1
Complete the company overview with licensing and bonding details
Enter your legal entity name, contractor license numbers for each state you operate in, current bonding capacity, general liability and workers' comp limits, and your service territory. These details are reviewed before anything else by lenders and surety underwriters.
π‘ If your bonding capacity is below your target project size, address it in the funding section β underwriters want to see a plan to grow it, not silence on the gap.
2
Build a localized market analysis
Pull permit data from your county or state building department for the last 3 years. Identify the project types and dollar ranges that dominate local volume, then narrow your target segment to the slice where you have a documented track record.
π‘ Citing a local data source β your county assessor, a regional AGC chapter report β is far more persuasive to a local lender than a national industry forecast.
3
Define your service scope and project size range
List only the trades you self-perform and the project types where you have completed at least two comparable projects. Set a minimum and maximum project size that your current bonding capacity and workforce can support.
π‘ A tightly defined scope β 'commercial tenant improvement, $500Kβ$2.5M, in-house framing and finish' β wins more bids than a generic 'all construction types' positioning.
4
Map your business development and bid pipeline
Identify your top three bid sources, list five to ten active owner or GC relationships by name, and estimate the annual bid volume accessible through each channel. Set a target bid-hit rate and average project margin for each source.
π‘ Track your trailing 12-month bid-hit rate by source before writing this section β the data will make your revenue projections credible rather than aspirational.
5
Document your operations and safety program
Describe your project management structure, estimating software, subcontractor prequalification criteria, and your OSHA safety program including your current EMR. Include your field supervision ratio and quality-control process.
π‘ If your EMR is above 1.0, include a written safety improvement plan with specific targets β lenders and GC prequalification reviewers treat an EMR above 1.0 as a material risk factor.
6
Build the financial model from project backlog up
Start with your confirmed backlog and pipeline, assign revenue by month based on realistic billing milestones, then layer in direct costs by trade. Model the cash flow statement separately from the P&L to capture the timing gap between cost incurrence and owner payment.
π‘ Show a 60-day accounts-receivable assumption in your cash flow model β that is the realistic payment cycle for most commercial construction invoices, and lenders will test it.
7
State the funding ask with a draw-and-repayment schedule
Specify the instrument, total amount, and a month-by-month draw schedule tied to project start dates. Show repayment tied to billing milestones so the lender can see the line self-liquidates.
π‘ Lenders for construction lines of credit want to see that each draw is repaid within 90 days of issuance β build that cycle explicitly into your cash flow model.
8
Write the executive summary last
Pull your most compelling data points β backlog, track record project size, target margin, and specific funding milestone β into a 1β2 page summary. The summary should be readable in under three minutes.
π‘ Lead the executive summary with your largest successfully completed project by dollar value β it anchors credibility immediately for a reader who doesn't yet know your firm.
