Cash Flow, Profit & Forecasting

Running a construction or engineering business means managing constant uncertainty, material prices, labour rates, project delays, and client payment terms. Yet, too many companies rely on “best-case” budgets and hope for the best. That’s where  sensitivity analysis  comes in. It’s one of the most powerful (but underused) tools for construction SMEs. It helps you see how changes in key assumptions, like a 10% material price increase or delayed stage payment, will affect your

Introduction - 5 Finance Tools Lift engineering businesses move fast: call-outs, PPM contracts, installs, subcontractors, vans, parts, and a blizzard of invoices, receipts and payments. If your systems don’t talk to each other, cash slows and margins drift. At  Jones Financial Accounts (JFA) , we help construction and engineering SMEs build smart finance stacks that connect field, finance and banking, so data flows from  receipt → bill → approval → payment → board KPIs  with

Introduction - Cut Costs or Invest in Efficiency? When margins tighten, construction and engineering firms often look to cut costs and the office is usually first on the list. From rent and software to admin staff and subscriptions, these “indirect” costs feel like easy savings. But here’s the catch:  cutting costs doesn’t always make you leaner, it can make you slower . At  Jones Financial Accounts (JFA) , we work with SMEs across the UK to identify where savings improve eff

Introduction - Prove You’ve Got Capacity Saying “yes” is easy. Delivering profitably is hard. Construction and engineering SMEs don’t usually fail for lack of demand, they stumble when they take on work without the  capacity  to deliver: people, cash, equipment, suppliers, and control. At Jones Financial Accounts (JFA), we help owners answer a simple question before they sign a contract:  Do we genuinely have the capacity for this job, without hurting margin, cash flow, safet

Introduction - Projects That Don’t Fit Your Strategy In the fast-moving world of construction and engineering, not every project is a good project. Yet many SMEs still chase every tender, quote, or contract that comes their way. At Jones Financial Accounts (JFA), we see the same issue repeatedly, companies taking on work that looks profitable on paper but quietly drains cash, time, and energy because it doesn’t align with their business strategy. This blog explores why strate

Introduction - Dashboard for Your Lift Business In the lift industry, small inefficiencies quickly become big costs. Engineers running overtime, delayed valuations, unbilled callouts, and rising parts prices all chip away at margin long before anyone notices. For most lift companies, the biggest challenge isn’t lack of data, it’s that information is buried across multiple systems, from service logs to Sage or Xero. That’s why the  right business dashboard  isn’t just a report

Introduction - Fixing Working Capital Working capital, the money you use to keep your business running day-to-day, is often the first sign of financial strain in construction and engineering firms. Late client payments, retentions, and supplier demands can all drain cash before profit ever hits the bank. If you don’t have a finance team watching the numbers every week, you’re not alone. Most growing SMEs operate with limited admin support and only review figures at month-end

Introduction - Management Accounts Fast-growing construction and engineering firms live or die by control. Projects overlap, materials...

Introduction - Outgrown Your Bookkeeper and Year-End Accountant? As your business grows, so do your financial responsibilities, but many...

Introduction - Risks in Credit Control In construction and engineering, cash flow is the lifeblood of the business. Yet too often,...

Introduction - Construction Firms Need Scenario Planning Running a construction or engineering business often feels like driving in the...

Introduction - Should You Take That Opportunity Every construction and engineering business faces moments when a new opportunity looks...

Introduction - CIS Returns Made Simple If you run a construction or engineering business in the UK, you’ve almost certainly heard of the...

Introduction - Remote FD vs In-House Accounts Construction and engineering businesses scaling from £500k to £5m turnover often face the...

Introduction - How to Forecast Revenue, Profit and Cash In construction and engineering, guessing the numbers is risky business. Too...

Introduction - Planning for Exit or Succession Every construction or engineering business tells a story. Not just through the projects...

Introduction to Tax Reliefs Every year, thousands of small businesses in the UK overpay tax simply because they aren’t aware of the...

Introduction For construction companies and SMEs, the decision to  buy or lease new equipment  isn’t just about convenience, it’s about...

Stage payments and retentions are common in engineering contracts, but they can quietly strangle your cash flow if not managed properly....

For engineering companies, accurate project pricing is the difference between healthy profits and financial strain. Yet too many still...