Start here · about 10 minutes

Take the systems exam to open your planner

Twenty yes-or-no questions on how the company runs today. Your answers set the score, the profit at stake, and the first steps, and then the planner opens with a worked sample you can make your own. Until then, read the overview below and the method.

Take the exam Read the method

  1. Answer 20 questionsAbout ten minutes, no numbers needed
  2. See your scoreAgainst firms your size, with the dollars at stake
  3. Build your planVolume, overhead, markup, backlog, bids, incentive
Aecoris · ROOI

Sample Contractor

The 2026 plan, as of 2026-11-10. Price the work, carry the overhead, and see the return that investment produces.

Return on overhead
69.7%
Pretax $937,000 on overhead $1,344,500. The planning band is 40%–48%.
Sales
$8,450,000
65,000 field hours · $130 / hour
Gross margin
$2,281,500
27.0% of sales
Break-even
$4,979,630
Overhead ÷ gross margin rate
Monthly capital
$665,176
At 90% material and labor risk
Sales demand
$5,785,717
670 bids from the crew you have
Maximum backlog
$1,358,794
Minimum to break even $1,169,482
Superintendents
3.33
5.42 required · gap -2.09
Awards vs pace
−$1,065,801
$3,911,500 won of $4,977,301 pace · bid log
$0$10M$20M$30M$40MJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec Bid, actualBid, planAwarded, actualAwarded, plan
Bid logBids and awards to date against the plan Dashed lines are the plan spread by the budget's month weights. Solid lines are the bids you have logged. The shaded month is the plan's as-of month.

The planning sequence

0 of 12 steps done · Next: Systems exam

1 · Systems exam

Twenty questions on whether the company is ready for the volume it has.

2 · Volume 🔒 After the exam

Level III price, Level II overhead, Level I return.

3 · Job mix 🔒 After the exam

Size bands, time to estimate, months in the field, capture.

4 · Capacity 🔒 After the exam

Where the week actually goes, and how many bids that supports.

5 · Backlog 🔒 After the exam

How much work to hold, how many superintendents, how much cash.

6 · Budget 🔒 After the exam

The overhead investment, spread across the year.

7 · Sales 🔒 After the exam

Bid, award, gross profit, and hours against this year's pace.

8 · Bid log 🔒 After the exam

Every bid and award, month by month, against the plan's goals.

9 · Bid strategy 🔒 After the exam

Whether the next bid should be tighter, the same, or higher.

10 · Incentive 🔒 After the exam

A salary-based bonus that turns on only after the return clears its mark.

11 · Business plan 🔒 After the exam

The whole year, in language you can print.

12 · Team exam 🔒 After the exam

Your managers answer the same questions. Where you split is the agenda.

Start with why the plan is built this way