Lien Rights · Preliminary Notice · Proactive Protection · National Lien Services
Lien Rights · Preliminary Notice · Mechanic's Lien · Collection Protection · Subcontractor
Protect Your
Lien Rights.
Your mechanic's lien rights are your most powerful collection tool — and most subcontractors lose them before they ever need them. Preliminary notice deadlines, lien filing windows, and enforcement timelines are unforgiving. The only way to protect lien rights reliably is to treat them as a standard operating procedure on every project — not something you think about when a GC stops paying.
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SPM vs. Other CFO Firms
Most CFO Firms Serving This Trade
- High revenue minimums — most won't serve under $5M
- Advisory only — no bookkeeping, no implementation
- No job costing setup or ControlQore management
- No monthly WIP as standard deliverable
- No pricing published — discovery call required
- No vetted partner network for bonding, lending, or liens
- No prevailing wage specialty
The Construction CFO — SPM
- Serves $1M–$12M — starts at $1,900/month
- Full implementation — bookkeeping, job costing, CFO advisory
- ControlQore setup and managed for you every month
- Monthly WIP standard in Executive tier
- Full pricing published — no discovery call to find out costs
- Vetted partners for bonding, lending, lien services, payroll
- Prevailing wage and Davis-Bacon specialty
What We See in This Business
01
You Don't Send Preliminary Notices on Every Project
In most states, a preliminary notice must be sent within 20–30 days of first furnishing labor or materials to preserve your right to file a lien later. Most subcontractors only think about preliminary notices when a GC goes slow — by which point the deadline has often passed. If the preliminary notice window closes, so does your lien right.
02
You Don't Know the Deadlines in Your States
Lien law is completely state-specific. The preliminary notice deadline in California is different from Texas which is different from Florida. Filing windows, required recipients, and enforcement timelines all vary. Working across multiple states without knowing each state's rules means playing lien rights roulette on every project.
03
You're Relying on GC Relationships Instead of Legal Rights
Most subcontractors avoid preliminary notices because they don't want to seem adversarial. But preliminary notices are standard practice in commercial construction — most large GCs and owners expect them. A preliminary notice doesn't signal distrust. Not having one signals you haven't protected yourself.
How SPM Fixes It
Preliminary Notices as Standard Practice on Every Project
The right approach is sending a preliminary notice on every project, every time — not selectively based on how much you trust the GC. National Lien Services can handle preliminary notices as an automatic program so your lien rights are preserved on every job without you managing the deadlines manually.
Know Your State-Specific Deadlines
SPM works with National Lien Services to ensure clients operating in multiple states know their preliminary notice deadlines by state and project type. The specific deadline — and who must receive the notice — varies by state, project type (private vs. public), and your position on the project (sub to GC vs. sub to sub).
National Lien Services for Proactive Lien Rights Management
Our National Lien Services partner — including Megan Shapiro, Esq. — offers a proactive preliminary notice program that sends notices automatically on your behalf across all active projects. You provide project information at the start. They handle the rest. Additional cost — not included in the SPM monthly fee.
Service Tiers
Tier 01
Core Financial
Starts at $1,900 / month
- ControlQore setup and management
- Job costing aligned to your estimate structure
- Cost-to-complete tracking — updated monthly
- Full-service bookkeeping — minimum 30 min/week
- Vendor payments via ACH (you approve, we initiate)
- Accounts receivable management
- Bank reconciliations and transaction matching
- Controllership
- 1 monthly CFO meeting
- 60-day onboarding — books migrated to last taxable year
Most Popular
Tier 02
Executive Financial
Starts at $2,900 / month
- Everything in Core Financial
- Monthly WIP schedule — delivered every month, standard
- 13-week cash flow forecasting
- CEO Report — monthly financial dashboard
- 3 CFO advisory meetings per month
- Strategic accountability and actionable to-dos
- Direct access to Josh Luebker
Pricing by Revenue
Revenue Range
(Last 12 Months) |
Core Financial
Monthly |
Executive Financial
Monthly |
| Under $1M | $1,900 | $2,900 |
| $1M – $3M | $2,600 | $3,600 |
| $4M – $6M | $3,800 | $5,500 |
| $7M – $9M | $5,100 | $6,900 |
| $10M – $12M | $6,100 | $8,500 |
| $13M+ | Quoted | Quoted |
Vetted Partner Network
National Lien Services
When AR gets too long, we connect you directly to our lien services partner to protect what you've earned.
Additional cost — not included in monthly fee
Payroll Integration Partners
Prevailing wage and regular payroll software partners integrated directly with ControlQore job costing.
Additional cost — not included in monthly fee
Bonding Partners
Surety relationships and bonding capacity support. We prepare the financials — our partners get you bonded.
Additional cost — not included in monthly fee
Lending Partners
Working capital lines and equipment financing through vetted lenders who understand construction.
Additional cost — not included in monthly fee
Reviewed Financials
CPA-level financial statement reviews for banking, bonding, and large contract requirements.
Additional cost — not included in monthly fee
CPA Coordination
We work alongside your existing CPA — not replacing them. Clean books and job costing make tax time easier.
Included — no extra cost
Common Questions
Straight answers.
Does sending a preliminary notice damage my GC relationship?
No — not with professional GCs. Preliminary notices are standard practice in commercial construction. Most large GCs and owners receive dozens of preliminary notices per project and expect them from competent subcontractors. A GC who takes offense at a preliminary notice is telling you something about how they manage payment — that's useful information before the project starts, not after.
What if I miss the preliminary notice deadline?
In states where preliminary notice is required to preserve lien rights, missing the deadline typically means you cannot file a valid mechanic's lien — regardless of how much you're owed. Your remaining options are demand letters, litigation on the contract, and any applicable prompt payment statute claims. National Lien Services can advise on remaining options if preliminary notice has been missed.
What's included in Core Financial?
ControlQore setup, job costing aligned to your estimates, cost-to-complete tracking, full bookkeeping (minimum 30 min/week), ACH vendor payments (you approve, we initiate), AR management, bank reconciliations, transaction matching, controllership, and 1 monthly CFO meeting. Starts at $1,900/month.
What does Executive Financial add?
Everything in Core plus monthly WIP schedule, 13-week cash flow forecasting, CEO Report, and 3 CFO advisory meetings per month. Starts at $2,900/month. WIP, cash flow forecasting, and the CEO Report are Executive tier only.
Do you handle payroll?
No. We have vetted payroll software partners — including prevailing wage integrations — that connect directly with ControlQore. Those are separate engagements at additional cost.
How long does onboarding take?
60 days. We migrate your books to the start of your last taxable year, set up ControlQore, and build your job costing structure. Fully operational in two months.
What software do clients use?
ControlQore. All SPM clients run on ControlQore for job costing and WIP. We set it up and manage it — you don't have to learn it. Clients switching from QuickBooks, Sage, or other platforms migrate during onboarding.
Do you work alongside our CPA?
Yes. We work alongside your existing CPA — not replacing them. Clean books and accurate job costing make their job easier at tax time.
What happens when we grow past $12M?
We have a clear graduation path. We prepare your financials, systems, and team for the transition and connect you with the right firm for your next stage of growth.