Software for construction companies, from bid to handover
Software for construction companies is the set of tools that ties bills of quantities and estimates, the site and the office together: which hours, materials and machines went into which line, and where a job is running over budget. Tsunami Digital, a software studio in Zagreb, builds it to fit contractors and subcontractors, so you see cost overruns while there is still time to act.
Overview
A construction company usually works in three places that cannot see each other: bills of quantities and estimates in Excel, accounting or ERP in the office, and the site, where hours and materials are recorded on paper, in chat messages and in photos on the foreman's phone. We build software that brings that data together - how many hours, how much material and which machines went into which line of the bill - so the project manager sees the state of every site without driving out or phoning round.
For a smaller contractor with a few jobs at a time, a ready-made site app is often enough, and we will say so. Custom software pays off when you run several sites at once, when the way you estimate is what wins you work, or when you have already tried an off-the-shelf tool and the foremen went back to paper because it did not fit how they work.
Where it hurts
- The foreman writes hours and materials in a notebook, and someone in the office types them into a spreadsheet at the end of the week.
- Pricing a client's bill of quantities takes a day or two, because unit rates are hunted down in old estimates.
- You find out a job is over budget when the progress claim is closed, not while something can still be changed.
- You cannot say at any moment which crew, which machine and which formwork is on which site.
- Site photos and proof of completed work are scattered across phones and WhatsApp groups.
What we build for construction companies
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Site app
Daily entry of hours, materials, plant and photos against the bill of quantities, designed for gloves, sunlight and a weak signal.
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Estimating and bids
Bids priced from the client's bill of quantities using your own rates and production norms from past jobs, not from memory.
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Job cost tracking
Planned against actual for every line, updated as soon as site entries come in, so overruns show up while you can still react.
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Crew and plant scheduling
Who works on which site with which machine and tools, next week's plan, and a service log for the equipment.
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Progress claim groundwork
Quantities for interim and final claims prepared from site data, with photos and documents attached to each line.
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Client portal
Limited access for the client or main contractor to progress, photos and documents, instead of an email after every question.
How we work together
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A day on site
Before writing a spec we spend a day with a foreman and a project manager, because software that does not fit the site ends up unused.
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One site as a pilot
The first version is tried on one site with one crew. We fix what gets in the way, then roll it out to the rest.
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Your data, not a blank start
Existing bills of quantities, norms and rates are moved into the new system, so nobody starts from an empty database.
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Your development team
After rollout we stay on monthly as your development team: maintenance, support for site staff, and new features when you take on new kinds of work.
No project price list. A fixed price before we start.
Every project is different, so the price depends on what you need and how much of it. The first call is free of charge, and you always get a fixed price in writing before any work starts - no surprises.
- 01The first call is free and commits you to nothing
- 02You get a fixed price in writing before work starts
- 03You own the code and data once the work is paid for
- 04Hourly work and extra developers: €40-60 per hour
- 05After launch: software maintenance and development, monthly
Solutions for this industry
- 01 Work order and field service app Jobs on the technician's phone, with scheduling, photos, signatures, materials and time, and a report ready for invoicing.
- 02 Internal tools that replace spreadsheets Small web apps that replace the shared spreadsheets behind quotes, stock, scheduling and approvals, with roles and history.
- 03 Client portal A secure place where clients upload documents, follow the status of their work, approve drafts and message your team.
Further reading
- 01 Digitalising a construction company: projects, costs, people Digitalizing construction companies in Croatia: project management, costs, sites, quotes, invoicing - what off-the-shelf covers and when custom is needed.
- 02 From Excel to a custom application: what about the data Moving from Excel to a custom application: what to check in your data before a quote, how much history to migrate and what to demand at handover.
Related industries
- 01 Software for engineering and design offices Calculation tools, apps that read your drawings and automatic technical reports for HVAC, structural, design and architecture offices.
- 02 Software for trades and service businesses Work orders on the phone, service history, crew scheduling, recurring service and quote tools for installers and service companies.
- 03 Software for real estate and property management Owner and co-owner portals, repair tracking, enquiry records and reports for agencies, building managers and rental managers.
Services behind it
- 01 Custom software development Web apps, mobile apps, internal tools and platforms built around your processes - including takeovers of existing code.
- 02 Business process automation Orders, invoices, reports and approvals that move between your systems on their own, with people only where judgement is needed.
Questions
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01 What software does a construction company need?
Most contractors work with four kinds of tools: a program for bills of quantities and estimates (often also covering the measurement book and progress claims), accounting or ERP, the eGrađevinski dnevnik electronic site diary, mandatory in Croatia since 1 January 2023, and some way of recording work on site. The first three usually exist as ready-made products. The gap is most often on site and between the tools: hours and materials never reach the estimate, so planned and actual costs are only compared when the job is finished. That is where custom software is worth the most.
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02 Do you sell a program for construction estimating or the measurement book?
No, we do not sell a boxed product. For standard estimating from production norms and for the measurement book there are several ready-made programs on the market, and for many contractors they are enough. We build custom estimating when your own norms and unit rates from past jobs are what wins you work and you want them applied automatically, or when quantities for the measurement book should come straight from the site.
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03 Isn't there ready-made software for construction companies?
There is, and for many contractors it is a good choice. If an off-the-shelf tool fits how you work and the foremen actually use it, we will recommend keeping it. Custom software makes sense when the tool forces you to change how you estimate or track costs, or when nobody on site opens it.
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04 Will the foremen actually use it?
That is the main risk with any site software, so we deal with it before the build. Entry is kept to a few taps a day, screens are tested with people from the field, and the first version goes to one site only. Whatever the foremen dislike is changed before everyone gets the tool.
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05 Does the site app work without a signal?
It can. We design the app so entries can be made with a weak signal or none at all and are sent to the office as soon as the connection returns. We agree this at the start, because it affects how the app is built.
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06 Do you build the construction diary too?
No. In Croatia the construction diary is kept electronically in the government's eGrađevinski dnevnik service, so we do not duplicate it. We build the internal records around it - hours, materials, costs and photos - that the official diary does not cover.
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07 How much does custom software for a construction company cost?
The price depends on scope - the number of sites and users, whether you need only a site app or also estimating, scheduling and a portal, and how much data moves over from your spreadsheets. That is why we do not publish a price list. The first call is free, and the price is agreed in writing before work starts.
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08 Can we start with one small part?
Yes, and we recommend it. Usually we start with site entry or with bids, depending on where you lose the most time, and add the rest step by step as part of the monthly partnership.
Where do your hours and materials go missing?
Tell us how a job runs today - the first call is free and the price is agreed in writing before work starts.
Completely free. No commitments.
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