21.35 points
The material-cost spread between glass and painting
Census aggregate industry dollars put materials at 40.33% of receipts for glass contractors and 18.98% for painting contractors. A universal materials target hides the operating model.
Control contractor costs with evidence, not guesses
This contractor cost controls hub combines Level's analysis of 1,192,695 anonymized bills and contractor operating costs with a 108-vendor directory and focused guides to contractor purchasing, software cost controls, rentals, and the weekly management meeting.
1.19M
anonymized 2024 bill records analyzed
72.5%
of billed amount in the five largest vendor names at the midpoint
108
vendors and programs in the official-source directory
Choose the question you need answered
Where should a CEO focus first?
Open the original research and vendor benchmarks.
View the study →
Which vendors should we compare?
Browse pricing access and buying terms for 108 vendors and channels.
Open the directory →
How do we manage cost every week?
Run the 45-minute review and assign decisions.
Use the guide →
What surprised us
Four findings a CEO can use without pretending every contractor is the same
4.7%
Site-prep fuel is its own management category
Gasoline and diesel were 4.7% of aggregate site-preparation receipts, more than twice the specialty-trade aggregate. Route, idle time, equipment choice, and fuel controls deserve different weight by trade.
$2,430
Illustrative fee difference on $100,000 collected
Using Stripe's standard public rates, 100 equal $1,000 online card payments calculate to $2,930, versus $500 for capped ACH debit. This is decision math, not promised savings.
27
Current programs, each with eligibility attached
Supplier, association, freight, fuel, technology, vehicle, and group-buying terms now sit in one comparison table. An “up to” rate stays a ceiling until the exact basket and invoice prove it.
Trade ratios use the U.S. Census Bureau's 2022 Economic Census and are ratios of aggregate dollars for employer firms, not median-company or SMB-only targets. These are ratios of aggregate 2022 industry dollars for employer firms. They are not median-company percentages, SMB-only benchmarks, Level customer results, or recommended budgets.
Original research and data
Two data products, two different jobs
Original Level research
What 1.19 million bills reveal
Where should a CEO focus first?
See the numbers behind invoice workload, supplier concentration, seasonal swings, purchasing thresholds, rental activity, and software-review false positives.
Open →
Vendor and pricing directory
Compare 108 contractor cost vendors
Which vendors publish prices, and which require a quote?
Compare official pricing access, billing units, and buying requirements across field, accounting, payroll, payments, materials, rental, fleet, shipping, and construction vendors.
Open →
What the bill data changes
Three numbers, three management responses
69.5%
Automate the small-bill workload
Bills below $500 had a 69.5% company-median volume share and a separate 7.9% company-median share of billed dollars. These are separate company distributions, not one pooled spend split. The cohort uses 2024 supplier bills and requires at least 20 bills per company. Use workflow automation here before spending executive time on price negotiation.
72.5%
Negotiate the concentrated core
At the company median, the five largest vendor names held most of billed dollars (2024 supplier bills; companies with at least 20 bills). Put terms, freight, service levels, availability, credit, and rebates on the CEO agenda.
3.8%
Control the tail without exaggerating it
At the company median, one-time vendors were 33.3% of vendor names; separately, the median billed-dollar share was 3.8%. These are separate company distributions, not one pooled split (2024 supplier bills; companies with at least 20 bills). Use the tail for approval, coding and fraud-control review.
Action guides
Go directly to the decision
Weekly management guide
Run a 45-minute cost review
How should the team manage cost every week?
Build a weekly operating rhythm for purchase approvals, exceptions, vendor terms, rental off-rent, and proof of realized results.
Open guide →
Purchasing guide
Test discounts before counting savings
Which supplier offers are actually usable?
Turn supplier programs and group-buying claims into an identical-basket test, rather than multiplying a promotion by annual spend.
Open guide →
Software guide
Control renewals and recurring software
What should be renewed, renegotiated, or removed?
Review systems, seats, add-ons, contracts, and renewal decisions without confusing a merchant match with software savings.
Open guide →
Rental guide
Stop paying for idle rentals
Which rentals still belong on a job?
Control idle days, extensions, delivery, off-rent timing, and job ownership before treating rate negotiation as the answer.
Open guide →
Supplier programs worth checking
Compare 27 programs in one place
The purchasing page owns the full program table, including direct supplier pricing, association offers, rewards, group buying, cards, freight, vehicles, fuel, and rental controls. Every published number stays beside its eligibility and invoice-proof requirement.
Compare all 27 programs →Grow without losing control of the numbers
Drop your info and we’ll show your real margin across jobs, crews, products, and customers, where profit leaks to rework or hidden costs, and how much cash is sitting in unbilled work or inventory.
2,200+ businesses benchmarked·$13.25B in revenue analyzed·Weekly action cadence
No commitment. Real numbers, not generic advice.