What should I look for in a sprinkler installer’s backlog of unfinished systems?

Request the open-job list and read it line by line. For each system, note the customer, the promised date, the deposit taken and the work still to do. Ask what caused each delay: weather, parts, staffing or a disagreement. Reasons tell you whether the backlog is temporary. Do this with the crew leader, who usually knows the real story.

Look at the money. Deposits already received for unfinished work are a promise to the customer. If you take over the business, you may inherit the duty to finish those systems without the matching cash. Ask your accountant how that should be handled in the purchase. Ask whether cancellations were refunded, and compare the list with what the crew says is really outstanding.

Check the schedule honestly. Can the current crew finish the backlog and still handle new work? Compare it with the number of installers and the length of the season. Finally, read the customer communications. Look for complaints or threats to cancel. A buyer should also ask for a plan on how unfinished jobs will be handled, written into the agreement. Ask for photographs of the half-finished sites, which often show problems that the list does not.

Key takeaways

• Review every open job with its deposit, status and cause of delay.
• Ask how prepaid, unfinished work will be treated in the purchase.
• Test whether the crew can clear the backlog and still take new jobs.
• Compare the crew size and season length with the backlog.