Knowing what a job will cost before it is finished
A regional building contractor
Committed cost lives in a folder of subcontractor orders. Posted cost lives in the accounts. Variations are agreed on site and priced weeks later, and retention is tracked on a spreadsheet that only the commercial manager maintains. Cost to complete is a quantity surveyor's judgement, revisited monthly, and by the time a job is known to be losing money the remaining scope is already committed.
What it is designed to do
- Committed cost appears the moment an order is raised, not when the bill lands
- Cost to complete and contract value sit on one record, not two
- Retention releases are scheduled and visible in the cash forecast

