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Job Costing••5 min read

The Electrician Playing Hide and Seek with His Own Money

A commercial electrical subcontractor discovered $147,000 in uncollected retainage and $38,600 in underbilled work, achieving a 2.9x ROI in the first year through improved financial systems.

Cory Salisbury
Cory Salisbury
Founder & Fractional CFO • Salisbury Bookkeeping

The Electrician Playing Hide and Seek with His Own Money

Marcus was profitable. He just couldn't find the profit.

Client: Marcus | Industry: Commercial Electrical Subcontracting | Annual Revenue: $3.6 million

The Problem

Marcus's cash was playing an extended game of hide and seek across four GCs, nine active projects, and an outdated spreadsheet. He guessed retainage at $80,000. The actual number was $147,000.

What We Fixed

  • Built a Retainage Tracking System
  • Implemented Real WIP Reporting revealing $38,600 in underbilling
  • Connected Procore to QuickBooks
  • Added labor burden to job costing (actual $57/hour vs assumed $42/hour)

The ROI

  • Labor rate correction: $52,000
  • Recovered underbilling: $38,600
  • Working capital freed from retainage: $58,000
  • Total measurable impact: ~$148,600
  • Result: 2.9x ROI in year one
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