Funding for contractors and construction companies.
Construction is paid in arrears. Materials, labour and plant are paid for up front, the client pays against certified progress weeks later, and part of each payment can be held back until the job is done. Funding bridges that.
Checked 21 September 2026
Funding a contract
A signed contract or appointment is the strongest part of a construction application. Lenders want to see it, your priced bill of what the job needs up front, and a record of completing similar work. Trade or purchase order finance pays suppliers for materials against the contract, and is repaid from the client’s payments.
Price the job with the cost of funding in it. A contract that only works if the client pays on the day it is due does not have enough margin to borrow against.
Public-sector work and the CIDB
Public-sector clients may only award construction contracts to contractors registered with the Construction Industry Development Board, which grades contractors from 1 to 9 by financial and works capability. Your grading limits the size of public contract you can take on, so check it before you tender, and before you borrow to deliver.
Slow payments and equipment
Once work is certified and invoiced, invoice finance can advance most of it straight away instead of waiting for the client’s payment run. Plant and vehicles are better financed against themselves over their working life than out of contract cashflow.
- The contract or appointment letter, and its payment terms.
- A debtors’ age analysis if you are funding invoices.
- Your CIDB grading, if you work in the public sector.
- Six months of business bank statements.
Lenders on Frank’s panel for this
These are the panel products that fit how a construction business is paid, against contracts and invoices, and what it usually funds.
- Trade finance
- If the contract needs inputs to produce, trade finance sits alongside PO finance.
- Invoice finance
- Once the work is delivered, the invoice itself can be financed to unlock cash earlier.
- Term loan
- A short working capital loan works if the order value and timing are modest.
- Bridging finance
- If it’s a property sale, tender payout or insurance claim, bridging is the right shape.
- Line of credit
- Draw only what you need, when you need it, and pay for what’s drawn.
| Lender and product | Min. turnover | Min. trading | Amount | Security | Card sales | Credit record | Documents | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geddes Capital Trade Finance Trade finance | R167k a month | 12 months | R500k to R15m | Required | Not needed | Some adverse credit considered | 6 months’ bank statements, financial statements | 2–4% a month |
| Geddes Capital Invoice Factoring Invoice finance | R167k a month | 12 months | R200k to R15m | None | Not needed | Some adverse credit considered | 6 months’ bank statements, financial statements | 1.5–3% a month |
| Geddes Capital Secured Business Loan Term loan | R167k a month | 12 months | R500k to R15m | Required | Not needed | Some adverse credit considered | 6 months’ bank statements, financial statements | From prime + 2% |
| Pollen Finance Unsecured Business Loan Term loan | R83k a month | 12 months | R100k to R6m | None | Not needed | Some adverse credit considered | 6 months’ bank statements | Flat fee |
| Geddes Capital Bridging Finance Bridging finance | R167k a month | 12 months | R500k to R15m | Required | Not needed | Some adverse credit considered | 6 months’ bank statements, financial statements | 1.5–3% a month |
| Lula Cash Flow Facility Line of credit | R40k a month | 12 months | R10k to R5m | None | Not needed | Clean record | 3 months’ bank statements | 2–6% a month |
| Bridgement Revenue Advance Facility Revenue-based | R100k a month | 6 months | Not published | None | Not needed | Clean record | 3 months’ bank statements | 2–5% a month |
- Geddes Capital
Trade Finance · Trade finance
- Min. turnover
- R167k a month
- Min. trading
- 12 months
- Amount
- R500k to R15m
- Term
- 6 to 120 months
- Security
- Required
- Card sales
- Not needed
- Credit record
- Some adverse credit considered
- Documents
- 6 months’ bank statements, financial statements
- Rate
- 2–4% a month
- Speed
- 1 week
- Geddes Capital
Invoice Factoring · Invoice finance
- Min. turnover
- R167k a month
- Min. trading
- 12 months
- Amount
- R200k to R15m
- Term
- 12 to 120 months
- Security
- None
- Card sales
- Not needed
- Credit record
- Some adverse credit considered
- Documents
- 6 months’ bank statements, financial statements
- Rate
- 1.5–3% a month
- Speed
- 48 hours
- Geddes Capital
Secured Business Loan · Term loan
- Min. turnover
- R167k a month
- Min. trading
- 12 months
- Amount
- R500k to R15m
- Term
- 6 to 120 months
- Security
- Required
- Card sales
- Not needed
- Credit record
- Some adverse credit considered
- Documents
- 6 months’ bank statements, financial statements
- Rate
- From prime + 2%
- Speed
- 1 week
- Pollen Finance
Unsecured Business Loan · Term loan
- Min. turnover
- R83k a month
- Min. trading
- 12 months
- Amount
- R100k to R6m
- Term
- 6 to 8 months
- Security
- None
- Card sales
- Not needed
- Credit record
- Some adverse credit considered
- Documents
- 6 months’ bank statements
- Rate
- Flat fee
- Speed
- 24 hours
- Geddes Capital
Bridging Finance · Bridging finance
- Min. turnover
- R167k a month
- Min. trading
- 12 months
- Amount
- R500k to R15m
- Term
- 3 to 12 months
- Security
- Required
- Card sales
- Not needed
- Credit record
- Some adverse credit considered
- Documents
- 6 months’ bank statements, financial statements
- Rate
- 1.5–3% a month
- Speed
- 1 week
- Lula
Cash Flow Facility · Line of credit
- Min. turnover
- R40k a month
- Min. trading
- 12 months
- Amount
- R10k to R5m
- Term
- Not published
- Security
- None
- Card sales
- Not needed
- Credit record
- Clean record
- Documents
- 3 months’ bank statements
- Rate
- 2–6% a month
- Speed
- 24 hours
- Bridgement
Revenue Advance Facility · Revenue-based
- Min. turnover
- R100k a month
- Min. trading
- 6 months
- Amount
- Not published
- Term
- 3 to 9 months
- Security
- None
- Card sales
- Not needed
- Credit record
- Clean record
- Documents
- 3 months’ bank statements
- Rate
- 2–5% a month
- Speed
- 24 hours
These are each lender’s published minimums, not approvals. Every lender on the panel, side by side
Questions
Yes. With a signed contract, lenders can fund materials and early costs, repaid from the client’s payments. Have the contract, your cost breakdown and a record of similar work ready.
Not for the funding itself, but public-sector clients may only award construction contracts to CIDB-registered contractors, and your grade limits the contract size you can win.
Yes, once work is certified and invoiced. Invoice finance advances most of the invoice value and is repaid when the client pays.
Sources
Related
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It takes about a minute and there is no credit check. Frank checks your answers against every lender’s rules and shows you what fits and what does not. When you choose a lender, Frank sends them your application on the answers you have already given.
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