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Guide · Texas · 6 min read

How to Win Government Janitorial and Cleaning Contracts in Texas

By the XL Eagle bid team · Updated November 2, 2026 · Built from our live bid database and USAspending.gov

Janitorial contracts in Texas are won on price, proof and steady staffing. There is no state janitorial license, so a small crew can bid. That also means many bidders compete for each job, and the lowest honest price often wins.

Buyers are everywhere. School districts and cities post bids on local portals, state agencies post on the Texas ESBD, and Army and Air Force sites post cleaning work on SAM.gov. Each wants a clean building every day and a vendor who shows up.

Below you will see who buys, what the rules are, how to price labor-heavy work, and where new cleaning companies slip. You will also see how XL Eagle can bid for you.

Janitorial contracts in Texas at a glance

  • 5 open janitorial bids in Texas on XL Eagle today. See them all.
  • 68 janitorial solicitations in Texas in the last 12 months that we tracked (38 federal, 30 state and local).
  • Federal agencies made 319 contract awards worth $173.8 million for work performed in Texas under NAICS 561720 in FY2025 (Oct 2024 - Sep 2025).
  • Top federal buyers that year: Department of Defense ($148.3 million); Department of Homeland Security ($10.2 million); Department of Veterans Affairs ($8.9 million).
  • Agencies posting this work most often in our data: Army, Air Force, Department of Veterans Affairs, Agricultural Research Service.
  • Where these jobs get posted: Bonfire, Ionwave, Texas ESBD.

Bid counts from the XL Eagle bid database as of November 2, 2026. Award totals from USAspending.gov.

Who buys janitorial work in Texas

  • School districts, many of which post bids through online portals such as IonWave.
  • Cities and counties that bid out office, library, rec center and police building cleaning.
  • State agencies and universities that post custodial work on the Texas ESBD.
  • Army installations such as Fort Cavazos, where installation custodial service is bought through the Army's contracting command.
  • Air Force sites, including Joint Base San Antonio, which post building cleaning and floor care.

Open janitorial bids in Texas right now

All open janitorial bids in Texas →

Licenses you need in Texas

Texas has no state license for a janitorial company. What buyers ask for instead is proof that you are a real, insured business: a registered entity, general liability insurance, workers compensation where you have employees, and a clean record of past work. If you want to bid on state work you can join the Centralized Master Bidders List for $70 a year. If you do pest control or apply chemicals beyond normal cleaning, that is a different job with a different license.

Register to bid in Texas

State and local jobs in Texas are posted on these sites:

  • Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD): The Texas Comptroller's search page for open bids from state agencies, universities, counties, cities, school districts and other public entities, and sign in is not required to look.
  • Texas SmartBuy: The state's purchasing site that sits beside the ESBD and is where many state agencies run their buying.
  • Centralized Master Bidders List (CMBL): The state vendor list you join through the Comptroller's eSystems account, using NIGP codes for what you sell.
  • SAM.gov: The federal site where jobs at Texas bases and federal offices are posted, and where a business registers to bid as a prime.
  1. Get an IRS Employer Identification Number (EIN). The Comptroller does not accept a Social Security number for CMBL.
  2. Write down your business structure, your NIGP class and item codes, and the Texas highway districts where you can work.
  3. Create an eSystems profile on the Comptroller site, set a password and verify your email.
  4. Choose Apply for CMBL in eSystems and follow the prompts, then pay the annual fee.
  5. Search the ESBD every week for your trade and read each posting for the entity's own submission instructions.
  6. Apply for HUB certification if you qualify. It is separate from CMBL.

The Texas Comptroller lists the annual CMBL registration fee as $70, and HUB certification itself is free.

Federal jobs in Texas use SAM.gov, which is free. What SAM.gov is and how to register.

Small business certifications in Texas

  • Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) program: A Texas-based small business that meets SBA size standards and is owned by Texas residents from the groups the state recognizes; certification is free and lasts several years.
  • VetHUB: A Texas-based small business where a service-disabled veteran with a rating of 20 percent or more owns, manages and runs at least 51 percent of the company; certification is free.

Wage rules on public jobs

Texas has its own prevailing wage law for public works, Texas Government Code chapter 2258. For construction work paid for by the state or a local government, the public body sets the wage rates, either from a local survey or from federal rates, and those rates are the minimum you must pay on that job. On federal jobs the U.S. Department of Labor rules apply instead: the Davis-Bacon Act for construction over $2,000 and the Service Contract Act for service contracts over $2,500. Always read the wage sheet attached to the bid.

What janitorial jobs look like in Texas

  • Cleaning is a labor contract. Your biggest cost is hours, so the bid is really about how many people you need and for how long each night.
  • Read the frequency table. Daily, weekly, monthly and yearly tasks are priced differently, and floor stripping and waxing is usually its own line.
  • Federal cleaning bids almost always come with Service Contract Act wages. Those can be higher than your normal pay, so use them in your numbers.
  • School work is mostly after hours and in summer for deep cleaning. Plan for background checks on your staff.
  • Buyers ask for a quality plan and an inspection checklist. A simple one page plan is enough if it is clear.
  • Supplies matter. Some bids say the vendor provides paper and soap, and some say the buyer does. Check before you price.

Pricing janitorial work for Texas public buyers

  • Start from square feet and a cleaning rate per hour. Then add supervisor time, supplies, equipment and travel.
  • Use the wage in the bid, then add payroll taxes, workers compensation and insurance. Many new bidders forget the taxes.
  • Price floor care separately so a one-time strip and wax does not hide inside the monthly price.
  • Add a small amount for turnover. Replacing a no-show worker costs real money in a fixed-price contract.
  • Check last year's award price if it is posted. It shows what the market will bear.

Mistakes that lose these bids

  • Pricing at your normal wage when the bid requires a set prevailing wage.
  • Forgetting to count holidays and days the building is closed, which changes the real number of cleaning days.
  • Skipping the site visit and guessing at the square feet.
  • Sending a bid with no proof of insurance attached.

The fastest way to bid: send us your price

You can register and bid on your own using the steps above. If you would rather not, send XL Eagle your price on any janitorial job in Texas. We write and submit the bid as the prime contractor under our registrations. If it wins, you do the work and get paid. You do not need your own SAM.gov registration to work this way.

Pick a Texas janitorial job or read the national guide to government janitorial contracts.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a license to start a janitorial company for government work in Texas?

Texas does not issue a janitorial license. You need to be a registered business with the insurance the buyer asks for.

What is the Service Contract Act and does it apply to cleaning?

It sets minimum wages and benefits for workers on federal service contracts over $2,500. Federal cleaning contracts usually include a wage sheet from the Department of Labor.

How do I find school district cleaning bids?

Many Texas districts and cities post on portals like IonWave or on the Texas ESBD. You often must create a free account on each portal to see the full bid.

Can I bid on an Army base cleaning job without a SAM.gov registration?

Not as the prime. If you send XL Eagle your price, XL Eagle submits the bid as the prime and you do the work if it wins.

Sources

Have a price for a government job?

Send it to us. XL Eagle writes and submits the bid under our registrations, free to you. If we win, you do the work at your price.

Find a job and send your price →