General Contractor Bookkeeping and Fractional CFO Services
General contractors live on progress billing, retainage and the WIP schedule. When those systems are loose, cash gets stuck and bonding capacity stalls. In one engagement, Will found more than $47,000 in retainage on three active projects, two of them aging past 90 days with no collection process; it was collected within 45 days.
In person across Tampa Bay (Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Manatee, Sarasota). Remote for general contractors nationwide.
Problems Will fixes for general contractors
- AIA (American Institute of Architects) pay applications not set up in QuickBooks Online
- Retainage not tracked systematically and aging past due
- No Work in Progress (WIP) schedule for the bank or surety
- Buildertrend or Procore job data not reconciling to QuickBooks Online
Why a generalist bookkeeper isn't enough
Most bookkeepers record transactions, reconcile the bank and hand you a Profit and Loss statement once a month. Will reads your numbers the way a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) does: which service lines make money, where costs are drifting, what cash looks like 60 days out, and whether the books are telling you the truth.
Software Will works with
General contractors using Buildertrend, Procore or CoConstruct find that job cost data in the project platform does not automatically produce accurate accounting entries. Will maps the integration and builds AIA billing, retainage tracking and WIP reporting that give your bank, your surety and your management team the visibility they need.
The numbers general contractors should watch every month
- Over- and under-billings on every open job
- Retainage receivable by job, with collection dates
- Fade or gain in estimated profit as jobs progress
- Working capital and backlog relative to bonding capacity
Bookkeeping or fractional CFO?
Construction bookkeeping
Weekly books, job costing, monthly financials and a CPA-ready year-end, about $1,000–$3,500 a month. Best for companies up to roughly $5M. See the tiers.
Fractional CFO
Cash forecasting, WIP and bonding reports, budgets, pricing and growth strategy, typically $6,000–$12,000 a month. Best for companies from roughly $5M to $50M. Fractional CFO services.
Frequently asked questions
What does a surety look for in a general contractor's financials?
Accurate WIP schedules, stable estimated profit on open jobs, healthy working capital and timely financial statements. See WIP schedules and bonding capacity.
Can you set up AIA billing in QuickBooks Online?
Yes. Will configures progress billing, schedules of values and retainage so pay applications and your books agree.
When does a general contractor need a fractional CFO?
Often as soon as bonded work begins, and almost always past about $5M in revenue.