Our San Francisco-based CPA and team help growing engineering firms in the San Francisco Bay Area and across California strengthen project profitability, manage cash flow, and plan for growth with strategic accounting, proactive tax planning, and fractional CFO support.
Engineering firms rarely bill every project the same way. One engagement may be hourly, the next fixed-fee, with subconsultants, reimbursable expenses, and changing scopes layered throughout. That complexity can make it harder to see which projects are actually profitable.
Our fractional CFO, accounting, and tax strategy practice is built around that reality for engineering firms across the San Francisco Bay Area and California.
We work closely with structural, civil, and MEP engineering firms to untangle utilization and realization rates, track earned vs billed revenue across hourly and fixed-fee contracts, and uncover tax strategies most firms miss.
Does your firm need help with tax planning, financial reporting, project profitability? Or more complex finance decisions? Our California accountants bring real experience working with engineering principals who need clear numbers and advice grounded in how design and engineering firms actually bill and staff their work.
The numbers we review together:
Without the right financial visibility, it becomes harder to see which projects are truly profitable and where performance may be starting to slip.
Our team of CPAs and accountants build financial systems around the way engineering firms actually operate, helping you track project profitability, manage cash flow, and make more informed decisions as the firm grows.
For California engineering firms, financial challenges rarely stay confined to the books. Weak project visibility, delayed billing, and tightening margins can affect hiring, cash flow, project delivery, and growth. The right financial partner helps identify those risks early, giving firm leaders more time to respond before small issues become bigger problems.
Hours worked don’t always become hours billed. We track realization by staff and by project so write-downs stop hiding in the numbers.
Without clear utilization targets, it’s hard to know if you’re understaffed, overstaffed, or just poorly scheduled. We build the reporting that answers it.
Structural, geotechnical, and specialty subconsultants add a layer of pass-through billing that’s easy to mismanage. We keep it clean and reconciled.
Certain engineering activities may qualify for federal and California research credits when they meet the applicable technical requirements and are properly documented. Routine engineering work does not automatically qualify. We evaluate specific activities as part of tax planning rather than assuming a project is eligible based on the industry alone.
Research costs, entity structure, owner compensation, estimated taxes, deductions, and credits can all affect the tax picture for engineering firms. We review these throughout the year based on current federal and California rules so planning decisions are made before filing deadlines.
We’re the right fit for engineering firms that:
Engineering firms across the Bay Area and California turn to us when they’ve outgrown basic financial support and need sharper project reporting, stronger tax planning, and better visibility into the numbers driving profitability and growth.
San Francisco and California Firms designing building structures and systems, managing fixed-fee contracts and phased billing across long project timelines.
Site development, grading, and infrastructure engineers coordinating with public agencies, developers, and general contractors on multi-phase work.
Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineers balancing design-phase billing with construction administration and change-order tracking.
Firms billing project-based fieldwork and reporting, often layered with subconsultant lab and testing costs.
Firms combining several disciplines under one roof, needing consolidated reporting across departments that bill differently.
The right financial strategy doesn’t just organize your books. It increases resilience and confidence.
Your financial setup should work the way you do — not the other way around. That’s when things finally make sense
Your numbers should help you answer:
As engineering firms grow, basic financial systems can start to fall behind the complexity of the business. More projects, larger teams, different billing structures, and tighter margins create a need for stronger reporting, better financial infrastructure, and more strategic oversight.
Senior financial leadership on a part-time basis. Strategy, forecasting, and financial decision-making, without the full-time salary.
Separate hourly, fixed-fee, and T&M work while tracking staff labor, subconsultants, reimbursables, receivables, and overhead.
Anticipate payroll, consultant costs, rent, taxes, and client collections so potential cash pressure is visible earlier.
Compare project revenue with staff hours, subconsultants, phase budgets, write-downs, and overhead.
Review entity structure, owner compensation, estimated taxes, deductions, research-credit opportunities, and other planning considerations throughout the year.
Planning a hire, a purchase, or an expansion? We model the impact before you commit.
Compare project revenue with staff hours, subconsultants, phase budgets, write-downs, and overhead.
Review entity structure, owner compensation, estimated taxes, deductions, research-credit opportunities, and other planning considerations throughout the year.
Planning a hire, a purchase, or an expansion? We model the impact before you commit.
Senior financial leadership on a part-time basis. Strategy, forecasting, and financial decision-making. Without the full-time salary.
Separate hourly, fixed-fee, and T&M work while tracking staff labor, subconsultants, reimbursables, receivables, and overhead.
Anticipate payroll, consultant costs, rent, taxes, and client collections so potential cash pressure is visible earlier.
Sharon Ching
SLM Architecture and Design
What a great surprise! We were expecting to pay IRS over $10,000 in additional taxes but we ended up with $4,000 tax credits and paid nothing! Samy is amazing! He knows all the recent tax reforms and patiently explains them to us and applies the relevant tax deductible tools and strategies for our business and personal taxes.
Elmira Esmaeili
As a new client I’m delighted to report that my interactions with Basta & Company have been excellent. I’m grateful for the invaluable assistance I’ve so far received from Basta & Company, and staff!
John Meloy
I cannot recommend Samy enough! He helped us with a very challenging 1031 exchange which allowed us to defer our capital gains taxes and purchase a new property. He returns e-mails and phone messages promptly and the best part is that he talks non CPA language to you in order to make sure you understand everything. If I could, I would give him 6 stars!
Michael Berke
No. We’re based in the Bay Area serving the built environment (construction and construction trades, engineering and design-firms, and property managers) across California.
Yes, when cleanup is part of an ongoing accounting relationship. We can review the existing setup, improve how hourly, fixed-fee, and T&M work is represented, and build stronger project reporting going forward.
Yes. Project and phase-level profitability reporting is core to what we do for engineering clients.
Potentially. Eligibility depends on the specific activities performed, the technical uncertainty involved, the process of experimentation, and the applicable federal and California requirements. We review the facts and documentation as part of tax planning.
We help with proactive tax planning, entity structure review, deductions, R&D credit eligibility, and year-end strategy — reducing surprises and finding legal savings before deadlines pass.
We track how much of each fixed-fee contract has actually been earned as work progresses, so your numbers reflect real project status — not just what’s been invoiced — alongside your hourly billing.
Yes. We set up reporting that tracks utilization and realization by staff member and by project, so margin leaks get caught early.
Fill out our contact form to share your business details and biggest financial challenges. We’ll review everything, and if it looks like a good fit, we’ll invite you for a call to dive deeper. No obligation.
Still Have A Question ?
We’re here to help. Reach out to our team and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Basta & Company guides San Francisco businesses through every financial milestone — from business structure and accounting systems to tax strategy and scaling with confidence.
Top-rated San Francisco CPA offering fractional CFO services and tax strategy in the Bay Area
With over 25 years of experience, Basta & Company has become a trusted partner for growing businesses across San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties, as well as throughout California. Led by Samy Basta, CPA, our team provides fractional CFO services, accounting, and tax strategy for the built environment: construction, planning & design, and CRE.
© Copyright Basta & Company • All Right Reserved 2026