Comparison
Level vs Traditional
Fractional CFO
Most contractors sit in a gap. Too complex for a generic bookkeeper, too small for a generalist CFO engagement that stays above job costing. Level is a dedicated team built for exactly that gap: job costing, WIP, and weekly operating decisions in Scale ($1,500-$5,000/month, scope-dependent), with a Bookkeeping foundation from $500/month and Platform custom-quoted.
| Dimension | Level | Traditional Fractional CFO |
|---|---|---|
| Trades expertise | Trades-focused finance team, field software integration, and job costing built in. Confirm named roles and credentials for your tier | Background varies. Ask them to walk through a WIP schedule and trace one completed job from field status to cash. |
| Benchmark data | Level Index benchmarks from analysis of 2,200+ contractors: job margin, billing speed, collection rate, billing capture. Each metric has its own sample size | Varies. Ask what comparison data they use, its population, and its sample size. |
| Technology integration | Connections to field software such as ServiceTitan, Jobber, and Housecall Pro, by API where available or report export otherwise. Confirm the method for your stack | Ask whether they connect field software data or work from accounting exports only. |
| Monthly deliverables | In the Scale tier: gross profit per technician hour, cash trapped in open jobs, weekly action lists, job-level P&L, benchmark comparison | Varies by engagement. Ask for a sample monthly package before signing. |
| Team depth | Composition depends on tier. Bookkeeping covers monthly books and reconciliations; Scale adds finance-team review and the AI operating layer. Confirm named roles in your engagement | Often one person. Ask how coverage works during vacation, illness, or turnover. |
| Scalability | Fixed monthly engagement. Add services as you grow. No billable hours. | Hourly or retainer. Ask how scope changes are priced and whether there is a cap. |
| Cost | Bookkeeping from $500/month; Scale $1,500-$5,000/month, scope-dependent; Platform custom-quoted. | Quote-based. Varies by hours, scope, and seniority; get the deliverables and price in writing. |
| Analysis approach | AI-powered data processing. Pattern detection across your jobs, customers, and crew. | Experience-driven. Depends on the individual's pattern recognition and the data they can access. |
Level engagement range
$500+ / scope
Bookkeeping starts at $500/month; Scale is $1,500-$5,000/month by scope; multi-office Platform receives a custom quote.
Traditional fractional CFO
Quote-based
Usually hourly or retainer. Ask what comparison data and team coverage the quote includes.
How to compare
Same scope
Price identical deliverables side by side: monthly close date, job-cost-to-GL bridge, WIP schedule, cash forecast, and call cadence. Bookkeeping at $500/month is not CFO scope.
Level makes sense when
- ✓You're a contractor in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, or GC
- ✓You need job-level visibility, not just consolidated financials
- ✓You want benchmark-driven insights, not one person's opinion
- ✓You're using field service software (ServiceTitan, Jobber, Housecall Pro)
- ✓You're considering PE acquisition or a business sale in the next 1-5 years
- ✓You want tiered monthly finance support instead of open-ended hourly billing
Traditional CFO makes sense when
- ✓You're running $50M+ with complex multi-entity structures
- ✓You need a named executive for board-level reporting
- ✓You're navigating a complex M&A transaction
- ✓You need capital markets experience or debt restructuring
- ✓You're not in the trades and need a generalist
What Scale or Platform delivers, per signed scope
Month 1: Baseline
- ✓Data validation and books readiness check; historical cleanup scoped separately where needed (the foundation the operating layer runs on)
- ✓Field software connection (ServiceTitan, Jobber, Housecall Pro) by API where available or report export otherwise
- ✓Job-level P&L for last 12 months where field and cost history are available
- ✓Matched Level Index distributions from research across 2,200+ contractors; each metric has its own sample
- ✓First list of financial gaps and quick wins
Ongoing: Monthly cadence
- ✓Job-level profitability report
- ✓Rolling cash forecast, with horizon and cadence set by signed scope
- ✓AR aging and collections tracker
- ✓Monthly strategy call, where your tier includes it
- ✓Variance analysis vs. prior period and budget
Growth: Strategic layer
- ✓Annual budget and scenario planning
- ✓Tax strategy with your CPA
- ✓Exit readiness preparation
- ✓Service agreement profitability analysis
- ✓Crew utilization and capacity planning
Simple pricing
Three tiers, one ladder.
$500+/mo
Bookkeeping
The clean data layer: monthly books, reconciliations, and organized financials AI can work with.
$1,500-$5,000/mo
Scale
The full AI operating layer: custom agents, weekly actions, and benchmarks to grow margin per hour.
Custom
Platform / Multi-Office
Multi-branch benchmarking and scorecards for PE-backed and multi-location groups.
The construction fluency test
Do not pay a CFO to learn your operating model on your dime
Contractors do not only need a generic forecast and monthly P&L review. The finance function has to understand WIP, retainage, cost codes, progress billing, crew economics, and why field-system status may not match accounting. Industry fluency shortens diagnosis and keeps sensible general advice from missing how work actually becomes cash.
Ask a provider to trace one completed job from field status through cost, billing, collection, and margin. If the answer stays at the consolidated P&L, the engagement is still learning the business.
Trades-specific finance support, scoped by tier.
We connect to your books and show you what a profitability audit would uncover.
No commitment. Real numbers, not generic advice.