Budget Heads and Actual Spend for Construction Sites
Each site carries a budget split into heads for material, labour, contract work, machinery and overheads. Every issue, wage sheet and vendor bill posts against one of those heads.
Heads set under the site
A budget is entered per site when the project is set up, next to the client, contract value and billing stages. The heads are material, labour, contract work, machinery and overheads. Finer heads under each are agreed during implementation. Spend is compared with its head.
What posts against a head
Reading budget against actual
The report lists each budget head against actual spend, site by site. A project manager reads it across sites, while an owner or partner reads the total per site. Spend posts as the entry is made, so the figure changes during the month and reflects only what has been issued, paid or billed so far.
What it does not do
It does not estimate a project or build a bill of quantities. The budget figure is whatever the firm enters, and the head list is the firm’s to define. Entries that are never made leave a head looking under spent, so the storekeeper and accounts team need to record issues and bills as they happen.
Frequently asked questions
Who sets the budget for a site?
The firm does, at project set-up. The software holds the figures for each head and compares them with posted spend. It does not suggest a budget.
Can heads be split further than the five listed?
Yes, where the client wants finer heads. The structure is worked out with the firm at set-up and applied across sites.
Does a vendor bill post before it is checked?
That is a point to settle during implementation. The usual order is to check the bill against the purchase order and goods received first, then post it to the head.
Is overhead spread across sites automatically?
How overheads are allocated is worked out with the client during scoping. The report shows whatever has been posted to the overheads head of each site.
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