BondSBA Terminal
Contractor cash planning and bond preparation
Contractor cash planning
A contractor cash flow forecast answers a timing question: will the money collected be enough for the payments due? Use a 13-week view to put expected customer receipts beside labor, material, subcontractor and other cash outflows. Then test what happens when timing changes.
Use the cash you can actually spend at the start of week 1. Identify restricted balances and pending payments before selecting the opening figure. Enter a minimum cash reserve that reflects your own operating needs; the tool does not prescribe a reserve. Do not count an unapproved credit facility as available cash.
Separate the invoice date, approval date and expected collection date. A billed job is not cash in the bank. Include retainage only when you reasonably expect it to be released and paid. If collection timing is uncertain, use the delay scenario and discuss the assumption with the person responsible for collections.
List labor, materials and subcontractor payments as direct costs. Include overhead, taxes, debt service, insurance and owner draws in other outflows. Reconcile the totals to the source records and count each payment once. A useful forecast is complete enough to expose a problem, not merely tidy enough to look reassuring.
Suppose opening cash is $50,000. In week 1, expected receipts are $20,000, direct costs are $30,000 and other outflows are $5,000. Ending cash is $35,000. If the receipt moves to week 2, week 1 ends at $15,000. With a $20,000 minimum reserve, the delayed case creates a $5,000 reserve gap. These are fictional planning figures, not a recommended reserve or loan amount.
BondSBA can move all planned receipts zero to four weeks later and increase direct costs by a selected percentage. Other outflows stay unchanged. Receipts pushed beyond the 13-week window are shown as deferred, not lost. The result tells you which timing assumptions need attention; it does not decide whether another contract is affordable or whether a lender will provide funding.
Job progress, billing and collection measure different things. Use the WIP check to review estimated margin and billing position, then use expected collections in the cash forecast. An underbilling is not automatically an overdue receivable. Reconcile the job data with your accountant before treating it as an accounting result.
At each weekly review, compare the previous forecast with actual receipts and payments. Update delayed collections and cost estimates. Start the next period with actual available cash and preserve the old JSON backup if you need a record. BondSBA does not automatically roll the forecast or reconcile your accounting system.
Positive week-end cash can hide a shortfall before payroll earlier in the week. Review daily timing when the margin is narrow. The model does not calculate interest, credit availability, tax obligations or bond capacity. Keep supporting records and use the result as an input to a professional conversation.
Reviewed September 9, 2026. Prepared by BondSBA. Examples are illustrative; professional review may be needed.
Use these public resources to move from education into a cleaner, more reviewable submission workflow.
Yes. The browser workspace is free and does not require signup. You can save on your device or download a backup.
No. Revenue recognition, invoices and cash collection occur at different times. Check both job estimates and the cash receipts you actually expect.
Paste 13 rows with receipts, direct costs and other outflows. The workspace accepts tabs or commas and plain numeric amounts. It does not connect to your accounting system.