General Contractors
Job costing that shows which projects make money and which ones don't. Track costs by job so your next bid starts from real numbers.
The Industry
General contractors manage multiple moving parts on every job. You have the project itself with materials, labor, subs, permits, and equipment. You have the paperwork with contracts, change orders, and lien waivers. And you have the timing problem where money goes out the door today but doesn’t come back for 30, 60, or 90 days. A profitable month on paper can still leave you scrambling to cover payroll because two payments came in late.
The financial picture gets murky fast. That $180,000 custom home looks profitable based on your estimate. But when you add up the material price increases mid-project, the extra week of framing labor, the change orders you agreed to but never billed for, and the warranty callback two months later, the real margin might be half what you expected. Without tracking costs by job, you won’t know until long after you’ve bid the next one at the same rate.
Who This Covers
Who This Covers
General contractors handling residential, commercial, or mixed projects in Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico. New construction, renovations, historic restorations. Any GC managing subcontractors, pulling permits, and carrying the responsibility for the finished project.
What Makes It Complex
What Makes It Complex
Multiple active projects at different stages of completion. Subcontractors who need 1099s and insurance certificates on file. Material costs that fluctuate between bid and build. Progress billing and retainage on commercial work. New Mexico Gross Receipts Tax that needs accurate reporting by location. Cash flow timing that rarely matches when you actually earn the money.
What We Handle
Job costing is the foundation. Every expense gets tagged to a specific project. Materials, labor, subs, permits, equipment rental, dump fees. Not just “job expenses” lumped together but detailed tracking that shows exactly what each project cost to build. When the job closes out, you know the real margin, not the estimated one. That historical data becomes the basis for your next bid instead of memory and optimism.
The compliance side matters just as much. New Mexico Gross Receipts Tax requires proper tracking and timely filing with the correct location codes since rates vary across Northern New Mexico. Subcontractor documentation needs management before checks go out, not in January when you’re scrambling for W-9s. Your books get reviewed with an auditor’s eye before anything is delivered. That’s not standard bookkeeping. It comes from Stephen’s Certified Internal Auditor background and it catches problems that typical bookkeepers miss.
Job Costing and Project Tracking
Job Costing and Project Tracking
Every dollar allocated to the right project. Labor broken out by job. Materials coded when purchased. Subcontractor invoices matched to the work performed. Reports that show profitability by project type so you can see which kinds of work actually make money. Historical data that makes your next estimate more accurate than your last guess.
GRT and Compliance Management
GRT and Compliance Management
New Mexico Gross Receipts Tax returns prepared and filed on time. Location-based reporting handled correctly for projects across Northern New Mexico. Subcontractor W-9s and certificates of insurance tracked before you issue payment. Books maintained to audit standards so you’re ready when insurance auditors or tax authorities come asking questions.
What Goes Wrong
The bidding blind spot hurts contractors more than they realize. You finish a project, collect the final payment, move on to the next job. But you never go back to compare actual costs against the estimate. That remodel you thought made 20% margin actually came in at 9% after the extra material runs, the callback, and the labor that went over. You bid the next similar job at the same price and wonder why cash is always tight. Overhead gets forgotten too. Vehicle expenses, insurance, office costs, your own time. If they’re not built into the bid, you’re working for less than you think.
Cash flow hides problems until they become emergencies. Deposit from the new job covers materials on the old one. Progress payment goes straight to subcontractors and payroll. The money moves so fast you can’t tell which jobs are funding which. Then you hit a stretch where two payments come in late and suddenly you can’t make Friday’s payroll. Without job-level tracking and work-in-progress visibility, you can’t see the trouble building until the bank account tells you.
Bidding Without Data
Bidding Without Data
No visibility into what past jobs actually cost. Estimates based on memory instead of documented costs. Similar projects bid at similar rates without knowing if the last one made money or lost it. Overhead expenses that never make it into bids because they aren’t tracked by job. Margins that look good on paper but evaporate when you run the real numbers.
GRT and Documentation Gaps
GRT and Documentation Gaps
Gross Receipts Tax filed late or with incorrect location codes, triggering penalties and interest. Subcontractors paid without W-9s on file, creating a January scramble and potential backup withholding issues. Insurance certificates not tracked, leaving you exposed during workers’ comp audits. Records that can’t withstand scrutiny when questions come from the state or your insurance carrier.
What Changes
Bidding becomes data-driven. You look at the last three similar projects and see exactly what they cost. Not what you estimated. What you actually spent on materials, labor, subs, permits, everything. You know which project types consistently hit target margins and which ones tend to run over. Your next estimate starts from real numbers instead of optimistic guesses. You stop underpricing work and wondering where the money went.
The administrative burden lifts. GRT returns get filed on time with correct location codes. Subcontractor documentation stays current with W-9s collected before checks go out and insurance certificates tracked throughout the year. Your books are clean enough to hand to a bank when you need equipment financing or a credit line increase. When the workers’ comp auditor calls, you send the file and move on with your day. You stop spending evenings on bookkeeping and start spending them on something else.
Accurate Bidding and Better Margins
Accurate Bidding and Better Margins
Historical job cost data shows what things actually cost to build. You stop underpricing work and leaving money on the table. You stop overpricing and losing bids you should have won. Profitability by project type helps you focus on work that consistently makes money. The next estimate comes from evidence instead of hope.
Clean Books and Compliance Handled
Clean Books and Compliance Handled
GRT returns filed accurately and on time every month. Subcontractor files complete with W-9s and certificates before they become a problem. Financial records maintained to audit standards. When you need a loan or face an insurance audit, the documentation is already in order. Hours back in your week that used to go to paperwork.
Santa Fe's Small Business Bookkeeper
The Next Step:
A Quick Conversation
Tell us about your business and what you're dealing with. We'll listen, ask a few questions, and give you a straightforward quote.
