Is This Site Making Money? Tracking Profit per Construction Site
Contract value minus labour, subcontractors and materials — simple on paper, rarely known until the job ends. How small contractors see each site's position while it is still running.
Short answer: for each site, keep four numbers current: the contract value, labour paid, subcontractor amounts agreed and paid, and material bills. Compare the total cost so far with how far the job has progressed. A site that has used 70% of its budget at 40% progress is losing money now, not at handover.
The four numbers
- Contract value — including approved variations.
- Labour — from the daily labour register.
- Subcontractors — agreed amount and paid to date for each.
- Materials — purchase bills booked to the site.
Compare cost with progress
Record the site's stage (foundation, structure, finishing) or percentage complete. If the share of budget spent is well ahead of the share of work done, find out why this week.
Three habits that keep sites profitable
- Get every variation approved and priced in writing before the work.
- Never pay a subcontractor beyond work certified.
- Bill the client on schedule; a late running bill is free credit you are giving away.
How Grovia handles it
Each construction site in Grovia records its contract value, stage and supervisor, with the daily labour log and subcontractors (agreed and paid) on the same record. Purchase bills, client invoices and payments sit in Grovia's accounts. Grovia does not compute a site profit and loss for you or track material stock; you bring the numbers together from these records.
Grovia runs construction sites alongside leads, quotations, GST invoices, payments and your team in one place. Start a free 14-day trial (no card needed).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do contractors calculate profit per site?
Contract value (with approved variations) minus labour, subcontractor and material costs booked to that site.
How can I tell early that a site is over budget?
Compare the share of the budget already spent with the share of work completed.
Does Grovia manage construction materials?
No. It records sites, labour and subcontractors; materials are recorded as purchase bills.
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