Payroll
Staff may need paying weekly or monthly before the customer settles the first invoice.
Contract mobilisation finance UK
Won the work.
Fund the gap.
Alderva helps established UK businesses understand the cash required to mobilise new contracts and, where appropriate, explore suitable commercial finance around the actual funding requirement.
- Start with the contract, not the loan
- No lender receives your details without your agreement
- Focus on the funding actually required
Mobilise. Deliver. Get paid.
The mobilisation window
- 1
Contract awarded
- 2
Mobilisation
Cash out before cash in
- 3
Delivery
Cash out before cash in
- 4
First payment
Contract mobilisation gap calculator
What could your new contract cost before the first payment arrives?
Estimate the working capital required between mobilisation and your first meaningful customer receipt.
Your indicative result
Estimated funding gap
£0
- Total mobilisation requirement
- £0
- Business cash contribution
- £0
- Payment timing gap
- —
Based on the figures entered, you have not identified an external mobilisation funding gap.
This calculator provides an indicative cashflow estimate only. It is not a finance offer, lending decision or guarantee of funding. Any finance is subject to provider criteria and individual circumstances.
The mobilisation gap
A profitable contract can still create a cashflow problem.
Winning new work often means paying wages, suppliers, subcontractors and setup costs before the first customer payment arrives.
The issue is not necessarily profitability. It is timing.
Materials & suppliers
Materials, stock and supplier deposits may be committed before delivery begins.
Equipment & mobilisation
Plant, vehicles, systems, uniforms, training and implementation can create significant upfront expenditure.
Payment terms
30, 45 or 60-day payment terms can leave working capital tied up after delivery has already started.
Contract cashflow timeline
Where does the funding gap appear?
- 1
Contract awarded
The business secures new work.
- 2
Mobilisation
Recruitment, materials, equipment and setup expenditure begins.
Potential working capital gap begins
- 3
Delivery starts
The contract is being delivered and operating costs continue.
- 4
Invoice / milestone
The business becomes entitled to invoice or reach a payment milestone.
- 5
Customer payment
Cash is finally received.
Alderva focuses on understanding this timing gap before considering finance.
The Alderva approach
We don't start with a loan.
We start with the contract.
The amount a business can borrow and the amount it actually needs are not necessarily the same thing.
Alderva starts with the commercial requirement.
- 01
Understand the work
Contract value, start date, customer, obligations and expected payment profile.
- 02
Understand the cost
Payroll, recruitment, materials, subcontractors, equipment and other mobilisation expenditure.
- 03
Calculate the gap
Compare expenditure before receipts with the cash the business is comfortable allocating itself.
- 04
Consider the appropriate route
Only where an external funding requirement genuinely exists do we consider suitable commercial finance options.
- 05
Introduce with permission
The business understands the proposed route before its information is shared with a finance provider.
Who we help
Built for businesses that spend before they get paid.
Alderva is designed around sectors where winning new work can create an immediate mobilisation or working-capital requirement.
Construction & contractors
Typical pressure
Materials, plant hire, subcontractors and labour may be committed before milestone payments arrive.
Facilities management & cleaning
Typical pressure
Recruitment, equipment, uniforms, consumables and first payroll may be required before monthly receipts begin.
Security
Typical pressure
Recruitment, vetting, training, uniforms, equipment and payroll can arise before the customer makes its first payment.
Recruitment & staffing
Typical pressure
Workers may need paying weekly while clients settle invoices 30–60 days later.
Care providers
Typical pressure
Recruitment, onboarding, training and payroll may increase before new contract revenues begin.
Transport & logistics
Typical pressure
Vehicles, fuel, drivers, insurance and operating expenditure may increase immediately when new work begins.
Manufacturing & engineering
Typical pressure
Materials, components, labour and production expenditure may occur well before the customer pays.
IT & business services
Typical pressure
Additional staff, contractors, implementation and software costs may arise before project or contract receipts.
Potential finance routes
Finance around the commercial requirement.
Different stages of a contract can create different funding requirements. The appropriate structure depends on the business, the contract and the timing of receipts.
Contract mobilisation finance
Potential working capital for costs required before or during the early stages of delivering newly won work.
Typical uses
- Payroll
- Materials
- Recruitment
- Subcontractors
- Setup costs
Working capital finance
Commercial finance for defined short-term cashflow requirements within an established business.
Invoice finance
Potentially suitable once qualifying B2B invoices are being raised and cash remains tied up awaiting customer payment.
Asset finance
Potentially suitable where vehicles, machinery, plant or equipment are required to deliver the contract.
Finance is subject to provider criteria, status and individual circumstances.
Worked example
What might a mobilisation gap look like?
An illustrative scenario: a facilities-management business wins a new contract.
- Sector
- Facilities management
- Contract value
- £600,000
- Contract starts
- 6 weeks after award
- First meaningful receipt
- 45 days after commencement
The scenario
Mobilisation expenditure
| Payroll & recruitment | £42,000 |
|---|---|
| Equipment & setup | £21,000 |
| Other mobilisation costs | £15,000 |
| Total mobilisation requirement | £78,000 |
| Cash the business is comfortable allocating | − £30,000 |
Indicative cashflow gap
£48,000
Alderva would begin by understanding the £48,000 timing requirement, expected customer receipts and the underlying delivery costs before considering whether external working capital was appropriate.
CALCULATE YOUR OWN GAPIllustrative figures only. This is not a finance offer or indication of eligibility.
Why this approach
A more considered approach to commercial finance.
Minimum sufficient funding
Start with what the contract actually requires rather than the maximum amount potentially available.
Commercial context
Consider delivery costs, timing and expected receipts rather than looking only at a requested loan amount.
Client control
The business should understand the proposed finance route before an introduction takes place.
Transparency
Where Alderva receives commission from a finance provider, appropriate disclosure should be made.