Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for hardscaping contractors.
A checklist built from how hardscaping contractors work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Site survey and measurements
- Quotations by area and material
- Materials orders and deliveries
- Crew and plant scheduling
- Variations and approvals
- Stage billing and retentions
- Handover and aftercare
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For owners
- For estimators
- For crew leaders
- For the office
- For customers
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Quotes still open, won and lost
- Jobs by stage and by crew, with days lost to rain
- Aggregates, pavers and kerbs ordered, delivered and used per job
- Cost of each job beside what has been billed
- Variations pending and approved
- Stage invoices raised and received, with retentions held
- Outstanding balances per customer, oldest at the top
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- SMS
- WhatsApp or other messaging
- Card payment gateway
- Accounting software export
- Supplier price list import
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Can quotes be priced by area, depth and tonne?
- Can several deliveries be tracked for one job?
- Does it cope with weather delays?
- Can customers approve variations?
- Can it handle retentions on commercial work?
- Is the crew leader’s view usable from a phone on site?
- Can we bring over jobs in progress and bills still owed?
- Who owns the data?
- What does it cost?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Takeoff and quote use different figures
- Bulk materials are hard to reconcile
- Weather breaks the schedule
- Variations are agreed verbally
- Stage bills lag behind the work
Prefer to talk it through? See the hardscaping contractors page.