Outsourced Finance for Construction and Civil Contractors (Australia)

By Rami Rajkumar, CPA, Founder & Partner, TechEdge Accounting. Updated 8 October 2026.

In short. We're an outsourced finance office for Australian construction and civil contractors with revenue between $2M and $50M+. Bookkeeping keeps the records. A finance function tells you which jobs make money, when cash gets tight and what to show the bank. That's the part we do.

• $3M to $10M revenue: an outsourced Finance Manager working with your bookkeeper. Monthly close done by day 15.

• $10M to $25M: a Financial Controller for AASB 15 revenue, the bank reporting pack and a 13-week cash forecast.

• $25M and up: a Head of Finance for capital structure, funding and acquisitions.

Job costing, retentions and cash, built for construction

Most construction businesses can run a project. Fewer can tell you which project is making money, and fewer again can show the bank a 13-week cash forecast that separates progress claim receipts from retentions. We do those three things every month, with the AASB 15 detail your auditor expects.

CPA-led. Based in Hawthorn VIC, working with contractors Australia-wide.

What the finance function looks like for a builder or civil contractor

The same approach works from $2M to $50M+ in revenue. Three things stay constant: a monthly close finished inside ten business days, job-cost reporting against an active project register, and a rolling 13-week cash forecast updated every week.

• Monthly close and job costing. Every project sits on the register with its contract value, approved variations, dayworks not yet invoiced, retentions held and retentions due. Margin is reported monthly, not when the job closes.

• 13-week rolling cash forecast. Progress claim receipts at their expected payment dates, retentions due for release in the window, and likely variations shown separately. It's the forecast that shows you the cash low point three weeks before you hit it.

• Bank reporting. When the bank wants management accounts, trailing 12-month figures, working capital cover or a look at how much revenue rides on one contract, we prepare it in the format lenders expect.

Three things we often find in the first quarter

1. Unbilled variations. Approved variations sit between "site says it's done" and "finance sent the invoice". Clearing that backlog is usually the quickest cash win.

2. Retentions in the wrong place. Retention money held by your client needs tracking separately from amounts billed and paid. Under AASB 15, a right to payment that depends on more than the passage of time, such as getting through the defects period, is generally a contract asset rather than a trade receivable. We often find it sitting in the wrong account.

3. Margin surprises at job close. Losses on finished projects that nobody saw during the build, because cost to complete wasn't updated each month.

Which level suits a construction business

Finance Manager suits you when a bookkeeper runs the day to day and you want a clean monthly close, BAS, payroll oversight and a steady debtors and creditors routine.

Financial Controller suits you when several projects run at once, a bank facility review is coming up, and you need job-cost reporting against the project register.

Head of Finance suits you when raising capital, board-level strategy and leading the bank relationship are part of the job.

• Finance Manager: from $2,750 a month

• Financial Controller: from $4,950 a month

• Head of Finance: from $8,500 a month

Related reading

• Construction WIP Reconciliation: A Monthly Process for AU Builders

• GST on Variations and Retentions in Australian Construction

• Fuel Tax Credits for Construction Plant in 2026

• Finance Function Maturity Audit: 12 questions, 5 minutes, scores your current setup

Talk to a CPA

We can walk you through the finance dashboard we set up for construction clients, which pulls from Xero or MYOB and payroll and shows job margins, the 13-week forecast and debtor ageing.

Book a free 30-minute call with a CPA, email info@techedgeaccounting.com.au or call +61 468 634 973.

This article is general information only and is not financial, tax or legal advice. Accounting treatment depends on your contracts and circumstances, so speak to your adviser before acting.

About the author

Rami Rajkumar, CPA is the founder of TechEdge Accounting in Hawthorn, Victoria, an outsourced finance office for Australian construction, EPC, solar, renewables and carbon businesses. Take the 5-minute Maturity Audit