Construction finance, right on the line.
Bookkeeping, job costing and CFO-level planning for general contractors and the trades, from a team that has run finance for construction and development companies.
- General Contractors
- Electrical
- Mechanical & Plumbing
- Earthwork & Site
- Concrete
- Roofing
- Developers
- Property Management
Across our team's work as CFOs, controllers and auditors for contractors, developers and operating companies.
What we hear from contractors before they call.
“We’re busier than ever, and I can’t tell if we’re making more money.”
“I don’t find out a job lost money until it’s closed out.”
“Our surety wants a WIP schedule and reviewed financials, and we’re behind on both.”
“Payroll is Friday, and I’m checking the bank balance to see if we can make it.”
Three things, done well every month.
Bookkeeping & close
Clean books and financial statements, closed on a fixed calendar every month.
Learn more →Job cost & WIP
Know which jobs make money while there is still time to fix the ones that don't.
Learn more →Fractional CFO
Cash forecasting, bonding, banking and growth planning without a full-time hire.
Learn more →A full team for the cost of one hire.
Every client gets the same small team, each person working at the right level, backed by the construction finance experience of people who have been CFOs and controllers for builders, developers and trades.
- CFOStrategy, forecasting, bank and surety relationships
- ControllerClose review, WIP, job cost and controls
- Staff accountantAP, AR, billing and reconciliations
- AutomationBank feeds, coding and matching handled by our own software
Start with a Blue Line Assessment.
A no-cost review of your financials, job costing and WIP. You get a short written list of what to fix first, whether or not you hire us.
The whole finance function, sized to your company.
Every engagement starts with clean books and job costing. From there we add controller and CFO work as you need it, delivered by one team on one calendar.
Common reasons to bring us in.
Growing fast
Revenue is up, but margins and cash are harder to read.
Bonding or bank pressure
Your surety or lender needs a WIP schedule and cleaner financials.
Books are behind
Months of unreconciled accounts and job costs that don't match the field.
Your controller left
You need coverage now while you decide on a permanent hire.
Outgrowing QuickBooks
It's time for construction software and a clean conversion.
Planning a sale or transition
Buyers and successors will want clean, reviewed numbers.
Bookkeeping & monthly close
The foundation everything else depends on.
Accounts payable
Vendor and subcontractor bills coded to job and cost code, with approvals and payment runs on a set schedule.
Accounts receivable
Invoicing, collections follow-up and aging by customer and by job, including retainage receivable.
Reconciliations
Bank, credit card, loan and line-of-credit accounts reconciled every month, with no unexplained balances.
Financial statements
Balance sheet, income statement and cash flow by business day 10, with a short written summary of what changed.
Job costing & WIP
The reports that tell you which jobs make money.
Cost code structure
Cost codes aligned to how you estimate, so estimate-to-actual comparisons mean something.
Committed costs
Subcontracts and purchase orders tracked against budget, so cost-to-complete includes what you already owe.
Monthly WIP schedule
Percent complete, earned revenue and over/under billings for every open job, in the format sureties expect.
Revenue recognition
Over-time revenue recognition under ASC 606, with change orders and claims handled consistently.
PM review meetings
A monthly sit-down with project managers to agree on cost-to-complete before the numbers are final.
Closed-job analysis
Bid versus final margin by job type, customer and PM, fed back into your next estimate.
Billing & compliance
Get paid on time and stay clean on the paperwork.
Pay applications
AIA G702/G703 and owner-specific pay apps prepared from the schedule of values and submitted on the owner's cycle.
Retainage & lien waivers
Retainage tracked by job with release dates, and conditional and unconditional waivers collected and issued.
Certified payroll
Davis-Bacon and state prevailing-wage reports prepared and filed for public work.
Arizona TPT & sales tax
Transaction privilege tax under the prime contracting and MRRA classifications, filed by city and state.
Controller services
Oversight and controls for a growing office.
Payroll oversight
Union and non-union payroll reviewed, burden rates calculated and labor costed to jobs correctly.
Internal controls
Approval workflows, segregation of duties and vendor setup controls that protect cash.
Year-end & CPA prep
A reconciled year-end package and support schedules for your outside CPA's review, audit or tax work.
Insurance & audits
Workers' comp and general liability audit support, and certificate tracking for subcontractors.
Fractional CFO
Planning and relationships that grow the company.
Cash flow forecasting
A rolling 13-week forecast plus an annual budget, tied to backlog, billing cycles and retainage.
Surety & bonding
Working-capital and equity planning to raise bonding limits, and a seat at the table with your surety agent.
Banking & financing
Line-of-credit renewals, covenant reporting and equipment financing, drawing on years of lender negotiations.
Bid & margin strategy
Overhead recovery rates, markup targets and go/no-go analysis on large pursuits.
Growth & succession
Expansion into new markets, acquisitions of other trades, and owner exit or transition planning.
Board & owner reporting
A monthly KPI package covering backlog, gross profit, fade, DSO and bonding position.
Systems & ERP
The right tools for the size of the company.
Platforms we support
QuickBooks, Sage 100 Contractor, Sage 300 CRE, Sage Intacct Construction and Foundation.
Field integration
Procore, time-tracking and expense tools connected so field data reaches job cost without re-keying.
ERP migrations
Selection, data conversion and cutover when you outgrow your current system, run as a fixed-fee project.
Automation
Bank feeds, receipt capture and recurring entries automated so the close runs faster every month.
Cleanup & interim coverage
For when the books are behind or a key person leaves.
Catch-up bookkeeping
Months or years of transactions reconciled and job costs rebuilt so you have a reliable starting point.
Interim controller or CFO
Immediate coverage after a departure, including a clean handoff to your permanent hire.
Hiring support
Help writing the role, screening candidates and training your new accounting staff.
Sale and transition readiness
Quality-of-earnings preparation and reporting a buyer or successor can rely on.
What we don't do. We do not perform audits, reviews or compilations, and we do not prepare tax returns. We work with your outside CPA firm and hand them a clean, reconciled year-end package.
From first call to a closed month in about 45 days.
Financial review
We look at your last close, your WIP and your chart of accounts, then tell you plainly what needs fixing.
Week 1–2 · no chargeOnboarding & cleanup
Rebuild cost codes, reconcile open balances, and connect bank, payroll and project systems.
Days 15–45Monthly close
Financials, job cost reports and WIP delivered on a fixed calendar, with a review call each month.
By business day 10Quarterly CFO review
Margins by trade and PM, cash forecast, bonding position and the next quarter's priorities.
Every quarterNot sure what you need?
Most contractors start with a financial review. We will recommend a scope based on what we find.
Built for construction and real estate.
Contractors, developers and property managers, each with the reporting their business runs on.
General contractors
Sub pay apps, retainage and owner reporting on every job.
Key reportOwner-ready cost reportElectrical
Long projects, volatile material pricing and frequent change orders.
Key reportCommitted cost vs. budgetMechanical & plumbing
Service and project work under one roof, with long equipment lead times.
Key reportDivision P&LEarthwork & site work
Equipment-heavy work where fuel, repairs and equipment rates decide margin.
Key reportEquipment cost recoveryConcrete
Crew-driven production and unit-price billing.
Key reportCost per unit by crewRoofing
Re-roof, new build and service work with seasonal swings.
Key reportGross profit by work typeReal estate development
Construction draws, capital accounts and lender and investor reporting.
Key reportDraw budget vs. actualProperty management
Owner statements, trust accounting and CAM reconciliations across a portfolio.
Key reportMonthly owner packageBest fit
A flat monthly fee, scoped to your revenue.
No hourly billing and no surprise invoices. Each tier includes everything in the one before it. Final pricing is confirmed after your financial review.
Foundation
Annual revenue $3M–$8M- Bookkeeping, AP and AR
- Monthly close by business day 10
- Job cost reports for every open job
- Quarterly WIP schedule
- Quarterly review call
Controller
Annual revenue $8M–$25M- Everything in Foundation
- Monthly WIP and PM review meeting
- Pay apps, retainage and lien waivers
- Payroll oversight and internal controls
- Year-end package for your CPA
CFO
Annual revenue $25M–$60M- Everything in Controller
- 13-week cash forecast and annual budget
- Surety and bank relationship management
- Bid margin and overhead analysis
- Monthly owner KPI package
CFO Advisory
Already have a controller or strong in-house accounting? Add CFO-level forecasting, bonding strategy and lender support on top of your team, from $7,500 per month.
Priced separately when you need them.
| Service | Details | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll processing | Per employee, per month | $15 · min $400 |
| Certified payroll | Davis-Bacon or prevailing-wage reporting | $300 / job / mo |
| Additional entity | Equipment LLC, real estate holding company and similar | $750 / mo |
| ERP migration | Selection, conversion and cutover, fixed fee | $12,000–$35,000 |
Finance built by people who have signed the pay apps.
Before anything gets built, someone snaps a blue chalk line and everyone works from it. We want your financials to be that line: accurate, on time and something your whole team can trust.
Construction finance is all we do.
Our team combines CFO and controller experience inside construction and development companies with a public accounting background.
General construction & development
CFO-level work for builders and developers: project financing, lender and investor reporting, pay apps and change orders.
Specialty trades
Job costing, WIP and equipment accounting for the subcontractors who do the building.
Public accounting
CPA-led, with audit experience that keeps your books ready for a review or audit.
What you can hold us to.
A fixed close calendar
Financials, job cost and WIP land on the same business day every month.
Automation first
Our own tools handle the repetitive work, so your fee pays for analysis instead of data entry.
Your data stays yours
Your books live in your accounting system. If you ever leave, everything stays with you.
Request a Blue Line Assessment.
A no-cost review of your latest financials, job costing and WIP. Within a week of our call you get a short written list of findings, ranked by what to fix first.
hello@bluelinecfo.com
Office
Phoenix, Arizona
Serving the Valley and the Southwest
Hours
Monday to Friday, 7:00 am – 5:00 pm MST
We reply within one business day.
What to have ready. Your most recent income statement and balance sheet, an AR aging, and your latest WIP schedule if you keep one.
What contractors ask us first.
Something else on your mind? Ask it on the review call.
We already have a bookkeeper. Why would we need you?+
Many of our clients keep their in-house bookkeeper. We take over the parts that need construction accounting experience: job cost review, WIP, revenue recognition, the close and the reporting your bank and surety rely on.
Do you prepare tax returns or audits?+
No. We work alongside your outside CPA firm and hand them a clean, reconciled year-end package. Keeping those roles separate also keeps your reviewed or audited statements independent.
Which accounting systems do you support?+
QuickBooks Online and Desktop, Sage 100 Contractor, Sage 300 CRE, Sage Intacct Construction and Foundation, with Procore and common payroll providers. If you are outgrowing your system, we can manage the move.
How big does a company need to be?+
Our clients typically run $3M to $60M in annual revenue. Below that, a good bookkeeper is usually enough. Above it, we often support an in-house controller as the CFO.
Are you only in Arizona?+
We are based in Phoenix and work in person across the Valley. Because our systems are cloud-based, we also serve contractors throughout the Southwest.