You need cash before the next progress payment.

The next claim is not yet a bank receipt

A civil contractor is halfway through drainage works. The next progress claim depends on inspection and measured quantities, but wages and concrete are due first. The owner refers to the claim as money arriving next week, although the inspection has not been booked. The funding gap may be longer than the few days shown in the cash forecast.

Identify the actual milestone

Read the contract and claim process. List the work, evidence, inspection and approvals needed before a valid claim can be submitted. Confirm who controls each step.

Distinguish finishing work, lodging a claim, certification and receipt of funds. Treating those as the same date can understate the time the business must fund the project.

Calculate the cost to reach it

Prepare a remaining-work budget for labour, materials, subcontractors and plant. Include remedial work already known and commitments that cannot simply be paused. Exclude costs already paid so the gap is not overstated.

Use a dated cash schedule. Government guidance on forecasting supports comparing expected receipts and payments; here, the relevant horizon runs through collection, not merely through completion.

Source: business.gov.au — Set up a cash flow statement

Reduce uncertainty before seeking funding

Book the inspection, obtain missing records and confirm the claim submission requirements. Ask whether an agreed stage payment or scope change is possible, without assuming the customer must accept it.

If finance is considered, compare fees, security, collection timing and the effect on the next project. The repayment source should remain credible after a reasonable delay or deduction.

Set a limit on the bridging decision

Document the maximum funding requirement, key dates and what will happen if the milestone slips. Give the project team an escalation point before further commitments exceed that plan.

If the business cannot complete existing work or pay due debts, seek specialist advice promptly. A large future claim does not by itself resolve today’s solvency or contractual obligations.

Fund the whole route from work to cleared payment

Separate completion, certification and collection dates.

Cost the work required to reach actual payment.

Test a delayed-receipt case before committing to bridge finance.

Call CRP today to coordinate advice on funding the gap between work and collection.