CONTROLQORE FOR EXCAVATION CONTRACTORS.
Generic accounting software can't report actual cost per CY against the estimated unit price, tell you which excavator is below break even, or build the documentation for a differing site condition while the machines are still on it. ControlQore can.
SPM sets up ControlQore for excavation contractors with cost codes by soil classification and depth band, aligned to the estimate structure. Foremen post actual costs daily by cost code. Every week the report compares actual CY cost per day to the estimated unit price. Every month the WIP schedule is produced from actual data. Setup is complete in 30 days, and clients are fully operational in 60 days.
QuickBooks reports total labor cost by job, and total labor cost is a number you can only argue with after the fact. The cost code structure is what changes that. Cost codes built to match the excavation estimate format produce a direct actual against estimated comparison by cost category every week, so job variance is visible in week two while the machines are still on site. Cost codes built from a generic template produce blended totals that obscure the same variance until closeout. Same hours, same crews, two completely different amounts of warning.
THE NUMBERS GENERIC SOFTWARE MISSES.
WHAT IT IS.
ControlQore is construction job costing and WIP reporting software for commercial subcontractors at $1M to $12M that posts cost daily by cost code, so an excavation contractor can read actual cost per CY against the estimated unit price in week two of a job instead of at closeout.
Job variance is visible in week two. ControlQore setup is complete in 30 days and the system is fully operational in 60 days. Owner time after that is about 5 hours a month, because SPM builds it, operates it, and brings you the decisions rather than the software.
WHERE IT GOES WRONG.
Total Labor Cost, No Cost Per CY
QuickBooks reports total labor cost by job, which tells you what you spent without telling you what it bought. An excavation bid is priced by the cubic yard, so the only comparison that counts is actual cost per CY against the estimated unit price on that cost code. Without it, the first honest read on a job comes at closeout, and by then the dirt is moved and the crew is on the next site.
Cost Codes Built From a Generic Template
The cost code structure is the whole foundation, and a generic template is where it breaks. When a foreman posts hours to a bucket nobody bid against, the result is a blended total that obscures variance until the job is closed. Cost codes built to match the excavation estimate format produce a direct actual against estimated comparison by cost category weekly, which is the same data organized so it can be used while the job is still in progress.
Equipment Cost With No Utilization Number
Excavators, dozers, and compactors are the largest fixed cost in an excavation company, and most of the time they are held inside overhead as one lump. Without a cost code per machine, nobody can compare actual billable hours to available hours, so nobody knows the utilization rate. A machine operating below break even keeps costing money every month it goes unmeasured, and the decision to find work for it, rent it out, or sell it never gets made.
Changed Conditions With No Documentation Package
Most excavation contracts have differing site conditions clauses, which means the money is available when the soil doesn't match the geotechnical report. Getting it requires a comparison against the geotech, machine logs, the production rate impact, and a cost proposal, assembled while the condition is still in front of the crew. Without a system holding the cost detail, that turns into a conversation with the GC instead of a change order.
WHAT WE BUILD.
SPM builds excavation cost codes for topsoil stripping, common excavation by depth, rock excavation, and structural excavation by structure type. Each cost code maps to the corresponding category in the excavation estimate. When a foreman posts hours, they post to the same bucket that was used in the bid, so actual against estimated is a direct comparison rather than a reconciliation project.
Every week, actual CY cost per day is compared to the estimated unit price. When any cost code is more than 10% over estimated cost for two consecutive weeks, SPM flags it. The cause is identifiable in the cost code detail, so the conversation starts with what's causing it instead of whether it's happening. If a change order applies, SPM builds it and submits it.
Each excavator, dozer, and compactor is tracked to its own ControlQore cost code. Monthly, actual billable hours against available hours produces the utilization rate for that machine. Equipment below break even triggers a decision: find work for it, rent it out, or sell it. That decision gets made on a number and not on how busy the yard feels.
When soil conditions differ from the geotechnical report, SPM builds the documentation package: the geotech comparison, the machine logs, the production rate impact, and the cost proposal, all within 48 hours. Most excavation contracts have differing site conditions clauses, so the claim is usually a documentation problem rather than an entitlement problem. Filed while the condition is still open, it gets paid.
THE OUTPUTS, LISTED.
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 revenue | Core | Strategic | Platinum | One-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 $12.5M | Quoted | Quoted | Quoted | Quoted |
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.
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.
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.
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.
FREQUENTLY ASKED.
