THE FIELD GUIDE / 001
Before you price
the cleaning bid.
Eight checks for a Florida public-sector cleaning opportunity. Use them to decide what deserves a closer read before building your price.
By CleanBid Desk · Published September 7, 2026 · Free, no signup
Download the plain-text worksheet ↓- 01
Check the first deadline, not just the final one.
Record the question deadline, any registration or qualification cutoff, the pre-bid meeting and the submission deadline. Copy the time zone exactly. If a required meeting has already passed, resolve attendance eligibility with the named procurement contact before investing in a response.
Write down: event · date · time zone · required or optional · source page.
- 02
Read the complete scope and service schedule.
Match the facilities, floor types, square footage, frequencies, supplies and operating hours to what your crews can deliver. Check travel between locations, weekend work and access arrangements. An attachment may contain the service schedule that the summary notice leaves out. Flag anything you cannot open.
Write down: locations · work hours · staffing assumptions · unread documents.
- 03
Separate qualifications from preferences.
Look for required experience, references, certifications, registrations and any set-aside conditions. A local or small-business preference is not automatically a universal eligibility requirement. Read how the particular solicitation applies it; ask the agency about unclear wording through its designated question process.
Write down: each required qualification · evidence available · question to resolve.
- 04
Price the insurance and access requirements.
Identify the specified coverage, limits, endorsements, bonds if any, background checks and facility-access conditions. Ask the appropriate insurance or service provider to confirm availability and cost before assuming your current arrangements meet the bid. Do not treat an insurance summary as the full contract.
Write down: requirement · provider confirmation needed · expected cost.
- 05
Test the contract economics.
Build your own estimate for labor, payroll costs, materials, equipment, travel and supervision. Check whether estimated quantities guarantee any work, how payment is approved, and whether the contract allows price adjustments. A long contract term does not by itself mean predictable volume or margin.
Write down: cost assumptions · guaranteed volume, if any · payment and adjustment terms.
- 06
Read the latest amendments and agency answers.
Check the official portal for addenda and published questions and answers. Compare them with the original notice and record the date you checked. Recheck before submission. If a document is unavailable, identify the gap explicitly; do not label the review complete.
Write down: latest addendum · acknowledgement required · source-check date.
- 07
Check the submission mechanics.
Confirm the exact submission channel, account or registration needed, forms, signatures, pricing format and acknowledgement requirements. Leave time to resolve portal access. Save the agency or portal receipt when you submit. A prepared file is not evidence that the agency received a bid.
Write down: upload or delivery method · required files · receipt location.
- 08
Make an explicit pursue, clarify or pass decision.
Pursue when your scope, qualifications, timing and estimated economics fit. Clarify when a material question remains. Pass when a required condition cannot be met. Keep a short reason and the supporting source for the decision so the next person can understand it.
Write down: decision · reason · unresolved question · next action and owner.
Start with the agency’s own documents.
This is a general research worksheet, not a universal list of Florida bid requirements. Each agency’s current solicitation and amendments control. It does not establish eligibility or replace the contractor’s review.
- PCB26-35 original bid document — historical examples of scope, attendance, experience and submission requirements; see PDF pages 3, 5, 7 and 9.
- PCB26-35 preliminary bid tabulation — the attendance example above.
- Pinellas County vendor registration — an agency source for vendor participation and notifications. Public notices and agency alerts can be obtained without paying CleanBid Desk.
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