Independent Pricing Tools for Trade Contractors
SubShieldHQ was created to solve a persistent problem faced by specialty subcontractors: underbidding jobs due to hidden labor burden and unrecovered overhead costs.
Many small trade contractors apply a flat markup (e.g., 20%) directly to raw wages and materials, without accounting for employer payroll taxes, workers' compensation insurance, non-billable shop time, or operating overhead. The result is often high job-site volume with near-zero net profit.
Our Calculation Methodology
1. Fully Burdened Labor
Raw hourly wages do not reflect the true cost of an employee on site. Our estimator applies a labor burden multiplier that accounts for employer FICA (Social Security & Medicare), FUTA, SUTA, workers’ compensation premiums by trade class code, paid leave, and safety allowances.
2. Break-Even Overhead Recovery
Every trade business incurs fixed indirect expenses (shop rent, estimating software, legal, insurance, truck payments). Our model allocates an overhead recovery percentage across direct project costs so that baseline business expenses are recovered before profit is calculated.
3. Markup vs. Gross Margin
Adding a 20% markup on costs is not the same as earning a 20% gross margin. We calculate target pricing using the true gross margin formula:
Statutory Deadlines & Legal Notice Policy
Our lien deadline reference tool translates standard state statutory rules into estimated project reminder dates. Because statutory deadlines depend on specific claimant classifications (prime contractor, 1st-tier sub, supplier), contract language, and specific county filing rules, these dates are provided strictly as general reference baselines and do not constitute formal legal counsel.