The Ultimate Guide to Managing Cash Flow in Construction Projects

Written by: Kelsey Hainley and John Meibers

Cash flow is critical to the success of any construction project. As a contractor, having a plan for managing cash flow is essential for staying on top of your business finances and ensuring you can meet your financial obligations. Without a good cash flow system in place, contractors can quickly find themselves in financial trouble. In this article, we will review what cash flow is, why it's important, how to calculate cash flow in construction, common construction cash flow problems and how construction accounting software can help.

In This Article:

• What is Cash Flow?
• Why is Cash Flow in Construction Important?
• How to Calculate Cash Flow in Construction
• Common Issues that Drain Cash Flow
• Strategies to Improve Cash Flow in Construction
• Manage and Improve Cash Flow with Construction Accounting Software

Cash flow is the amount of money coming in and out of a business. It is a measure of a company's financial health and helps to identify any potential problems or opportunities for improvement. In construction, cash flow is particularly important as it can affect the success or failure of a project. Cash flow is used to measure how well contractors manage their receivables and pay for materials, labor costs and other expenses related to the job. By monitoring cash flow closely, contractors can ensure they have enough money on hand when needed and stay within budget.

Cash flow management in construction is essential for the smooth running of any construction project. Most projects start with negative cash flow. This is because you have money going out before any money comes in. If your company has negative cash flow, you might not be able to pay your employees or purchase the necessary materials. This can lead to costly project delays. Additionally, you need cash flow to cover overhead costs. Therefore, it's crucial to ensure each job has a positive cash position.

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To ensure your construction business has a positive cash flow, it’s important to understand what factors are needed to accurately calculate cash flow in construction.

Determine the Cash Inflows

Cash inflows include payments received from customers, advances from clients and sales from any other sources. Calculate the total amount of money received during the construction project, including revenues from completed projects.

Calculate the Cash Outflows

Cash outflows encompass the payments made by the construction company towards expenses like employee salaries, miscellaneous expenses (such as phone bills), and payments made to suppliers and vendors.

Determine the total amount of money spent during the project, including any expenses incurred offline.

Calculate Net Cash Flow

To calculate Net Cash Flow, we use the formula: Net Cash Flow = Cash Inflows - Cash Outflows

Analyze the Result

If the Net Cash Flow is positive, it indicates that more money is coming in than going out, which is a good sign. However, if the Net Cash Flow is negative, it indicates that more money is going out than coming in and you have construction cash flow problems. This means you need additional funding.

Create a Cash Flow Projection Report

A cash flow projection report estimates future cash inflows and outflows. Calculate the estimated cash outflows for the project for the next month or quarter. Plan for any unexpected expenses. Also, estimate potential cash inflows.

Effective construction cash flow projection requires a good understanding of how money moves across the various areas of your construction business. By analyzing and monitoring cash flow regularly, you can ensure you have enough cash reserves, avoid construction cash flow problems and maintain financial health.

The construction industry faces numerous challenges that can lead to negative cash flow if not properly addressed. Some common construction cash flow problems include:

1. Underbilling

Underbilling is a significant cash flow killer in the construction industry due to its detrimental impact on the inflow of funds. When a construction company underbills, it means that the amount billed to the client is less than the actual work completed or services provided. This delay in receiving the full payment for the work performed leads to reduced cash inflow, making it challenging for the company to cover expenses and sustain its ongoing operations. The shortfall between the billed amount and the actual costs incurred puts a strain on the company's working capital, making it difficult to meet financial obligations such as paying suppliers and subcontractors on time. This, in turn, can lead to disruptions in the construction project, strained relationships, increased borrowing, and interest costs.

2. Inaccurate project bidding

Underestimating project costs can result in insufficient funds allocated for essential tasks, leading to financial strain and delayed payments to subcontractors and suppliers. To avoid this, conduct a thorough cost analysis, including materials, labor, equipment, permits and overhead, is crucial. Leveraging historical data, collaborating with experienced estimators and utilizing construction estimating software can help improve accuracy and minimize cost-related surprises.

3. Unexpected change orders

Unexpected change orders can have a significant and negative impact on cash flow. A change order is an authorized alteration to the scope of work in a construction project, typically resulting in additional costs and delayed project timelines. Change orders are often unexpected due to miscommunication between the project manager and client or because of unforeseen conditions encountered during construction that require extra time and effort.

4. Paying bills early

When it comes to contractors paying their bills, it is important to strike a balance between paying too quickly or too slowly. Sometimes there is a benefit to paying early if there are discounts you can earn even if you don’t have the cash on hand and need to borrow money to do so. However, paying bills early can strain a contractor's cash flow, especially if multiple payments are due simultaneously. It can create negative cash flow and limit their ability to meet other financial obligations such as payroll, supplier payments or unexpected expenses. By paying bills early, contractors lose out on the potential returns or benefits that could have been generated by keeping the cash on hand. Also, if contractors pay bills early and later encounter issues such as incomplete work, poor quality or contractual breaches, they may have limited leverage to negotiate and rectify the situation.

5. High payroll expense

The construction industry is highly competitive, and the cost of labor and materials can make up a significant portion of a construction company's budget, especially when multiple projects are ongoing simultaneously. As such, if a construction firm has high payroll expenses, it can significantly drain cash flow, leading to financial difficulties.

High payroll expenses can occur for many reasons, including recruiting and retaining employees, providing training and certification programs or offering expensive benefits. By implementing effective payroll management strategies, construction companies can better control and mitigate the drain on cash flow. 

6. Paying cash for assets

When it comes to construction projects, paying cash for assets can be a significant drain on cash flow and lead to cash shortages. Many contractors and developers prefer to use financing options such as loans or credit lines to purchase necessary materials and equipment rather than pay in cash. This allows them to spread out the cost of the project over time while also freeing up their immediate cash flow.

7. Slow-paying customers

Timely payment from customers is important for a construction company's financial stability. Payment delays can result in financial instability and potentially lead to business bankruptcy. Payment delays can also result in a discrepancy between the cash outflows needed to cover expenses, such as labor, materials, subcontractors and overhead costs, versus the cash inflows received from clients. This gap can strain cash flow and make it challenging for contractors to meet their financial obligations on time, leading to potential cash flow constraints.

Construction companies often rely on the cash flow generated from completed projects to fund upcoming projects. When customers are slow to pay, it hampers the contractor's ability to generate the necessary funds to commence new projects or invest in growth opportunities. This can limit their ability to take on additional work and potentially affect business expansion.

Slow-paying customers can also create a chain reaction, impacting the ability of contractors to pay their suppliers and subcontractors promptly. This, in turn, can strain relationships and result in delayed deliveries or reduced credit terms from suppliers. Suppliers may require upfront payment or charge higher prices due to the contractor's payment history, further affecting cash flow and profitability.

8. Being slow to invoice customers

When managing cash flow in the construction industry, getting invoices out to customers quickly is one of the most critical factors. Unfortunately, many contractors are slow to invoice their customers, which can seriously affect a business’s ability to pay its own bills and manage its finances.

Additionally, contractors who are slow to invoice can create financial issues for their clients. When invoices are not received promptly, the contractor’s client may be unable to pay the bill or may be forced to delay payment due to a lack of funds. This can lead to late payments and ultimately cause cash flow problems for both the contractor and their client, resulting in a negative impact on both your professional reputation and the relationship involved.

9. Inventory mismanagement

Construction companies often struggle with inventory mismanagement, which ties up capital in excess materials or leads to unnecessary purchasing. To optimize cash flow, maintain accurate inventory records, conducting regular audits and implementing just-in-time inventory practices can optimize cash flow. Utilizing construction project management software that incorporates inventory management features can provide real-time visibility into material requirements and help prevent overstocking or shortages.

Construction businesses face numerous financial issues. Positive cash flow is important to survive and thrive, covering expenses in the here and now, starting new projects and growing the business. Cash flow projections and management should be a top priority for any construction business. To improve cash flow, there are some strategies that can be employed, such as creating a cash flow forecast. This can identify any shortages or surpluses of money and anticipate how it will be used during slow times of the year, like winter.

Additional strategies to improve cash flow include tightening your accounts receivable management, streamlining accounts payable processes, regularly reviewing and analyzing your expenses and inventory, negotiating a favorable payment schedule, establishing emergency funds, strengthening relationships with your bank and other financial institutions and using construction accounting software.  

Construction accounting software can be an excellent tool for improving cash flow management in the construction industry. By tracking invoices, payments and expenses all in one place, it can help contractors streamline their accounts receivable and accounts payable processes, making sure that all of their financial data is up-to-date and accurate.

The software can also provide real-time visibility into cash flow management, allowing contractors to create detailed reports to analyze their finances. With the help of construction accounting software like Deltek ComputerEase, contractors can better anticipate potential cash shortfalls and make informed decisions about how to manage their finances.