What is job costing software?
Job costing software tracks the actual cost of a construction project against its budget at the cost-code level — labor, materials, equipment, and subcontractors — so you can see profit or loss per code while the job is running. The best tools capture cost where it is created: the crew logs hours and installed quantities in the field, and that data rolls straight into the budget, productivity, and progress billing with no re-entry.
Field PM is built for exactly that. The hours a foreman captures in a five-minute daily report post against the same cost codes that drive the budget, the performance factor, the labor forecast, and AIA G702/G703 billing — so the field and the office are always looking at one set of numbers.
Field-first vs accounting-first job costing
Most "job costing" lives as an add-on to accounting — you cost the job after payroll and AP have already been entered, which means the number is a week or a month old. Field PM inverts that: cost is captured as the work happens, so the job cost you see is today's, and it is tied to units installed, not just dollars spent. Then it syncs two-way with your books so nothing is double-entered.
What Field PM tracks
- •Cost-coded labor — manhours by cost code, captured on a phone or by voice
- •Installed quantities and units of measure — the basis for real productivity
- •Performance factor (PF) and productivity index (PI) by cost code
- •Budget vs actual by code, with committed cost from POs and subcontracts
- •Labor and margin forecast — see the fade before it costs you (S-curve, manpower loading)
- •Earned value (BCWP / ACWP / CPI / SPI) rolled up from field data
- •AIA G702/G703 progress billing driven by the same schedule of values
- •Two-way accounting sync — QuickBooks, Sage, Xero, NetSuite, Acumatica
Who it is for
Field PM fits self-perform contractors who live or die by labor productivity — electrical, mechanical, piping, concrete, civil, and structural crews — and any GC or specialty sub that wants cost truth from the field instead of a month-end surprise. It is multi-trade, so one platform costs every scope you self-perform. Estimators can import a bid straight into a loaded, cost-coded project.
How it compares
Against accounting-first job costing bolted onto Sage 100 Contractor or tools like Knowify and LiveCosts, Field PM's edge is the field-to-cost path — the productivity data that actually predicts margin. Against a GC platform like Procore, self-perform crews get the cost-coded productivity core they need at a fraction of the price.
Frequently asked questions
What is job costing software?+
Job costing software tracks the actual cost of a construction project against its budget at the cost-code level — labor, materials, equipment, and subcontractors — so you can see profit or loss per code while the job is running, not at closeout. The strongest tools capture cost in the field (hours and installed quantities logged by the crew) and roll it straight into the budget, productivity metrics, and progress billing without re-entering data.
What is the difference between job costing software and accounting software?+
Accounting software (QuickBooks, Sage, Xero) records money after it moves — invoices, bills, payroll. Job costing software tells you where a job stands right now: it captures field labor and quantities as they happen and compares them to budget by cost code. Field PM is field-first job costing — the hours a foreman logs post against cost codes immediately — and syncs two-way with QuickBooks, Sage, Xero, NetSuite, and Acumatica so the books stay in step.
How does real-time job costing work in Field PM?+
A foreman logs manhours and installed quantities against cost codes in a five-minute daily report (or by voice). Those hours instantly update the budget actuals, the performance factor and productivity index for each code, the labor forecast, and the earned value — so you see a cost overrun or productivity fade the day it starts, not 30 days later on an accounting report.
Can job costing software track labor productivity, not just cost?+
Yes, and that is the point. Field PM tracks performance factor (budgeted hours ÷ earned hours) and productivity index by cost code, so you know whether a code is beating or losing its budget on a units-installed basis — the leading indicator of margin. Cost alone is a lagging number; productivity is what you can still act on.
Is there a job costing app my field crews can actually use?+
Yes. Field PM has native iOS and Android apps built for the field — a foreman captures cost-coded time and quantities in minutes, offline if needed, with voice dictation. Foremen, QA/QC, safety, and subcontractors are always free, so getting accurate field cost data does not cost you per-seat fees on every crew member.
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