Construction CFO AI Assistant Prompts

12 Prompts

Cash Flow Diagnosis

Diagnose the 'profitable on paper, always short on cash' problem. Replace [TRADE], [REVENUE], and [X]% with your specifics.

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I'm a [TRADE] contractor doing $[REVENUE]M in annual revenue. My bank account is consistently tight even though my P&L shows net profit of [X]%. What are the most likely causes of the gap between my reported profit and my actual cash position, and what data should I pull first to diagnose it?

Overhead Rate Calculation

Get a step-by-step overhead rate calculation and repricing guidance. Use your actual SG&A and revenue numbers.

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I'm a $[REVENUE]M [TRADE] subcontractor. My total SG&A last year was $[OVERHEAD AMOUNT]. Walk me through how to calculate my overhead rate, what that number means for my job pricing, and how I should adjust my bids going forward if my overhead rate has increased since I last priced a job.

Job Cost Overrun Diagnosis

Get trade-specific overrun diagnosis while a job is still running. Load in your actual numbers.

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I'm a [TRADE] contractor and one of my active jobs is running over budget. Original budget: $[BUDGET]. Costs to date: $[COSTS TO DATE]. Estimated percent complete: [X]%. The job is [lump sum / T&M / unit price]. What are the most likely causes of the overrun given my trade and contract type, and what should I do right now — while the job is still running — to limit the damage?

WIP Underbilling Check

Calculate your WIP position on a specific job and understand what it means for your financials.

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I'm a [TRADE] subcontractor. I have [NUMBER] active jobs. On my largest job, I've billed $[BILLED] out of a $[CONTRACT VALUE] contract and the job is approximately [X]% complete based on costs. Am I underbilled or overbilled? How do I calculate the WIP adjustment and what does it mean for my balance sheet?

Pay-When-Paid AR Strategy

Get specific AR collection strategy when a GC is hiding behind pay-when-paid. Load your actual timeline and amounts.

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I'm a $[REVENUE]M [TRADE] subcontractor. My GC has a pay-when-paid clause in my contract and is currently [X] days past my scheduled payment date on a [CONTRACT VALUE] job, citing that they haven't been paid by the owner. What are my options, what leverage do I have, and what steps should I take in the next 7 days to pressure payment without burning the relationship?

Markup vs. Margin Fix

Fix the markup/margin confusion permanently. Put in your current markup number and your target margin.

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I'm a [TRADE] contractor and I've been pricing jobs at a [X]% markup on cost. I just realized I may be confusing markup with margin. Can you explain the exact difference, show me what my actual gross margin is at [X]% markup, and tell me what markup I need to charge to achieve a [TARGET]% gross margin?

MCA or LOC Decision

Get a specific cost-benefit analysis of LOC vs. MCA before you take on expensive debt.

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I'm a $[REVENUE]M [TRADE] subcontractor. I have [X] days until payroll and $[AMOUNT] in outstanding AR that is [X] days overdue. I'm considering either drawing on my line of credit (current balance: $[LOC BALANCE] of $[LOC LIMIT]) or taking an MCA loan. Walk me through the cost comparison, the risk of each option, and which I should pursue given my situation.

Cash Flow Forecast Setup

Build a 13-week cash flow forecast from your actual numbers. The more specific your inputs, the more useful the output.

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I'm a $[REVENUE]M [TRADE] contractor. I want to build a 13-week cash flow forecast. I have [NUMBER] active jobs with the following expected billings over the next 90 days: [list jobs and amounts]. My weekly outflows are approximately: payroll $[X], supplier payments $[X], equipment $[X], overhead $[X]. Walk me through how to build this forecast and what to watch for each week.

Retainage Recovery Plan

Build a retainage recovery action plan for aging closeout receivables.

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I'm a [TRADE] subcontractor. I have $[AMOUNT] in retainage outstanding across [NUMBER] closed or near-complete jobs. The oldest is [X] months past substantial completion. Walk me through the steps to recover this retainage, including what documentation I need, who to contact, and at what point I should involve a collections or legal resource.

Hire a CFO or Not

Get a framework for deciding whether a fractional CFO is the right next move for your business size and situation.

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I'm a $[REVENUE]M [TRADE] subcontractor. I currently use a bookkeeper at $[MONTHLY COST]/month and a CPA at $[ANNUAL COST]/year. I'm considering adding a fractional CFO at approximately $[MONTHLY COST]/month. What financial indicators should I look at to determine whether the CFO investment is justified, and what specific problems would a fractional CFO solve that my current setup doesn't?

Pricing a New Trade Vertical

Evaluate a new trade vertical or scope expansion before you commit.

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I'm a $[REVENUE]M [TRADE] contractor considering adding [NEW TRADE/SERVICE] to my scope. I currently run [X]% gross margin and [X]% net profit. What financial considerations should I evaluate before taking on the new work, and how should I structure the job costing and pricing to ensure the new vertical doesn't drag my existing margins?

Change Order Documentation

Recover a verbal change order that was never documented. Time-sensitive — use this as soon as you're in the situation.

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I'm a [TRADE] contractor on a [CONTRACT TYPE] project. My GC verbally authorized additional scope estimated at $[AMOUNT] but hasn't signed a formal change order. The work has already been done. What steps should I take immediately to document this change order, what are my legal options if the GC refuses to formalize it, and how should I handle this situation in future jobs?

Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions.

Can I use ChatGPT or AI to get CFO-level financial advice?

Yes — with the right prompts. AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity can give you surprisingly actionable financial guidance when you ask specific, context-loaded questions. The prompts on this page are written to extract CFO-level answers by loading in the right context about your trade, revenue level, and specific problem. They're not a replacement for a real CFO — but they're a significant upgrade from the generic financial advice you'd otherwise get.

What information should I include in an AI prompt for construction finance?

Always include: your trade (civil, electrical, concrete, etc.), your revenue range, your contract type (lump sum, T&M, unit price), and the specific number or symptom you're seeing. Vague prompts get vague answers. "My margins are down" gets generic advice. "I'm a $4M electrical contractor on lump sum commercial work and my gross margin dropped from 27% to 21% over 18 months" gets a specific diagnostic with trade-relevant causes and fixes.

Are these prompts a replacement for a real CFO?

No — and they're not designed to be. These prompts help you ask better questions, understand your financial situation more clearly, and prepare for conversations with financial professionals. A real fractional CFO brings context from 50+ companies, knows your trade deeply, tracks your numbers monthly, and holds you accountable. AI gives you answers on demand. A CFO gives you a system. If you're using these prompts and finding you have more questions than answers, that's a signal it's time to schedule a call.

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