More unique is the practice of borrowing from customers, which is often done by contractors but would be considered downright rude in most industries. It may be done with or without the customer's permission. When it is doen with the customer's permission, the customer merely makes an advance to the contractor, out of which the contractor pays his expenditures on the customer's job. This method of financing is often used on cost-plus contracts, particularly when the owner can borrow at lower rates than the contractor, or where the amounts involved exceed the contractor's financial capacity. Another method of borrowing from the customer is the "unbalanced bid." It is customary for the owner to pay the contractor at stated intervals according to the work completed during the period. To "unbalance" his bid, the contractor bids the first work to be performed at an abnormally high figure, and the last stages of the work are bid at abnormally low figures, perhaps even less than out-of-pocket costs. By charging the owner the abnormally high figures at the early stages of the job, the contractor gains cash with which to finance the remainder of the job. During the later stages of the work he, in effect, repays the owner through the low bid items, and in the end has his ordinary profit. We even borrow from the Government in the sense that we are privileged to elect to file tax returns on a "completed job" basis, rather than to report our income on a true accrual basis. This allows the postponement of taxation, and on a highly profitable job of U or 5 years' duration the ability to use as working capital moneys that otherwise might be paid as taxes can be significant. This ability to postpone taxes is also a factor that makes the "unbalanced bid" practicable. Another source of financial assistance to the contractor is his competitor. When the problem of financing a proposed contract is greater than the contractor wishes to undertake by himself, he will often invite his competitor to join with him in the formation of an association to undertake the job. These associations are usually put together to perform a single contract and usually are dissolved at the end of that contract unless there are compelling reasons to continue the particular association. These