Industries · Construction
Toolbase for Construction Companies
One platform for tenders, staged projects, subcontractors, variations and cost against budget.
The challenges
What gets in the way for construction companies
Margins are thin and found out late
Cost overruns show up at the end of the project, when nothing can be done about them.
Subcontractor costs are hard to track
Quotes, variations and invoices from many trades need to be held against the right stage.
Tenders take effort and most are not won
Without a record of what was priced and why it was lost, each tender starts from scratch.
Variations are agreed on site and lost in email
Unpriced changes are one of the main sources of lost margin.
Built around your industry
Toolbase speaks construction
Choosing your industry changes the terminology, fields, pipeline stages, quote structure and dashboards you see.
| Standard Toolbase | In your Toolbase |
|---|---|
| Deal | Tender or opportunity |
| Quote | Estimate |
| Project stage | Base, Frame, Lock-up, Fit-out |
| Other costs | Subcontractors and preliminaries |
| Change | Variation |
Workflow
From first enquiry to profit, the construction way
The estimate becomes the budget. Actual costs are recorded against it by stage as the project runs.
- Opportunity
- Tender
- Estimate
- Award
- Contract
- Project Stages
- Subcontractors
- Variations
- Progress Claims
- Completion
- Profitability
Cost against budget while there is still time to act
Record labour, materials and subcontractor costs against each stage as they occur. Toolbase compares them with the estimate so overruns are visible early.
- Budget from the estimate
- Costs by stage and trade
- Variations tracked and priced
- Margin forecast by project
Industry-specific quoting
Quote construction work the way you price it
Build estimates by stage and trade, with preliminaries, plant and margin set out clearly.
Labour categories
- Site supervisor
- Carpenter
- Labourer
- Project manager
Subcontract trades
- Concrete
- Framing
- Electrical
- Plumbing
- Finishing trades
Materials and plant
- Concrete and steel
- Timber
- Crane and scaffold hire
- Site facilities
Margins
- Preliminaries
- Contingency
- Builder's margin
- Markup on variations
Dashboards
The numbers construction companies watch
Cost against budget
By project and stage.
Gross margin by project
Forecast and actual.
Variations
Raised, approved and invoiced.
Tender win rate
Tenders won against submitted.
Pipeline value
Tenders outstanding by stage.
Subcontractor cost
By trade and project.
Recommended modules
Where most construction businesses start
These are suggestions. Turn on only what you need and add modules later.
CRM
Every customer, deal and conversation in one history.
Deals
A clear pipeline of every opportunity and its value.
Quoting
Accurate, industry-specific quotes with margin built in.
Projects
Plan and track multi-stage work from sale to completion.
Tasks
Clear ownership of every follow-up and to-do.
Job Costing
Quoted against actual, for every job.
Reporting
Dashboards and reports on every part of the business.
Analytics
Dig into the detail behind the dashboard.
FAQ
Toolbase for construction: common questions
Can I track costs by stage?
Yes. Costs are recorded against project stages and compared with the estimate.
Can I record subcontractor costs?
Yes. Subcontractor costs are part of job costing and can be reported by trade.
Does Toolbase replace our accounting system?
No. Toolbase manages estimating, delivery and job costing. Accounting integrations are listed with their status on the integrations page.
Configure Toolbase for your business
Pick your industry, choose your modules and see your recommended setup in a few minutes.