How to bid commercial lawn contracts ?

Hey guys - I am a hardscaper, but want to get my hands on all aspects. How do I go about bidding a commercial lawn contract ? I mean the money part of it, the hours and so forth. Is there a rule of thumb for how many acres a property is or what is the formula you take to derive to a price. Do you include leaf removal and mulching too ? Thanks

 

I've heard a couple things. One professional has said that he charges a dollar a minute. that's how he estimates the job. Pretty simple. then another professional I spoke with said that he charges $19 an hour times 10 hours per day times how many days a week he anticipates working. then you multiply that by 38 weeks (that's how many he said are in the mowing season.) this gives you an annual price. however you may want to consider giving your bid as a monthly quote since the figure is smaller and will not scare them away. just some food for thought.

 

I myself have only seen 2 commercial contracts. Both stated excactly how many acres they had and how often they wanted it cut. They also explained in detail what they wanted done, as far as mulch, clean-up, fert or leaves go.
I assumed all commercial contracts were this specific but i could be wrong as i've only seen 2. But you should just bid on what the details state. and don't worry about what's not stated.