Post construction

How to Get Post Construction Cleaning Contracts From General Contractors

By Fairhaven Design · Updated November 13, 2026 · 6 min read

TL;DR

Post construction cleaning is bought by general contractors, not building owners. The person to reach is the project superintendent or project manager.
Find projects a few weeks before turnover: permit data, job-site signs, and public bid postings all show who is building what.
Get on each GC's bidders list with your insurance certificate, W-9 and capability sheet on file before a job comes up.
Price each phase separately (rough, final, touch-up) and get a written sign-off from the superintendent before you invoice each one.
Follow OSHA's silica housekeeping rules on construction sites: no dry sweeping of concrete dust when wet methods or a HEPA vacuum will work.

You get post construction cleaning contracts by reaching general contractors, not building owners. Find projects a few weeks from turnover, ask the superintendent or project manager how to get on their bidders list, and have your insurance and paperwork on file before they need you. Price each cleaning phase on its own, get each one signed off, and the GC will call you for the next building.

Who buys post construction cleaning

The general contractor buys it. Cleaning is part of the GC's scope, and the building has to be clean before the owner accepts it. On commercial projects that means you work for the GC as a subcontractor, follow their site rules and their schedule, and get paid through their pay applications.

Superintendent: runs the site day to day, decides when you come in and signs off your work.
Project manager: handles the subcontract, the price and payment.
Estimator or preconstruction: keeps the bidders list for future projects.

Commercial Cleaning Magazine (CMM) recommends sending a letter to the GC's main office to get on its bidders list, and also visiting active sites to meet the superintendent in person.

The three phases and what each one pays

Post construction cleaning usually runs in three phases. Bid and invoice each one separately.

Post construction cleaning phases and published price ranges
Phase	When	What it covers	Published range
Rough clean	After drywall and major trades, before paint or flooring finishes	Debris, dust, scraps, labels, a first floor sweep with wet methods or HEPA vacuum	About $0.10 to $0.15 per sq ft (Angi)
Final clean	After trades finish, before the owner walk	Every surface, fixtures, inside cabinets, windows, vents, floors	About $0.15 to $0.50 per sq ft (Angi)
Touch-up	Just before turnover or move-in	Dust and smudges left by punch-list work, final floor pass	Often priced per visit or per hour

ZTERS, a cleaning bid software company, puts the full range for post construction cleaning at about $0.10 to $0.75 per square foot. Use these ranges to check your bid, not to set it. Price from your own labor hours with the method in how to bid on commercial cleaning jobs.

How to find construction projects before turnover

The goal is to reach the GC three to eight weeks before the building is finished, when they are lining up the cleaning crew.

Permit data. Many Texas cities publish building permits. The City of Austin publishes issued construction permits as open data, including the contractor's name and phone. Sort by commercial permits issued four to nine months ago in your area.
Job-site signs. Drive your territory once a week. The sign on the fence names the GC. Note projects where the windows are in and the exterior is closed.
Public bid postings. Public projects are posted on the Texas Comptroller's Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD) and on city and school district portals. The winning GC is often listed later. That GC needs a cleaner.
Trades you already know. Painters, flooring installers and electricians know which GCs are about to finish. Ask them.

More lead sources, with what each costs, are in where to find commercial cleaning leads.

How to get on a general contractor's bidders list

Getting on the list is mostly paperwork and persistence. GCs prefer subcontractors whose documents are already approved, because chasing paperwork near turnover costs them time.

Send the GC's main office a one-page capability sheet: the phases you clean, the area you cover, crew size and how quickly you can start.
Attach a certificate of insurance and a W-9. Ask what limits and endorsements their subcontract requires, because many GCs require them to be named as additional insured.
Ask the estimator to add you to the bidders list for cleaning and final clean scopes.
Call back every month. Ask which projects are closest to finishing.

How to visit an active job site

A short, professional visit to the job trailer puts a face to your paperwork. CMM's advice for these visits fits most sites:

Go to the trailer, ask for the superintendent or project manager, and keep it short. They are working.
Wear a company shirt, hard hat, safety vest and work boots, so you look like you belong on a site.
Ask one question that matters: "When is turnover, and who is doing your final clean?"
Leave your capability sheet and get the superintendent's direct number.

How to bid each phase and get it signed off

Bid each phase as a separate line with its own price, its own start condition and its own sign-off. This protects you when the schedule slips or trades leave a mess after you clean.

State what "ready for rough clean" and "ready for final clean" mean, for example "all trades complete except punch list".
Price re-cleans separately. If a trade comes back and makes dust after your final, a re-clean is extra work. CMM notes re-cleans can be profitable when they are priced in writing.
After each phase, walk it with the superintendent and get a signed sign-off by phase (and by unit on multi-unit projects).
Invoice each phase as soon as it is signed off.

Safety on site: OSHA silica housekeeping

Concrete, drywall and tile dust can contain crystalline silica. OSHA's construction silica standard (29 CFR 1926.1153) limits how you clean it up. Dry sweeping or dry brushing is not allowed where it could contribute to exposure, unless wet sweeping, HEPA vacuuming or other methods that keep dust down are not feasible. Compressed air is only allowed with a system that captures the dust it blows, or when no alternative is feasible. OSHA's construction FAQ says sweeping compounds are acceptable.

In practice: bring a HEPA vacuum and sweeping compound to every rough clean, and train the crew not to dry sweep concrete dust. Many GCs will ask about this in their safety orientation.

Getting paid on construction jobs in Texas

Texas has a prompt payment law for private construction projects. Under Texas Property Code section 28.002, an owner generally must pay the contractor within 35 days after receiving a written payment request, and the contractor must then pay its subcontractors within 7 days after receiving that payment. Section 28.009 lets a contractor who is not paid suspend work after giving 10 days' written notice. Exceptions apply, including good-faith disputes.

What that means for a cleaning sub: submit your invoice on the GC's schedule for pay applications, keep every signed sign-off, and expect payment after the owner pays the GC. Read the subcontract's payment terms before you sign. For unpaid invoices, talk to a construction attorney, because Texas lien deadlines are strict.

How to turn construction cleans into recurring work

A finished building needs a janitorial company. Ask the GC who the owner or property manager will be, leave your card for them, and offer a first month of recurring cleaning at turnover. Your crew already knows the building, and you can show the superintendent's sign-off as a reference.

Builders and property managers both look a company up before they call. A website that shows your phases, your service area and your insurance details answers their questions first. Fairhaven Design builds websites for commercial cleaning companies, with an automatic text back to any call you miss while you are on a site.

Common questions

Who hires post construction cleaning companies?

General contractors hire post construction cleaners on commercial projects, because the building must be clean before the owner accepts it. The superintendent schedules and signs off the work, the project manager handles the subcontract and payment, and the estimator keeps the bidders list for future projects.

How much do post construction cleaning contracts pay?

Published ranges put rough cleans at about $0.10 to $0.15 per square foot and final cleans at about $0.15 to $0.50 per square foot, according to Angi. ZTERS cites about $0.10 to $0.75 per square foot overall. Price your bids from labor hours and use these only to check them.

How do I get on a general contractor's bidders list?

Send the GC's main office a capability sheet, a certificate of insurance and a W-9, and ask the estimator to add you for cleaning scopes. Ask what insurance limits their subcontract requires. Then visit active job sites, meet superintendents and call back monthly to ask which projects are close to turnover.

What are the phases of post construction cleaning?

Post construction cleaning usually has three phases: a rough clean after the major trades finish, a final clean before the owner walk, and a touch-up clean just before turnover. Bid, schedule and invoice each phase separately, and get a written sign-off from the superintendent after each one.

Can I dry sweep construction dust?

OSHA's construction silica standard does not allow dry sweeping or brushing where it could contribute to silica exposure, unless wet sweeping, HEPA vacuuming or other dust-reducing methods are not feasible. Use a HEPA vacuum and sweeping compound on rough cleans, and only use compressed air with dust capture.