Cutting costs without sacrificing quality, securing margins without inflating prices: a balance few master. Performance BTP helps optimise quoting where it can be done, intelligently.
Not all cost cuts are equal. Skimping on substrate preparation or waterproofing sets up costly rework. Conversely, optimising supplies, bundling items, or choosing materials with the best durability-to-cost ratio are genuine savings. The point is knowing where to cut without risk.
For a contractor, margin is vital and fragile. An underestimated item, a poorly managed surprise, and the job goes into the red. Optimisation comes from a fine grasp of costs, a contingency provision, and rigorous handling of variations. Charging more isn't the solution; pricing fairly and controlling costs is.
Every project trades off three poles: quality, price, time. Optimising means finding the right balance for the actual goal — a rental property, a primary residence and a flip don't call for the same choices. Performance BTP frames these trade-offs with both a technical and a financial eye.
Lever 1 — Package bundling: awarding multiple packages to one company (e.g. plumbing + heating, or electrics + home automation) can generate 5 to 15% savings. Lever 2 — Materials purchase timing: some materials fluctuate seasonally (timber in winter, imported tiling in summer). Anticipating purchases 2 to 3 months ahead can save 8 to 12%. Lever 3 — Supplier negotiation: trade accounts, bulk orders, prompt payment — our tradesperson clients save an average of 18% on materials after our negotiation training. Lever 4 — Grants and subsidies: MaPrimeRénov', CEE, 5.5% VAT — properly assembled, these schemes fund 20 to 90% of energy renovation works. Lever 5 — Specification quality: a precise technical specification reduces additional works and disputes — it is the investment with the best ROI.
For tradespeople and construction companies, we work on margin at two levels. Gross margin: materials purchasing optimisation (supplier negotiation, bulk orders, trade accounts), site time optimisation (organisation, appropriate tooling, team training). Net margin: pricing positioning (escaping price competition through a differentiating offer), fixed cost structure (rent, vehicles, insurance — annual renegotiation), and tax efficiency (legal structure optimisation with a BTP-specialist accountant). Across our accompanied clients, the improvement in net margin averages +8 percentage points in 6 months.
You cannot improve what you do not measure. We set up with you a simple monthly financial dashboard based on 6 key indicators: revenue invoiced, revenue received, gross margin per project, overall net margin, client payment terms, and cash available. This dashboard takes 15 minutes per month to update — and gives you an instant picture of your business's financial health. We review it together during our monthly coaching sessions.
A small renovation firm was running job after job without ever making a satisfying net margin. The analysis showed badly tracked costs and unbilled variations. By structuring its quoting and cost monitoring, the firm restored its margin by several points without raising prices — simply by stopping the leaks.
True optimisation isn't lowering your prices, but knowing your costs precisely. A professional who controls their costs and invoices their variations earns more than one who slashes prices hoping to compensate with volume.
Beyond one-off advice, Performance BTP trains professionals to drive their profitability over time, and provides digital tools (margin calculators, quoting templates) that embed these good habits.
Advisory, project management, training and business development support. First exchange free and with no commitment.