The Bookkeeper Toolkit. Vet, grade, and re-grade your bookkeeper.
A construction-grade bookkeeper does ten specific things a generic one doesn't. This toolkit is what we use with contractors to find out who's doing them — and what every gap is costing per year. Three free downloads built around the scorecard.
"A construction-grade bookkeeper does ten things a generic one doesn't."
A quick take from Joe on what separates a bookkeeper who runs your business from one who only files your taxes — and how this toolkit names every gap in dollar terms.
An interview script. The methodology. A workbook to re-grade quarterly.
Three artifacts, built to work together. Use the interview script when you're hiring or pressure-testing. Use the methodology when someone challenges the dollar bands. Use the Excel mirror to re-grade in 90 days without starting over.
- Interview Script (PDF) — vet a new bookkeeper or pressure-test your current one
- Scorecard Methodology (PDF) — every dollar band, every source, every formula
- Scorecard Workbook (Excel) — same questions, same math, your numbers, quarterly
How to Interview Your Bookkeeper
The exact questions to ask before you hire — or to ask the bookkeeper you have right now. Built around the same ten construction-grade competencies the scorecard grades.
- Per-question prompts to draw out real answers
- Red-flag responses to watch for
- Reference-check questions for past clients
Bookkeeper Scorecard Methodology
Full sourcing behind every dollar band on the scorecard — CFMA, NAHB, BLS, IRS Pub 1220, AICPA. The math, the citations, and the worked examples.
- Per-question rate basis (low / mid / high)
- Source citations on each band
- Worked examples at three revenue tiers
Bookkeeper Scorecard Workbook
Re-grade quarterly without re-entering everything. Same ten questions, same revenue-band math, your historical answers tracked over time.
- Quarterly re-grade tabs with quarter-over-quarter trend
- Cited methodology on the same workbook
- Editable to match your trade mix
Ten questions. A through F. Real dollars per gap.
The toolkit is built around the same ten yes/no questions the scorecard grades — eight dollarized against industry benchmarks, two flagged as qualitative amplifiers.
Use the interview script
Ten construction-specific competencies — job-level reporting, WIP, receipt-to-job tagging, burdened labor, 1099/COI tracking, monthly close, sales tax, change orders, monthly review, trade experience.
Score with the workbook
Each "No" maps to a published industry-benchmark cost band. Pick your revenue tier — the workbook calculates the dollars on the line for your business.
Track quarter over quarter
A bookkeeper who stays at C-grade for two quarters in a row is the answer to whether you should switch. The workbook keeps the history.
The episode this toolkit was built for.
Joe walks through why these ten questions matter — what a construction-grade bookkeeper actually does that a generic one doesn't, and the dollars hiding behind every "No" on the scorecard. The toolkit on this page is the system from the episode.
Watch on YouTube →
Built to pair with the Bookkeeper Scorecard.
The online scorecard grades your bookkeeper in two minutes, on one page, and emails you a personalized PDF. This toolkit is what you use after — to interview a replacement, to defend the methodology, and to re-grade in 90 days.
Open the Bookkeeper ScorecardPair it with these.
Job Cost Calculator
Find out if a job actually made money. Real gross margin, net profit, and trade benchmark.
Open the calculator →Job Cost Tracking Toolkit
Printable checklist + 30-job Excel tracker built around the 30/35/45 gross-margin zones.
Get the toolkit →Financial Health Checklist
The 12-point owner checklist we walk through with every new client.
Download →If your books are tax-prep, not management info, we can fix that.
Best Decision Bookkeeping installs construction-grade bookkeeping for contractors and trade businesses. 30-minute call. No pitch. We'll walk your books and tell you what's missing.