$10 MILLION CHANGES EVERYTHING. IS YOUR FINANCIAL SYSTEM READY?
Crossing $10M in construction revenue requires financial systems most subcontractors haven't built yet: a real job costing platform, a WIP report with history, a cash flow forecast scaled to the AR and retainage load, and a CFO level oversight layer that doesn't require the owner to do everything personally. SPM builds these systems at the $3M to $8M level so they're already in place when $10M gets here.
The reason it feels sudden is that nothing breaks proportionally. Eight to fifteen active jobs is a different job, and the owner who could hold every number in his head at $3M can't hold them at $10M regardless of how hard he works. Meanwhile the float grows faster than the revenue. Receivables above $1.6M, up to $800K of retainage, and more than $200K of procurement deposits add up to a working capital requirement above $2M that nobody funded on purpose.
WHAT IT MEANS.
A $10 million financial system is the set of things a subcontractor needs running at that revenue: a real job costing platform, a WIP report with history behind it, a cash forecast sized to the receivable and retainage load, and CFO level oversight that doesn't run through the owner.
Bonding at this level also wants history. Sureties look for two or more years of WIP with outcomes that matched the projections, which is why the reporting cadence has to start well before the capacity is needed rather than in the month you decide to chase a bigger job.
THE SYSTEMS THAT WORK AT $3M FAIL AT $10M.
The owner can't watch every dollar anymore
At $3M the owner knows every job, every major expense, and every GC payment status. At $10M there are 8 to 15 active jobs, more than $800K in monthly payroll, and dozens of AP invoices a week. The owner as CFO model breaks under that volume, decisions start falling through the cracks, and margin falls with them.
Bonding requires real financial documentation
At $10M you're likely pursuing single jobs over $3M to $5M, and bonding those jobs requires a WIP report, reviewed financial statements, and a working capital calculation that most small scale financial systems can't produce accurately. If the books aren't in order, bonding capacity caps out well below what the work requires.
Cash float requirements grow faster than revenue
At $10M with 60 day payment terms you're holding more than $1.6M in outstanding receivables at any time. Add $500K to $800K in retainage across active jobs and more than $200K in procurement deposits, and the working capital requirement has grown past $2M, often with no matching growth in the line of credit or in retained earnings to support it.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN DOLLARS.
More than $1.6M of outstanding receivables at 60 day terms, $500K to $800K of retainage across active jobs, and more than $200K of procurement deposits. That's a working capital requirement above $2M, and the line of credit should be sized at 20 to 25% of annual revenue at minimum.
An overhead rate of 14% at $5M may be 22% at $10M, which is why the rate gets recalculated when headcount changes rather than once a year at tax time.
WHAT A $10M SUB NEEDS.
ControlQore running 10 to 20 active jobs at once, cost codes consistent across all jobs so phases can be benchmarked against each other, field staff submitting timesheets by job and phase rather than just hours, and a monthly WIP tied to bonding ready financial statements.
A 13 week rolling forecast updated weekly, a line of credit sized at 20 to 25% of annual revenue at minimum, retainage tracked by job rather than buried in the AR aging, and procurement deposits forecast 60 to 90 days forward.
A monthly financial review covering the company P&L and job level WIP, the overhead rate recalculated annually or whenever headcount changes, owner draws timed to the cash position and not to P&L profit, and strategic advisory on which jobs to bid, when to hire, and when to expand the fleet.
FLAT MONTHLY FEE. NO SURPRISES.
Three tiers, priced by your trailing twelve month revenue. Which one you're in depends on how much of the work you want off your desk. No hourly billing. No payroll. The one-time onboarding fee is right here in the table.
| Last 12 months revenue | Monthly fee | One-time onboarding |
|---|---|---|
| Up to $1M | $1,900 to $2,900 | $1,000 |
| $1M to $3.5M | $2,600 to $3,900 | $1,500 |
| $3.5M to $6.5M | $3,800 to $5,700 | $3,000 |
| $6.5M to $9.5M | $5,100 to $7,100 | $4,500 |
| $9.5M to $12.5M | $6,100 to $8,500 | $6,000 |
| $12.5M to $15.5M | $7,400 to $11,000 | $7,500 |
| $15.5M to $18.5M | $9,400 to $13,500 | $9,000 |
| $18.5M+ | Quoted individually | Quoted individually |
The onboarding fee covers migrating your books back to the start of your last taxable year and getting you fully operational in 60 days. It's billed once, with your first invoice. It's the same for all three tiers. Your first month is prorated, and your monthly engagement starts on the first of the first full month.
Range reflects the three tiers below. Which one you're in depends on how much of the work you want off your desk. No payroll. No hidden line items. The onboarding fee is right here in the table.
You stop guessing.
You get the CFO work. Job costing built against the way you estimate, a 13 week cash forecast, monthly WIP, and a meeting every month that ends in decisions and never in a report.
Your bookkeeper still does the books.
You stop touching the books.
Everything in Core, and we run the bookkeeping and the controllership as well. Your office stops answering coding questions and stops chasing a reconciliation on the last day of the month.
We do the books. No payroll.
Every job shows its margin while it's still running.
Everything in Executive, plus the job costing and WIP platform set up, loaded with your cost codes, and managed for you every month. You never have to learn it.
We do the books, the job costing, and the software. No payroll.
FREQUENTLY ASKED.
