Job Costing Software for Irish Contractors

What each job actually costs, known while it can still be managed.

Site labour booked to the job daily, commitments posted the moment orders are raised, and every invoice matched to its cost code. Irish contractors get the CVR (cost value reconciliation) from the same records, with retention tracked per subcontract and applications for payment run in the platform.

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Actual cost per job, against the tender, while the job is live

Job costing software for Irish contractors keeps the actual cost of every job current: labour booked daily at cost rates, purchase orders and subcontracts posted as commitments when they are raised, and invoices matched to their cost codes as they land. The winning tender becomes the job budget without re-keying, so actuals always read against the numbers the work was priced on. Retention sits per subcontract on the same record, applications for payment run on the same figures, and the CVR (cost value reconciliation) is produced per job and across the portfolio from the records the site and commercial teams already work in.

Contractor in a hard hat on a construction site

Labour hours priced, not just counted

Timesheets carry cost rates, so hours booked on site become labour cost on the right job and cost code the same day, not at month end.

Committed before it is spent

Orders and subcontract packages post as commitments when they are raised, so the money a job has promised is visible long before the invoices arrive.

The estimate is the baseline

The winning tender becomes the cost-coded job budget the day the job is won, so actuals are read against the priced lines from the first week on site.

Variations priced into the job

Variations are priced onto the affected cost codes at approval, so scope growth shows in the job cost record instead of quietly eroding the base budget.

Closed jobs price the next one

Every finished job leaves a complete actual-cost record per cost code, so the next tender is priced from evidence. The same records carry retention balances and applications for payment, one set of numbers from first valuation to final account.

Engineers reviewing job costs on a tablet and laptop on site

Labour Cost Tracking

Timesheets from site carry cost rates, so hours become labour cost on the right job and cost code the day they are worked, not when payroll closes the month.

Site hours captured against jobs and cost codes

Cost rates applied to recorded hours

Labour cost visible daily per job

Expenses and plant time recorded with the work

Actuals and Invoice Matching

Supplier and subcontractor invoices land against their commitments and cost codes, with retention handled, so actual cost per job is reconciled continuously rather than quarterly.

Invoices matched to purchase orders

Retention tracked per subcontract

Actuals posted to the originating cost code

One record from order to payment

True Cost and CVR Reporting

CVR (cost value reconciliation) per job and across the portfolio, built from the same records site and commercial teams work in. Budget, committed, actual and forecast sit on one screen.

CVR (cost value reconciliation) per job

Budget, committed, actual and forecast together

Portfolio view across all live jobs

Custom KPIs from the same cost records

Estimate to Budget

Win the job and the priced estimate becomes the cost-coded budget, line by line. Job costing starts from the numbers the work was sold on, with no re-keying and no translation loss between sales and delivery.

Winning estimate becomes the working budget

Cost codes carried from pricing to delivery

No re-keying between estimating and delivery

Margin visible per line from day one

Committed Cost Visibility

Purchase orders and subcontract packages post to the job as commitments the moment they are raised. The gap between committed and invoiced stays visible, so nothing arrives at the final account unannounced.

POs and subcontracts land on the budget when raised

Committed versus invoiced per cost code

Amendments tracked against the original order

Cost visible months before the invoice

Frequently Asked Questions: Construction Job Costing

What is job costing in construction?

Job costing tracks what each job actually costs by coding labour, materials, plant and subcontractor spend to the job and cost code that caused it, as the cost is incurred. Compared against the budget the winning estimate created, it shows the true position per job while the work is still running, not after the final account.

How does Archdesk track job costs?

The winning estimate becomes the cost-coded job budget, and from that point every timesheet, purchase order, subcontract and invoice lands on its cost code. Committed cost posts when an order is raised, actuals post when invoices are matched, and CVR (cost value reconciliation) shows budget, committed, actual and forecast together per job and across the portfolio.

How is labour cost captured per job?

Site timesheets carry cost rates, so recorded hours become labour cost on the right job and cost code the day they are worked rather than when payroll closes the month. Expenses and plant time are recorded with the same work.

What is the difference between committed and actual cost?

Committed cost is money you have promised: purchase orders and subcontract packages post to the job the moment they are raised. Actual cost is money invoiced against those commitments. Archdesk keeps both visible per cost code, so a job’s true position is known months before the invoices arrive.

Can job costing feed the next estimate?

Yes. Every job closes with a complete actual-cost record per cost code, so estimators price the next bid from what jobs really cost. Because the estimate, the budget and the actuals share the same cost codes, the comparison needs no re-keying.

How do payment notices and retention fit into the payment side of job costing?

In Irish practice, paying a subcontractor runs on the application and certification cycle: payment notices set out what will be paid, and retention is held and released under the subcontract. Documents, approvals and payment records live on the same job record in Archdesk, so the paper trail sits with the job cost numbers.

How is retention handled per subcontract?

Retention is tracked per subcontract with the job cost record, so balances and release timing are visible beside the costs they relate to. Release at the end of the defects period is followed through from the same numbers, on live jobs and finished ones.

Do applications for payment run inside Archdesk?

Yes. Applications for payment run against the same cost codes the job budget reads from, so the applied position and actual job cost always agree, per job and across the portfolio.

Does Archdesk integrate with the accounting systems Irish contractors use?

Yes. Archdesk is a certified Xero partner and integrates with Sage, so the job cost record and the ledger stay in step without double entry.

Is the CVR produced from job costing records?

Yes. The CVR (cost value reconciliation) comes straight from the live job cost records, per job and across the whole portfolio, with nothing rebuilt at month end.

Learning the process? Read the construction job costing guide. Comparing options? See the best construction job costing software compared. Or browse all job costing and cost control guides.

This page is about what each job really costs against the priced numbers. Setting and managing the budget is construction budgeting, and live actual-versus-estimate control with the CVR is project cost controls. The priced numbers the job is costed against start life in construction estimating software, and committed cost lands through construction procurement.