Forecast project cash flow

Tie the priced bill to the schedule so each activity carries its cost, then let the spend spread across the timeline to give a month-by-month cost curve rather than one lump total.

Why: A total tells you what the job costs but not when the money leaves, and construction lives or dies on timing. Spreading cost over the programme turns the budget into the profile a cash forecast can be built on.

Set the income against the cost curve using the payment terms, retention and the lag between valuation and money in, then read the running balance to find where it goes negative.

Why: A profitable job can still run out of cash mid-build because payment always lags spend. Seeing the low point in advance is what lets you arrange funding or reprofile work before it becomes a crisis on site.

Produce the cash flow report with the funding requirement and the peak exposure marked, and update it each period as actual valuations and payments replace the forecast ones.

Why: A cash forecast is only useful if it reaches the people who arrange the money and is kept current. Refreshed every period, it turns from a one-off guess into an early warning the whole business can act on.