Follow every draw in the billing ledger

The billing ledger is the running record for the progressive bid: contracted amount, previously billed amount, current draw, retention held, payments received, and remaining amount for each line. Use it before creating the next invoice: it’s the quickest way to catch duplicate billing or a section nearing its ceiling. The customer-facing invoice separates the current work from the retained amount, so Payable now is the amount due after retention; an invoice whose earned amount is being held can show retention_held until that money is eligible for release.

The ledger below shows the same project partway through production: two jobs have been created, one scope is partially billed, and one allowance was already struck.

1. In the billing ledger, inspect the Cabinet package line and compare billed work with the remaining balance.
2. Strike the Cabinet package's remaining balance out of the billable scope.
3. Restore the deleted appliance allowance back into the billable scope.
4. Close out the bid once every remaining section is billed, struck, or accounted for.
5. Bill the retained balance now that closeout conditions are met.