Financial Services in Ottawa | Fractional CFO, Bookkeeping, Business Plans & Financial Modeling — Ledgerive
Serving Ottawa & the National Capital Region

Financial Services for
Ottawa's Federal & Kanata Economy.

A senior CPA-backed team delivering Fractional CFO, bookkeeping, business plan and financial modeling services to Ottawa federal contractors and subcontractors, Kanata North SaaS and deep tech companies, government-adjacent professional services, bilingual English-French businesses, Ottawa life sciences and multi-generational family businesses — from Kanata and Nepean through Barrhaven, Orleans, Centretown, Glebe, Westboro and Vanier. Bilingual English-French support available.

CPA-supervised Remote-first, on-site available Start in under 5 business days Bilingual EN/FR support
Why Ledgerive in Ottawa

Built for Ottawa's Federal Contractor, Kanata Tech & Bilingual Reality.

Ottawa runs on federal contracting, Kanata deep-tech, bilingual professional services, and life sciences — anchored by the largest government procurement market in Canada and Canada's largest tech park. Our finance work is built for exactly that reality — not for a generic Canadian small business.

CPA-supervised, senior-led

Every Ottawa engagement is led by a senior CPA. No junior handoffs, no offshore delegation. You work with someone who's already run finance for Ottawa businesses at your stage — including the federal contractor complexity that most Canadian accounting firms don't handle well.

Federal contractor fluency

90-to-180-day federal payment cycles, PSPC/PWGSC procurement audit readiness, bilingual invoicing and reporting, prime/subcontractor structures under SBIPS/TSPS/ProServices, security clearance financial checks, and the working capital dynamics that separate profitable federal contractors from ones squeezed by long payment cycles.

Kanata deep-tech & SR&ED depth

MRR/ARR, cohort analysis, CAC/LTV modeling, ASC 606 revenue recognition, cap tables, and heavy SR&ED and IRAP claim preparation. Kanata is one of Canada's most concentrated SR&ED filing corridors — we're built for the deep-tech R&D reality of Nortel-legacy telecom, aerospace, semiconductor and enterprise software companies.

Bilingual EN/FR capability

Discovery calls, correspondence, financial reporting and federal-contract-required bilingual invoicing available in both official languages. Ottawa's Franco-Ontarian business community — particularly across Vanier, Orleans and Rockland — gets service in the language they operate in.

Fixed fees, no billable-hour games

Fixed monthly retainer for CFO and bookkeeping. Fixed project fee for business plans and models. What we quote is what you pay — no scope creep, no invoice surprises, no six-minute increments. Every quote in writing after the discovery call.

All four services under one roof

Bookkeeping, CFO, business plan and financial modeling from the same team, using the same numbers, telling the same story. No coordinating three firms who each know a piece of your business. Bilingual English-French service available.

The Ottawa market

What Ottawa Businesses Actually Face.

Ottawa is unlike any other business market in Canada — the country's largest federal government contracting market, anchored by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC/PWGSC), Shared Services Canada, Public Safety, DND, RCMP, CBSA and every federal ministry. It's also home to Kanata North — Canada's largest technology park and the deepest Nortel-legacy technical corridor in the country. Companies like Ciena, Ericsson, Ross Video, Mitel, Kinaxis, Coveo and Shopify anchor Kanata, and the spinout and supplier ecosystem is enormous. And Ottawa sits at the heart of the National Capital Region — a bilingual English-French business market that straddles the Ontario-Quebec border and creates finance realities that don't exist anywhere else in Canada.

Ottawa federal contractors and subcontractors face a very specific finance reality most other Canadian accountants don't understand. 90-to-180-day payment cycles from federal buyers that create serious working capital pressure. PSPC/PWGSC procurement audit readiness — every federal buyer will audit contractors on financial stability, insurance, safety programs, subcontractor compliance and personnel security clearances. Bilingual invoicing and reporting that's mandatory on many federal contracts. Prime/subcontractor structures under the standing procurement vehicles most federal IT and professional services work flows through — SBIPS (Solutions-Based Informatics Professional Services), TSPS (Task and Solutions Professional Services), ProServices and other PSPC standing offers. Security clearance financial checks that require clean personal and corporate finances. NAICS code alignment. Categorical set-asides for Indigenous, SMB and women-owned businesses. Every one of these requires a finance partner who's already worked in the federal contracting space.

Ottawa Kanata North Tech Park companies face their own distinct finance reality. Deep SR&ED and IRAP claim preparation — Kanata is one of Canada's most concentrated SR&ED filing corridors, and the R&D intensity of Nortel-legacy telecom, aerospace, semiconductor, cybersecurity and enterprise software companies makes claim preparation a core finance function rather than an afterthought. SaaS finance discipline — MRR/ARR reporting, cohort analysis, CAC/LTV modeling, ASC 606 revenue recognition, deferred revenue accounting for enterprise contracts. Government contract vs commercial revenue split analysis — many Kanata tech companies serve both federal buyers and commercial customers, and the finance realities of each channel are different. Cap table management with scenario modeling for upcoming rounds. Runway forecasting between funding events. Board reporting packages that Kanata investors expect.

Ottawa's government-adjacent professional services firms — consulting practices, government relations firms, lobbying shops, federal-focused law firms and boutique advisory practices — need finance work that respects partnership structure and government-adjacent business dynamics. Partner draws vs distributions, work-in-progress accounting for hourly and fixed-fee federal work, project-level margin analysis across federal vs commercial engagements, and the reporting discipline that federal procurement audits expect.

Ottawa also has a real bilingual English-French business economy. The Franco-Ontarian business community across Vanier, Orleans, Rockland and parts of Alta Vista — plus the Franco-Québécois community across the river in Gatineau — needs finance work delivered in the language they operate in. Federal contracts often require bilingual invoicing and financial documentation as a mandatory contractual obligation.

Layered on all of that: full-time CFO compensation in Ottawa runs $170,000 to $330,000 in salary alone. Most Ottawa federal contractors, Kanata tech companies pre-Series B, government-adjacent professional services firms, bilingual family businesses, life sciences companies and mid-market operators cannot justify that hire. What they need is senior finance leadership at Fractional pricing, industry-specific expertise across federal contracting, Kanata deep-tech, bilingual professional services and life sciences, plus bilingual English-French capability for the Franco-Ontarian and Franco-Québécois business population. Ledgerive was built for exactly that.

When you need finance help

Signs Your Ottawa Business Needs Ledgerive.

Not every business needs every service. Here's when each of the four Ledgerive service lines is the right answer for an Ottawa business — and how to tell.

Fractional CFO

You Need a Fractional CFO When…

Your Ottawa federal contractor, Kanata tech company, government-adjacent professional services firm, bilingual business or family enterprise is growing past the point where the owner can hold the entire finance function in their head — but a full-time CFO hire isn't the right answer yet.

Common Ottawa triggers
  • You're a federal contractor landing bigger PSPC contracts and your working capital can't keep up with 90-to-180-day federal payment cycles
  • You're a Kanata SaaS or deep tech company scaling past $2M ARR and investors expect proper cohort analysis and unit economics
  • Your professional services firm splits work across federal and commercial clients and you can't tell which is actually profitable
  • Your bilingual business is expanding and needs finance reporting in both official languages
See Fractional CFO in Ottawa
Bookkeeping

You Need Ledgerive Bookkeeping When…

Your books are behind, wrong, or eating time you should be spending running the business — and every month that goes by makes it worse.

Common Ottawa triggers
  • Federal contract invoicing and PO reconciliation is off, and PSPC payments are getting held up for weeks
  • SaaS deferred revenue and ASC 606 aren't tracked properly and your MRR/ARR doesn't tie to accounting
  • SR&ED claim documentation is scattered across the business and you're leaving refunds on the table
  • You need clean books to bid on federal work, close a funding round, sell the business, or plan succession
See Bookkeeping in Ottawa
Business Plan

You Need a Business Plan When…

You have a real deadline — a lender application, a PSPC vendor onboarding, a fundraise, or an immigration filing — and the plan has to be strong enough to actually get approved.

Common Ottawa triggers
  • You're preparing a PSPC vendor onboarding financial package or bidding on a federal standing offer
  • You're a Kanata SaaS or deep tech company raising a seed or Series A and need a proper pitch deck backed by real financials
  • You're applying for BDC financing, CSBFP or a Canadian bank loan for expansion
  • You're preparing an Ontario PNP Entrepreneur Stream or Start-Up Visa application
See Business Plans in Ottawa
Financial Modeling

You Need a Financial Model When…

Someone with money — VC, lender, buyer, federal procurement, family partner — is going to look at your numbers, and the spreadsheet you built at 2 a.m. won't survive their questions.

Common Ottawa triggers
  • You're a Kanata SaaS startup building an ARR/cohort model for a Series A or Series B round
  • You're a federal contractor bidding on a multi-year PSPC contract and need working-capital scenarios modeling long payment cycles
  • You're preparing a professional services practice valuation for partner buy-out or acquisition
  • You're preparing a family-business valuation for succession or next-generation buy-in
See Financial Modeling in Ottawa
Services in Ottawa

Four Services. One Senior Team. All Delivered in Ottawa.

Each of the four Ledgerive service lines is delivered end-to-end for Ottawa clients — separately when you need one, bundled when you need more. Bilingual English-French support available.

Fractional CFO in Ottawa

Executive-level finance leadership for Ottawa federal contractors, Kanata SaaS and deep tech companies, government-adjacent professional services, bilingual businesses, life sciences and family enterprises — without the full-time hire. Federal contract cash flow, PSPC coordination, SR&ED strategy, cap tables, board reporting every week, every month.

  • Federal contract working-capital modeling
  • SaaS unit economics & ARR/cohort reporting
  • Cap table management & term sheet review
  • Weekly leadership call + always-on Slack
Explore Fractional CFO in Ottawa

Bookkeeping in Ottawa

Monthly bookkeeping, catch-up bookkeeping, HST filings and payroll for Ottawa businesses — tuned to federal contractors (PO/invoice discipline), Kanata SaaS (deferred revenue + ASC 606), bilingual businesses (EN/FR reporting), and family businesses. QuickBooks Online, Xero, Wave or Sage, reviewed by a CPA. Bilingual EN/FR available.

  • Federal contract PO & invoice discipline
  • SaaS deferred revenue & ASC 606 discipline
  • SR&ED-ready documentation from day one
  • Bilingual EN/FR financial reporting
Explore Bookkeeping in Ottawa

Business Plans in Ottawa

Investor-ready, lender-ready, procurement-ready and immigration-ready business plans for Ottawa founders — seed and Series A pitch decks, BDC, CSBFP, banks, PSPC vendor onboarding packages, Ontario PNP, Start-Up Visa, family-business succession plans written for exactly what each reviewer wants to see.

  • Kanata VC pitch decks & seed / Series A plans
  • PSPC vendor onboarding & standing offer bids
  • BDC / CSBFP / bank loan plans
  • Ontario PNP, Start-Up Visa & family-business plans
Explore Business Plans in Ottawa

Financial Modeling in Ottawa

Investor-grade and lender-grade financial models for Ottawa founders — Kanata SaaS ARR/cohort/CAC/LTV models, federal contract working-capital scenarios, deep-tech SR&ED forecasting, professional practice valuations, family-business succession valuations and cap tables built to survive due diligence.

  • SaaS ARR/cohort/CAC/LTV models
  • Federal contract working-capital scenarios
  • Deep-tech SR&ED & IRAP forecast models
  • Professional practice & family-business valuations
Explore Financial Modeling in Ottawa
Where we work in Ottawa

Ottawa Industries & Neighborhoods We Cover.

Deep specialization across the industries that actually define Ottawa's economy — and physical presence available across every Ottawa neighborhood.

Ottawa neighborhoods we cover

Remote-first for everyone. On-site quarterly reviews available across every area below.

Kanata Nepean Barrhaven Orleans Centretown ByWard Market Glebe Westboro Vanier Alta Vista Rockcliffe Park Manotick Riverside South Old Ottawa South Sandy Hill Stittsville Bells Corners New Edinburgh
How we work in Ottawa

Remote-First, Ottawa-Ready.

The engagement rhythm every Ottawa client can expect — designed around your Slack, your calendar, and your Ottawa location. Bilingual English-French available.

Step 1

Free 30-min discovery call

We walk through your business, your Ottawa context, federal contracting or Kanata tech dynamics, priorities and deadlines. Honest answer on fit inside the call itself. Bilingual EN/FR available.

Step 2

Written proposal in 48 hours

Scope, deliverables, timeline and fixed fee — all in writing. If the scope needs to change, we redraft once for free. What we quote is what you pay.

Step 3

Start in 3–5 business days

NDA signed. Access granted to your Ottawa QuickBooks, Xero, bank feeds and prior financials. First deliverable — usually a cash snapshot or federal contract working capital view — lands the same week.

Step 4

Weekly cadence + on-site

Standing weekly call, always-on Slack, monthly close by the 15th, quarterly business reviews on-site across Ottawa when you want them. No help-desk queue, no offshore relay.

Ottawa client voices

What Ottawa Founders Say After 90 Days.

We're a federal IT contractor serving three ministries through the SBIPS vehicle. Our working capital was getting crushed by 150-day federal payment cycles as we scaled to more contracts. Ledgerive rebuilt our invoicing discipline, tightened PO reconciliation with PSPC, and built proper working-capital forecasting that gave us the confidence to take on bigger federal contracts. Six months in and we've doubled our federal book without a single cash-flow scare.
ML
Michel L.
Owner, Federal IT Contractor — Kanata
Our Kanata deep-tech company had been leaving significant SR&ED refunds on the table for years because our documentation was scattered and our prior firm didn't really understand telecom R&D. Ledgerive rebuilt SR&ED from the ground up, cleaned up our runway model, and prepped us for a Series A raise. The raise closed at target valuation and our SR&ED refunds came through cleaner than any year before.
RK
Robert K.
Co-Founder, Deep-Tech SaaS — Kanata North
Our bilingual government relations consultancy operates across both official languages and we needed a finance partner who could deliver reporting in English and French, invoice federal clients bilingually as their contracts require, and understand the partnership dynamics of a boutique advisory shop. Ledgerive handled all of it. Three years in and our finance function is completely settled — I actually stopped thinking about it, which is the best thing I can say.
SD
Sophie D.
Managing Partner, Government Relations — Orleans
Our medical device company was preparing an OHRI research collaboration and a parallel Series A raise. Our SR&ED claim history was a mess after two prior firms. Ledgerive rebuilt the claims for the prior two years, cleaned up our runway model, and prepped us for investor due diligence. The raise closed at valuation, the SR&ED refunds came through cleanly, and we now have a Fractional CFO alongside us through the burn phase.
KH
Karen H.
Co-Founder, Medical Device Company — Riverside South
Ottawa FAQ

Questions Ottawa Businesses Ask.

Straight answers to the questions that come up on nearly every Ottawa discovery call.

Do you have an office in Ottawa?
Ledgerive is a remote-first firm serving Ottawa businesses across the entire city and the broader National Capital Region. Every engagement is delivered by a senior lead over weekly calls, Slack access and secure document sharing. For clients who prefer face-to-face working sessions, on-site quarterly business reviews are available across Ottawa at no extra charge — including Kanata, Nepean, Barrhaven, Orleans, Centretown, Glebe, Westboro, Vanier, Alta Vista and surrounding neighborhoods. Bilingual English-French support available.
Which Ottawa industries do you specialize in?
Our deepest Ottawa specialties are federal contractors and subcontractors serving PSPC/PWGSC, Shared Services Canada, Public Safety, DND, RCMP, CBSA and other federal ministries, Kanata North Tech Park SaaS and deep tech companies (Ottawa is home to Canada's largest tech park with Nortel-legacy expertise across telecom, aerospace, semiconductor and software), government-adjacent professional services including consulting, government relations and lobbying firms, bilingual English-French businesses across the National Capital Region, life sciences and health-tech companies within the OHRI and CHEO ecosystem, and multi-generational family businesses.
Are you familiar with Ottawa-specific business programs?
Yes. We regularly prepare applications and financials for Invest Ottawa, Bayview Yards, the Ottawa Board of Trade, BDC's Ottawa office, Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP) financing through Ottawa-area lenders, Futurpreneur Canada, and the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) Entrepreneur Stream. We also support Ottawa businesses accessing SR&ED claims (Kanata is one of Canada's most concentrated SR&ED filers), IRAP funding through NRC (headquartered in Ottawa), FedDev Ontario funding, Ontario Centres of Innovation (OCI) grants, and coordination with federal procurement vehicles including SBIPS, TSPS, ProServices and other PSPC standing offers.
Do Ottawa businesses need a full-time CFO or a Fractional CFO?
Full-time CFO compensation in Ottawa runs $170,000 to $330,000 in salary alone — a cost most Ottawa federal contractors, Kanata tech companies pre-Series B, government-adjacent professional services firms, bilingual family businesses, life sciences companies and mid-market operators cannot justify. A Fractional CFO delivers the same strategic finance leadership — cash flow forecasting through long federal payment cycles, PSPC procurement coordination, SR&ED strategy, budgeting, board and family reporting, fundraising support — for the fraction of the year your business actually needs it. For most Ottawa businesses under $25M in revenue and Kanata tech companies from seed through Series B, Fractional is the right answer.
Do you work with Ottawa federal contractors and subcontractors?
Yes — this is one of our deepest Ottawa specialties. Ottawa is Canada's largest federal government contracting market, spanning IT services, professional services, engineering, security, defence, health and construction contractors. We handle the specific finance realities of federal contractors: 90-to-180-day payment cycles from federal buyers, PSPC/PWGSC procurement audit readiness (financial stability, insurance, safety, subcontractor compliance), bilingual invoicing and reporting for mandatory-bilingual contracts, prime/subcontractor structures under SBIPS/TSPS/ProServices vehicles, security clearance-related financial checks, NAICS code alignment, and the working capital dynamics that separate profitable federal contractors from ones that get squeezed by long federal payment cycles.
Do you work with Kanata North Tech Park SaaS and deep tech companies?
Yes. Kanata is Canada's largest tech park and home to the deepest Nortel-legacy technical ecosystem in the country — spanning telecom, aerospace, semiconductor, cybersecurity and enterprise software companies. Companies like Ciena, Ericsson, Ross Video, Mitel, Kinaxis, Coveo and Shopify anchor the corridor, and the spinout and supplier ecosystem is enormous. We handle Kanata tech-specific finance including SaaS MRR/ARR reporting, cohort analysis and CAC/LTV modeling, ASC 606 revenue recognition, SR&ED and IRAP claim preparation for deep-tech R&D (Kanata is one of Canada's most concentrated SR&ED filers), cap table management, government contract vs commercial revenue split analysis, and the runway forecasting that Kanata investors expect between funding events.
Do you offer bilingual English-French support in Ottawa?
Yes. Ottawa is Canada's bilingual capital and the National Capital Region has a substantial Franco-Ontarian and Franco-Québécois business community — particularly across Vanier, Orleans, Rockland and Gatineau. We offer bilingual English-French discovery calls, correspondence, financial reporting, and federal-contract-required bilingual invoicing and financial documentation. Just mention it when you book the call.
How is Ottawa different from Toronto or Mississauga for finance work?
Ottawa has a distinctive economic identity unlike any other Ontario city — it's Canada's largest federal government contracting market, home to Canada's largest tech park (Kanata North with deep Nortel-legacy expertise), the National Capital Region with substantial bilingual English-French business population, and a life sciences ecosystem anchored by the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and CHEO. Compared to Toronto's VC-heavy startup ecosystem or Mississauga's corporate supplier and Pearson-logistics economy, Ottawa is more focused on federal contractor finance, Kanata deep-tech SR&ED work, bilingual professional services, and the government-adjacent business dynamics unique to the National Capital Region.
How quickly can you get started with an Ottawa business?
Fractional CFO and bookkeeping engagements typically start within 3 to 5 business days of the discovery call. Business plans and financial models start within 3 business days, with 2 to 4 week delivery. Rush turnaround is available for federal procurement onboarding deadlines, PSPC bid submission windows, SR&ED submission windows, fundraising deadlines or acquisition closings — always confirmed on the discovery call itself so you know before you commit.
Do you sign an NDA before the discovery call?
Absolutely — send yours or use ours. Federal contractors, Kanata tech companies and government-adjacent professional services firms expect this and we deliver it before the call, not after. Everything you share stays confidential whether or not we end up working together.
How do you handle pricing?
We quote a fixed fee in writing after the discovery call — monthly for CFO and bookkeeping engagements, fixed project fee for business plans and models. Pricing depends on business size, scope and complexity. We don't publish pricing publicly because engagements vary too much — but we're happy to give you a firm, written number on the call itself.

Ready to get finance right for your Ottawa business?

30 minutes. No pitch. Just a real conversation about your Ottawa business, your next 12 months, and whether we're the right team to deliver the finance work behind them. Bilingual English-French available.