Best CFO for Electrical Contractors
The best CFO for an electrical contractor is one who already understands the 73-day mobilization-to-payment gap on commercial new construction, switchgear deposit timing, T&M billing windows, and prevailing wage compliance — not one learning it on your engagement. SPM specializes exclusively in commercial electrical subcontractors doing $1M–$12M. A $2.3M electrical contractor recovered $365K in overdue AR and cleared all debt within 120 days after we installed the right billing and collections system.
Most fractional CFOs come from SaaS, private equity, or manufacturing. They know how to read a P&L. They do not know what happens to cash between a rough-in milestone and the trim-out billing event. They do not know that a $40K switchgear deposit goes out 14 weeks before it hits any billing milestone. They do not know that T&M work billed on a monthly cycle instead of within 48 hours creates a permanent float problem that compounds across every job. The right CFO for an electrical contractor already knows all of this before the first meeting — because they have been in the field and have already fixed it for other electrical contractors.
What a Generic CFO Misses
Electrical contracting has cash failure patterns that are invisible on a standard P&L. A generic CFO reads the income statement and sees a profitable company. The owner is doing payroll math at 11pm on Thursday. Both are looking at the same business.
The 73-Day Mobilization Gap
Crew mobilizes day one. Conduit, wire, and panels go in. First pay app isn't paid for 60-73 days on commercial new construction. A generic CFO doesn't structure the SOV to recover mobilization cost early. They just track what happened.
Switchgear and Transformer Deposits
Long-lead electrical gear requires deposits months before delivery and months before any billing milestone. $40K–$120K out the door on a $2M job — not in any billing schedule, eating operating cash until closeout.
T&M Float That Never Closes
T&M work billed on a monthly cycle instead of within 48 hours creates a permanent uncollected float. On $500K of annual T&M work, that's $40K–$60K sitting uncollected at any given time. A generic CFO never sees it because it doesn't show on the aging report as overdue yet.
The proof: A $2.3M commercial electrical subcontractor came in with a collections problem that had spiraled into debt. AR was sitting uncollected and they were borrowing to cover the gap. We recovered $365K in overdue receivables, cleared all debt within 120 days, and the owner paid out $23K in Christmas bonuses — the first time in 11 years. See the case study →
What the Right CFO Already Knows
The Rough-In to Trim-Out Cash Hole
On commercial new construction, rough-in is the heavy labor phase. Billing is tied to completion milestones. When rough-in is 80% complete the crew is still burning labor at full rate — but the billing milestone isn't triggered until the inspection passes. That gap between labor spend and billing event is where cash disappears. The right CFO structures the SOV to front-load rough-in recovery before the milestone, not after. A generic CFO doesn't know this is possible.
Prevailing Wage Overhead Recovery
Prevailing wage jobs pay higher base rates but require certified payroll, fringe benefit tracking, and compliance documentation that adds real overhead. Most electrical contractors bid prevailing wage work at the same overhead rate as open shop work and give up 3-5% gross margin on every prevailing wage job. The right CFO knows to calculate a separate prevailing wage burden rate and build it into every bid for public and federally funded projects.
Inspection Hold Standby Billing
When an AHJ inspection delays work — and it always delays work — the crew standby cost is a recoverable change order, not absorbed overhead. Most electrical contractors absorb it because they don't have the documentation system to support a claim. The right CFO has the notice protocol, the daily standby log template, and the change order language ready before the delay happens.
What We Actually Deliver
C.F.O.S is the Construction Financial Operating System. For electrical contractors it means specific deliverables — not advisory language.
FLAT MONTHLY FEE. NO SURPRISES.
Two tiers based on trailing 12-month revenue. No hourly billing. No payroll. No add-ons. Everything included.
| Revenue | Core Financial | Executive Financial |
|---|---|---|
| Under $1M | $1,900/mo | $2,900/mo |
| $1M–$3M | $2,600/mo | $3,600/mo |
| $4M–$6M | $3,800/mo | $5,500/mo |
| $7M–$9M | $5,100/mo | $6,900/mo |
| $10M–$12M | $6,100/mo | $8,500/mo |
| $13M+ | Quoted | Quoted |
FREQUENTLY ASKED.
