Payment application and reconciliation

Confirm the current contract sum, every agreed variation and the retention and payment terms, so the application is built on the number both sides have actually signed up to.

Why: An application worked off a stale figure, before the agreed variations went in, gets kicked straight back. Starting from the true contract position is what gets it certified without a fight.

Measure the work done this cycle, add materials properly on site and approved variations, then deduct retention and everything previously paid before you issue the application.

Why: Cash flow is the oxygen of a construction business, and subcontractors feel a late certificate first. An application that is clear and fully evidenced is the one that gets signed on the due date.

Line up what you applied for against what the certifier allowed and what was actually paid, then chase every under-certification, wrongly held retention or dropped line.

Why: A few percent shaved off each valuation vanishes quietly and never returns by itself. Reconciling every cycle, while the backup is still to hand, is how that money finds its way home.