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FRAMING · JOB COSTING SOFTWARE

CONTROLQORE FOR FRAMING CONTRACTORS.

Generic accounting software can't read actual cost per SF by floor against the estimated rate, catch lumber bought above the bid price, or flag an SOV that back-loads the heaviest framing floor. ControlQore can.

QUICK ANSWER

SPM sets up ControlQore for framing contractors with cost codes by floor and framing phase, aligned to the estimate structure. Foremen post actual costs daily by cost code. Every week the actual labor cost per SF is compared to the estimated rate by floor. Every month the WIP schedule is produced from actual data. Setup takes 30 days and the system is fully operational in 60 days.

QuickBooks shows total labor cost. It can't tell you whether the second floor is over the rate you bid, because the hours are all in one bucket. The cost code structure is the whole thing here. Cost codes built to match the framing estimate format produce a direct actual against estimated comparison by cost category every week. Cost codes built from a generic template produce blended totals that mask variance until closeout, and by closeout the crew is already framing somebody else's building.

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

THE NUMBERS GENERIC SOFTWARE MISSES.

By Floor
Cost Code Structure for Framing Phases
Weekly
Actual Cost Per SF vs. Estimated Rate
At Purchase
Lumber Price Tracked Against Bid Price
Monthly
WIP Schedule From Actual Data
THE DEFINITION

WHAT IT IS.

ControlQore is a job costing and WIP platform for contractors that posts every cost to a job and a cost code, so a framing subcontractor can read actual labor cost per square foot by floor against the estimated rate every week while the crew is still on the job.

WHAT YOU ARE DEALING WITH

WHERE IT GOES WRONG.

01

No Cost Per SF Visibility by Floor

QuickBooks job tracking shows total labor cost by job, so a framing crew over the bid rate on the second floor looks the same as a crew under it on the first. Cost codes built from a generic template produce blended totals that mask variance until closeout. A cost code more than 10% over its estimated cost for two weeks straight is a fixable problem in week two and a finished loss at closeout.

02

Lumber Bought Without a Check Against the Bid

Framing is the trade where the material price moves after the contract is signed. When purchase price is never compared to the bid price at the time of purchase, nobody knows the job is losing money until the final cost report. Contracts that have material escalation provisions go unused, because the person who could file the change order has no number to file it against.

03

SOV Back-Loaded Against the Heaviest Floor

First-floor framing is the most labor-intensive floor on the building, and it should be the highest-billed floor. GCs prefer a back-loaded schedule of values that pushes value into later milestones. A framer who signs that structure spends the heaviest labor first and bills for it last, which is a cash hole in the opening weeks of the job.

04

Earned AR Left Uncollected

Work is complete, the billing is earned, and the invoice is either late going out or still unpaid past 30 days with nobody calling on it. Most framing contractors have $50,000 to $200,000 of earned AR they could collect inside a month. That's cash the company already paid crews to produce, parked with the GC instead of in the bank.

HOW SPM SETS IT UP

WHAT WE BUILD.

Cost Codes by Floor and Framing Phase in ControlQore

SPM builds ControlQore cost codes for framing clients by floor and framing phase: floor deck, exterior wall framing, interior wall framing, and roof framing by floor. Each cost code maps to the corresponding category in the framing estimate. When a foreman posts hours they post to the same bucket used in the bid, so the actual against estimated comparison is direct and it's made every week.

Weekly Variance Review Against the Estimated Rate

Actual labor cost per SF is compared to the estimated rate by floor every week. When any cost code is more than 10% over its estimated cost for two consecutive weeks, SPM flags it. The cause is identifiable in the cost code detail rather than guessed at. If a change order applies, SPM builds it and submits it.

Lumber Price Variance Tracking at Purchase

Purchase price on lumber is tracked against bid price at the time of purchase. When prices are more than 5 percent above the bid estimate, a change order is evaluated on any contract that has material escalation provisions. The number to file against is already in the system, so the conversation with the GC happens while the framing is going up.

SOV Front-Loaded for the First Floor

First-floor structural work is weighted in the SOV at its actual labor cost percentage and not at the GC-preferred back-loaded structure. First-floor framing is the most labor-intensive floor, so it should be the highest-billed floor. SPM reviews the SOV before the subcontract is signed, and the cash benefit applies for the full duration of the job.

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 updated from the actual cost trajectory. It's ready for bonding and banking discussions.
Job-level P&L by cost code. Every active job shows actual gross margin against estimated, and every completed job shows actual against estimated at closeout so the next framing estimate gets calibrated.
A 13-week cash flow forecast. Every cash outflow and inflow is mapped 13 weeks forward, so cash shortfalls are visible 8 weeks before they occur.
AR aging and collections report. Every invoice over 30 days is flagged and collections calls go out every Monday. Most clients clear $50,000 to $200,000 of earned AR in the first 30 days of the 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 framing estimate structure, which means cost codes by floor and framing phase. Foremen post actual costs daily by cost code. Every week the actual labor cost per SF is compared to the estimated rate by floor. Every month the WIP schedule is produced from actual data. The owner sees job-level profitability in week two rather than at closeout.

Cost codes for framing contractors include floor deck, exterior wall framing, interior wall framing, and roof framing by floor. Each cost code maps to the corresponding category in the estimate, so the actual against estimated comparison is direct and it happens weekly rather than at the end of the job.

Setup takes 30 days, and clients are fully operational in 60 days. Cost codes aligned to the framing estimate structure, the chart of accounts migration, and the WIP schedule template are all built in month one.

Yes. SPM migrates every client off QuickBooks and onto ControlQore at engagement start. ControlQore covers all the accounting functions plus the construction-specific job costing and WIP reporting that QuickBooks can't do at the depth a commercial framing subcontractor needs.

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.

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