A pricing model where contractors are paid a fixed daily rate for equipment and/or personnel, regardless of the amount of work completed that day.
Day Rate
Guides on this topic
Job Costing for Field Service Companies: How to Know If You're Actually Making Money
A practical job costing guide for oilfield and construction subcontractors. Track labor, equipment, and materials per job to find profit leaks and bid smarter.
How Operator Mergers and Acquisitions Affect Your Subcontract Agreements
When operators merge, get acquired, or sell assets, subcontractor agreements are caught in the middle. Learn how M&A activity affects your MSA, payment terms, vendor status, and what to do before, during, and after a deal closes.
Related Terms
Firm Customers
Cash FlowClients committed to regular, ongoing work under standing agreements or master service contracts. For subcontractors, firm customers provide predictable scheduling and steady revenue. They reduce reliance on spot work and help justify keeping crews and equipment mobilised.
Net Pay
Cash FlowThe amount a subcontractor or field worker actually receives after all deductions — such as taxes, union dues, equipment charges, or mobilisation costs — have been subtracted from gross earnings. For subcontracting companies, tracking net pay against invoiced amounts is critical to maintaining healthy margins on field projects.
Fixed-Rate Contract
Cash FlowA contract where the subcontractor agrees to complete a defined scope of work for a set price, regardless of actual labour or material costs incurred — meaning cost overruns come directly out of your margin. Common in construction and turnaround work, these contracts reward efficient crews and tight project management but carry significant financial risk if scope creep or site conditions aren't carefully managed upfront.
Job Costing
Cash FlowThe process of tracking all costs associated with a specific job or project, including labor, equipment, materials, and overhead. Accurate job costing is essential for understanding profitability.
Schedule Iii
Cash FlowA contract exhibit listing approved subcontractor rates, markups, and reimbursable costs. It governs what you can invoice and at what price. Disputes over billing often trace back to misreading this schedule.
Standby (standby Time)
Cash FlowTime when a subcontractor's crew or equipment is on-site but unable to work due to client-caused delays. Most contracts allow billing at a reduced standby rate during this period. Tracking and documenting standby time is critical to recovering these costs.
Latest Cash Flow News
Claremore Data Center Deal Sends $172M to Oklahoma Schools, County
A Beale Infrastructure data center project near Claremore, Oklahoma will pay $172 million in PILOT funds to local schools and county agencies over 25 years, with Sequoyah Public Schools receiving the largest share at $100 million.
3 days agoCash FlowUtilities Tighten Large-Load Tariffs With Upfront Fees, Longer Contracts
A new LBNL and Brattle Group analysis finds utilities increasingly requiring upfront payments, exit fees, and ramp schedules for large-load customers like data centers, a shift that will slow project timelines for grid-tie and on-site generation subcontractors.
8 days agoCash FlowTrump Administration Appeals Ruling Blocking Hudson Tunnel Funding Freeze
The Justice Department has appealed a federal court ruling that barred DOT from withholding funds on the $16B Hudson Tunnel Project, though reimbursements and construction continue for now, ENR reports.
15 days agoCash FlowMammoth Energy Still Owed $20M for 2017 Puerto Rico Storm Work
Nearly nine years after Hurricane Maria, Mammoth Energy subsidiary Cobra Acquisitions is still collecting on Puerto Rico power restoration invoices, with $20 million outstanding as of June 2026, OK Energy Today reports.
1 month agoRelated Guides
How Rig Count Trends Affect Subcontractor Demand and What to Do About It
Rig counts are the earliest signal of where field service work is heading. Learn how to read drilling activity trends, anticipate demand shifts, and position your crew before the phone stops ringing.
Workforce GuideHow to Promote Field Leaders Without Losing Your Best Hands: Foreman and Supervisor Development for Growing Subcontractors
Promoting your best hand to foreman is one of the most important decisions a subcontractor makes. Get it wrong and you lose two people: a skilled producer and a failed supervisor. This guide covers how to identify the right candidates, make the transition, and build a leadership pipeline that does not gut your field capacity.
Workforce GuideHow to Hire and Retain Field Workers Without Raising Pay: The Complete Guide
Losing crew to competitors over small pay differences? Struggling to hire in a tight labor market? Here are the recruiting, onboarding, and non-wage retention strategies that actually keep oilfield and construction field workers from walking.
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