Guide
Request for proposal (RFP) template for multi-unit operators
Send “quote us hood cleaning for our six stores” to three vendors and you get three numbers you can’t compare. One priced canopies only, one assumed quarterly everywhere, one left out the fans. A short written request fixes that: every bidder prices the same systems, the same scope, and the same paperwork. Universities and school districts do this in public, so their bid documents show what works. This page pulls the useful parts from five of them into a template you can copy.
Short answer
A workable RFP has five parts: a site-by-site system inventory, a scope written to bare metal with an areas-not-cleaned report, qualifications and insurance, reporting and scheduling rules, and a unit-price form that every bidder fills in the same way. Ask for a price per system or per filtered hood section per cleaning, plus fixed prices for common add-ons. Miami-Dade schools did exactly that: across 414 schools the two awarded bids came in at $171 and $224 per filtered hood section, which you can only see side by side because the form forced the same unit.
What public buyers actually ask for
| Buyer (document) | Size | Requirements worth copying | Pricing and term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne State University (2023 RFP) | Campus food outlets and dining halls | Each system described: canopy length, filter type, feet of horizontal duct, number of clean-outs, riser height, roof fan number. Work managed by an IKECA Certified Exhaust Cleaning Specialist (CECS). State mechanical contractor license. Before-and-after photos with every report. Three references, plus a list of significant accounts lost in the past three years. | Proposals held open 120 days |
| University of Maine System (2025 RFB) | 14 hoods twice a year, 10 hoods once a year | Cleaning windows tied to breaks. Minor repairs done on the spot if materials are under $100; anything more needs approval and a written quote. Report lists completion date, system condition, equipment model and tag, and filter style. Suppression service excluded. | Prices firm for the full term (July 2025 to June 2030). Standard terms refuse auto-renewals longer than month-to-month and refuse to waive subrogation. $1M per occurrence general liability and auto, workers’ comp required. |
| UConn (2026 RFP) | About 74 hood systems | Connecticut S-1 or S-3 mechanical license. IKECA certification (PECT, CECT, CESI) or equivalent. Pre-proposal conference with a chance to see existing conditions. | Two years plus three one-year extensions |
| Greenville County Schools, SC (IFB) | About 93 kitchen sites, plus culinary labs and concession stands | Optional jobsite visits before a deadline. Dedicated account manager reachable 9 to 5 weekdays at no extra cost. Price per hood system must include its exhaust fans and makeup air fans. | One price per commercial hood system per cleaning, all costs included. One year plus four renewals, five years max. |
| Miami-Dade County Public Schools (ITB award) | 414 schools in two zones | Add-on items priced up front: access door installed $295, filter replaced $60, cleaner for self-cleaning hoods $65.75 a gallon. | Firm unit price per filtered hood section ($171 primary, $224 alternate). Two years plus three one-year extensions. About $604 per location a year on a $250,000 annual contract. |
These are public institutions with procurement rules a restaurant group doesn’t have. Skip the forms and set-aside paperwork. Keep the inventory, the scope language, the unit-price form, and the reporting rules.
The template
Copy this into a document and fill in the brackets. It runs two or three pages once the site list is attached.
- Who we are and what we want. “[Company] operates [number] kitchens in [cities/states]. We are requesting proposals for kitchen exhaust system cleaning at the locations in Attachment A for a term starting [date].” Say whether one vendor will get every site or you may split by region, as Miami-Dade did.
- Site and system inventory (Attachment A). One row per exhaust system, not per store: canopy count and length, filter type, number of filtered sections, approximate duct run, riser height, existing access panels, fan location, and known access issues. Use the site inventory and pricing sheet (CSV). Mark anything you don’t know as Unknown and invite bidders to walk it.
- Scope. “Clean the entire exhaust system to bare metal in accordance with NFPA 96 and the authority having jurisdiction: hood interior and plenum, filters, all horizontal and vertical duct, exhaust fan, and rooftop grease containment. Protect cooking equipment, contain and remove all wastewater, and leave the kitchen as found.” Exclude suppression service and HVAC in writing, since those are other trades (see who does which job).
- Areas not cleaned. “Any area not cleaned must be listed on the report with the reason and a priced recommendation, such as an access panel.” This is the clause most often missing.
- Frequency. State the required cleanings per year for each system. You set it from your cooking volume and your AHJ, and the bidder can propose changes. See NFPA 96 frequency.
- Scheduling and access. Allowed service windows per site, how far ahead visits are confirmed, who gives roof access, and what happens when the crew can’t get in.
- Reporting. Per system, per visit: date, technician, before-and-after photos, areas not cleaned, fan and hinge condition, and repairs recommended. Say how many days after service the report is due, and that it goes to the store and to a central inbox. Ask for a service label at each hood.
- Repairs. Use the Maine pattern: small repairs on the spot below a dollar cap you set, everything above it quoted in writing and approved first.
- Qualifications. Years in business, which sites the bidder will self-perform and which it would subcontract, technician certifications (IKECA or equivalent; see credentials primer), any state license your jurisdiction requires, and three references from multi-site customers.
- Insurance. General liability, auto, workers’ comp, and umbrella limits as set by your broker, with your company as additional insured. Note any clause you won’t accept, such as a subrogation waiver. See verifying insurance.
- Pricing form. Price per system per cleaning, filled in on Attachment A. Separately: first-clean price for any system overdue or heavily loaded, after-hours or weekend premium if any, trip minimum, and fixed prices for access panel install, filter replacement, and hinge kit. Prices include everything not listed. No fuel or “miscellaneous” surcharges.
- Term and exit. Initial term, renewal by written agreement only, termination on [30] days’ written notice, and prices held for [the term / 12 months] with any increase capped at [x]% and [60] days’ notice. Your terms govern, not the vendor’s website or work order.
- How we’ll choose. List the factors: price, completeness of scope, report quality (ask for a redacted sample report), references, and coverage of every site. Say you may award by region.
- Submission. Questions deadline, optional site visit window, due date, where to send it, and how long the price must be held (Maine asked 90 days, Wayne State 120).
Pricing form layout
| Line | Unit | Why it’s separate |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance cleaning, per system | Per system per cleaning (or per filtered section) | The number you compare across bidders |
| First clean of overdue system | Per system, one time | Vendors price overdue systems higher; better to see it now (see quote variance) |
| Access panel installed | Each | Common finding on first visits; Miami-Dade fixed it at $295 |
| Filter replaced | Each, by size | Miami-Dade fixed it at $60 installed |
| Fan hinge kit installed | Each | Often needed for access to clean the fan |
| After-hours or weekend premium | Per visit or % | Only if your windows require it |
| Emergency call-out | Per visit, with response time | After a flare-up or failed inspection |
Bids you can compare
- Every bidder priced the same inventory
- Unit prices plus fixed add-ons
- Sample report attached
- Your terms, signed as written
Bids you can’t
- One lump sum for “all locations”
- Scope says “hood cleaning” with no duct or fan
- Frequency left for the vendor to pick
- Vendor’s work order terms override yours
Who it’s for / not for
- For: restaurant groups, franchisees, and facilities managers putting two or more kitchens out to bid, or re-bidding an incumbent vendor
- Not for: a single kitchen (three comparable quotes are enough; see comparing 3 local quotes), public agencies bound by their own procurement law, or a legal review of the final contract
Sources
- Wayne State University: RFP Kitchen Hood Cleaning Services (2023, PDF) (system-by-system scope, IKECA CECS, photos, references, lost accounts)
- University of Maine System: RFB 2025-053 Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning & Repair (PDF) (repair cap, report contents, firm prices, insurance, renewal and subrogation terms)
- UConn: Food Service Hood and Duct Cleaning solicitation sheet (2026, PDF) (74 systems, licenses, IKECA certifications, term)
- School District of Greenville County: IFB Exhaust Hood Cleaning Services (PDF) (jobsite visits, account manager, per-system price including fans, term)
- Miami-Dade County Public Schools: Award of ITB-23-002-MC Hood Cleaning Services (PDF) (unit prices per filtered hood section, add-on prices, term)
Next step
Fill in the inventory sheet for your two busiest kitchens first. If you can’t say how many filtered sections and fans each one has, that’s the gap a site walk should close before any bid goes out.