If you want to know how to get government cleaning contracts, you’re in the right place! Federal agencies obligated $1.79 billion on janitorial services contracts (NAICS 561720) in FY2025, per USASpending.gov. That figure has increased each year from FY2021 to FY2025, and we expect it to continue along this path. Most of the work recurs on multi-year contracts, so one win can keep your cleaning company steady and profitable for five years! Read on, and this guide will give you the full path: registration, the right NAICS codes, set-asides, and the two rules that surprise new bidders. If you stay to the end, we’ll cover the best tool for getting cleaning contracts, and how you can get started for free!
How much does the federal government spend on cleaning services?
First, let’s start with the numbers. The federal janitorial services market is stable and growing. Spending on NAICS 561720 rose from $1.59 billion in FY2021 to $1.79 billion in FY2025, per USASpending.gov. That is a 12 percent climb across five years, without a single down year!
However, the buyers matter much more. The Department of Defense spent $1.21 billion of the FY2025 total, more than all other agencies combined. And if you think about it, this makes sense. Military installations need daily custodial work for dining halls, barracks, clinics, and offices. The next biggest buyers were Homeland Security ($110.3 million) and Veterans Affairs ($109.2 million). The General Services Administration ($66.5 million) and the Department of Transportation ($50.5 million) followed. Thus, focusing on the DoD could have huge results for your company, and it’s actually a lot easier to get your foot in the door than you’d think.
What NAICS codes cover government cleaning contracts?
Now let’s cover the NAICS codes, what the buyers are specifically looking for. Almost all federal cleaning work is coded NAICS 561720, Janitorial Services. You’ll need to register that code in your SAM.gov and DSBS profile as your primary code. There are a couple adjacent codes are worth adding if you already do that type of work.
| NAICS code | Description | FY2025 federal obligations | SBA size standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 561720 | Janitorial Services | $1.79 billion | $22 million |
| 561790 | Other Services to Buildings and Dwellings | $62.6 million | $9 million |
| 561740 | Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services | $1.1 million | $8.5 million |
The size standard is the revenue ceiling for small-business status. For 561720, your average annual receipts across your last five fiscal years must stay at or below $22 million. Almost every cleaning company in the country fits under that ceiling. That matters, because small-business status unlocks the set-asides covered below. One caution: SBA proposed an inflation adjustment to size standards in August 2025. Confirm the current figure on SBA.gov before you certify your size.
How do you register to bid on federal cleaning contracts?
The first step in how to get government cleaning contracts is registration, and every step is free. Beware of anyone who charges you to “register you in SAM.gov” We have a guide on how to register, but here’s a quick checklist:
- Get a free Unique Entity ID (UEI) from SAM.gov.
- Complete your SAM.gov entity registration.
- Add NAICS 561720 to your profile, plus 561790 if you do exterior or specialty building work.
- Write a one-page capability statement. It lists your core services, past performance, certifications, and NAICS codes. Everyone in government contracting, from contracting officers to prime contractors, will expect you to have it ready.
Our SAM.gov registration guide covers each screen, and our capability statement guide covers how to build a quality capability statement. Next we’ll cover strategies on how you can become even more competitive!
Do set-asides really help small cleaning companies win?
ABSOLUTELY! Of the $1.79 billion in FY2025 janitorial obligations, $645 million went through small-business set-aside contracts, per USASpending.gov. That is roughly 36 percent of the market reserved for companies like yours!
If you hold a socio-economic certification, it can be even easier to win! Janitorial solicitations often carry 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, and WOSB set-asides. If you qualify for any of these SBA programs, make sure you’re certified before you bid. Certification takes weeks to months, so make sure you start now!
What is the AbilityOne program, and why does it matter for janitorial bids?
This is the first rule that surprises new janitorial bidders. Some federal custodial requirements sit on the AbilityOne Procurement List. For those facilities, the government must buy the service from a designated nonprofit that employs people who are blind or have significant disabilities. FAR Subpart 8.7 makes this a mandatory source, not a preference.
So before you invest hours in a bid, make sure that the facility’s custodial services are not on the Procurement List at AbilityOne.gov. If they are, that work is not available to you, and no proposal will change that. If you don’t want to spend the time reading these requirements, use Procura, our tool that will read all of the requirements for you and determin if you can win it.
What wage rules apply to federal cleaning contracts?
This is the second surprise, and it decides your profit. Most federal service contracts fall under the Service Contract Labor Standards (the law many contractors still call the Service Contract Act). The Department of Labor issues a wage determination for each contract location. It sets the minimum hourly wage and fringe benefits you must pay each labor category, such as janitor or window cleaner.
The wage determination is attached to the solicitation on SAM.gov. Read it before you price anything, or use Procura to read it for you. If you bid at your commercial pay rates and the wage determination sits higher, you will still have to pay the higher rate. The difference will be subtracted from your margin. Underpricing labor is the most common way new janitorial contractors lose money on a win.
How do you price a federal cleaning bid?
Price from the solicitation documents, not from your commercial rate card. Here’s how:
- Pull the square footage, cleaning frequency, and staffing terms from the performance work statement. A tool like Procura will do this for you.
- Apply the wage determination rates plus fringe benefits to your labor hours. Labor is usually 60 percent or more of a janitorial bid.
- Add supplies, equipment, insurance, and overhead. Federal custodial contracts frequently require you to buy AbilityOne-listed cleaning products, so price those, not your usual brands.
- Add your margin last, and keep it defensible. On recompetes, the incumbent’s price history is often visible on USASpending.gov, and that tells you what the agency accepted before. You should pull those numbers up to make sure your margin is acceptable.
A bid priced below the wage determination will get rejected or, worse, win and then lose money for five years. A bid priced far above the incumbent’s history rarely wins. Next up, we’re going to talk about how to actually find these opportunities!
Where do you find government cleaning contracts worth bidding?
All federal opportunities are posted on SAM.gov. You can search SAM.gov Contract Opportunities with NAICS 561720, then filter by your state and by set-aside type. Also search keywords such as “custodial,” “janitorial,” and “housekeeping,” because some grounds and facility solicitations carry adjacent codes. State and local governments run their own portals, and those contracts often make good past performance for later federal bids. However, these portals are difficult to use and will not help you determine whether or not you’re qualified. Thankfully, we built Procura to do all of this for you. Read on to learn more!
A federal custodial solicitation posted on SAM.gov will runs dozens of pages across the base document, a performance work statement, wage determinations, and site maps. The requirements that can disqualify your bid, such as staffing minimums, security clearances, or an AbilityOne restriction, are hidden in the attachments. Most small cleaning companies do not have a person who can spend 20 hours a week reading them.
Finding opportunities you’re qualified for, not bidding, is the hard part of how to get government cleaning contracts. That is what Procura fixes. Procura reads every SAM.gov solicitation, attachments included, scores each opportunity against your capabilities statement, and flags the compliance requirements before you start your bid. We offer free trials and can help you get started with government contracting. Find some time on our calendar below!
