This playbook sets out what we find in most construction and real estate businesses before they move to a single system, what we set up, and the reports owners use once it is running.
Where the money leaks
- A project looks profitable until the final account
- Materials leave the yard and are never seen in a report
- Certificates, retention and variations are tracked by memory
What we set up
- Project budgets
- Bill of quantities loaded as the budget, with actuals against each line.
- Site materials
- Requests from site, deliveries to site and stock on site.
- Subcontractors
- Orders, valuations, retention and payments.
- Progress billing
- Certificates and invoices by stage, with retention held.
- Plant and equipment
- Hours, fuel and maintenance per machine and per project.
- Property sales and rent
- Units, payment plans, leases and rent collection.
How a normal day runs
- Tender won and budget loaded
- Materials and subcontractors ordered
- Work measured and certified
- Client billed and retention tracked
Reports owners use
- Budget against actual per project
- Cost to complete
- Subcontractor liability
- Plant utilisation
Modules involved
Projects, Procurement, Stock, Assets, Accounting. They share one database, so every entry updates the accounts and the reports together.
Where to start
Most construction and real estate businesses start with projects, procurement, stock, then add the rest once the first phase is stable.
Questions we are often asked
- Can we track cost against the bill of quantities?
- Yes. The bill of quantities becomes the project budget, and purchases, labour and plant are recorded against its lines.
- Does it handle retention?
- Yes. Retention is held on each certificate and released on the dates in the contract.