Why Commercial Contracts Are Worth Pursuing
✓Predictable, recurring revenue. A strata management company, property manager, or facilities manager who uses you regularly becomes a reliable income stream — not just a one-off job. They might send you 5, 10, or 20 jobs per year, often without competitive quoting.
✓Larger average job size. Commercial jobs typically involve more labour, more materials, and more complexity than residential — which means higher revenue per job.
✓Less price sensitivity. Commercial clients aren't renovating their own home with their own savings. They're managing a budget, and while they care about value, they're often more willing to pay for reliability and professionalism than residential clients.
✓Better payment terms (eventually). Established commercial relationships often develop into reliable, predictable payment cycles — very different from chasing individual homeowners.
Types of Commercial Contracts Available to Tradies
Commercial isn't one thing. It covers a wide range:
→Strata and property management — Maintenance and reactive work for apartment buildings and commercial properties managed by a strata or property management company
→Facilities management contracts — Ongoing maintenance agreements with businesses, schools, councils, or government organisations
→Retail fitouts — New store builds and refurbishments for retail chains
→Commercial construction subcontracting — Working under a head contractor on commercial builds
→Body corporate maintenance — Similar to strata but through body corporate managers
→Hospitality and food service — Restaurant and hotel fit-outs and maintenance
→Government and council contracts — Maintenance agreements and project tenders through local, state, or federal government procurement
Best entry points for most trade businesses: Strata/property management and facilities management — where the procurement decision is made by a small number of people and where reliability matters more than having the lowest price.
Step 1: Make Sure Your Business Is Ready
Commercial clients will check you before they engage you. Before you start pursuing commercial work, make sure the following are in place:
Licencing and compliance
- Your trade licence is current and valid for the type of work involved
- Public liability insurance adequate for commercial work — typically $10–$20 million minimum cover
- Workers' compensation insurance if you have employees
- ARC authorisation if you're an HVAC business doing refrigerant work
Professional presentation
- A professional website with services, licence numbers, and insurance details clearly listed
- A business email address (not Gmail or Hotmail — it signals you're not serious)
- Branded vehicles and uniforms for on-site visits to commercial properties
Systems and processes
- A proper quoting system that produces professional documentation
- A job management system that tracks job status and produces invoices
- A responsive communication process — commercial clients expect same-day or next-morning responses
If you're still running on text messages and spreadsheets: invest in the systems first. Commercial clients expect to hand you a job and know it'll be handled — they don't want to manage your business for you.
Step 2: Identify Your Target Clients
Be specific about who you're going after. The more targeted your approach, the more effective it will be.
For strata/property management work
Identify the strata management companies and property managers in your area. In most Australian cities, a handful of companies manage the majority of strata properties. A Google search for "[your city] strata management" will surface them quickly.
For facilities management
Target businesses, schools, aged care facilities, and retail chains in your area with ongoing maintenance needs. Think about what types of properties your trade works best in — and who manages those properties.
For government and council work
Register on government procurement portals — QTenders in Queensland, eTendering in NSW, TendersVIC in Victoria. Most local councils also have supplier registration processes. These are free to join and put you in front of buyers you'd never otherwise access.
Step 3: Get in Front of the Decision Maker
The commercial procurement process varies by client type. The goal with strata and property managers is not to win a specific job — it's to get onto their preferred supplier list.
How to get on the preferred supplier list
- Call or email the maintenance coordinator directly and ask to be considered as a preferred supplier
- Offer a brief introduction meeting or site visit
- Send a one-page capability document (see below)
- Follow up once — not five times
Step 4: Build a Capability Document
A capability document is a one or two page overview of your business designed specifically for commercial clients. It covers:
1What you do (services and trades)
2Where you operate (service area)
3Your licences and certifications
4Your insurance coverage and limits
5How long you've been operating
6A brief client reference or two (with permission)
7Your response time commitments
8Your contact details
This is what you send when a property manager asks "can you tell me more about your business?" — and what you email proactively when reaching out to potential commercial clients. It doesn't need to be elaborate. Clean, clear, and professional is the goal.
Step 5: Deliver Exceptionally Well on the First Job
Getting the first commercial job from a new client is the hardest part. After that, it's about delivery. Commercial clients value two things above almost everything else: reliability and communication.
✓Show up when you say you will. Reliability is the single most valued quality in a commercial supplier.
✓Call or message if anything changes. Commercial clients manage multiple properties. They need to know if a job changes scope or timing.
✓Do what you said at the price you said. Scope creep and surprise invoices destroy commercial relationships fast.
✓Invoice clearly and promptly. Clean invoicing makes their accounts payable process easy — which means they'll keep using you.
✓Be easy to deal with. Responsiveness, clear communication, and a professional attitude are what long-term commercial clients remember.
After the first job goes well, ask directly: "We'd love to be your go-to for [trade] work across your portfolio. Is there a process for getting formally added to your preferred supplier list?" Most clients will appreciate the directness.
How to Price Commercial Work
Commercial pricing is often different from residential. Three situations to understand:
Response time premiums
Commercial clients who need rapid response (e.g., emergency maintenance at a property) will pay a premium for guaranteed availability. Price this correctly.
Volume discounts
Some commercial clients will want a negotiated rate for volume. Discounting slightly for a client who sends you 40 jobs a year is good business — just make sure the margin is still there.
Fixed maintenance agreements
Some clients want a fixed monthly fee for regular servicing. Price these carefully — include all likely costs plus a contingency, and make sure your scope of included work is absolutely clear.
Never undercut your rates to the point the work isn't profitable. Commercial work should be profitable work. If a client is only interested in the cheapest possible option, they're not the right commercial client for you.
Key Takeaways
✓Commercial contracts offer predictable, recurring revenue that's harder to achieve through residential work alone
✓The easiest entry points are strata/property management and facilities management
✓Get your licencing, insurance, and systems in order before you pursue commercial clients
✓Be specific about who you're targeting and approach decision-makers directly
✓Build a simple capability document to send to potential commercial clients
✓Deliver exceptionally on the first job — that's what turns a one-off into a long-term relationship
Commercial work takes more preparation to win — but once you're in, the returns are significantly better than constantly chasing new residential clients.