Planyard

Set up the budget by cost code, then record each cost against a code at the point it is committed: purchase orders, subcontract orders, plant hire and labour. Match supplier invoices to the order they belong to, review the variance on each line every week, and update the forecast final cost when something changes. Software does the matching and adding up; the discipline is raising an order for everything.

Job costing assigns costs to a job, usually from the accounts after invoices are posted, so it tells you what a job has cost so far. Cost tracking in construction goes further back: it records commitments when orders are raised, so you see the cost before the invoice arrives and can still act on it.

Yes, and most small contractors start there with a budget template. It works while one person keeps one or two jobs up to date. Once several projects run at once, invoices get keyed twice, committed costs live in someone’s inbox and the spreadsheet is only as current as its last update. Excel vs Planyard sets out where the line usually falls.

Of the tools in this guide, Planyard (£82 to £164 per project manager per month), Buildxact (£119 to £349 per month) and Xero (Projects is in the £70 Ultimate plan) publish GBP prices. LiveCosts, Archdesk, Bauwise and Access Coins Evo are quote only. Excel costs £10.80 per user per month as part of Microsoft 365 Business Standard.

Most of the tools here do. Planyard syncs approved invoices and payments with Xero, QuickBooks and Sage, LiveCosts is listed on the Xero App Store, and Buildxact syncs with Xero and QuickBooks. Xero Projects runs inside Xero itself. Access Coins Evo has its own ledger, so it replaces your accounting software rather than connecting to it.