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:

• Projects module includes all foundation information such project name, address, bonds, retention, contracts, program and insurance etc.
• 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 are still able to transfer between codes.

Trade letting functionality includes identifying the trades, subcontractors and the price. (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.

Subcontract

The subcontractor module functionality includes:

• Written Communication (form, letter, email)
• Variations (flexible and smart)
• Progress Claims Preparation
• Progress Claim Approval (2 approvals)
• Group Notification (send to one or many subs)
• Trade Letting Schedule
• 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 are calculated for you.

This module is an excellent example of how combining traditionally good record keeping with the electronic age we now operate within, gets great results.

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

All variations are added to the subcontractors 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 issue and claim deadlines.

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”.

Send a group notification to one or many of the PCG team for general notifications such as meetings etc.

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

This module is another example of how combining traditional record keeping with the electronic age we now operate within, gets 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 within CATProjects so you never need to hunt through a bunch of files, they are all stored against a relevant subject and can be retrieved quickly.

Publish documents directly to CATPlan if you want documents made available to other team members.

There are a variety of professionally branded reports which are defined by your own criteria. Its your data so you can manipulate it to suit your requirements.

Client

The client module functionality includes:

• Written Communication (form, letter, email)
• 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 (including variations to claims and extensive progress reports). All associated communication and documents can be cross referenced and can always be 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, fast and has 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.

This module will increase efficiency and it has 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 are available.

Contact

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

• Contacts Master
• Project Specific Contacts
• Staff Contact Information
• Module Admin

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

Project Specific contacts allows selection of contacts for projects to limit lists and minimise human error. There is an option of limiting creditors to specific projects so staff can only purchase from authorised suppliers.

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

Look up contact information from your phone.

Module admin allows common pick-lists to be standardised such as:

• Job Titles
• Contact Types
• Suburbs, Cities and Post Codes
• Performance Ratings
• Insurance Types

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 or to maintain more than a basic server or maybe have no server at all.

When an email, letter, document or photo is received drag it onto the CATProjects “Drop Zone” and a popup 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 within, gets fantastic results.

On document preview there is a choice of 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 deals with 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 on periods of your selection.

Certification expiry reminders are also shown on the Site Managers 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 an item of plant so that running costs can be tracked. Whether its fuel, a scheduled service or general repairs and maintenance, never lose sight of the costs without running up administration time.

Transfers of plant from one project to another can be done through the daily site diary’s 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 item of plant is assigned a charge rate (or not) which charges the project 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 are available which show  recovery for each item, each category or for the yard / store as a whole. If relevant you can treat plant as a separate cost centre or department.

Site Diary

There are four styles of site diaries to choose from which range from a traditional big job diary to a diary more suited to subcontractors, maintenance works and one for civil companies that assists with plant management.

The advantage of electronic diaries is information can be shared amongst the team and does not get buried or lost. More importantly it assists project management staff that are office based stay in touch with the daily events on site which is a great tool.

Plant and equipment can be transferred through site diaries whether it is to another job or back to the yard / store. The plant transferred is immediately “off hired” and the new location is updated on the plant register and charges on the “transferred from” job cease.

Site Diaries can be done on a PC, Windows or Android Tablet and on an iPad. CATProjects site diaries are popular with supervisory staff and have proven to be quicker than a traditional manual diary.

• Record the Weather
• Record Delays for Time Extensions
• Track Subcontractors On Site (from CATScan)
• Staff on Site Recording of Activities
• Site Visitor Tracking (from CATScan)
• Safety Information
• Plant Movement – Incoming and Outgoing
• Faster than Manual Diaries

Site Photo’s

The site photo module allows bulk drag and drop to either gallery or list view. Ideal for capturing mishaps such as damage and design defects. Set up a common folder structure for all jobs or modify for individual projects. Photo’s can be included with outgoing communication.

CATScan – Site Sign In

Subcontractors and site visitors scan the CAT QR code on entering the site. Its simple to complete, no downloading apps, easy for the visitors. You can audit and report on all personnel on your site, great for cross checking dayworks and resource levels. Tracking of Vaccination Status is included.

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

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

An online site safety induction process has several important benefits to offer 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 operation 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 a main contractor many hours every month on every project. To do the math, click on the Savings Calculator and work out how many hours and how much money your company will save.  See a video of the Safety Inductions Overview

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
• Invoice jobs as soon as they are complete

Your operations team can login from any location by using mobile web from 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 allows for different styles of purchasing 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 of the goods that are based on a fixed agreed rate for items like, concrete, bin exchanges, scaffold, timber and labour hire etc.

All invoices are electronically approved by 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 allows the import of supplier price books and regular update.

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 and then generate a transfer docket to go with the goods.

CATProjects has powerful filtering, sorting and reporting which is really flexible.

After a stock take make adjustments after adding a reason for the adjustment.

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

Time

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

There is a running tally of budget versus actual both in terms of 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 job or job cards on service jobs. Filtering, grouping and sorting is flexible both on screen and by report.

Time sheets can be done from a mobile smart phone in addition to tablets and PC’s. The trade staff can do their time sheets daily and supervisors can approve 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 that you can either add  single line entry to payroll or electronically transfer time into your payroll system either by API or CSV upload then lock off 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 allows you to be on top of 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.

Accounts

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

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 lean on admin and deletes 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 book keeping and the electronic age we now operate within.

If an invoice does not match a purchase order then accounts staff just add the variance and the person who is responsible for approving the invoice can either approve or reject it so the right people are making 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 a number of styles as we appreciate each company has preferences with monthly reporting and want to look at 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 gives you the best information available on the day and is based on commitments made by the company 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 are a wide range of reports to suit most requirements, these reports are a mixture of traditional project financial reporting through to reports that combine operational information such as RFI’s, flags, compliance, ratios, delays etc.

Other functionality within this module includes:

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

To drill down on information just click on the number and a popup will show you where the information comes from. For example if its 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 focus is to give 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 pick-lists can be set up in 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 the dashboard of each staff role, there are approx 60 to choose from. These range from retention, plant certification, insurance expiry, diaries not done, invoices not approved, 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 you want to appear in the various branding formats to prepare author specific branding on all documentation.