Office setup for new and behind construction companies
Office Startup is a one-time $497 service that sets up a working back office for a new construction company or one that has fallen behind: job folders, a tracker, a billing email and a job list, plus a plain-English walk-through of contracts, change orders and lien waivers. It comes with a Back Office 101 guide.
How office startup works with Outrigger
A lot of construction companies start the same way. Someone good at the work gets a few jobs, then a few more, and suddenly there is a GC asking for a W-9, a pay app due on the 25th and a stack of receipts in the console. Nobody set up an office because there was never time. Office Startup gives you the basic structure in one go, built for the way construction actually runs.
We set up a shared Google Drive with a folder for each job, a tracker in Google Sheets for jobs, invoices and paperwork, a billing email address for your company and a list of your open jobs. Then we sit down with you, by phone or video, and walk through the paperwork you will see most: contracts, change orders and lien waivers, explained in plain English. You get a Back Office 101 guide to keep.
Outrigger was built inside the back office of a working civil sitework company in Georgia, so we know what it feels like to stare at a GC's contract and wonder what it means for your billing. Office Startup is an optional add-on. If you sign up for a plan, billing setup is already included free, so this is for owners who want the full walk-through and a clean start.
Best for
- Brand new construction companies
- Offices that have fallen months behind
- Owners moving out of a personal email inbox
- Spouses taking over the office with no training
- Contractors starting to work for GCs
- Owners who want to understand their paperwork
What's included
Job folders
A shared Google Drive with a folder for each job and a simple layout for contracts, change orders, invoices, lien waivers, photos and sub paperwork.
Tracker
A Google Sheets tracker for your jobs, what has been billed, what has been paid and what paperwork is still out, set up from your real work.
Billing email
A billing email address in your company's name, so invoices and paperwork come from your business and not from a personal inbox.
Job list
A list of your open jobs with the GC or customer, contract amount, payment terms and key dates, taken from your contracts and loaded into the tracker.
Plain-English walk-through
We walk you through contracts, change orders and lien waivers: what the parts usually mean and what to look for. It is explanation, not legal advice.
Back Office 101 guide
A guide you keep, covering how the folders and tracker work and the basics of billing, change orders and lien waivers for a small construction company.
What you do
- Send us your contracts and open job details
- Join the walk-through call
- Decide how you want to run things
- Ask your attorney or CPA the legal and tax questions
The three pieces of paperwork every new contractor runs into
Change orders: changes to scope should be in writing and approved before or promptly after the work. Many contracts set a deadline or process for change orders, so read your contract and know where that section is. Unbilled extra work is lost money, and a handshake change order is easy to forget and hard to collect on later.
Lien waivers: a lien waiver is a document saying a contractor or supplier gives up lien rights for a payment. Conditional waivers take effect when the payment actually clears; unconditional waivers take effect when signed. GCs and owners often require waivers with each pay app. Some states have required statutory waiver forms, including Georgia, and rules vary by state, so check with an attorney in your state.
Pay applications and paperwork: on commercial jobs you will often bill with pay apps, billing the percent complete of each line on a schedule of values, with retainage held back until the end of the job. GCs also commonly ask for your certificate of insurance and W-9 before they will pay you. We explain these in plain English; we do not write or review contracts or give legal advice.
Our process
Free office checkup
Book a free 20-minute Office Checkup call. We look at how you bill, pay subs and keep paperwork today, and show you what to fix first.
Gather what you have
You send us your contracts, open jobs and any paperwork you already have, by email or shared folder, messy is fine.
We build it
We set up your job folders, tracker, billing email and job list, and load your open jobs from your contracts.
Walk-through call
We walk you through the setup and through contracts, change orders and lien waivers in plain English, and answer your questions.
You keep it
Everything is in your own Google Drive and email, with the Back Office 101 guide. Run it yourself, or add a monthly plan later.
Office Startup FAQ
How much does it cost to set up a construction office?
Outrigger's Office Startup is a one-time $497. It covers job folders, a tracker, a billing email, a job list, a plain-English walk-through of contracts, change orders and lien waivers, and a Back Office 101 guide. It is an optional add-on; billing setup is already included free with every monthly plan, and plans start at $699 a month.
Do I need Office Startup if I sign up for a monthly plan?
No, you do not need it, because billing setup is already included free with every plan. We build your tracker, job folders and billing email from your contracts as part of month one. Office Startup is for owners who also want the full plain-English walk-through, the Back Office 101 guide and a clean start on everything.
Will you review my contracts and tell me if they are fair?
No, we do not write or review contracts or give legal advice. In the walk-through we explain what the common parts of a construction contract usually mean and where things like change order deadlines tend to live, so you know what to look for. For whether a contract is fair or what to change, talk to an attorney. We can point you to trusted partners.
How long does Office Startup take?
It depends on how many open jobs you have and how much paperwork there is to sort. We go over it on your free Office Checkup call and tell you what we need from you. The faster you send contracts and job details, the faster we can build. We reply to every message within 1 business day.
What software do I need for Office Startup?
You need no new software. We set things up in free Google Drive and Google Sheets, plus a billing email address for your company in Gmail. If you already use QuickBooks, we can work alongside it. Everything is in your name and stays with you, whether or not you sign up for a monthly plan.
Can you set up my office if I am not in Georgia?
Yes, Office Startup is fully remote and works for contractors anywhere in the U.S. We are based in Georgia, but everything happens by phone, text, email and shared Google folders, so no office visit is needed. When rules vary by state, like lien waiver forms, we tell you to check with an attorney in your state.
Often paired with
Billing & Collections
We set up each job from your contract, send invoices within 1 business day of your request, track what is owed, and send polite reminders from your own billing email.
Learn moreChange Orders
Text or email us 5 details from the field. We write the change order the same day, you reply APPROVED, and it goes to the GC from your billing email.
Learn morePay Apps & Lien Waivers
We set up your schedule of values, prepare monthly pay applications for you to sign, track retainage, and prepare and collect the lien waivers that go with each payment.
Learn more