Frequently Asked Questions

BidLoom is a SaaS platform that helps commercial cleaning companies (BSCs) create accurate, professional bids and proposals. Instead of spending hours in spreadsheets, you use our guided 5-step wizard to generate a branded PDF proposal in minutes.

Sign up for a free account, then click "New Bid" from your dashboard. The bid wizard walks you through 5 steps: facility setup, area measurement, task selection, pricing, and proposal generation. Your first bid takes about 15 minutes.

Yes. The free plan lets you create up to 3 bids total with no time limit and no credit card required. It includes ISSA 612 production rates, full labor burden calculation, PDF proposals, and client management.

No. BidLoom is a web application that runs in your browser. There is nothing to download or install. Just sign up and start creating bids.

Step 1: Set up the facility type, square footage, and cleaning schedule. Step 2: Define areas within the building (lobbies, offices, restrooms, etc.). Step 3: Select cleaning tasks for each area using ISSA 612 production rates. Step 4: Review pricing with labor burden calculation and profit margin. Step 5: Generate and download a professional PDF proposal.

ISSA 612 rates are industry-standard benchmarks published by ISSA (the worldwide cleaning industry association). They define how many square feet per hour a cleaner can complete for specific tasks. BidLoom uses these rates to calculate accurate time estimates for your bids.

Yes. On the Professional and Business plans, you can create custom task rates that override the default ISSA 612 rates. This is useful if your crew works faster or slower than industry averages, or if you have specialized tasks.

Yes. You can edit any bid at any time. Click the "Edit" button on a bid detail page to re-enter the wizard and modify any step — facility details, areas, tasks, or pricing.

We offer four plans: Free (3 bids total, forever), Starter ($19/month, 10 bids/month), Professional ($39/month, 30 bids/month), and Business ($59/month, unlimited bids). All plans include ISSA 612 rates, labor burden calculation, PDF proposals, and client management.

Yes. You can upgrade instantly from your billing settings. When downgrading, the change takes effect at the end of your current billing period. You keep access to all features until then.

Yes. Annual billing saves you 20% compared to monthly. You can switch between monthly and annual billing in your settings.

We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) through Stripe. All payments are processed securely.

The burden rate is the true cost per labor hour, including the base wage plus employer taxes (FICA 7.65%, FUTA 0.6%, state unemployment), workers compensation insurance, and benefits. BidLoom calculates this automatically using state-specific rates.

FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) is 7.65% — the employer portion of Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%). FUTA (Federal Unemployment Tax) is 0.6% on the first $7,000 of wages. SUTA (State Unemployment Tax) varies by state and employer history, typically 0.1% to 12%.

Workers comp for janitorial staff uses NCCI class code 9014. The rate varies by state (typically 3–5% of payroll) and is adjusted by your Experience Modification Rate (EMR). An EMR of 1.00 is average — lower is better.

The proposal includes a cover page, company information, facility details, detailed scope of work with tasks and frequencies, pricing summary, and terms. On Professional and Business plans, you can add your company logo and brand colors.

On Professional and Business plans, you can upload your company logo and set brand colors that appear on the PDF proposal. Set these in Settings > Company.

No. The proposal shows the client-facing price and scope of work only. Your internal cost breakdown, labor rates, and profit margins are never shown on the proposal.

Go to Settings > Billing and click "Manage Billing." You can cancel your subscription from the Stripe customer portal. Your plan stays active until the end of the current billing period.

You can download individual bid proposals as PDF files at any time. If you need a full data export, contact us at support@bidloom.com.

We offer a full refund within 14 days of your first payment if you are not satisfied. After 14 days, subscriptions are non-refundable but you can cancel anytime to prevent future charges.