BUSINESS MOT & REVIEW
BEFORE YOU CAN FIX IT,
YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S BROKEN.
A structured, expert-led review of your construction business, giving you clarity on where you stand, what's holding you back, and exactly where to focus next.
MOST CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS OWNERS ARE SO BUSY RUNNING THEIR BUSINESS.
They rarely get the chance to look at it clearly. You're managing jobs, chasing payments, dealing with people and trying to win the next contract — all at the same time. The commercial health of the business itself can feel like something you'll get around to when things quieten down.
Things rarely quieten down.
The CBA Business MOT is a structured, one-off review of your construction business — carried out by David Clark FCInstCES MCIOB, Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors and Chartered Construction Manager, with a career built on turning around underperforming construction businesses and business units. In a focused half or full-day engagement, David works through a defined framework with you — asking the questions that most business owners avoid, examining the areas that are most likely to be holding your business back, and producing a clear written report with prioritised findings and recommendations.
This is not a sales call dressed up as a review. It is an honest, expert assessment — and the findings belong to you, regardless of what you decide to do next.
For many of CBA's clients, the Business MOT is where the relationship begins.
WHAT WE LOOK AT
The Business MOT works through six core areas of your construction business. Every area is examined honestly — what's working, what isn't, and what the risk or opportunity is.
◆ Commercial Performance
How is the business performing commercially? Are you hitting the margins you price for? Is turnover growing, stable or in decline — and do you know why? We look at the financial picture with clear eyes.
◆ Pricing & Estimating
How are you pricing your work? Is your approach structured and consistent, or reactive and instinctive? Are you winning the right jobs at the right margin — or winning work that costs you money to deliver?
◆ Profit & Cost Control
Where does your margin go between winning a job and finishing it? We examine your cost control disciplines, your variation management, and the commercial controls — or lack of them — that determine whether a job makes money or doesn't.
◆ Business Development & Pipeline
How are you winning work? Is your pipeline visible and managed, or uncertain and reactive? Are you targeting the right clients, the right sectors and the right contract values for where you want to take the business?
◆ Team & Capacity
Do you have the right people in the right roles? Is your team structured to support growth, or is the business dependent on one or two individuals carrying too much? We look at capacity, capability and commercial awareness within your team.
◆ Risk Exposure
What are the risks sitting in your business right now — contractual, commercial, financial or operational — and are you aware of them? Unmanaged risk is one of the most common reasons construction businesses underperform or fail. We bring it into the open.
WHAT THE MOT PRODUCES
The Business MOT is not a conversation that ends when the session does.
You will receive:
◆ A written MOT Report — a clear, structured document summarising David's findings across each of the six review areas
◆ Prioritised recommendations — not a list of everything that could be better, but a focused set of the changes that will make the biggest difference
◆ Risk flags — areas that need attention now, before they become more serious
◆ Opportunity notes — areas where there is genuine upside if the business is prepared to act on it
◆ A clear picture of where to focus next — whether that is through further CBA support or through your own actions
The report is yours. There is no obligation to take any further action with CBA
— though many clients find that the clarity the MOT produces is the point at which they decide they want ongoing support.
IS THIS THE RIGHT STEP FOR YOU?
The Business MOT is designed for construction and civil engineering business owners who want an honest picture of where their business stands — not reassurance, not a generic report, but a real assessment from someone who understands the industry from the inside.
IT IS PARTICULARLY WELL SUITED TO:
✓ Business owners who feel something isn't working but can't put their finger on exactly what
✓ Contractors who are busy but not as profitable as they should be
✓ SME owners who are growing and want to make sure the foundations are solid before they scale
✓ Businesses that have been through a difficult period and want a clear-eyed view of where they stand now
✓ Anyone who has never had senior commercial input into their business and wants to know what they've been missing
If you are serious about your business — and serious about improving it — this is a worthwhile half or full day's investment.
How the Day Works
The Business MOT is a half or full-day engagement, delivered in person at Pippingford Park or remotely — agreed at the time of booking.
Before the session, David will ask you to complete a short pre-MOT questionnaire. This ensures the day is focused on the areas that matter most to your business and allows David to prepare properly rather than starting from scratch on the day.
On the day itself, the session is structured but not rigid. David works through the framework, asks direct questions, and listens carefully. There is no script and no predetermined answer — the findings are led entirely by what emerges from your business.
Within a short period after the session, you will receive your written MOT Report.
◆ Duration: Half day or full day — agreed at time of booking
◆ Location: Pippingford Park, East Sussex or remote
◆ Pricing: Available on application — contact us to discuss
◆ Availability: Limited — David works with a small number of clients at any one time
WHY THIS IS WORTH YOUR TIME
The value of a Business MOT is entirely dependent on the quality and experience of the person conducting it.
A generalist business advisor reviewing a construction business will miss the things that matter most, because they don't know what they're looking at.David Clark FCInstCES MCIOB is not a generalist. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors, a Chartered Construction Manager, and an active Commercial Director who has spent his career operating at the senior end of construction and civil engineering. He has turned around businesses and business units, restructured commercial functions, and built the disciplines that make construction businesses financially sustainable. He has seen the inside of a great many construction businesses, and he knows exactly what good looks like, and what the warning signs are.
When David reviews your business, he is not working from a checklist. He is drawing on decades of applied experience in the industry you are operating in.
WHAT YOU GET FROM A BUSINESS MOT
The MOT is structured around twenty questions across four sections: Front-End Engine, Operational Delivery, Financial Control, and Leadership & Strategy. Each question is scored 1–5. The scores produce a written report, a scored summary, a SWOT analysis, and most importantly a prioritised Client Roadmap that names the specific tools to fix each weak area in order of priority.
It is not a sales call. It is a structured commercial diagnostic, delivered by a chartered practitioner. The output is yours to keep, with or without further engagement.
Many clients come back for quarterly rescores to track progress. Others use the MOT as the foundation for ongoing advisory mentoring, the roadmap becomes the agenda.
Either way, the MOT is the entry point: the most efficient way to know exactly where your business stands and what to do next.
BOOK A BUSINESS MOT
Availability is limited.
Availability is limited. If you are ready for an honest picture of where your business stands — and a clear view of where to go next — get in touch.
All enquiries are treated in complete confidence. There is no obligation beyond the MOT itself, the findings and the report are yours to act on as you see fit.
Many clients find that the clarity the Business MOT produces is the starting point for an ongoing working relationship. If the review identifies areas where focused, regular support would make a real difference, our 1-to-1 Professional Mentoring is the natural next step, a monthly retainer built entirely around your business and your priorities.
