CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

Leads

The Lead Management module is great for tracking prospective work and managing the potential client relationship. When a lead emerges add the project and some brief information.

The lead management module is perfect for understanding where your leads are coming from and how to effectively target and convert these leads into paying customers. This module will allow you to:

• Assign an Accountable Lead Manager
• Assess the Project for Tender
• Manage Follow Ups
• Get a Reminder When Follow Up is Due
• Monitor Conversion Rates
• Gather Statistical Information
• Create a Forecast of Forward Workload
• Assign an Estimator
• Start an Estimate
• Manage Subcontractor Pricing if Relevant
• Convert to a Live Job if Successful

Historical rates for different build types provide a broad brush forecast of forward work load and a cross check for estimating.

The module administration allows an administrator to set up standardised pick lists and defaults for:

• Lead Origins
• Lead Note Subject
• Build Types
• Lead Stage
• Historical Rates for Nominated Build Types

Estimate

This module flows from lead management to estimating through to project confirmation, trade letting and budget establishment. Enter data once.

This module is really flexible. Use the price book, use a recipe or simply type your item. Copy an estimate across from a similar project complete with all the items and rates but no quantities. Set up a template for Prelims to add into each new estimate.

This module includes:

• Price Book with Supplier Price Book Import
• Recipe Builder, which is Always Current
• Subcontractor Pricing (include CATPlan for Tender Invites and Drawings)
• Estimate Build Up
• Margin at line item level, overall or both
• Options Builder that offers great flexibility
• Tender Presentation that is Professionally Branded
• Update a price book item and have the comfort of knowing all your recipes will update accordingly

Tender presentation allows you to present your submission in many different formats, so whether you want to present a lump, a breakdown by activity or full details we have you covered. Submit one or many options with your tender or different options for different clients if that is relevant. When you are finished simply email it straight from CATProjects.

Projects

When a project has been won and identified as successful, add important foundation information such as the practical completion dates, retention information, coding, contract information and project staff.

This module includes the following functions:

• The projects module includes all foundational information, such as project name, address, bonds, retention, contracts, program, and insurance.
• Project Budget
• Project Cash Flow by Month, Original and Forecast
• Subcontractor Trade Letting, including Subcontract Agreements with Electronic Signing option
• Pre-letting Meeting Minutes
• Schedule of Rates / BOQ setup and presentation

If the Lead and Estimating module is in use once a project is confirmed, all relevant information will flow through to project foundations, and a budget is set up based on the estimate and accepted options. Alternatively, you can start the process at project set-up and enter project information manually. If an alternative estimating system is in use, the budget can be imported from a CSV or Excel file.

Once the budget is finalised, it can be locked for editing; however, you can still transfer between codes.

Trade letting functionality includes identifying trades, subcontractors, and prices. (these will flow through if CAT estimating is in use)

Send a professionally branded letter of acceptance with a subcontract agreement that is generated in seconds, if relevant a copy of the pre-letting meeting minutes, program and any other documents can be included also.

ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES (eliminate scan, upload, download, email, follow up and filing)

An electronic signature function is available to avoid time-consuming follow-up; reminders are sent for as long as the contract remains unsigned, and a “hold payment” shows on progress claims. This function is compliant with the electronic signature legislation in both New Zealand and Australia.

Use smart templates for personalising your letter of offer and include your own subcontract agreement.

All written communication and associated documents can be emailed directly from CATProjects and then appear in the outbox of your email system.

Trade Letting

A full trade letting module is available, which includes:

• Fast setup using your preset defaults for trades, invites & documents
• Tender Invitations (using a nicely branded and formatted email template)
• Document Distribution for Tenders, including drawing registers and revision management, plus it’s free for the subcontractors.
• Notice to Tenderers (to all invited subcontractors for nominated trades)
• Subcontractor Pricing Receipt (Price, Quote & Options as submitted by the Subcontractor; if using estimating, then it adds to the estimate.
• Pre-letting minutes (template pre-letting meeting with the subcontractor)
• Subcontract Agreement Preparation (Has it all ready to go in seconds)
• Subcontract Letting (Sends Tender Acceptance, Documents and Contract)
• Electronic Signing of Contracts (quick, simple, and covers you legally)
• Contract Set Up (Set up all ready to go for their first claim)
• Module Admin (Trades for Tender, Default Folders, Close Date, Extensions, Subcontract Agreement, Schedule 1, Cover Letter & other templates)

This module can be used for estimating or as a standalone tool during a tender and progressive letting during construction. It manages the entire letting process.

The Trade Letting Module, combined with CATDocs, saves hundreds of hours every year. It is intuitive, fast, and has you contractually covered.

Trade Letting WorkFlow

Subcontract

The subcontractor module functionality includes:

• Written Communication (form, letter, email)
• Variations (flexible and smart)
• Progress Claims that are compliant with Australian and New Zealand Legislation
• Retention Management including CCA Schedules (for NZ)
• Progress Claim Approval (2 approvals)
• Group Notification (send to one or many subs)
• Trade Letting, including electronically signed subcontract agreements
• Module Admin

Module administration allows you to customise many functions to suit your way of doing things, such as:

• Letter Templates (avoid repetition)
• Document Acronyms
• Variation Default Text
• Progress Claim Title and References
• Pick-lists and Data Defaults

The trade letting schedule is a great tool and plays a valuable role in laying the groundwork for extensions of time if the consultants cannot meet the finalised design dates for trade letting. This module is flexible with all claim history readily available.

Professional and compliant progress claims are quick and accurate, and retentions and associated schedules are generated and calculated for you.

This module is an excellent example of how combining traditional good record-keeping with the electronic age we now operate in yields great results.

Variations are applied to the project forecast in real time when they are raised, regardless of status. Your forecasting and job costing are always up to date, and the best information on the day.

All variations are added to the subcontractor’s progress claim once a price is received, so you can pay on an unapproved variation if applicable.

Send a group notification to one or many for things like meetings, program issues, and claim deadlines.

CATDocs

CATDocs is a fully integrated sister site to CATProjects. It allows subcontractors to log in and access the information they need without compromising your security. From the CATProjects end, it just looks like part of your system.

This is how CATDocs impacts the subcontractors: –

• Tender Invitation received by email includes the project, trade, project information & address, and a link to the CATDocs site.
• Identify their estimator and their contact details for the tender
• Read information about the project, including the site address, tender close date, main contractor estimator, and their contact information
• Access and download all relevant drawings and documents
• Receive Notice to Tenderers and see a schedule of NTT’s
• Submit their tender, which is then sent directly to CATProjects
• If their tender is successful, the status changes to construction when their subcontract agreement is sent.
• Access drawings and revisions throughout the Construction and Maintenance Phases of the Project
• Subcontractors can add as many of their own staff as they want to, including trade staff
• A consolidated login for all of their tenders and projects from all Main Contractors using CATProjects
• Full access to the Construction Support Desk if assistance is required

This is how CATDocs impacts consultants (construction phase): –

• Project invitation received by email includes the project, trade, project information & address, and a link to the CATDocs site.
• Upload drawings and documents, and publish to the main contractor, who can check and publish to the subcontractors and other consultants
• Access and download all relevant drawings and documents from other Consultants or the Main Contractor
• Document registers that are always up-to-date
• A consolidated login for all projects from all companies using CATProjects
• Full access to the Construction Support Desk if assistance is required

CATDocs Trade Letting Workflow

Consultant

The consultant administration module manages RFI’s and other written communication with consultants in a way you have only dreamed of, including the tracking of time-related issues.

We have closed the document loop so that your original communication, including any attachments, is associated with both written and verbal responses. Simply drag responses into the unique “drop zone” or use the email thread.

Send a group notification to one or more members of the PCG team for general notifications, such as meetings.

The powerful filter panel allows for the quick sorting, grouping, and finding of documents.

This module is another example of how combining traditional record-keeping with the electronic age we now operate in yields great results.

This consultant administration module allows you to customise many functions to suit your way of doing things, such as:

• Letter Templates (avoid repetition)
• Document Acronyms
• Pick-lists and Data Defaults

All documents are stored in CATProjects, so you never need to hunt through a bunch of files; they are all associated with a relevant project and subject and can be retrieved quickly.

Publish documents directly to CATPlan to make them available to other team members.

There are a variety of professionally branded reports that are defined by your own criteria. It’s your data, so you can manipulate it to suit your requirements.

Client

The client module functionality includes:

• Written Communication (form, letter, email with thread)
• Variations (flexible and smart)
• Progress Claim Set Up
• Progress Claims that are Compliant with Relevant Legislation
• Progress Claim Format for Schedule of Rates / BOQ
• Invoicing (Fixed Price Stream)

Once a response is received, drag and drop it into the original communication or use the email thread. All associated communications and documents can be cross-referenced and found quickly. Where a response is verbal, you can record that and associate it as a “verbal document”. This method of document handling is robust and fast, with a really good audit trail.

All variations are auto-added to your progress claim, regardless of status, except for in progress. Margin can be added as a line item or be back-spread.

Progress claims are quick to prepare and flexible; they are professionally presented and compliant with industry-specific acts.

This module will increase efficiency, and it has a great audit trail.

Personalisation of the defaults within this module includes:

• Communication Type and Relevant Acronyms
• Default Wording for Variations
• Default Variation Margins for the Project
• Claim Title and Compliance Wording
• Default Due Dates for Response and Invoices
• Letter Template

An extensive range of reports is available.

Contact

The contacts module stores all your contact information and has a focus on “enter it once” philosophy, which includes:

• Contacts Master with NZBN/ABN look up
• Project Specific Contacts
• Staff Contact Information
• Module Admin

Contacts Master stores all your contact information and feeds all other modules, plus email and accounts. Once updated, they all update, plus there is an Excel export, so this information can be used in other applications.

Project-specific contacts allow selecting contacts for projects, limiting lists and minimising human error. There is an option to limit creditors to specific projects, so staff can only purchase from authorised suppliers.

Staff Contacts allows the logged-in person to update their contact information, change their password, or update their electronic signature. Other staff work contact information can be viewed but not updated.

Look up contact information from your phone.

Store multiple documents against any contact, such as QA Plans, Safety Plans and Insurance Certificates.

Incoming

All your documents can be stored within CATProjects on your own dedicated virtual server. Having your own server allows for secure team/project communication and file sharing. However, there is no need to set up your own remote infrastructure, maintain more than a basic server, or have no server at all.

When an email, letter, document or photo is received, drag it onto the CATProjects “Drop Zone” and a pop-up appears where you can add the:

• Sender (from list)
• Category of Document (from list)
• Subject in Brief

At this stage, you can associate the incoming document with any communication within the system.

Because CATProjects is intuitive, it will present you with the right list of documents to associate with, depending on whether the sender is part of the project team and whether they are a consultant, client or contractor.

Forward received documents to others and generate an auto document transmittal for the recipient.

This module is another example of how combining traditional record-keeping with the electronic age we now operate in yields fantastic results.

In the document preview, there are options to download, save to local, send to CATPlan, or print.

Using the powerful filter panel, you can find documents quickly based on flexible criteria.

Plant

This module covers the location, compliance, cost, and job costing of company-owned plant and equipment.

Certification is tracked, and a reminder is sent to the nominated person at the selected intervals.

Certification expiry reminders are also shown on the Site Manager’s home page for equipment that is on their projects. The person who organises the retagging, servicing or other testing updates the certification.

All purchase orders and time can be allocated to a plant item so that running costs can be tracked. Whether it’s fuel, a scheduled service, or general repairs and maintenance, never lose sight of the costs without incurring administration time.

Transfers of plant from one project to another can be done through the daily site diaries or from the yard or store if you have the luxury of a storeman or plant manager.

The focus of the plant and equipment module is to strip the administration that is usually intensive for plant and equipment management, but you still get the results.

Each plant item is assigned a charge rate (or not), which charges the project from the moment it is transferred to the project until it is transferred off the project. No transfer dockets or manual forms.

A great range of reports is available, showing recovery for each item, each category, or the yard/store as a whole. If relevant, you can treat the plant as a separate cost centre or department.

Site Docs

Site Diaries

There are four styles of site diaries to choose from, ranging from a traditional big-job diary to one better suited to subcontractors and maintenance work. The advantage of electronic diaries is that information can be shared amongst the team and does not get buried or lost. More importantly, it helps office-based project management staff stay in touch with daily on-site events, which is a great tool. Site diaries are popular with supervisory staff and have proven to be quicker than a traditional manual diary.

CATDocs

CATDocs is a great assistance to all participants in the project process. There are relevant logins for the client, consultants, main contractor, and subcontractors.

• Update drawings and revisions throughout the Project’s Construction and Maintenance Phases.
• Minimise the risk of subcontractors or field staff working off superseded drawings.
• Subcontractors can add as many of their own staff as they want.
• Full access to the Construction Support Desk if assistance is needed.
• CATDocs provides a consolidated login for all projects.

Site Photo’s

The site photo page allows bulk drag-and-drop into either the gallery or list view. Photos can also be added from your phone. Ideal for capturing mishaps such as damage and design defects. Set up a common folder structure for all jobs or modify it for individual projects. Photos can also be included with outgoing communication.

CATScan – Site Sign In

Subcontractors and site visitors scan the CAT QR code on entering the site. It’s simple to complete, requires no app download and is easy for visitors. You can audit and report on all personnel on your site, great for cross-checking dayworks and resource levels.

All visitors and subcontractors add to the CATProjects site diary, eliminating significant hours of work.

CATProjects Phone Version

The mobile web is designed for front-line staff and includes functions for Contacts, Photos, Time Sheets, Updating Service Jobs, CATChat, This Week’s Goals, File Notes, Site Diary and Receipting Purchase Orders.

Operations

This module contains other operational documentation that form part of the day to day document management. This module includes pages for: –

• Meeting Minutes
• File Notes
• Concrete Register
• Completion Compliance
• Check Sheets
• Check Sheet Templates
• General Communication (not project specific)
• General Filing

Meeting minutes are progressive, create a new occurrence for each meeting and all current items transfer, hide an item once actioned. On completion at the click of a button meeting minutes and any relevant attachments will be emailed to all attendees and absentees. Smart but simple to use.

There is a Check Sheet Builder so you can create a standard set of check sheets which can then be used on jobs and where relevant can be modified on a job by job basis without affecting the original. Check sheets can be created for Safety, QA, pre contract checks and a myriad of other things. Very flexible and a great tool.

File notes can be added on the fly which attach to a project or be not project specific. No more yellow stickies and random notes.

Completion compliance allows you to track and manage actions that relate to completion. Identify the action and timing phase for each item.

The Concrete register allows the recording of all concrete pours including locations, types, recipes, quantities, concrete dockets and test results.

General filing is where you can set up a file structure for each job for those additional documents that do not neatly fit into an existing category.

Safety

Online Inductions

An online site safety induction process offers several important benefits that a manual induction format does not. And…. it enhances the safety message. Benefits include:-

• Inductions can be completed at any time – subcontractors can log in and complete the induction in a time frame that suits them
• Saves man-hours and operational costs – On average, an online safety induction saves from 20 to 40 hours every month on every project
• By eliminating manual inductions, employee time can be more productive
• Access – CATSafety can be accessed from any location, using any device. Subcontractors can complete the induction before they arrive on site
• Update induction information and videos as phases change on site
• Skills and Experience information for all personnel
• Track Safety Card details
• Emergency Contact information for all personnel

This system will save the main contractor and the subcontractors many hours on every project each month.  See a video of the Safety Inductions Overview

Other Inclusions

• SIR (Site Inspection Report)
• CAR (Corrective Action Request
• SWMS (Safe Work Method Statements)
• TA’s (Task Analysis)
• Site Sign In

Service

The service work stream is job card-driven and designed for small works and maintenance contracts, whether the job is preventative or reactive.

Functionality includes:

• Contract set up for specific contracts with agreed rates
• Loading of preventive contracts
• Approval Request and Quotes as relevant
• Job cards in several formats
• Work schedule for jobs in a range or location
• Maintenance jobs allow you to store site equipment
• Monitor and Track Approvals
• Sites and Equipment for contracts with multiple sites
• Service History with Quick Look Up
• Show history for specific equipment or locations
• Service invoicing that is per job card or consolidated
• Communication and Document Management
• Invoicing jobs as soon as they are complete

Your operations team can log in from any location using the mobile web on their MS Surface, iPad, or Tablet. No need for expensive mobile apps with specific hardware with often clumsy synchronisation.

The service stream can be manipulated to suit a variety of different jobs and minimise the admin:

• Maintenance Contracts
• Miscellaneous small works for repeat clients
• Miscellaneous small works for one-off clients
• Jobbing for multiple sites for the same client

The administration associated with small works can be just as arduous as major projects, this stream strips the admin and provides excellent reporting, give yourself a real point of difference with information that is available for your client.

Purchase

The Purchasing Module is flexible and supports various purchasing styles to suit different needs.

Some of the key features include:

• Standing Orders
• Purchase Orders that can be Emailed
• Price Book with Supplier Price Book Import
• Creditor History for Specific Suppliers
• Goods Receipting
• Personalised Order Conditions
• Electronic Signatures
• Electronic Approval or Rejection with Invoice Copy
• Auto Paragraph Selection

Set up standing orders for all goods at a fixed, agreed rate for items such as concrete, bin exchanges, scaffold, timber, and labour hire.

All invoices are electronically approved by the nominated approver(s). If rejected, an email Credit Request is sent to the supplier. Delete a significant volume of admin from this process and ensure that invoices never leave accounts. What Sandra from Accounts has to say

Operations staff can create orders from the site utilising a Tablet, iPad, or, ideally, a Microsoft Surface.

All orders can be cross-referenced to variations, job cards or plant as relevant to the project. There is an excellent screen schedule that shows a snapshot of all purchases on the project. At a glance, you can see the status of any order and what stage of the process the order is at: –

• Awaiting Delivery
• Awaiting Invoice or Credit
• Awaiting Approval
• Awaiting Payment

Stock

Stock control is price book-driven and supports importing supplier price books and regular updates.

All transfer rates are calculated as a weighted average, and as items are transferred to a project, they are immediately job costed to the receiving job. You can transfer back to stock or transfer to another job.

• Order Into Stock
• Transfer  Stock to Projects
• Stock Levels at a Glance
• Stock Adjustment
• Stock Schedule – see the Status of Orders at a Glance

Transfer stock to a job, then generate a transfer docket for the goods.

CATProjects has powerful filtering, sorting, and reporting that are really flexible.

After a stock take, make adjustments and add a reason for each variance.

The CATProjects stock module is essential if you run a store, and it allows you to manage stock effectively with minimal administration.

Time

The purpose of the time management module is to capture time allocated to a project for productivity management, job costing, and payroll.

There is a running tally of budget versus actuals, in both hours and dollars, so that labour can be monitored and tracked against jobs and activities.

Time can be cross-referenced against variations on standard jobs, plant-on-the-yard jobs, or job cards for service jobs. Filtering, grouping and sorting is flexible both on screen and by report.

Time sheets can be completed on a smartphone in addition to tablets and PCs. The trade staff can do their time sheets daily, and supervisors can approve them daily. There is a time management screen where you can filter by job, person, code, type, and date range.

The time sheets create a summary for payroll, so you can either add a single-line entry to payroll or electronically transfer time into your payroll system via API or CSV upload, then lock off the entry for the period. A percentage split journal for accounting is also created based on gross payroll.

PRODUCTIVITY MONITOR

The productivity monitor is excellent and keeps you on top of your productivity daily. At any given time, you can see budget hours, used hours, to complete hours, forecast hours and variance. All the data is pulled from time sheets, so it is always up to date.  Click here for an overview.

Accounts

Accounts processing is all electronic, with invoices never leaving the accounts department. Invoices can be part-paid, or, in cases where operations have rejected an invoice, a credit request can be generated and emailed to the creditor instantly.

Under the old manual system of invoice approval, processing times were slow, and invoices were at risk of going missing. Now, however, thanks to the effective CATProjects software, invoices are approved online for virtually instant processing with no chance of any invoices disappearing in the system.

Load the invoice against the order so the authorised approvers have access to all the information. See what Sandra from the accounts team has to say.

Invoice Generation

The accounts process within CATProjects is admin-light and eliminates the need for accounts staff to know operational details about your business.

This module includes functions for:

• Creditor Invoice Processing
• Invoices with no Order
• Schedule for a Quick Snapshot
• Trouble Shoot Invoices
• Debtor Invoice Overview
• Export to Accounting

This module is another great example of the balance between traditional bookkeeping and the electronic age in which we now operate.

If an invoice does not match a purchase order, accounts staff just add the variance, and the person responsible for approving the invoice can either approve or reject it, ensuring the right people make credit decisions.

Once an invoice has been approved electronically, it is pushed through to accounting for payment. There is the option of either one or two approvers for each invoice; you decide.

The accounts function becomes genuinely paperless and is compliant with “electronic storage of business documents” legislation.

Reporting

Financial reporting is offered to you in several formats, as we appreciate that each company has its own preferences for monthly reporting and wants to view the numbers in alternative ways.

• Commitments
• Forecast
• Work In Progress
• Risk and Opportunity

The primary project screen view is based on commitments.

• Budget (original budget)
• Client Variations (regardless of status)
• Revised Budget (original plus variations)
• Subcontractors (contracts let)
• Subcontractor Variations (regardless of status)
• Purchase Orders (regardless of status)
• Stock Transfers (stock transferred to the project)
• Standing Order Balances (balances remaining on SO’s)
• Labour (all-time entered and the recovery values)
• Internal Plant (plant transferred to the project)
• Cost to Complete (est cost to complete or default)
• Forecast Final Cost (commitment & cost to complete)
• Variance to Budget (budget – forecast final cost)

The committed cost schedule provides the best information available on the day and is based on the company’s commitments, regardless of status. The R&O summary factors into the project forecast.

Our experience in the construction industry provides a strong insight into the reporting requirements of main contractors and subcontractors of all types and sizes.

There is a wide range of reports to suit most requirements. These reports range from traditional project financial reporting to reports that combine operational information, such as RFIs, flags, compliance, ratios, delays, etc.

Other functionality within this module includes:

• Risk and Opportunity
• Retentions Owing Summary (liability)
• Retentions Held Summary (asset)
• Retentions CCA Schedules for the Kiwis
• Committed Cost Schedule
• Monthly Report
• Work in Progress
• Service Job Performance

To drill down into the information, just click the number, and a pop-up will show you where it comes from. For example, if it’s a variation, you will see the number, date, subject, value and approval status.

The risk and opportunity process is powerful and really helps the team to pragmatically identify potential for savings and overruns.

The report focuses on giving you a feel and flavour for a project and not just the numbers.

System

System admin is where you set up company information, such as:

• Cost Code Structure
• Company Information
• Departments
• Branding
• Staff and Staff Email
• Communication Acronyms
• Security

All module-specific defaults and picklists can be configured in the module admin for each module.

Acronyms for communication can be set for:

• Communication to Subcontractors
• Communication to Consultants
• Communication to Client
• General Communication

Customise the reminders for each staff role’s dashboard; there are approximately 60 to choose from. These include retention, plant certification, insurance expiry, incomplete diaries, unapproved invoices, orders awaiting delivery, and a whole bunch more.

We appreciate the importance of branding and have provided for:

• Formal Letterhead (formal correspondence)
• Informal Letterhead (site forms, variations, etc)
• Email Signatures (for your email sign off)
• Report Logos (follow on pages and external reports)
• Catchline (on all external communication)

You get to select which fields appear in the various branding formats to prepare author-specific branding for all documentation.