You priced the job. You built in profit. The job closed at half of what you expected. Find out why construction job profit disappears between quote and closeout — and how to catch it while the work is still live.

You ran the numbers. You priced the labour. You built the profit in.

The job looked right when you signed it. Fourteen percent. Maybe eighteen. Enough to make the work worth doing.

Now the job is closing. The number that comes back is half of what you priced. Sometimes it is a third. Sometimes it is nothing.

Nobody stole it. Nobody made a mistake you can point to. It just bled out. A little on hours that ran long. A little on materials coded to the wrong job. A little on a change order that never got signed. A little on time the crew spent waiting — and waiting costs the same as working.

And the worst part: you could not see it happening while you still had time to do something about it.

This post explains why the profit you priced into a job disappears before closeout, why the usual fixes do not stop it, and what has to be connected before you can hold on to it.

Keep reading this article on projectwatchpro.com

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