Managing Cash Flow on 

Construction Projects

Presented by:  Rodney Barbour

Lawson Mechanical Contractors
Client Centered
Project Focused
Quality Oriented
Since 1947
Cash is King
CRITICAL POINT:
ULTIMATELY, IF A COMPANY DOES NOT MAKE A 
PROFIT IT WILL MOST LIKELY FAIL.   HOWEVER, 
REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT MAKES A PROFIT 
OR NOT, IF IT DOES NOT HAVE POSITIVE CASH 
FLOW, IT WILL ABSOLUTELY FAIL!!!
do you manage or just watch?
The Good

The Bad

& The Ugly
Key Financial Ratios
 Current Ratio – Current Assets divided by Current 
Liabilities
 General Contractors :  1.1 +
 Specialty Trade Contractors:  1.5 +

 Cash Ratio – (Cash+Cash Equivalents+Invested

Funds) divided by Current Liabilities
 General Contractors :  .2 +
 Specialty Trade Contractors:  .35 +

 Working Capital Turnover – Sales divided by Working 
Capital
 General Contractors:  10.0 – 20.0
 Specialty Trade Contractors:  6.0 – 10.0 
Key Financial Ratios
 Debt to Equity Ratio – Total Liabilities divided by 
Equity
 General Contractors:  3.0 – 6.0
 Specialty Trade Contractors:  1.5 – 3.5
Contractor’s  Financial Information
 Current Assets $     748,000
 Current Liabilities $     525,000
 Total Liabilities $     650,000
 Equity $      175,000
 Sales $  2,000,000
 Cash, Cash Equivalents $      150,000
& Invested Funds
Working Capital*
The excess of current assets over current liabilities.

Current assets $ 748,000

Current liabilities (525,000)

Working capital $ 223,000

* An indication of a company’s liquidity.
Current Ratio
Balance Sheet Ratios
Current Assets
Liquidity Ratios Current Liabilities

Measures a firm’s
ability to cover its $748 = 1.43
$525
current liabilities with
its current assets.
Cash Ratio
Balance Sheet Ratios
Cash, Cash Equiv & IF
Liquidity Ratios Current Liabilities

Measures a firm’s
ability to cover its $150 = 0.29
current liabilities with $525
its most liquid current
assets.
Working Capital Turnover

Measures how a Sales (Revenue)

firm’s working capital Working Capital
is being leveraged to
produce revenue. $ 2,000 = 8.97
$ 223
Debt to Equity

Measures how a Total Liabilities (Debt)

firm’s equity capital is Equity
being leveraged.
$ 650 = 3.71
$ 175
Debt to Equity
Measures how a firm’s equity capital is being
leveraged.

Total Liabilities (Debt)
Equity $ 650 = 3.71
$ 175
Managing Cash Flow
on
Construction Projects

Presented by: Mark Richardson

Pinnacle Surety &

Insurance Services
For All Your Bonding Needs…
The Dynamics

 How much money will it take to mobilize the job?

 Know your customer
 The contract
 The schedule
 Cash flow projection
 Change Orders (Under-billings) – Are you kidding
yourself!
 People vs. Systems
 Financial Statements
 Interruptions to cash flow
How much money will it take to
mobilize the job?

 Labor
 Equipment (own or rent)
 Materials (do you need to purchase before
you can bill)
 When will the first progress payment be
received?
 Subcontractors have to be prepared to
finance the first 90 days of their work.
Know Your Customer

 Do they pay slowly?

 Do they have competent staff to process your
paperwork?
 Are there sufficient inspectors to get to your
job and sign-off work in a timely manner?
 Are there too many inspectors?
The Contract

 Do you understand the terms in order to be

paid?
 If you are a Sub, do you know that the
Prime’s contract with the Owner is
incorporated into your contract with the
Prime and how it will impact you?
 Have your attorney review your contract.
The Schedule

 The schedule drives the work

 The work drives the billing
 The billing generates the cash flow
 Know when you are scheduled to work, stop,
and start again.
 Keep track of delays…it all adds up in the
end!
Cash Flow Projection

 How much work you will do each month?

 How much of the work are you allowed to bill for?
 If you are a sub, how much of the retention is profit?
 When will you get your retention?
 If/when will it be necessary to use the line of credit.
 When will you be able to pay down the line of credit?
 Have you accounted for all of the above in your
projection and incorporated the results in an overall
business cash flow projection?
Change Orders – Are you kidding your
self?

 Are you doing work that should be a Change

Order?
 Excess labor
 Excess material
 Excess equipment
 It’s like a four point swing
 Will you ever be able to bill for it?
People vs. Systems

 If you have the right system, does your staff (in the
field and in the office) know how to document and
input the information into the system? If not, you
may miss a billing period, interrupting cash flow.
 If you have the right people, the right system will
make them extremely efficient.
 The right people can work with any system.
Financial Statements

 CPA that specializes in construction accounting.

 Do you understand financial statements? Be a
business person that is in construction.
 If you don’t want to understand your financial
statements, you may not know the following:
– Do you have enough working capital to take on more work?
– Have you correctly paid your taxes (Payroll, Use, State,
Federal, etc.) and Union dues?
Financial Statements - Continued

– If not, you may be spending money that isn’t

yours to get or buy:
 more work (which you won’t be able to cash flow)
 more equipment (if financed you may not be able to pay
for it)
 buy property and improve it (more debt and use of cash)
 buy a restaurant
Interruptions to Cash Flow
 A job that slows down or is temporarily stopped. One job can start the domino effect!
 Compliance issues; Prevailing Wage paperwork, proper releases from subs and suppliers
 Stop Notices
 Lack of workforce in the field to perform the work and provide information back to the office.
 Lack of office personnel to process paperwork.
 You may have enough bodies in the office to do the paperwork but are they qualified?
 Employees that do not have the skill set to perform the work and are not moved to another
department or let go.
 Owner or business partner develops an alcohol, drug or gambling problem.
 Divorce – lack of concentration
 Death and lack of continuity plan.
 Material not available - drywall
 Equipment being manufactured offshore
 Earthquake
Conclusion

Cash flow is the life of the business. Make

sure you keep alive!

Thank You!
Managing Cash Flow on
Construction Projects

Alison Sellers
alison.sellers@mossadams.com
818‐577‐1890
January 26, 2013

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The material appearing in this presentation is for informational purposes
only and is not legal or accounting advice. Communication of this
information is not intended to create, and receipt does not constitute, a
legal relationship, including, but not limited to, an accountant‐client
relationship. Although these materials may have been prepared by
professionals, they should not be used as a substitute for professional
services. If legal, accounting, or other professional advice is required, the
services of a professional should be sought.

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DISCUSSION OUTLINE

• Accounting perspective
 Importance of cash management
 Improving cash flow
 Impact to financial statements

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IMPORTANCE OF CASH MANAGEMENT

• The ultimate purpose of a business is to

generate cash
• Cash is a key indicator of health
 Ratios
 Trends – Cash, AR, Under billings
• Cash fuels growth/protects organizations

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IMPORTANT CASH RELATED TRENDS

• Trends are important

o Signs of trouble
 Decreasing cash
 Increasing AR and under billings
 Use of cash for long term assets, loans to related parties
 Maximized short term borrowings

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CASH FUELS GROWTH

• Cash is required to finance operating activities

and provides security in difficult times
o How much cash is needed for new work?
 Finance of job start up, current work
 New equipment
 How will growth impact debt covenants & surety
relationships?
– Unrealistic Growth #1 reason for surety claims

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IMPROVING CASH FLOW

Where is cash typically trapped?

 Under billings – What is causing these?
 Idle equipment
 Pending change orders
 Accounts receivable
 Retentions
 Inventory, other assets

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IMPROVING CASH FLOW

How do Presidents/Owners Influence CF?

 Set corporate culture
 Major asset acquisition
 Capital structure
 Personal needs
 Pricing/billing policy
 Non‐productive family on payroll

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IMPROVING CASH FLOW

How do CFOs influence CF?

 Management of cash that flows
 Short term investments
 Billings/Collections
 Manage payables (1% 10, net 30 = 18.25% annually)
 Use of line of credit
 Contract terms
 Credit checks

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IMPROVING CASH FLOWS

How do estimators influence CF?

 Which jobs to bid
 Assumptions when developing bids
 Choice of vendors subcontractors

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IMPROVING CASH FLOW

Project managers impact CF?

 Scheduling job activities
 Processing change orders
 Estimating costs
 Billing
 Negotiating with general and subcontractors

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IMPROVING CASH FLOW

Superintendents Impact CF?

 Labor/equipment management
 Material requisitions
 Production only decision making
 Identification of changing conditions
 Safety/risk management

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IMPROVING CASH FLOW

How can you make managing cash a priority?

 It must start at the top
 Change corporate structure
 Define where cash flow is a priority
 Training within the organization
 Compensation plans that reward cash flow

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STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

• Composed of three sections

o Cash flows from operating
 Cash provided from contract revenues
 Cash paid to vendors, subcontractors, employees
o Cash flows from investing
 Cash used to purchase equipment or other investments
 Cash provided by the sell of these assets
o Cash flows from financing
 Cash used to repay line of credit, debt, pay distributions to
stockholders
 Cash provided by debt, issuing stock, contributions to the
company from stockholders
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STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Cash received from contracts $ 9,335,177
Cash paid to suppliers, employees, and subcontractors (9,325,125)
Interest received 1,150
Interest paid (16,446)

Net cash from operating activities (5,244)

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES

Proceeds from sale of equipment 5,436
Purchase of property and equipment (59,720)
Change in due from affiliates 178,724

Net cash from investing activities 124,440

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES

Net repayment on lines of credit (65,983)
Borrowing of long‐term debt ‐
Repayments of long‐term debt (15,435)
Repayments to affiliates (83,000)

Net cash from financing activities (164,418)

NET CHANGE IN CASH (45,222)

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, beginning of year 125,863

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, end of year $ 80,641

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STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

• Show the relationship of net income to changes

in the entity’s cash position
• Evaluate decisions of management
• Provides indicators of whether the entity has
the ability to continue to meet its debt
payments and other obligation
• Predict future cash flows of the entity

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