Industries / IT Consulting & Services

Working capital for IT consulting & services firms.

Salaried staff and subcontractors are paid continuously. Enterprise clients pay on procurement cycles that can run ninety days. GuideRock turns delivered, invoiced work into working capital so delivery capacity is not limited by collection timing.
DELIVERY COSTS
RUN CONTINUOUSLY
MILESTONE
INVOICED
ENTERPRISE PAYS
45 TO 90 DAYS LATER
Costs are continuous. Collections are not.
The IT Services Cash Flow Gap

Continuous cost against lumpy collection.

Consulting economics are front-loaded. Salaries, subcontractors, and cloud costs run every month regardless of billing milestones, while enterprise procurement and invoice approval add weeks before the payment clock even starts.

Delivery Begins

Consultants and subcontractors are staffed. Payroll and vendor costs start immediately.

Milestone Hit

Work is delivered, but invoicing waits for milestone sign-off or month-end billing.

Invoice Approved

Procurement and AP review the invoice. Terms typically start from approval, not submission.

Day 45 to 90

Payment lands, often a full quarter after the first delivery cost was incurred.

A signed statement of work does not pay this month's payroll.
Who You Invoice

Your customers, and how they actually pay.

Advance rates and facility structure depend heavily on who owes you. Here is how common IT services customer types are typically viewed.
01 / 03

Enterprise & Fortune 1000

Excellent credit quality that supports strong advance rates, but procurement-driven terms and multi-step invoice approval make these the slowest payers in the mix.
NET-45 TO NET-90
02 / 03

Mid-Market Direct

Shorter approval chains and faster decisions. Terms are more negotiable, though credit quality varies more widely across the customer base.
NET-30 TO NET-60
03 / 03

Primes & Channel Partners

Subcontracted delivery through a prime contractor or systems integrator. Payment often depends on the prime collecting first, which adds time.
NET-45 TO NET-75
Solutions That Fit

Structures commonly used by IT services firms.

Most engagements start with factoring against approved invoices. Larger platforms with steady billing history often graduate to an asset-based structure.
01 / 03

Invoice Factoring

Advance against delivered, invoiced work.
02 / 03

True-Sale A/R Financing

When balance sheet treatment matters.
03 / 03

Asset-Based Lending

For larger, established firms.
Frequently Asked Questions

IT services financing questions we hear most.

We bill on milestones, not monthly. Does that work?

Yes, though the structure matters. Financing is generally available against invoices for work already delivered and accepted. Milestone billing simply means fewer, larger receivables rather than a steady stream, which is accounted for in how the facility is sized.

Can we finance time-and-materials and fixed-fee work the same way?

Both are financeable. Time-and-materials billing backed by approved timesheets tends to move fastest through diligence, since the supporting documentation is clear. Fixed-fee milestone work is financeable once the milestone has been accepted.

Our subcontractor costs are significant. Does that affect eligibility?

It is factored into the analysis but is not a barrier. What matters is that the receivable represents delivered work owed by a creditworthy client. Some firms use the facility specifically to pay subcontractors on time while waiting on enterprise payment cycles.

We work through a prime contractor. Can that be financed?

Often yes, though pay-when-paid provisions in the subcontract are a key consideration. Those terms affect how the receivable is viewed, so we review the underlying agreement before proposing a structure.

How quickly can we get funded?

Initial review and matching typically takes 24 to 72 hours, with diligence running one to two weeks. Once a facility is in place, funding against new approved invoices is usually same day or next business day.

Start a conversation

Let's talk about what's tying up your cash.

If enterprise payment cycles are constraining how fast you can staff and deliver, let’s look at how to structure around it.

Schedule a call with us

20 minutes to find out what your receivables could support. No obligation.