Power BI Dashboard Development with Xero

Please provide a quote and timeline by milestone and total
Overview
We are a finance and fractional CFO consulting firm working with small to mid-sized businesses that use Xero. We are seeking a highly experienced Power BI expert to build an automated and scalable Power BI dashboard solution that integrates Xero data either through API or structured report exports.
The goal is to onboard new clients into our reporting model efficiently, giving us rapid visibility into their cash position, solvency, burn rate, P&L, and accounts receivable exposure. The system must be capable of handling multiple clients with varying Xero chart structures and reporting formats.
Core Objectives
The Power BI solution must allow us to:
Automate the ingestion of Xero data for each client via API or file upload
Standardize financial reporting across clients, regardless of account structure
Dynamically calculate and present cash burn, solvency/runway, and profitability
Provide insights by customer, product, supplier, and grouped expense categories
Identify AR risks and past due exposure per client
Forecast cash flow and profitability over at least a 12-month horizon
Calculate key SaaS metrics from invoice, billing, and transaction data
Data Inputs (per client)
You will be provided with or must connect to the following Xero reports or API endpoints:
Profit & Loss (cash basis, monthly)
Cash Summary
Balance Sheet (optional)
Aged Receivables
Invoices (including line items)
Bank Transactions or Receipts
Contacts
Accounts (Chart of Accounts)
Budget data (manually uploaded or connected)
In addition, we may supply supplemental exports from billing platforms such as Stripe, Chargebee, Subscript, or other invoice-based systems.
Technical Requirements
Power BI with Power Query and DAX-based measures
Support for both API and file-based ingestion
Scheduled monthly refresh capability (via Power BI service or other means)
Flexible transformation logic for clients with varying:
Revenue account structures (product = account vs. product = description)
Customer and supplier contact naming formats
Chart of Accounts mapping schemes
SaaS metric calculations using invoice and payment records (e.g. invoice date, term, customer ID, subscription type)
Required Features and Deliverables
Milestone 1: Core Financial Health Reports
Cash Flow Tab
Actual inflows/outflows by category (Operating, Investing, Financing)
Forecasted cash flow for 12 months based on historicals and budget
Cash burn and runway calculations
P&L Summary Tab
Dynamic by month with filters for YTD, QTD
Revenue, COGS, OPEX breakdowns
Forecast and actual comparison
Accounts Receivable Aging
Past due amounts by aging bucket and customer
Invoice number-based linkage between payments and customers
Milestone 2: Revenue Attribution & Expense Analysis
Revenue by Customer & Product
Must handle product mapping from account code or description
Flexible customer tagging from invoice/contact data
Expense by Supplier & OPEX Category
Supplier-level detail
Grouped into ~10–13 OPEX categories (e.g., Payroll, SaaS, Marketing)
Custom Mapping Logic
Build and apply mapping templates for:
Revenue accounts → Product types
Contacts → Customer/Supplier type
Supplier accounts → OPEX categories
Design mapping logic to be reusable across clients with light manual adjustment
Mapping templates must be stored centrally in a modifiable table (editable in Excel or Power BI)
Milestone 3: SaaS Metrics Tab
Key SaaS Metrics Calculated from Xero or Billing Data
Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)
New MRR / Churned MRR / Net MRR
Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)
Customer Acquisition Cost (if provided)
Customer Count and Retention Rates
Average Revenue per Account (ARPA)
Metrics calculated using invoice data (start date, end date, term, amount) and payment records
Must support optional linking of Stripe, Chargebee, or other external billing exports or APIs
Mapping required to link billing entries to products/customers
Automation and Multi-Client Logic
The model must be designed for reusability across multiple clients by:
Creating parameterized logic to switch datasets per client
Supporting client-level identifiers to isolate reports and dashboards
Allowing upload/import of client-specific mapping templates (or integrating those into Power BI via a master sheet)
Ensuring dynamic adjustment of visuals and measures based on each client’s unique chart of accounts and transaction format
Deliverable Format
The final Power BI model must include:
Report tabs with dynamic filters (date, client)
Data model and transformation logic clearly documented
Refresh automation using Xero API (preferred) or file structure
Instructions for adding new clients and updating mappings
Optional: embed-ready version for client portal display
Proposal Submission Requirements
Please include in your response:
Description of your experience with Power BI and Xero API
Portfolio of financial dashboards (screenshots or links)
Outline of your approach to multi-client mapping and automation
Timeline and estimated cost for each milestone (see table below)
Questions, assumptions, or suggested improvements to the scope
Task / Goal / Milestone Table (to be completed by contractor)
Task / Goal
Deliverable Summary
Timeline Estimate
Proposed Fee
Setup Xero API or file-based data ingest
Data connection via API endpoints or structured CSVs

Transform data and model relationships
Power Query setup, DAX measures, calendar tables, account/contact joins

Milestone 1: Cash Flow, P&L, AR Aging
Full dashboards with cash runway, burn, AR aging, and P&L summary

Milestone 2: Customer/Product/Supplier Tabs
Revenue by product/customer, supplier expenses, mapping layer integration

Multi-client template & mapping logic
Mapping framework for accounts, contacts, products

Milestone 3: SaaS Metrics Tab
Recurring revenue, churn, LTV, ARPA, retention, MRR based on Xero or billing data

Refresh automation
Monthly refresh via Power BI service or alternate method

Documentation & client onboarding guide
Clear notes or tutorial for reusing model per client

 
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