Construction project costing with fewer missing pieces.

Cost the job, not just the supplier bill

A single supplier delivery can serve more than one site. A subcontractor can work on several projects in the same month. If those costs are not assigned to the correct jobs, a project report can look healthier than the work actually is.

Assign supplier bills, subcontractor bills and expenses to projects. Bill reading helps capture supplier, amount and tax details; review the captured record before relying on it.

Use a consistent cost breakdown

• Materials: goods bought for the job, with credits or rebates accounted for.
• Labour: the costs your business allocates to the project.
• Subcontractors: specialist packages and other subcontracted work.
• Other job costs: transport, equipment or other costs assigned under your accounting policy.

Keep your treatment consistent across jobs and agree the approach with your accountant. Unassigned bills can distort comparisons even when every invoice has been entered correctly.

Review the margin as the scope moves

Material price changes and variation orders can alter the expected result. A supplier rebate reduces the relevant cost, while extra billed work changes income. Both should stay connected to the same project.

The interactive project calculator uses example jobs to show that relationship. It excludes tax and overheads, so use it to understand the calculation rather than forecast your actual business result.

Project profit has limits

Project profit is billed income less assigned project costs. It is not the same as cash in the bank, and it is not necessarily company net profit. Remaining work, unentered bills, office costs and financing costs can still change the outcome.

Read the project profit guide for a worked example and a practical review checklist. Bring an active job to a walkthrough to see how your records would be assigned.