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DEMOLITION · JOB COSTING SOFTWARE

CONTROLQORE FOR DEMOLITION CONTRACTORS.

Generic accounting software can't track actual cost per demolition phase against the estimate, allocate tipping fees to the material stream that created them, or flag a phase 10% over in week two. ControlQore can.

QUICK ANSWER

ControlQore for demolition contractors uses cost codes by demolition phase and material type, meaning soft demo and salvage, structural demo by section, debris removal by material, and grading and restoration, all aligned to the estimate structure. Foremen post actual costs daily by cost code. Every week the actual cost per phase is compared to the estimated cost per phase. The WIP schedule is produced monthly from that actual data. Setup is complete in 30 days and the system is fully operational in 60 days.

A demolition P&L closes the month and tells you the month was profitable or it wasn't. That's one number for a contract in which soft demo, structural demo, debris removal, and restoration each have their own cost behavior and their own way of going sideways. Cost codes built by phase and material type turn daily foreman entries into a cost per phase you can read against the bid in week two. Generic cost code templates hold that variance back until closeout, and at closeout the only remaining option is to absorb it.

BY JOSH LUEBKERPublished 2026-08-06Updated 2026-11-01
WHAT IT SEES

THE NUMBERS GENERIC SOFTWARE MISSES.

By Phase
Cost Codes Aligned to the Demolition Estimate
Weekly
Actual Cost Per Phase vs. Estimated
By Material
Tipping Fees Allocated to Disposal Streams
Monthly
WIP Schedule From Actual Job Cost Data
THE DEFINITION

WHAT IT IS.

ControlQore is a job costing and WIP reporting platform for commercial subcontractors doing $1M to $12M that tracks cost by job and cost code, so a demolition contractor can compare actual cost per phase to estimated cost per phase while the job is still in progress.

ControlQore is more capable than QuickBooks for job costing and more affordable than Sage 100 or Foundation. SPM sets it up, builds the cost codes, and manages it month to month. The owner doesn't have to learn it, and the system asks about five hours a month of the owner's time.

WHAT YOU ARE DEALING WITH

WHERE IT GOES WRONG.

01

Total Job Cost With No Phase Detail

QuickBooks job tracking reports total labor cost for the job. A demolition contract is four different jobs stacked inside one number: soft demo and salvage, structural demo by section, debris removal by material, and grading and restoration. One blended cost figure can't tell you which of those four is over the bid, so the crew keeps working the method that's losing money. Generic cost code templates obscure that variance until project closeout, and by then the machines are off the site.

02

Tipping Fees Held in Overhead

Disposal cost posted to overhead instead of to the job stops being a cost anyone can manage. When the gate rate for a material stream increases after the bid goes in, that increase never posts against the phase that created it. The overage gets absorbed into the month and spread across every open job, and the change order that should have been written for it never gets written.

03

Mobilization Billed at the GC's Number

Crane setup, equipment mobilization, and site establishment are the most cash-intensive part of a demolition job, and they all happen first. GCs prefer to cap that SOV line at 5% to 8% of contract value regardless of what the work costs. A demolition subcontractor who signs that cap is funding the heaviest front-end cost in the trade out of its own working capital and waiting on later milestones to get it back.

THE SETUP

HOW SPM BUILDS IT.

Cost Codes by Demolition Phase and Material Type

SPM builds ControlQore cost codes for demolition clients by phase and material type: soft demo and salvage, structural demo by section, debris removal by material, and grading and restoration. Each code maps to the matching category in the estimate, so a foreman entry posts to the same bucket the estimator priced. Actual against estimated becomes a direct comparison by category every week instead of a reconciliation exercise after the job is closed.

Weekly Variance Review by Phase

Actual cost per phase is compared to estimated cost per phase every week. When any cost code is more than 10% over the estimated cost for two consecutive weeks, SPM flags it. The cost code detail points at the cause, whether that's crew hours, equipment time, or disposal. When the cause is a condition outside the contracted scope, the change order is built and submitted while the work is still in front of the crew.

Tipping Fees Allocated by Material Stream

Tipping fees are allocated to specific material streams as direct job costs rather than overhead. Every load leaving the site posts against the debris removal code for that material, so the disposal cost stays attached to the phase that produced it. When gate rates increase after the bid, the increase is visible inside the cost code the same week, and SPM evaluates whether it supports a change order instead of letting it disappear into the month.

Front-Loaded Mobilization on the SOV

Crane setup, equipment mobilization, and site establishment are billed as front-loaded SOV lines at the actual cost percentage rather than the GC-preferred 5% to 8%. SPM negotiates mobilization billing on every demolition subcontract before it gets signed. That pulls the cash for the heaviest front-end cost forward to the period the cost is incurred, which is the difference between financing the first three weeks of a job and getting paid for them.

WHAT YOU GET

THE OUTPUTS, LISTED.

WIP schedule from actual ControlQore data, with cost-to-cost percentage complete by job, overbilled and underbilled positions, and projected final margin.
Job-level P&L by cost code for every active and completed job, with actual gross margin against estimated.
13 week cash flow forecast, with every cash outflow and inflow mapped 13 weeks forward.
AR aging and collections report, with every invoice over 30 days flagged and collections calls made every Monday. Most clients have $50,000 to $200,000 in earned AR cleared in the first 30 days of engagement.
$10.7M+
Client AR Recovered Since 2023
48
Active Trade Specializations
60 DAYS
Average Onboarding Time
PRICING

FLAT MONTHLY FEE. NO SOFTWARE INVOICE.

Three tiers, priced by your trailing twelve month revenue. ControlQore comes with Strategic and Platinum, and it never appears as its own line item on an SPM invoice. Which tier you're in depends on how much of the work you want off your desk.

Built for subs doing $1M to $12M. Above $12.5M we quote.

Last 12 months revenueCoreStrategicPlatinumOne-time onboarding
Under $1M$1,900$3,100$3,300$2,500
$1M to $3.5M$2,600$4,100$5,300$4,500
$3.5M to $6.5M$3,800$5,900$8,300$6,000
$6.5M to $9.5M$5,100$7,600$11,800$7,500
$9.5M to $12.5M$6,100$8,900$14,900$9,000
Above $12.5MQuotedQuotedQuotedQuoted

The onboarding fee covers migrating your books back to the start of your last taxable year and getting you fully operational in 60 days. It's billed once, with your first invoice. It's the same for all three tiers, and it moves with your revenue band. Your first month is prorated, and your monthly engagement starts on the first of the first full month.

Just want the setup? Onboarding only is the same onboarding work with no monthly service after it, one time, at the onboarding fee plus $2,000. Start a monthly engagement later and $2,000 counts toward it. It starts at $4,500, and the price for every band is on the pricing page.

The three tier columns are the whole price. Which one fits depends on how much of the work you want off your desk. No payroll. No hidden line items. The onboarding fee is right here in the table.

  • Online software only: QuickBooks, Sage, Viewpoint and similar. No VPN or hosted desktop.
  • Not in any tier: payroll, pay applications, collections on receivables.
  • Pricing valid through 2027.
Core

CFO work. Your own bookkeeper keeps doing the books.

You stop guessing.

You get the CFO work. Job costing built against the way you estimate, a 13 week cash forecast, monthly WIP, and a meeting every month that ends in decisions and never in a report.

Your bookkeeper still does the books.

Strategic

Core, plus bookkeeping and bank reconciliations, plus job costing and WIP software set up and managed for you. Use your own online accounting software or we supply it, one price.

Every job shows its margin while it is still open.

Everything in Core, plus the bookkeeping and bank reconciliations done for you, and the job costing and WIP software set up, loaded with your cost codes, and managed every month. Use your own online software, or move to ours and we cover it.

A bookkeeper we choose does the books and reconciliations. No payroll.

Platinum

Strategic, plus a controller who handles payables and receivables the way an in-house controller would. You approve every payment.

You approve, and the money side gets handled.

Everything in Strategic, plus a controller we choose who handles your bills and receivables for you the way an in-house controller would. They call vendors, pay the bills and keep the accounting current. We plan the cash flow first, and you approve every payment because it is your money.

A controller we choose does the payables and receivables. No payroll, no pay applications, no collections.

COMMON QUESTIONS

FREQUENTLY ASKED.

SPM builds ControlQore cost codes aligned to the demolition estimate structure, by demolition phase and material type. Foremen post actual costs daily by cost code. Every week the report compares actual cost per phase to the estimated cost per phase, and every month the WIP schedule is produced from that same actual data. The owner sees job-level profitability in week two rather than at closeout.

Cost codes for demolition contractors include soft demo and salvage, structural demo by section, debris removal by material, and grading and restoration. Each cost code maps to the matching category in the estimate, so the actual against estimated comparison is direct and weekly. Tipping fees post to the debris removal code for the material stream that created them and not to overhead.

Yes. SPM migrates every client from QuickBooks to ControlQore at engagement start. ControlQore handles all of the accounting functions plus the construction job costing and WIP reporting that QuickBooks can't do at the depth a commercial subcontractor needs.

Setup is 30 days and full operation is 60 days. Month one covers the cost code build aligned to the demolition estimate structure, the chart of accounts migration, and the WIP schedule template. Most demolition clients are fully operational in ControlQore within 60 days.

Three tiers, and which one you are in depends on how much of the work you want off your desk. Core is where you stop guessing: job costing built against the way you estimate, a 13 week cash forecast, monthly WIP, and a monthly meeting that ends in decisions, while your bookkeeper keeps doing the books. Strategic is where every job shows its margin while it is still open: a bookkeeper we choose does the books and the bank reconciliations, and the job costing and WIP software is set up and managed for you, on your own online software or ours. Platinum is where you approve and the money side gets handled: a controller we choose handles your bills and receivables the way an in-house controller would, and you approve every payment. No payroll. No scope gaps.
WHAT THIS TIES INTO
Josh Luebker, SPM The Construction CFO
Josh Luebker
FRACTIONAL CFO · SPM THE CONSTRUCTION CFO

Josh Luebker is a master electrician turned construction CFO, president of SPM The Construction CFO and author of CONTROL: C.F.O.S. Construction Financial Operating System.

WANT TO SEE THIS ON YOUR OWN DEMOLITION JOBS?

Twenty minutes of questions about how your demolition work gets coded today, who does the coding, and what your last closed job reported. Nothing gets sold on that call and nothing gets proposed. If Josh can help, you'll set a longer second call.

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