Real Engagements · Documented Outcomes
The Math Doesn't Lie.
Drywall & Metal Stud Contractor — Phoenix, AZ
Annual Revenue
$3.8M
Field Crew
24 Field
The Problem
Change orders were being abandoned, not invoiced.
The owner was generating 6–8 COs per week on two active commercial projects. No formal log. No follow-through. Subs were marking work complete, moving on, and absorbing the cost as "part of the job." The office assumed the PM was tracking it. The PM assumed the owner was billing it.
The Intervention
Backlog audit + CO log system + 90-day billing sprint.
We audited 14 months of project files, identified every unbilled directive, verbal authorization, and scope addition. Built a CO tracking protocol tied to their existing project management workflow. Ran a structured billing sprint to recover outstanding amounts before the statute of limitations on each project.
The Outcome
$180K
Recovered in underbilled change orders
Time to full recovery
11 weeks
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The Intervention
Estimating methodology rebuild + bid segmentation by project type.
Restructured their overhead model to allocate by project duration and complexity class, not revenue percentage. Built a bid review gate for any project over $800K. Introduced a pre-bid risk register that quantified owner-supplied scope gaps before pricing.
The Outcome
+23%
Increase in competitive bid win rate
Additional gross profit, Year 1
$2.1M
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Commercial GC — Denver, CO — $18M Revenue
Annual Revenue
$18M
Field Crew
6 PMs, 40+ Field
The Problem
Winning bids at margins too thin to survive the job.
Their estimating team was producing competitive numbers — but the wrong ones. Overhead was being allocated as a flat percentage against direct costs, which worked when they were doing smaller jobs. At $18M with longer schedules and more complex subcontractor management, the method was systematically underbidding by 4–7% on every project over $1.5M.
Excavation & Site Work — Boise, ID
Annual Revenue
$6.4M → $12.9M
Field Crew
18 Operators
The Problem
Residential work was consuming capacity with no room to grow.
The owner had built a solid reputation in residential site prep. But residential developers were squeezing margins, delaying payments, and defaulting on smaller contracts. The crew was fully booked but the balance sheet wasn't growing. He knew commercial was the answer. He had no idea how to get there.
The Intervention
Market repositioning + commercial prequalification + bonding capacity build.
Developed a 12-month transition plan: identified three commercial GCs actively qualifying new subs in the region, rebuilt the company's financial presentation for bonding purposes, and coached the owner through the prequalification process for two target GCs. First commercial award came in month 9.
The Outcome
2×
Revenue doubled in 18 months
Net new commercial backlog
$6.5M
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How It Works
The Backlog Review.
Six weeks. No retainer, no ongoing subscription. A focused engagement that produces a documented financial picture of your firm and a specific plan to change it. Most clients see the ROI before week three.
The Backlog Audit
We pull every active and recently completed project. Every CO log, every subcontract, every schedule-of-values line item. We're looking for three things: unbilled work, underbid allowances, and contract clauses that shift risk onto you without compensation.
14-point financial exposure report
The Profit Architecture
We map your overhead against your project mix. Most firms are applying a single overhead rate across all project types — that's where margin disappears. We rebuild the model to reflect actual cost behavior by job size, duration, and complexity.
Restructured estimating model + overhead allocation framework
The Execution Plan
You get a 90-day action plan with specific targets: which contracts to address first, which bids to reprice, which clients to renegotiate with. Not a strategy deck. A signed work order for your own business.
90-day implementation roadmap with owner accountability milestones
The Backlog Review is built for firms doing $5M–$50M in annual revenue. If you're under $5M, we'll tell you on the call. If you're over $50M, we'll refer you to the right firm.
The First Step
Book a Backlog Review.
This is a 45-minute working call — not a sales pitch. We'll look at your last 3 projects, identify the two or three places money is leaving the table, and tell you exactly what a full engagement would recover.
No deck, no proposal — we work from your actual numbers
You'll leave with at least one specific action you can take today
If we're not the right fit, we'll tell you in the first 10 minutes