FINANCE Archives

The Hidden Compliance Risk in Fringe Benefit Reporting 0

By Jack Biltis, eBacon Ask most contractors where they’re most likely to get burned on a certified payroll audit, and they’ll usually point to the obvious things: misclassified labor, missing time records, an apprentice working outside their approved ratio. Those are real risks, no question. But there’s another one that doesn’t get talked about nearly

Stop Competing on Price: Why Subcontractors Must Learn to Prove Their Value 0

By Valerie Jimenez, Bold Entity When I ask subcontractors how they win work, most of them say it’s because, “we build relationships,” or “we do good work,” or “our clients know they can count on us.” And I believe them! Because relationships matter. Reliability matters. Quality matters. But here’s the problem: when almost every subcontractor

The Law Is Catching Up to Retainage—and Subs Should Take Notice 0

By Claire Wilson, Siteline The math has never been pretty. A general contractor negotiates 5% retainage with the owner, then turns around and holds 10% from its subcontractors. You absorb twice the financial burden for the same project risk—at margins that typically run 3 to 10%. For most subcontractors, the retainage being withheld is most

Why Retainage Remains a Persistent Challenge for Subs Nationwide … and What You Can Do to Manage the Risks 0
- FINANCE, Legally Speaking, Payment, Risk Management
- January 27, 2026
By Eric Travers, Esq., Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter As a construction attorney with over two decades of experience working closely with subcontractors and the American Subcontractors Association (ASA), I can confidently say that retainage has been, and remains, a significant and ongoing challenge for subcontractors nationwide. The concept of retainage originated in the 1840s.
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Getting Paid What You’ve Earned: A Subcontractor’s Guide to Fair and Timely Payment 0
- Documentation, FINANCE, Legally Speaking
- November 25, 2025
By Christian Fernandez, Snell & Wilmer L.L.P. Every subcontractor knows this truth: getting paid on time can make or break a business. Cash flow is the lifeblood of any construction company, and delayed payments can quickly ripple through operations — slowing payroll, straining relationships with suppliers, and putting future projects at risk. In an industry
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Construction Accounting Insights 0
- Ask a CPA, FINANCE, Forcasting
- October 28, 2025
By Ara Grigorian, CPA, CCIFP Don’t let the label “supplemental information” fool you. Accurate contract schedules are just as crucial as the balance sheet and income statement for a construction contractor. By contract schedules, I mean the schedule of completed contracts and contracts in progress. These schedules provide a glimpse of where the company is
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