A&E CFO Services Built for Firms Scaling Past $1M in Net Service Revenue

Grow With Your Fractional CFO For Engineering Firm Needs, Today!

SERVING: MD, VA, DC, DE, PA & Nationwide

When a Full Backlog Still Doesn’t Cover the Overhead

The fee was set at the proposal stage, months before anyone knew what the project would take. 

Schematic design runs long. The client asks for a third option. Nobody reprices it, and by construction documents the phase is spending fee that was budgeted for the next one.

Your books may be professionally prepared and still leave principals unable to see the overall financial picture. 

The problem is the way information is categorized and summarized. Subconsultants and reimbursables pass through the P&L and inflate revenue, while Overhead Rate Calculation A&E happens once a year for the audit instead of monthly for the practice.

So you’re having to step in and manually reshape reports before meetings, and it is time-consuming and not always consistent. 

Most firms at this stage are outgrowing the way they report, not necessarily the software itself.

Principals, lenders, and reviewing agencies do not need more spreadsheets. They need answers.

• What is the firm actually earning as Net Service Revenue, after subconsultants and reimbursables?
• Which projects hit their Net Multiplier and which ones gave the fee away?
• Is the Chargeable Ratio Engineering Firm number sustainable, or has the team already been carrying too much?
• Does backlog cover payroll if two clients delay a phase?

Without those answers, fee proposals become guesswork, hiring becomes a gamble, and every FAR Overhead Rate Audit turns into a scramble.

AEC Fractional CFO Services deliver clear and meaningful reporting on net service revenue, Utilization Rate Architecture Firm data, Project Profitability By Phase, and cash flow. You get the right balance of summary and detail, without you needing to rework them each time.

SERVING: MD, VA, DC, DE, PA & Nationwide
Qualified Business Owners with a Budget move forward fast.

5 Reasons to Get a Fractional CFO

A strong backlog and a fully booked staff can still leave the firm short at the end of the quarter.

You can win pursuits, raise your rates, and keep every seat loaded while multipliers slip, finished work sits unbilled, and one slow-paying owner decides whether payroll clears. By the time it reaches the bank account, the fix is already expensive.

Net Service Revenue Reporting That Shows What the Firm Actually Earns.

Revenue reported net of subconsultants and reimbursables, with Subconsultant Cost Management and Reimbursable Expense Tracking handled at the source. Margin measured on the fee the firm keeps, not the money it passes through.

Utilization Rate Architecture Firm Tracking That Tells You When to Hire.

Chargeable Ratio Engineering Firm data by person, studio, and month. Staffing And Capacity Planning Engineering Firm decisions tied to signed backlog instead of how busy last month felt.

Project Profitability By Phase, Before the Fee Is Gone.

Earned Value Analysis Engineering Projects compared against fee spent, phase by phase. Scope Creep Change Order Tracking that flags unbilled work while there is still time to bill it.

Overhead Rate Calculation A&E That Holds Up Under Review.

Direct Labor Multiplier, Net Multiplier, and Effective Multiplier Achieved tracked monthly, not reconstructed at year end. FAR Overhead Rate Audit and Government Contract Compliance DCAA documentation kept current all year.

Cash Flow Forecasting For Design Firms Built Around Slow Owners.

Rolling forecast mapped to real billing cycles and Days Sales Outstanding Architecture Firm performance. Accounts Receivable Collections A&E followed up systematically instead of only when cash gets tight.

The cost of unclear project numbers is more than a messy P&L. It can mean:

• Phases that consume the next phase’s fee before anyone notices
• Hires made against backlog that was never going to fund the seat
• An overhead rate that gets challenged in audit
• An Architecture Firm Valuation Multiple that lands below what the practice is worth

A fractional CFO gives you real fee visibility, honest project margin, and a cash plan so you can protect the profit you already earned.

Core Competencies

Net Service Revenue Reporting
Revenue reported net of subconsultants and reimbursables every month, with Subconsultant Cost Management and Reimbursable Expense Tracking handled at the source. → Stop mistaking pass-through dollars for money the firm actually earned.

Overhead Rate Calculation A&E
Direct Labor Multiplier, Net Multiplier, and Effective Multiplier Achieved tracked monthly instead of rebuilt at year end. → Know whether your fees are covering what it actually costs to run the practice.

Utilization Rate Architecture Firm
Chargeable Ratio Engineering Firm data measured by person, studio, and month against real benchmarks. → Know whether the team has capacity for the next pursuit or is already carrying too much.

Project Accounting For Architecture Firms
Project Profitability By Phase with Earned Value Analysis Engineering Projects and Percentage Of Completion Revenue Recognition A&E. → Catch a phase burning fee while there is still fee left to protect.

Work In Progress Reporting Architecture Firm
Unbilled Services And WIP Aging reviewed every month, not at year end. → Turn finished work into invoices before it ages out of everyone’s memory.

Billing Rate Structure A&E
Rates built from actual direct labor cost, overhead, and target multiplier, with Scope Creep Change Order Tracking feeding back into future proposals. → Price from what delivery costs instead of what the last client accepted.

Backlog Reporting Engineering Firm
Signed backlog mapped against staff capacity and projected months of coverage, supporting Staffing And Capacity Planning Engineering Firm decisions. → Know how far the work actually carries you before you commit to the next hire.

Cash Flow Forecasting For Design Firms
Rolling forecast tied to billing cycles, Days Sales Outstanding Architecture Firm, and Accounts Receivable Collections A&E. → Payroll, consultants, and Professional Liability And Risk Reserves covered without the month-end scramble.

A&E Firm Financial KPI Dashboard
One view for net service revenue, utilization, multiplier, WIP, and backlog, with Deltek Vantagepoint Financial Reporting where you already run it. → Stop pulling numbers from five different systems before every principals meeting.

Outsourced Accounting For Engineering Firms
Full-service Architecture Firm Bookkeeping Services structured for project accounting and Government Contract Compliance DCAA timekeeping. → Clean books that scale from your first $1M in net service revenue through multi-office growth.

PACKAGES

Gold (Most Popular)

Best for: Established business owners who need comprehensive financial leadership, proactive cash flow management, and strategic tax guidance.

• Forecasting, budgeting, and cash flow management
• Weekly financial reporting
• Monthly CFO strategy calls with your in-house CPA

Starting at $4,495/month

Silver

Best for: Growing business owners, nonprofits, and government contractors who want clearer financial planning and ongoing strategic support.

• Forecasting and budgeting
• Bi-weekly financial reporting
• Quarterly CFO strategy calls with your in-house CPA

Starting at $2,895/month

Bronze

Best for: Business owners, nonprofits, and government contractors who need reliable financial visibility and a forward-looking plan for growth.

• Forecasting
• Monthly financial reporting
• Bi-annual CFO strategy calls with your in-house CPA

Starting at $1,795/month

HOW TO GET STARTED

Step One: Furever Diagnostic Review
Call or fill out the form. I dig into your firm financials, fee structure, chargeable ratio, project margin, and reporting to find where the top line is overstating what you earn. I look for completed work sitting unbilled, phases running past their fee, and an overhead rate that no longer covers what it costs to run the practice. You walk away with real clarity, fast.

Step Two: Strategic Overhaul
I rebuild the reporting around how your firm actually operates. That means connecting Net Service Revenue, utilization, Project Profitability By Phase, Unbilled Services And WIP Aging, backlog, and cash flow into one system your principals can use. No reworking it before every meeting.

Step Three: Control and Growth
With clear, decision-ready numbers in front of you, you can see which project types, clients, and studios are actually driving profit. That turns into better decisions on fee proposals, hiring, which pursuits to chase, and principal compensation.

A&E CFO Services Built
for How Design Firms Actually Run

Stop mistaking billings for fee earned. Stop checking your multiplier once a year at audit time. Bring in AEC Fractional CFO Services from a partner who is already fluent in net service revenue, project phases, and WIP.

SERVING: MD, VA, DC, DE, PA & Nationwide
Qualified businesses with a budget move forward fast.

Who Do I Help?

Established Business Owners Who Understand The Importance of Having An Expert CFO In Their Corner!

Serving Owners & Executives in Maryland, Virginia, DC, Delaware, Pennsylvania & Nationwide!