Approvals and purchase orders
Planyard manages purchase orders, subcontracts and supplier approvals in one place. Sage records only the approved cost once synced.
Sage Business Cloud Accounting vs Planyard
Looking for a Sage Business Cloud alternative for construction job costing? This page compares Sage Business Cloud Accounting (Sage Accounting) and Planyard — where each fits, what they cover, and how they work together for UK construction teams.
Short answer: Sage handles accounting, VAT and CIS; Planyard manages project-side budgets, approvals, valuations, and forecasting. Many contractors use both together — so only approved, fully coded costs hit Sage automatically.
On this page
- Scope and fit
- Reviews at a glance
- Feature-by-feature comparison
- Approvals and job costing workflows
- Implementation time
- Who should choose what
What they do (scope at a glance)
- Sage Business Cloud Accounting — Cloud accounting with Chart of Accounts, supplier bills, VAT (MTD), CIS, domestic reverse charge, bank reconciliation, and financial reporting. Basic project tracking; limited approvals and forecasting.
- Planyard — Construction job costing and project control: estimating, budgets vs actuals, purchase orders, multi-step approvals, subcontractor and client valuations, retentions, variations, and live CVR/forecasting. Syncs only approved, coded costs to Sage with supplier, nominal code, VAT/currency, and the invoice PDF attached.
Reviews at a glance
Public ratings from Capterra UK.
| Programme | Rating | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Sage Business Cloud Accounting | 4.2 / 5.0 |  Trusted UK bookkeeping and compliance; project costing, approvals, and forecasting often need add-ons or spreadsheets. |
| Planyard | 4.6 / 5.0 | Praised for ease of use, visibility, and clean Sage/Xero/QuickBooks sync. Reviewers highlight less manual entry and full audit trail. |
Quotes: “Planyard integrates seamlessly with Sage.” · “We finally stopped updating endless cost spreadsheets.”
Quick summary
- Sage. Excellent for accounting, VAT, CIS, and statutory reporting. Basic project tracking but limited visibility on job profitability.
- Planyard. Full commercial control with budgets, POs, valuations, retentions, and live forecasting. Built for QSs, project managers, and finance teams who want to avoid spreadsheet rebuilds.
- Together. Approval-only sync ensures Sage holds clean, coded costs. No duplicates, no drafts, no re-typing.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Sage Business Cloud (alone) | Planyard (alone) | Planyard + Sage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-step approvals (routes, thresholds) |  Basic approval only |
Configurable multi-step approvals |
Full routing with audit trail before posting |
| 3-way match (PO ↔ delivery ↔ invoice) | Manual |
Automated, blocks mismatches |
Full 3-way match; only approved bills sync |
| PO control (raise against budget) | Not native |
Linked to live budgets |
Prevents over-commitment before posting to Sage |
| Invoice capture (email-in/OCR) | Supported (Sage Capture/AutoEntry) |
OCR + PO/valuation link |
Unified capture → approval → sync |
| Approval-only sync | Manual posting |
Automatic once approved |
Keeps ledger clean |
| Mapping to categories/accounts | Within Sage |
Uses synced Chart |
Accurate mapping with every posted bill |
| Attachments (PDF, refs in accounting) | Supported |
Auto-sends with post |
All bills arrive in Sage with PDFs and metadata |
| Live variance & forecasting (EAC) | Limited reporting |
Real-time CVR & forecasting |
Shared visibility across finance & site |
| CIS & domestic reverse charge | Applied in Sage |
Ensures correct coding and supplier linkage |
Coding enforced project-side; rules applied in Sage |
| Full audit trail | Financial approvals logged |
Full project approval history |
End-to-end transparency |
| No re-typing (site → budget → accounting) | Manual entry common |
Seamless workflow |
Fully automated, duplicate-free |
What posts to accounting
- Posts: Approved bills/credit notes with supplier, nominal code, VAT/currency, and invoice PDF.
- Doesn’t post: Estimates, budgets, detailed time records (only summaries).
- System of record: Accounting stays in Sage; Planyard manages approvals and live job costing.
Features in detail
How they handle approvals, job costing, valuations, retentions and forecasting.
Valuations and retentions
Planyard manages subcontractor and client valuations and tracks retentions. Approved items flow to Sage as coded bills for payment.
Upload your project budget and follow the financial progress in real-time
No credit card required. No sales or IT support needed.
Live CVR and forecasting
Planyard updates project CVR and EAC automatically as invoices and variations are approved. Sage reflects the same totals in financial reports.
CIS and compliance
Sage applies CIS and domestic reverse charge VAT when posted bills arrive. Planyard ensures supplier linkage and coding so the deductions apply correctly.
Implementation timelines
| System | Typical duration | Typical steps |
|---|---|---|
| Planyard + Sage | 1–5 days |
|
| Sage alone | Immediate |
|
Who should choose what
- Choose Planyard if you need proper job costing — budgets, POs, valuations, retentions, forecasting and approvals — without spreadsheets.
- Choose Sage if you only need accounting, VAT, CIS and basic project tracking.
- Choose both if you want a joined-up workflow: Planyard for project control, Sage for accounting and compliance.
Pricing and packages
Planyard has transparent per-user plans and a free trial. Sage Business Cloud Accounting typically starts from around £14-£30/month. The Sage integration is included in all Planyard plans.
Estimating
£40
/ month / project manager
Cost Estimating
Essential
£82
/ month / project manager
£33
Usually selected for: site engineers, clients, estimators or auditors.
for supporting staff
Perfect for support roles or stakeholders—gain access to essential project features and view key financial data without full platform permissions, enabling users to stay informed and contribute without hands-on tasks.Usually selected for: site engineers, clients, estimators or auditors.
Estimating and Budget Control
- Everything in Estimating
- Track budgets and actual spend
- Manage purchase invoices automatically
- Reuse active project cost data for estimating
- Sync invoices to Xero and QuickBooks
Professional
£123
/ month / project manager
£33
Usually selected for: site engineers, clients, estimators or auditors.
for supporting staff
Perfect for support roles or stakeholders—gain access to essential project features and view key financial data without full platform permissions, enabling users to stay informed and contribute without hands-on tasks.Usually selected for: site engineers, clients, estimators or auditors.
Estimating, Cost Control and Purchase Orders Management
- Everything in Essential
- Issue and manage purchase orders
- Track committed cost on the budget
- Forecast project profitability in real-time
- Create cashflow forecasts
- Manage client contracts and progress reports
Ultimate
£164
/ month / project manager
£33
Usually selected for: site engineers, clients, estimators or auditors.
for supporting staff
Perfect for support roles or stakeholders—gain access to essential project features and view key financial data without full platform permissions, enabling users to stay informed and contribute without hands-on tasks.Usually selected for: site engineers, clients, estimators or auditors.
Full Functionality
- Everything in Professional
- Automate subcontractor and vendor quoting
- Track subcontracts and progress
- Manage subcontractor variations
- Collect subcontractor valuations
In one paragraph
Sage keeps your books compliant; Planyard keeps your projects profitable. Sage handles accounting, VAT and CIS, while Planyard manages budgets, purchase orders, valuations, retentions and approvals. The integration means only approved, fully coded costs reach Sage — no spreadsheets, no duplicates, no re-typing.
Sources and last updated. Sage Business Cloud Accounting UK documentation (CIS, VAT), Planyard Capterra UK listings, and customer case studies. Last reviewed 8 October 2025.