Full-Time CFO vs. Fractional CFO · Construction · Revenue Thresholds · Cost Comparison
Full-Time CFO · Fractional CFO · Construction CFO · When to Hire · Cost Comparison
When to Hire a
Full-Time CFO.
A full-time CFO with construction experience costs $150,000–$250,000 annually before benefits. For most $1M–$12M subcontractors, that's not feasible — and it's also not necessary. Here is exactly when a fractional CFO is the right answer, when a full-time hire makes sense, and what the real cost comparison looks like.
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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're Growing and Don't Know What Level of Financial Support You Need
At $2M you probably need better bookkeeping. At $5M you need CFO advisory. At $15M you might need someone full-time. Most subcontractors don't know where on that spectrum they are — so they either underspend on financial management (and suffer for it) or overspend on a full-time hire before the business can support it.
02
A Full-Time CFO Is Expensive and Hard to Find With Construction Experience
A CFO with genuine construction experience — job costing, WIP, pay-when-paid, prevailing wage, bonding — who can also operate at a strategic level commands $150K–$250K annually. For a $5M subcontractor, that's a significant percentage of net income for a single hire. Most candidates at that price point have corporate finance backgrounds, not construction backgrounds.
03
A Fractional CFO Might Not Give You Enough
Some fractional CFO engagements are advisory only — monthly meetings with no implementation work. If nobody is maintaining the books, doing the job costing, and producing the WIP, the advice is built on bad data. Advisory without implementation is a common fractional CFO failure mode.
How SPM Fixes It
When Fractional CFO Is the Right Answer
Fractional CFO is right when: revenue is $1M–$12M, you need both bookkeeping/implementation AND strategic advisory, you can't justify a $200K salary, and you want construction-specific expertise rather than a generic finance background. SPM's Executive Financial tier delivers both implementation and CFO advisory starting at $2,900/month — less than most full-time CFOs make in a month.
When Full-Time Makes Sense
Consider a full-time CFO when: revenue consistently exceeds $15M–$20M, you have multiple entities requiring daily financial management, bonding programs require audited financials and frequent surety interaction, or your growth trajectory requires someone embedded in the business full-time. SPM has a clear graduation path for clients who reach this stage — we prepare the transition and make the right introduction.
The Real Cost Comparison
Full-time CFO at $180K salary plus benefits equals roughly $220K–$240K fully loaded. SPM Executive Financial for a $10M contractor is $8,500/month — $102K annually — and includes bookkeeping, job costing, controllership, WIP, cash flow forecasting, and CFO advisory. For a $5M contractor it's $5,500/month — $66K annually. The fractional model delivers more comprehensive financial management at a fraction of the cost at every revenue level up to $12M.
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.
What does SPM do when a client outgrows the fractional model?
We tell you before you hit the wall — not when you're already in trouble. When your revenue trajectory, bonding complexity, and entity structure show signs of outgrowing the $1M–$12M framework, we raise the conversation proactively. We prepare the transition — cleaning up financials, documenting systems, briefing the new firm — and make the right introduction. You don't start over.
Is there a hybrid model — fractional CFO plus an internal bookkeeper?
Yes — and it's common at the $7M–$12M range. Some clients have an internal office manager or bookkeeper handling day-to-day transaction entry while SPM handles job costing, WIP, controllership, and CFO advisory. The hybrid model works well when internal staff handle volume and SPM handles accuracy, oversight, and strategy. Contact Josh to discuss whether this structure makes sense for your business.
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.