Services for AEC Firms | Luminspire Group

Fractional COO, CFO, and CHRO for AEC Firms

You deliver with technical excellence. The leaks are in delivery cadence, resource visibility, job-cost control, and compliance.

Stop margin drift, PM churn, and audit anxiety. In approximately 90 days, we install firmwide operating systems: delivery cadence, utilization visibility, job-cost controls, and compliance checkpoints your PMs can run without you.
AEC Compliance Expertise
FAR 31 • Caltrans (LAPM) • DCAA • SF330 • Prevailing Wage / Certified Payroll • EEO/AA • Davis-Bacon • CPARS • DBE/SBE tracking • I-9 & EEO-1 HR compliance (SHRM-SCP) • ISO 9001 (where applicable)

Typical clients: 15 to 60 people • $1M to $20M revenue • Civil, environmental, structural, MEP, surveying.

Tools we work in: Deltek (Vision/Vantagepoint), QuickBooks, BQE, Procore, SharePoint.

The Full-Time Executive Alternative

Full-time COO: $200K salary + $60K benefits + equity = $270K+ per year
Fractional leadership: $3,700 to $5,550 per month for targeted systems work
Senior expertise without a 6-month search or benefits overhead. Typical first-quarter wins: DSO, utilization visibility, job-cost accuracy.

If this sounds familiar, you're in the right place

Invoices lag and WIP sits unbilled for 45+ days
PM turnover disrupts delivery and client relationships
FAR/Caltrans compliance creates audit anxiety
Job costing is incomplete or siloed in accounting
Utilization data is late or not trusted
Proposals are inconsistent and win rates are frustrating
Principal is the bottleneck on every major decision
Subconsultant tracking and invoicing create month-end chaos

How We Work: One System at a Time

Example
Fix invoice lag
Pre-bill checklist, weekly billing cadence, PM training, lock the routine
Example result: DSO reduced from 47 to 19 days
Example
Install weekly utilization rollup
Weekly rollup by discipline, dashboard by project and PM, assign owner
Example result: See over/under allocation in real time
Example
Standardize kickoff and closeout
Kickoff checklist, project file structure, closeout SOP, train PMs
Example result: Margin drift stops, QA improves

Transparent Hourly Pricing

$185 per hour. Most AEC engagements run 20 to 30 hours per month ($3,700-$5,550). That buys hands-on system work: logging into Deltek or QuickBooks, tightening AR cadence, configuring utilization dashboards, standardizing project files, and training PMs. Measurable results in approximately 90 days, without hiring a $200K+ executive.

Operations & Delivery

Fractional COO

"Projects run, but margin drifts and nothing standard sticks. Every PM does it their own way."

Put discipline behind delivery. We lock in utilization, job costing, and handoffs. We standardize SOPs, QA workflows, and compliance checkpoints so every PM runs the firm's way, not their own.

Example result: 28-person civil firm reduced DSO from 47 to 19 days in approximately 90 days. Weekly utilization visibility installed, PM handoff standardized.

Standard Package

$3,700/month
20 hours per month
$185/hour • 90-180 days
  • Core SOPs and QA checklists
  • Utilization tracking by discipline
  • Project workflow and file structure
  • Kickoff and closeout templates

Growth Package

$5,550/month
30 hours per month
$185/hour • 90-180 days
  • All Standard features
  • Job cost tracking tied to decisions
  • Resource planning and capacity modeling
  • Compliance frameworks (FAR, Caltrans, APWA)
Finance & Compliance

Fractional CFO

"We have a CPA, but cash is unpredictable. We guess on overhead rates and pricing. Audits make us nervous."

Taxes and books are not finance leadership. We tighten AR, build cash forecasts, and make indirect rates audit-defensible. For environmental firms, we account for stop-start projects, municipal funding cycles, and compliance layers unique to Phase I/II, wetlands, and NEPA.

Example result: Environmental firm reduced finance errors 85%, indirect rate policy installed, job costing by client live within 60 days. Passed pre-award audit (cleared findings, as applicable).

Standard Package

$3,700/month
20 hours per month
$185/hour • Ongoing
  • Monthly dashboards and cash forecasts
  • Job costing by project and client
  • AR discipline and DSO tracking
  • FAR and Caltrans readiness baseline

Growth Package

$5,550/month
30 hours per month
$185/hour • Ongoing
  • All Standard features
  • Indirect rate policy (audit-ready)
  • Pricing strategy and contract terms review
  • Budget planning tied to capacity
People & Compliance

Fractional CHRO

"PM and technical staff turnover disrupts projects. HR compliance feels like a minefield. Hiring is stressful and slow."

Build simple people systems that scale. We deliver recruiting flow, onboarding, performance cadence, and policies that reduce risk. AEC-specific: PE/PG retention strategies, billable vs non-billable clarity, and compliance with prevailing wage and EEO requirements.

Example result: 35-person structural firm cut hiring time 50%, closed compliance gaps that could have led to $75K+ in penalties. PM retention plan in place.

Standard Package

$3,700/month
20 hours per month
$185/hour • 60-120 days
  • Handbook and policies (prevailing wage, EEO)
  • HRIS workflows for onboarding and PTO
  • Performance cadence tied to project cycles
  • Manager toolkits for technical leads

Growth Package

$5,550/month
30 hours per month
$185/hour • 60-120 days
  • All Standard features
  • Recruiting process for technical roles
  • Retention strategy (PE/PG/senior staff)
  • Compensation bands and benchmarking by discipline
Marketing & Proposals

Fractional CMO

"RFP responses are inconsistent. Win rates are frustrating. We look smaller than we are. SF330s take forever."

Build a repeatable pursuit engine. We sharpen positioning, standardize quals and proposals (SF330, RFQ, RFP), build case libraries, and install go/no-go criteria. Pursuit strategy by market segment: transportation, water/wastewater, municipal, federal.

Example result: MEP firm improved win rate from 15% to 40%, SF330 prep time reduced from 80 to 24 hours, $35M contract awarded within 6 months.

Standard Package

$3,700/month
20 hours per month
$185/hour • 90-180 days
  • Proposal templates (SF330, RFP, RFQ)
  • Messaging and competitive positioning
  • Case study library and resume bank
  • BD pipeline tracking and follow-up cadence

Growth Package

$5,550/month
30 hours per month
$185/hour • 90-180 days
  • All Standard features
  • Go/no-go criteria and win rate tracking
  • Competitor scan by market segment
  • Teaming strategy and subconsultant relationships
Strategy & Leadership

Strategic Advisory

"Ownership transition is coming. Growth decisions feel isolating. We're stuck between $3M and $10M."

A focused sounding board for founders and principals. Monthly sessions on the decisions that matter: succession planning, acquisition targets, market entry, PE/debt financing, family business transitions, ESOP vs sale.

Example result: Guided founder-principal through $12M acquisition of a competing firm and 18-month integration plan. Completed ahead of schedule.

Advisory Retainer

$3,700/month
20 hours per month
$185/hour • Ongoing
  • Monthly strategy session with action recap
  • Scenario planning (growth, succession, M&A)
  • Growth roadmap tied to capacity and cash
  • On-call input for urgent strategic issues
Crisis & Turnaround

Interim Leadership

"Principal left. Contract at risk. Cash is tight. Clients are nervous. We need stabilization fast."

Intensive, short-term leadership to triage, stabilize, and transition. We focus on cash preservation, client retention, team communications, and the critical moves that reset the system. Common scenarios: principal departure, contract dispute, failed audit, payroll risk.

Example result: Stabilized a $6M transportation firm in 45 days during sudden principal departure. Retained 95% of critical staff, all major clients, and restored Caltrans qualification.

Remote Stabilization

$7,400/week
40 hours per week
$185/hour • 4-10 weeks
  • Rapid assessment and triage
  • Cash preservation and AR sprint
  • Client and team communications
  • 30-60 day stabilization plan

Hybrid with Onsite

$9,250/week
40 hours + travel
$185/hour + expenses • 4-10 weeks
  • All Stabilization features
  • Onsite presence (1-3 days/week)
  • Direct client and prime meetings
  • Transition plan to permanent leadership
Starter Option

30-Day Diagnostic Sprint

"I want to see results before committing to 90 days. What's the biggest leak right now?"

Prove fit, see results, then decide. We don't hand you templates. We're in your systems (Deltek, QuickBooks, BQE, SharePoint) fixing invoice cadence, utilization tracking, or indirect rates. At the end you get a working system, ownership checklist, and video walkthroughs. From there, continue at $3,700/month or run with it yourself.

Sprint

$2,775
15 hours total
$185/hour • 30 days
  • Baseline diagnostic (AR, WIP, utilization, compliance)
  • One system built and piloted
  • Two video walkthroughs for your team
  • Choose to extend, sustain, or pause

Common Questions from AEC Firms

Do you understand our compliance requirements?
Yes. We build monthly routines aligned to FAR 31, Caltrans, APWA, prevailing wage, EEO/AA, Davis-Bacon, and DCAA audit standards. Compliance becomes part of your regular workflow, not last-minute scrambles.
Do you actually do the work in our systems?
Yes. We build reports, configure dashboards, and install SOPs directly in Deltek, QuickBooks, BQE, or your existing stack. Deliverables live in your environment, not ours.
What happens after the 30-day sprint?
You keep the system, ownership checklist, and walkthroughs. You can continue with us monthly, or pause and run it yourself. No lock-in.
What happens at approximately 90 days?
At approximately 90 days you receive: a results scorecard (what improved, by how much), ownership transfer checklist, and next-step options: stop, extend, or sustain.
How do you pick what to fix first?
Baseline review: AR aging, WIP, utilization by discipline, indirect rate structure, pipeline, compliance gaps. Plus direct interviews with principals and PMs. We rank leaks by impact and ease, then you approve the priority.
Can you work with our existing tools?
Yes. We work within your current stack: Deltek, QuickBooks, Procore, BQE, SharePoint. No new software required.
Will you replace our CPA?
No. Your CPA closes the books and files taxes. We lead the operating and financial systems your CPA and PMs rely on: cash forecasting, job costing, AR cadence, indirect rates, and compliance frameworks.
What if we're too small or too specialized?
We work with firms from $1M to $20M revenue across civil, structural, MEP, environmental, geotechnical, landscape, and surveying. If you have PMs, unbilled WIP, and compliance requirements, we can help.
How do you work without adding a license?
Many clients prefer not to add a seat. We're set up to deliver with read-only or export-based access: you (or your admin) export reports/transactions; we transform and document; then we hand back import files, SOPs, and step-by-step instructions your team applies in Deltek/QuickBooks/BQE. When a change must be done in-app, we provide a walkthrough or screen recording for your admin to execute.

See case studies • How we work in detail

How We Work

We build audit-ready systems your team can run without us.

1
Assess and Align
Review AR, WIP, utilization, compliance gaps. Interview principals and PMs. Rank leaks by impact.
2
Design and Build
Create simple playbooks, dashboards, and workflows. Pilot with one PM. Refine. Scale to the team.
3
Transfer and Scale
Name owners. Lock cadence. Document in one page. Video walkthroughs. Coach until it holds.

Fixed project, monthly retainer, or MSA with task orders. We work the way AEC firms buy.

Ready to stop the leaks?

Book a 15-minute fit check or email a question. No slide deck. No pressure. Straight answers.

Book a 15-minute fit check Email a quick question