Construction cost tracking software See the money while it moves
Bills, wage sheets, material issues and expenses post to the project and phase they belong to. Every money figure on the project page, the home page and the reports comes from the same engine.
What is construction cost tracking software?
Construction cost tracking software records every cost on a building job against the project and phase that caused it, and compares it with the budget while the work is still running. It is job costing done as you go, not at month end.
Useful construction cost tracking software counts more than bills. It includes wages from the site, material issued from the store, orders placed but not yet billed, and how much of the work is done, so a phase that spends faster than it is built shows up early.
What to look for in construction cost tracking software
- Cost posted to project and phase from bills, wages, store issues and expenses
- Cost split into material, labour, subcontract, machines and services, and extra costs
- Committed cost from open orders
- A check that spend keeps pace with the work done
- Budget revisions with their history, and an alert before a phase goes over
- A forecast of where each project will finish against its contract
- A ledger per supplier showing what is owed
Aaghaz360 does each of these in every package.
Why builders find out about losses too late
Most builders learn a job lost money after it has finished. The costs were there all along, spread across bills, wage sheets and store issues that nobody added up by phase.
- 1Bills booked to the company, not to the project and phase.
- 2Wages paid in cash and added up at month end.
- 3Material issued from the store with no cost attached to the work.
- 4Orders already placed but not yet billed, so the budget looks healthier than it is.
- 5Budgets changed quietly, with no record of the original.
- 6Company profit known, profit per project guessed.
Job costing that posts as the work happens
Budget, spent, left, still to pay
Four numbers on every project, with a check that the money used keeps pace with the work done.
Spent on what
Cost split into material, labour, subcontract, machines and services, and extra costs.
Committed cost and forecast
Open orders count as committed, and each project shows where it will finish against its contract.
Budget revisions and alerts
Revise a budget openly and keep its history; get alerted when a phase will go over.
The owner's home
Cash in bank and in hand, what to receive, what to pay, and profit so far this financial year.
Supplier ledger
Every supplier's bills, advances and payments with a running balance, ready to pay from.
Used by: Owners, Accountants, Project managers.
Cost tracking in spreadsheets vs in Aaghaz360
- On registers, spreadsheets and WhatsApp: Costs shared out to projects at month end
- In Aaghaz360: Bills, wage sheets, material issues and expenses post to their project and phase
- On registers, spreadsheets and WhatsApp: Spend is known only when bills arrive
- In Aaghaz360: Open orders count as committed cost
- On registers, spreadsheets and WhatsApp: One total per project
- In Aaghaz360: Cost split into material, labour, subcontract, machines and services, and extra costs
- On registers, spreadsheets and WhatsApp: Over-budget phases found at handover
- In Aaghaz360: An alert when a phase will go over its budget
- On registers, spreadsheets and WhatsApp: Budget changes overwrite the original
- In Aaghaz360: Budget revisions keep their history
- On registers, spreadsheets and WhatsApp: Different totals in different sheets
- In Aaghaz360: Every money figure comes from the same engine
Worked example · sample figures
A worked example: is this house on budget?
Sample figures for a house in its grey structure phase, with spend set against each phase's budget and the work done.
| Phase | Budget | Spent | Work done | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excavation | $8,000 | $9,000 | 100% | Finished $1,000 over |
| Foundation to plinth | $12,000 | $11,000 | 100% | Finished $1,000 under |
| Grey structure | $34,000 | $31,000 | 60% | 91% of budget spent for 60% of the work |
| Finishing | $30,000 | $4,000 | 0% | Not started; early buying |
Grey structure is the phase to act on. 91% of its budget is gone with 40% of the work left, and an open $2,790 cement order, already counted as committed cost, takes it to $33,790 of $34,000. Seeing that now leaves time to re-price, re-scope or talk to the client.
Job costing terms used on this page
- Job costing
- Recording every cost against the project, and the phase, that caused it, so profit is known per job.
- Budget vs actual
- Each phase's budget compared with what has actually been spent on it.
- Committed cost
- Money promised through open orders that hasn't been billed yet.
- Cost to complete
- What is still needed to finish the work. Added to cost so far, it forecasts the final cost.
- Supplier ledger
- Every bill, advance and payment for one supplier, with a running balance.
Project costing works with the rest
Project costing writes to the same record as every other module of Aaghaz360’s construction management software.
Questions about construction cost tracking software
Can site staff see the company's money?
No. Company money is only sent to people with the finance permission; others see their projects' figures as their role allows.
Which financial year does it use?
July to June by default, set per company.
Which costs are tracked?
Material, labour, subcontract, machines and services, and extra costs, each posted to the project and phase it belongs to.
Does it show committed cost?
Yes. Open orders count as committed, and each project shows where it will finish against its contract.
Can I revise a budget?
Yes. Revise it openly and its history is kept. You are alerted when a phase will go over.
What does the owner see?
Cash in bank and in hand, what to receive, what to pay, and profit so far this financial year, on the owner's home.
- Guide: Construction budget vs actual: how to track project costs phase by phase →
- Guide: Construction expense tracking: a step-by-step guide to real-time costs and profitability →
- Guide: Cost to complete in construction: the formula, a worked example and a free Excel report →
- Guide: How to estimate construction costs: a step-by-step guide with 10 practical tips →
Project costing is in every package
Priced by how many projects run at once. Users, storage and every module are included in every package.
- FreeFree1 running projectOne site at a time, every module included
- Starter$149/ yearUp to 5 running projectsA builder or contractor running a few sites
- Business$249/ yearUp to 15 running projectsSeveral sites with a buying team and stores
- Unlimited$499/ yearNo limit on running projectsMany sites, stores and departments
- Unlimited users and storage
- Projects, phases, tasks and documents
- Daily site log with photos
- Purchasing from demand to payment
- Site stores and stock counts
- Labour, contractors and pay runs
- Budgets, supplier ledger and client billing
- Quotations to customers