Fractional CFO for General Contractors
Multiple projects, multiple subs, progress billing, retainage, bonding requirements. General contracting has the most complex financials in the trades. We specialize in making them simple.
The General Contracting Problem
GCs manage complexity every day. The financials shouldn't add to it.
You're managing 5-15 active projects with different billing schedules, sub payments, and material deliveries. Your P&L shows one big number. We've seen contractors with 666 open jobs at once — 50 of them stuck past 90 days with no invoice, each one a near-certain revenue leak. You need to see profitability project by project.
Bonding capacity is tied directly to your financial statements. Messy books mean lower bonding limits, which means losing bids on your most profitable projects. In one contractor's data, 56% of all jobs had no assigned project manager — creating zero accountability and significant operational risk.
Retainage holds, change order disputes, and slow-paying owners can trap hundreds of thousands of dollars in receivables. One GC we analyzed had 83 draft invoices worth $321K sitting unsent. Same-day invoicing leads to 23% faster collection — every day you delay is cash in someone else's account.
General Contracting Industry Benchmarks
How do the best general contracting contractors perform? Data from our analysis of 2,200+ contractors.
Gross Profit Margin
15-25%
Residential GCs run 18-25%. Commercial GCs: 10-20%.
Collection Rate
85.1%
Top quartile: 92.7%. Retainage and slow-pay owners drag GC collections.
Billing Speed
1 day
Top GCs invoice same-day on milestone completion. Progress billing is critical.
Overhead Rate
10-25%
NAHB data. Overhead allocation per project is the key insight.
Subcontractor Cost
40-60%
Of total project cost. Sub management = margin management for GCs.
Net Profit Target
6-15%
Industry average: 6%. Top performers: 15%+. The gap is financial discipline.
What Level Does for General Contracting Contractors
WIP Schedule & Percentage of Completion
Accurate WIP schedules are required for bonding, banking, and tax compliance. We build and maintain yours monthly — tracking costs to complete, estimated profit, and over/under billings on every active project.
Bonding Capacity Optimization
Your surety looks at working capital, equity, and WIP. We optimize your financial statements to maximize bonding capacity so you can bid on larger, more profitable projects.
Project-Level Profitability
Revenue, labor, materials, subs, equipment, and allocated overhead — separated by project. You'll know which projects are making money and which are bleeding before they close, not 90 days after.
Retainage & AR Management
We track retainage holds by project and owner, flag aging receivables, and build follow-up schedules. Many GCs have $200K+ in retainage they've lost track of. We find it.
Cash Flow Forecasting by Project
Progress billing draws, sub payments, material deposits — each project has its own cash flow cycle. We model them individually and roll up to a company-wide forecast so you always know your position.
Growth & Exit Readiness
GCs with clean WIP schedules, documented backlog, and project-level financials command premium multiples. We build the financial infrastructure that lenders and buyers expect.
Bookkeeper vs CPA vs Level
| Capability | Bookkeeper | CPA | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record transactions | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| File taxes | — | ✓ | — |
| Job-level profitability | — | — | ✓ |
| Cash flow forecasting | — | — | ✓ |
| Benchmark against industry | — | — | ✓ |
| Monthly strategy calls | — | — | ✓ |
| AR aging & collections tracking | — | — | ✓ |
| Crew utilization analysis | — | — | ✓ |
| Exit readiness preparation | — | — | ✓ |
| Understands general contracting operations | Rarely | Rarely | ✓ |
Your bookkeeper and CPA handle critical functions. Level fills the strategic gap between recording transactions and filing taxes.
We connect to the tools you already use
15-minute setup. Read-only access. Your data stays secure.
Ready to see your real general contracting numbers?
15-minute call. We connect to your books, analyze your operations, and deliver a full profitability audit. Free.
No contracts. No obligations. Cancel anytime.