Accounting Principles and Procedures - Level 1

Question 1

What are the key financial statements that companies provide?

Answer 1

The key financial statements are:

1) Profit and Loss Accounts

2) Balance Sheets

3) Cash Flow Statements

Question 2

What is the difference between a profit and loss account and a balance sheet?

Answer 2

1) A profit and loss account shows the incomes and expenditures of a company and the resulting profit or loss.

2) The balance sheet shows what a company owns (it’s assets) and what it owes (it’s liabilities) at a given point in time.

Question 3

What is the difference between management and financial accounts?

Answer 3

1) Management accounts are for the internal use of the management team.

2) Financial accounts are the company accounts that are required by the UK law.

Question 4

What is a cashflow statement?

Answer 4

1) It is the summary of the actual or anticipated ingoing and outgoing of cash in a firm over the accounting period.

2) It measure the short term ability of a company to pay off it’s bills.

Question 5

What is Capital Allowances?

Answer 5

Tax relief on certain items purchased for the business. For example tools and equipment.

Question 6

What is a Sinking Fund?

Answer 6

Funds that are set aside for future expense or long-term debt.

Question 7

What is Insolvency?

Answer 7

An inability to pay debts where liabilities exceed assets.

Question 8

What is Companies House?

Answer 8

An agency that incorporates and dissolves limited companies within the United Kingdom.

Question 9

What is HMRC?

Answer 9

His Majesties Revenue and Customs

Question 10

What are Liquidity ratios?

Answer 10

1) Liquidity ratios measure the ability of a company to pay off its current liabilities by converting it’s current assets into cash.

2) Liquidity ratio calculation = current assets divided by current liabilities.

3) The ratio is usually around 1.5 but it depends on the sector of activity.

4) For example house builders often operate on a liquidity ratio over 3 because they retain high value assets in the form of unsold houses.

5) A liquidity ratio of less than 0.75 can be an early indicator of insolvency.

Question 11

What are Profitability ratios?

Answer 11

1) Profitability ratios measure the performance of a company in generating its profits.

2) The trading profit margin ratio = turnover - (cost of sales divided by turnover).

3) Low margins may be due to a growth strategy from the company an do not always result from bad management.

Question 12

What are Financial Gearing Ratios?

Answer 12

1) These measure the financial structure of the company which are crucial indicators for the external suppliers of debt and equity as well as for internal management.

2) They help to measure solvency.

3) Highly geared companies rely mainly on borrowing.

4) The payment of interests reduces the profit.

Question 13

Why do chartered quantity surveyors need to understand and be able to interpret company accounts?

Answer 13

1) To aid in preparing their own business accounts.

2) For assessing the financial strength of contractors and those tendering for contracts.

3) For assessing competition.

Question 14

What is the purpose of a Profit and Loss Account?

Answer 14

1) To monitor and measure profit or loss.

2) To compare against past performance and against company budgets.

3) For valuation purposes and to compare against competitors.

4) To assist in forecasting with future performance.

5) To calculate taxation.

Question 15

What is the difference between debtors and creditors?

Answer 15

1) Creditors are business entities that are owed money by another entity that they have extended credit to.

For example if you have provided services to a client and they owe payment of your fees, you become a creditor to that client.

2) Debtors are business entities that owe money to another respective company.

For example, if you have used a sub-consultant and still owe them payment of their fees then you become a debtor of the sub-consultant.

Question 16

What are Management Accounts?

Answer 16

1) The accounts prepared by a company for internal management use.

2) Accounts prepared for a lender, such as a bank to evaluate how you will be able to repay the funding.

3) These accounts are not audited externally.

Question 17

What is a Financial Statement?

Answer 17

Forecasts of income and expenditure that can be used as an analytical tool to identify potential shortfalls and surpluses.

Question 18

What is a Profit and Loss Account?

Answer 18

1) They demonstrate a companies sales, running costs and profit or loss over a financial period (usually 1 year).

2) They are used to show sales vs expense (invoicing vs time and disbursements).

3) They can also be used to identify non-profitable work.

Question 19

What is a Balance Sheet?

Answer 19

1) They show the value of everything the company owns, which are made up of assets and liabilities.

2) The balance sheet demonstrates the value of the business at any given point in time.

Question 20

What is a Cash Flow forecast?

Answer 20

1) A cash flow forecast summarises the amount of cash or cash equivalents entering and leaving a company or project entity.

2) On construction projects they usually show as an ‘S’ curve.

3) There is typically a small financial outlay at the start, a steep increase during the midway point and a taper towards the end.

Question 21

What is an S-Curve?

Answer 21

1) S-Curve means ‘standard’ and refers to the shape of the expenditure profile when shown in graphical form.

2) During the start of a project, the rate of expenditure is typically lower due to site setup and lower value enabling works.

3) As the scheme progresses to the middle of the programme, the rate of expenditure will typically increase as more expensive building components such as M&E and structural steel work are installed.

4) Towards the back end of the programme, the rate of expenditure will slow down which is shown by the flattening S-Curve.

Question 22

How are these used by Surveyors?

Answer 22

1) To track, analyse and assess business accounts and performance.

2) For assessing the financial strength of contractors.

3) To compare actual progress of the work against pre-contract predictions.

Question 23

What are Escrow Accounts?

Answer 23

1) A separate account owned by a third party, held on behalf of two other parties.

2) A bank account with defined contractual conditions for the release of funds.

3) They can be used as a project bank account.

4) Mechanisms must be in place for the release of funds such as payment certificates.

Question 24

When have you used company accounts in your work?

Answer 24

To assess the financial strength of contractors at pre-qualification stage and tender stages.

Question 25

How do you analyse a company’s accounts?

Answer 25

1) The clients accountants will carry out the detailed analysis but I can look at the warning signs by calculating ratios such as liquidity ratios, profitability ratios and gearing ratios.

2) I should always calculate the ratios myself as those included in the company accounts may have been manipulated.

3)I should always use the group or consolidated accounts rather than the company accounts unless it is a limited company.

Question 26

How do you carry out a credit check? Give an example.

Answer 26

1) I use the credit safe website to which my company subscribes to access a company’s accounts.

2) I considered both the group accounts and the company accounts.

3) If the credit rating is low, I calculate some key ratios and pass on all the information to my client’s accountants for them to analyse further.

Question 27

What are signs of insolvency in company accounts or credit checks?

Answer 27

1) A low credit rating.

2) A liquidity ratio below 0.75

3) A falling working capital ratio suggesting that the company has taken on more contracts than it can finance.

4) A low return on equity.

5) A highly geared company that is heavily reliant on loans.

6) A failing cash flow statement.

Question 28

Why would you not recommend the appointment of a contractor with a low credit rating?

Answer 28

1) There may be an increased risk of the contractor not performing satisfactorily.

2) It could present increased risk of the contractor failing to deploy sufficient resources and materials to the project.

3) It could increase the risk of the contractor’s insolvency.

Question 29

What measures would you recommend if you client wanted to appoint a contractor with a low credit rating?

Answer 29

1) I would explore the option of requesting a performance bond that my client could call on if the main contractor failed to perform.

2) I would also review the tender submission to ensure this is not excessively front loaded.

3) When reviewing interim valuations, I would ensure that these are accurate and not over claimed.

4) A project bank account may also provide an additional level of assurance and should be considered.