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Construction analytics for cost estimating, project and margin data

Construction analytics that brings job cost, WIP, schedule and margin data into one view for contractor owners, CFOs and project managers.

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Job 14 margin has faded since the last billingJob 14 projected margin held near 15 to 16 percent through pay application 5, then fell to 11.6 percent; a job table shows a 4.4 point fade. Demo data.Job 14 margin has faded since the last billingJob 14 projected margin by pay application, %Demo data121416Last billing-3.2 ptsBidPA1PA2PA3PA4PA5NowJobContractBid marginProjectedFadeJob 11$4.2M14.5%14.1%-0.4Job 14$6.8M16.0%11.6%-4.4Job 17$2.9M12.0%12.3%+0.3Job 22$5.1M15.0%14.2%-0.8Job 14 margin has faded since the last billingJob 14 projected margin held near 15 to 16 percent through pay application 5, then fell to 11.6 percent; a job table shows a 4.4 point fade. Demo data.Job 14 margin has fadedsince the last billingJob 14 projected margin by pay application, %Demo data121416Last billing-3.2 ptsBidPA1PA2PA3PA4PA5NowBidJobContractmarginProjectedFadeJob 11$4.2M14.5%14.1%-0.4Job 14$6.8M16.0%11.6%-4.4Job 17$2.9M12.0%12.3%+0.3Job 22$5.1M15.0%14.2%-0.8

Our construction analytics work connects project management, accounting and estimating data into dashboards that show margin fade early. Book a consultation to review your project reporting.

We start with the reports your team already relies on.

What it is

What is construction analytics? Cost, schedule and billing in one current view

Definition

Construction analytics is the practice of integrating and analyzing project, cost, schedule and financial data to manage jobs and the business more effectively. Construction data analytics joins information from project management software, accounting or ERP systems, estimates and spreadsheets into consistent KPIs. The result is an accurate, current view of each job and the whole portfolio.

  1. For contractors, it replaces month-old cost reports and manually built WIP schedules with views that refresh automatically and reconcile to the books.

  2. It turns separate reports into one source of truth.

One current view shows Job 19 spending ahead of progressOne current view of Job 19 shows cost at 63% of budget against 54% of work complete and 49% billed (demo data).One current view shows Job 19 spending ahead of progressJob 19, % of contract or budget, as of this weekDemo dataCost spentof budget63%Work completeschedule54%Billedof contract49%Cost is 9 points ahead of progress; billing trails by 5One current view shows Job 19 spending ahead of progressOne current view of Job 19 shows cost at 63% of budget against 54% of work complete and 49% billed (demo data).One current view shows Job 19spending ahead of progressJob 19, % of contract or budget, as ofthis weekDemo dataCost spent (of budget)63%Work complete (schedule)54%Billed (of contract)49%Cost is 9 points ahead ofprogress; billing trails by 5
Challenges we solve

Contractors lose margin job by job, and reports arrive too late

Contractors rarely lose margin in a single event. It erodes job by job, and the reports arrive too late to stop it.

A 15% bid margin closes at 11.7%A 15% bid margin closes at 11.7% after change orders billed late or not at all (minus 1.8 points) and overruns seen a month late (minus 1.5 points) (demo data).A 15% bid margin closes at 11.7%Gross margin of a typical job, bid to closeout, % of revenueDemo data05101515.0%Bid margin-1.8 ptsChange orders billedlate or not at all-1.5 ptsOverruns seen a monthlate11.7%Closeout marginUnbilled change orders are the largest leakA 15% bid margin closes at 11.7%A 15% bid margin closes at 11.7% after change orders billed late or not at all (minus 1.8 points) and overruns seen a month late (minus 1.5 points) (demo data).A 15% bid margin closes at11.7%Gross margin of a typical job, bid tocloseout, % of revenueDemo dataBid margin15.0%Change orders billed late or not atall-1.8 ptsOverruns seen a month late-1.5 ptsCloseout margin11.7%Unbilled change orders are thelargest leak

At month-end, the WIP schedule shows over- and under-billing that surprises the CFO. Projected margins shift between reports because estimates to complete are updated inconsistently. Leaders learn about margin fade at closeout, when it can no longer be recovered.

Construction analytics closes these gaps by joining field, project and accounting data into one model that refreshes frequently. Margin fade becomes visible while there is still time to act on it.

Benefits

Owners, CFOs and project managers each get the view they need

Construction analytics replaces late, manual reports with a shared, current view of every job. Each role uses it differently.

Because everyone works from one dataset, project reviews and month-end meetings spend less time reconciling numbers and more time deciding what to do.

One job dataset serves three decisionsOne job cost dataset feeds an owner portfolio view, a CFO WIP and billing view and a project manager cost code view, each tied to its decision.One job dataset serves three decisionsWho reads which level of the same construction dataOwnerPortfolio viewDecisionWhich work to bid onCFOWIP and billing viewDecisionHow to bill, borrow andreportProject managerCost code viewDecisionWhere to act on cost thisweekOne job cost datasetCost, schedule, billing and change orders, refreshed from your systemsSame numbers at three levels of detail, so reviews skip reconciling.One job dataset serves three decisionsOne job cost dataset feeds an owner portfolio view, a CFO WIP and billing view and a project manager cost code view, each tied to its decision.One job dataset serves threedecisionsWho reads which level of the sameconstruction dataOwnerPortfolio viewDecision: Which work to bid onCFOWIP and billing viewDecision: How to bill, borrow andreportProject managerCost code viewDecision: Where to act on cost thisweekOne job cost datasetCost, schedule, billing and changeordersSame numbers at three levels of detail, soreviews skip reconciling.

The insight is simple: the same job data serves three different decisions. Owners decide which work to bid on. CFOs decide how to bill, borrow and report. Project managers decide where to act on cost and schedule this week. Construction analytics gives each of them the same numbers, at the level of detail they need.

The result is better cost control and risk management on every job, with data that refreshes automatically from your existing systems and needs no duplicate entry.

Bid on the work that pays

Portfolio view of backlog, projected margin and risk by project type and client.

  • Backlog and margin in backlog
  • Risk by project type and client
  • Decide which work to pursue
Use cases

Four construction analytics use cases that protect margin

These use cases cover the questions contractor leadership teams ask every month.

Catch overruns as they develop

Job costing: budget, committed and actual cost by cost code, with estimate to complete. Fixes happen while the job is live.

Know your billing position before month-end

WIP: automated schedule with percent complete, earned revenue and over- and under-billing. Finance stops rebuilding WIP each month.

Find delays and their cost early

Schedule and productivity: planned versus actual progress and labor hours by trade. Schedules reflect real crew output.

See safety as part of project health

Safety and quality: incidents, inspections and rework linked to jobs and trades. Repeat issues are found by trade.

A common starting point is job costing and WIP, because that is where margin fade is found and where finance spends the most time each month. Schedule, productivity and safety follow once the cost data is reliable. Each use case is built on the same data model, so adding the next one is usually faster than the first. All four are reviewed in the meetings where decisions are already made: weekly job reviews, month-end close and executive portfolio reviews.

Each use case names the decision it supports, such as which job to review first or when to bill a change order, so the dashboard has a clear owner and a clear reason to exist.

Profitability analysisCapacity planning
KPIs we track

Construction KPIs and dashboards that flag margin risk on every job

These construction KPIs are defined once and tracked automatically for every job.

Projected margin on Job 14 fades below bid

Projected gross margin vs bid margin, %, Job 14 by pay application; portfolio by month

Demo data
10%12%14%16%18%BidPA1PA2PA3PA4PA5NowProjectedBid14.8% in PA5: Last billing10%12%14%16%18%BidPA2PA4Now14.8% in PA5: Last billing
ProjectedBid

So what: Margin fade shows up early in the data; act while the job is still live.

Spot margin fade

Demo

Projected gross margin against bid margin, by job and portfolio.

Control cost by code

Demo

Cost variance: actual and committed cost against budget.

Bill what you have earned

Demo

Over- and under-billing from the WIP schedule.

Get paid for changes

Demo

Change order cycle from field approval to billing.

Link delays to cost

Demo

Schedule variance on key milestones.

Know the quality of backlog

Demo

Contracted revenue not yet earned, with margin in backlog.

Each KPI has a written definition, an owner and a target, and is reviewed in the meeting where it matters.

These construction KPIs come first because they tie field progress to billing and margin. Each is shown by job, by project manager and across the whole portfolio.

Every KPI ties back to your cost code structure, so a variance can be traced to the line that caused it.

Sample views

A construction dashboard should drill from portfolio to job to cost code

The chart below shows that drill on demo data. Across the portfolio, Job 14 has the largest margin fade since bid, at 4.4 points. Within Job 14, concrete holds $142K of the $299K overrun.

Drilling down shows where Job 14 lost marginJob 14 has the largest margin fade at minus 4.4 points, and most of its $299K overrun sits in concrete at $142K (demo data).Drilling down shows where Job 14 lost marginMargin fade since bid by job, pts; Job 14 overrun by cost code, $KDemo dataPortfolio: fade by jobJob 14-4.4 ptsJob 22-0.8 ptsJob 11-0.4 ptsJob 14: overrun by cost codeConcrete$142KElectrical$96KSteel$61KConcrete holds almost half of the $299K overrunDrilling down shows where Job 14 lost marginJob 14 has the largest margin fade at minus 4.4 points, and most of its $299K overrun sits in concrete at $142K (demo data).Drilling down shows where Job14 lost marginMargin fade since bid by job, pts; Job 14overrun by cost code, $KDemo dataPortfolio: fade by jobJob 14-4.4 ptsJob 22-0.8 ptsJob 11-0.4 ptsJob 14: overrun by cost codeConcrete$142KElectrical$96KSteel$61KConcrete holds almost half of the$299K overrun
1

Run weekly job reviews from one page

Construction project dashboard: cost, schedule progress and open change orders.

2

Review billing position across jobs

WIP dashboard: earned revenue, billing and margin fade.

3

Decide which work to pursue

Portfolio dashboard: backlog, margin and risk by type, client and project manager.

Our three sample construction dashboards use the same drill and the same job and cost code structure as your accounting system. They can be reviewed in a short walkthrough during a consultation.

Tools

We connect the construction software you already use

Contractors often run several systems that were never designed to report together. We connect them into one data model rather than asking you to replace them.

From the systems you use to one construction dashboard

Select a stage, use Next or the arrow keys

Field platforms. Procore and similar platforms supply budgets, commitments, change orders and schedules.

Step 1 of 5
Field data joins costProcore and similar platforms: budgets, commitments, change orders and schedules.
Job cost ties to the ledgerSage and other construction accounting systems for job cost and billing.
General ledgers fit tooNetSuite, Odoo, Zoho and QuickBooks for contractors outside a construction suite.
Spreadsheets retire graduallyEstimate files, WIP workbooks and field logs, brought in with validation.

We work with the data you already have, from project management platforms and construction accounting systems to general ERPs and the spreadsheets that fill the gaps. The output is a construction dashboard layer, usually in Power BI, that refreshes automatically and reconciles to your books.

Where a system lacks a direct connector, we use scheduled exports or automation tools such as Zapier, Make or n8n to bring data in reliably and on schedule.

The aim is one model that every report draws from, so a job's numbers are the same in every meeting.

Your teams keep the systems they know; we connect them.

ERP platformsPower BI
Frequently asked questions

Construction analytics: questions contractors ask before they start

How does construction analytics improve construction cost estimating?

We analyze estimate-to-actual data so your estimating team sees where past estimates were accurate or off, and we feed historical cost data back into future cost estimating. Estimators then work from evidence by cost code, trade and project type when they prepare the next bid.

Do we need to replace our construction software?

No. We connect the systems you already use, such as Procore, Sage, your ERP and spreadsheets, into one data model and dashboard layer. Replacement is only recommended when a system cannot provide the data you need. This keeps disruption low for project and field teams.

Who is construction analytics for?

It suits general contractors, specialty contractors and developers across the AEC sector with several active jobs, where owners, CFOs and project managers need a current, shared view of cost, schedule, WIP and margin. It also suits contractors preparing for growth or new financing.

Related resources

Next: estimate from history and retire spreadsheet reporting

Further reading on construction cost, data modernization and how we structure engagements for contractors.

Industries 1

How we work 3

Each article is written for contractor owners, CFOs and project leaders.

Use them to prepare for a first conversation about your project data.

Each article links back to the related solution pages.

Book a construction analytics review

If job cost reports arrive late or WIP surprises your finance team, start with a construction analytics review of your systems, reports and KPIs.

You receive a written summary of priorities and a recommended first step, which may be advisory or training rather than a dashboard if your data is not yet ready. Reviews are scheduled around month-end. Book a consultation to schedule yours.

AI and data readiness assessment
See how we work