Information).

Pitfall: Assuming an old MissouriBUYS account still works. Fix: Registrations in the old WebProcure system didn't transfer to MOVERS, so you have to register again (MissouriBUYS vendors). Missouri also has an APEX Accelerator for state and federal bidding help (OA Vendor Information).

Example (hypothetical): A St. Louis cleaning company with an active SAM.gov registration still sees no state bids. That's because state notices only go to MOVERS registrants with matching UNSPSC codes, not to SAM.gov profiles.

Next steps

Today, get one registration moving and one search saved. Each step below takes less than an hour to start.

Do it yourself today:

1. Start or renew your SAM.gov registration with NAICS 561720 (and 561790 if you do exterior work).
2. Run the SAM.gov search from the first-contract steps (561720, Active, Sources Sought, your state) and save it while logged in.
3. Open the wage determination for one active notice near you and do the hypothetical price build with your own costs.

If you'd rather not do it yourself:

• APEX Accelerator (free or nominal cost): Good for first-time bidders who want their registration checked and a bid reviewed. Not a good fit if you need someone to write and submit proposals for you. Find one through SBA's assistance page (as of October 2026; check the official page).
• SBA Small Business Development Centers (free counseling): Good if your pricing and cash flow need work before you bid. They aren't a source of bid leads.
• Paid proposal writers or bid-matching services: Prices vary by vendor, so get a written quote with the exact deliverables. These can suit an established company bidding several times a month, but they're hard to justify before you know your margins on even one contract. No outside service can guarantee awards, and you're still responsible for what's submitted under your name.

Related guides on this site: SAM.gov registration, SBA size standards by NAICS, Sources Sought responses, capability statements, and subcontracting.

FAQ

How do you get government contracts for cleaning services?

Register in SAM.gov, list NAICS 561720, and confirm you're under the $22 million size standard. Then filter SAM.gov Contract Opportunities by that NAICS code, a small business set-aside, and your state. Answering Sources Sought notices helps push more work into set-asides.

How much do government cleaning contracts pay?

Pay depends on the wage determination for the county where the work happens. Since August 10, 2026, SCA health and welfare is $5.92 per hour on top of the listed wage. Contract totals depend on square footage, how often you clean, and the length of the contract, so read the WD before you price.

How do I get my own cleaning contracts with no past performance?

Start with simplified acquisitions between $15,000 and $350,000. These are usually small business set-asides and often accept quotes. Commercial clients and subcontracts can serve as references until you have a federal award.

Where are Missouri government contracts posted?

Missouri state agency bids are on MissouriBUYS, powered by MOVERS. You'll need to register as a supplier there even if you're already in SAM.gov. Cities, counties and school districts usually have their own portals.

Sources

• SAM.gov – Entity Registration
• SAM.gov – Contract Opportunities search
• SAM.gov – Wage Determinations
• SBA – Table of Size Standards
• eCFR – 13 CFR 121.104
• Federal Register – Small Business Size Standards proposed rule (Aug 20, 2026)
• Womble Bond Dickinson – SBA proposed size standards rule
• Fluet – SBA extends comment deadline
• HigherGov – NAICS 561720
• HigherGov – NAICS 561790
• NAICS.com – 561790
• FSCPSC – PSC S201
• OpenSpending – PSC S201
• SmallGovCon – Finalized threshold increases
• Aprio – FAR thresholds 2025
• SmallGovCon – Rule of Two in new FAR Part 19
• Holland & Knight – FAR Part 19 overhaul
• DOL – Service Contract Act
• DOL – EO 13658 minimum wage
• Federal Register – EO 13658 rate notice (Feb 9, 2026)
• Jackson Lewis – $13.65 contractor minimum wage
• PilieroMazza – 2026 SCA health and welfare rates
• GSA – SCA wage determination compilation
• GovCon Chamber – Using SAM.gov filters
• AbilityOne – Procurement List
• SBA – Federal contracting assistance
• MissouriBUYS – Home
• MissouriBUYS – Vendors
• MissouriBUYS – FAQs
• Missouri OA – Vendor Information
• Missouri Office of Equal Opportunity – Procurement

Spotted something out of date or wrong? Tell us at shigoto.ai.note@gmail.com. Guides are re-checked against official sources on a rolling schedule.