NAICS 561720 (Janitorial/Custodial): Five active federal opportunities to triage this week

All five opportunities in this set sit in NAICS 561720 (PSC S201), but they are not interchangeable. The most “information-rich” posting is the USDA ARS janitorial RFQ (it explicitly calls out a PWS, QASP, LPTA criteria, and Service Contract Labor Standards wage rates). The Army custodial requirement signals a long runway of option years plus a possible six-month extension—good for firms that can sustain staffing and compliance over multiple years. The BLM Utah posting is SDVOSBC set-aside with a near-term due date, which may favor incumbents or firms already operating in the area. The State Department amendment reads like an active Q&A cycle with tightened performance expectations (24-hour deficiency correction, monthly internal machine cleaning cycles) and an IDIQ structure—highly operational and compliance-sensitive.

What the buyer is trying to do

Across these notices, agencies are seeking non-personal custodial/janitorial support to keep facilities (and in some cases recreation sites or housing-related spaces) cleaned to defined standards, with contractor-managed staffing, quality control, and documented performance.

Where provided, the buyer’s intent is explicit: a commercial-item style RFQ under FAR Part 12 (USDA ARS), a longer-term base-plus-options service structure (Army; USDA ARS), and clarified service deliverables and response times (State Department amendment).

What work is implied (bullets)

Routine custodial/janitorial services aligned to PSC S201 under NAICS 561720.
Staffing and scheduling sufficient to meet facility/recreation-site cleaning needs across the defined period of performance.
Quality management consistent with a QASP when included (verify in attachments; explicitly listed for USDA ARS).
Compliance with Service Contract Labor Standards wage determinations where applicable (explicitly referenced in the USDA ARS posting; verify applicability for the others in attachments).
Option-period execution for multi-year continuity (Army: base plus four 12-month options and a six-month option to extend; USDA ARS: base plus four one-year options).
Deficiency correction workflow where required (State Department amendment indicates deficiencies must be corrected within 24 hours of notification).
Specialized monthly cleaning tasks where specified (State Department amendment adds internal machine cleaning cycles using specialized cleaning agents as a monthly requirement).

Who should bid / who should pass (bullets)

Bid if you are a small business janitorial/custodial contractor that can support a base year with multiple option years (Army; USDA ARS; Bureau of Reclamation).
Bid if you are an SDVOSBC and can mobilize quickly for a near-term close (BLM Utah).
Bid if you have proven processes for rapid corrective actions (e.g., 24-hour deficiency correction) and can handle an IDIQ operational cadence (State Department amendment).
Pass if you cannot comply with Service Contract Labor Standards / wage rate requirements (explicitly included for USDA ARS; verify others).
Pass if you lack a documented quality control program and cannot align to a QASP-driven inspection regime (explicitly attached for USDA ARS; likely in others—verify).
Pass if you are not eligible for the posted set-aside (e.g., SDVOSBC requirement for the BLM Utah notice).

Response package checklist (bullets; if unknown say “verify in attachments”)

Completed quote responding to the RFQ/solicitation instructions (verify in attachments for each notice).
Pricing for base and option periods where applicable (Army; USDA ARS; likely others—verify in attachments).
Technical approach aligned to the Performance Work Statement (explicitly attached for USDA ARS; verify in attachments for others).
Quality control plan / procedures mapped to the QASP (explicitly attached for USDA ARS; verify in attachments for others).
Labor compliance documentation consistent with Service Contract Labor Standards and wage rates (explicitly attached for USDA ARS; verify in attachments for others).
Representations/certifications and any required provisions incorporated by reference (USDA ARS notes clauses/provisions by reference; verify exact list in attachments).
Acknowledgment of amendments where applicable (State Department posting is an amendment; confirm any additional amendments for the others).
Evaluation alignment evidence (e.g., LPTA criteria for USDA ARS is listed as an attachment; verify in attachments).

Pricing & strategy notes (how to research pricing; do not invent pricing numbers)

For janitorial/custodial bids under NAICS 561720, pricing discipline is usually won or lost in assumptions. Use the posting’s attachments to lock down: service frequencies, facility/site scope, required supplies/equipment responsibility, inspection regime, and wage determination impacts.

Start with the PWS and QASP (explicitly provided for USDA ARS) to translate tasks into labor hours and supervisory/QC overhead.
Model base + option years when the solicitation structure includes multiple option periods (Army; USDA ARS). Treat options as real execution, not placeholders.
Validate labor rates against wage determinations when Service Contract Labor Standards apply (explicitly included for USDA ARS). Build in the realistic cost of compliance, not just floor wages.
Plan for corrective-action requirements (e.g., 24-hour deficiency correction in the State Department amendment) that can drive on-call labor and scheduling buffers.
Research comparable awards by searching the solicitation number and NAICS/PSC (561720/S201) in public award databases and prior bid archives, then sanity-check against the site/facility type.

Subcontracting / teaming ideas (bullets)

Local coverage partners for geographically dispersed or seasonal sites (especially for recreation-site janitorial work—verify scope in attachments).
Specialty cleaning subcontractors if the requirement includes specialized internal machine cleaning cycles or other non-routine tasks (explicitly referenced in the State Department amendment).
Staffing support to ensure rapid deficiency correction response times when required (State Department amendment).
Compliance support (HR/payroll) to manage Service Contract Labor Standards and wage determinations (explicitly relevant to USDA ARS; verify others).

Risks & watch-outs (bullets)

Missing detail in the synopsis: several notices provide minimal description—do not price or assume scope without reviewing attachments.
Set-aside eligibility risk: confirm you meet the posted set-aside (e.g., SDVOSBC for BLM Utah; “SBA” posted for multiple others).
Wage determination risk: where SCLS applies (explicitly stated for USDA ARS), incorrect classification or under-budgeting can erase margin.
Performance response-time risk: 24-hour deficiency correction (State Department amendment) can require standby capacity.
Contract type implications: a one-year IDIQ structure (State Department amendment) changes how you plan staffing and mobilization versus a steady requirements contract.
Option-year commitment: long periods of performance (Army; USDA ARS) raise the importance of retention, escalation assumptions, and consistent QC execution.

Related opportunities

How to act on this

Pick the one or two notices that match your eligibility (set-aside), footprint, and mobilization timeline.
Pull and read the PWS, QASP, wage rates, and any evaluation criteria (verify in attachments for each notice; explicitly present for the USDA ARS RFQ).
Build a task-to-labor mapping and draft your QC approach, then price base/option years accordingly.
Submit questions early if the posting is light on detail or includes active Q&A (as indicated by the State Department amendment).
If you want hands-on capture support, ask Federal Bid Partners LLC to help you triage fit, extract requirements from attachments, and assemble a compliant response package.