A prestige residential construction company specialising in architect-designed luxury homes engaged Scale Suite to take over their finance function. Within 60 days, we recovered significant cash from previously overlooked debtor balances and, by recording expenses appropriately, helped uncover missed deductions resulting in tax savings and GST refunds. The ongoing engagement delivers real-time job costing, margin review and profitability analysis for each job benchmarked against industry standards, weekly reconciliations, and cash flow forecasting. The owner reclaimed evenings and weekends for family and now has more time to focus on winning new business.
Industry: Construction – Prestige Residential Building
Team Size: Small team with subcontractor network
This prestige residential construction company specialises in architect-designed luxury homes and heritage villa restorations, with a portfolio of bespoke builds for discerning clients. The owner excels at project delivery and client relationships but found himself spending evenings and weekends on administrative tasks after full days on site.
Outstanding debtor balances had not been actively managed. Multiple clients owed money for completed work, but invoices had not been followed up. Some amounts had been outstanding so long the owner had forgotten they were owed.
Expenses were not being recorded appropriately. Legitimate business expenses sat in bank statements but had never made it into the accounting system correctly, meaning the business was likely paying more tax than necessary and missing GST refunds.
Additional challenges included:
We implemented an outsourced finance function designed for construction-specific requirements.
We reviewed all outstanding invoices against bank receipts and identified every amount owed. Multiple balances had not been followed up, including amounts the owner had completely forgotten.
Systematic follow-up through structured reminders and calls recovered significant cash within 60 days, improving working capital immediately. This was not new revenue. It was simply collecting what was already owed.
We ensured all expenses were recorded appropriately in the accounting system. Vehicle costs, tool purchases, and materials that had been paid but not recorded were captured and categorised correctly. By getting the records right, we helped uncover deductions and GST refunds the business was entitled to but had not been claiming. The tax accountants were then able to act on this accurate information.
Every transaction coded to specific jobs enables real-time profitability visibility. We established margin review processes so the owner can see the profitability of each job while work is underway, not just after completion.
Job margins are compared against industry benchmarks, giving context on whether profitability is competitive with similar prestige builders. This informs pricing adjustments on variations and quoting on future projects.
Cash flow forecasting looks forward across all active projects, showing when payments are expected versus when obligations are due. Problems are addressed proactively rather than discovered when a payment bounces.
Progress claims issued within days of milestone completion rather than weeks. Retention amounts tracked and invoiced for release. GST returns lodged on time with proper treatment of construction timing.
We reviewed the classification of workers engaged by the business, helping identify situations where contractor arrangements may not meet ATO requirements. This reduced potential compliance risk and informed better engagement structures going forward.
Construction businesses often struggle with finance because the work happens on job sites, not in offices. Yet job costing, margin analysis, and cash flow forecasting are essential for profitability. Money left on the table through uncollected receivables, poorly recorded expenses, and unclaimed GST is common when owners lack time for detailed financial administration.
This engagement suits: Construction and trades business owners who want real-time job costing, proactive debtor management, and compliance handled without burning nights and weekends on paperwork.
Scale Suite provides outsourced finance and HR services for SMEs, combining Chartered Accountant oversight with daily embedded support and Big 4-trained team members.
All engagements include a 30-day money-back guarantee with no lock-in contracts.
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Scale Suite delivers embedded finance and human resource services for ambitious Australian businesses.Our Sydney-based team integrates with your daily operations through a shared platform, working like part of your internal staff but with senior-level expertise. From complete bookkeeping to strategic CFO insights, we deliver better outcomes than a single hire - without the recruitment risk, training time, or full-time salary commitment.
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