Challenge
Purchase orders and subcontracts are entered only when the first invoice arrives.
Agnotic approach
Commitments are recorded when they are signed, so committed cost moves the forecast on day one.
Project Cost Control
Project cost control software development
Project managers often learn a job is over budget at month-end close, weeks after the purchase orders and change orders that caused it. Agnotic Technologies builds project cost control software that shows committed cost, approved changes and forecast at completion for every cost code while there is still time to act.
Cost codes and budgetsCommitments and actualsChange order impactForecast at completion
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What is project cost control software?
Project cost control software tracks what a project was budgeted to cost, what has been committed and spent, and what it will cost at completion, cost code by cost code. Agnotic Technologies builds custom cost control software for contractors, engineering firms and government contractors, connected to their estimating, procurement and accounting systems.
Accounting tells you what was paid. Cost control tells you what is coming: a signed subcontract or an approved change order moves the forecast the day it happens, not when the invoice arrives.
This page is about controlling cost while the work is delivered. Takeoff and bid pricing before the job is on our construction estimating software page, and RFIs, submittals and drawing control are on our construction document management page.
Cost position
Which numbers make up a cost code's position?
The cost position for a single cost code, such as concrete foundations or mechanical subcontract. Every column has one source, so the project manager and the accountant read the same figure.
| Column | What it means | Where it comes from | Who changes it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original budget | The amount the job was won or approved at | The final estimate, mapped to cost codes at handover | Locked at handover; changed only by a budget transfer or a change |
| Approved changes | Owner-approved change orders added to the code | The change order log | Project manager, after client approval |
| Revised budget | Original budget plus approved changes and transfers | Calculated | Nobody edits it directly |
| Committed cost | Value of purchase orders and subcontracts signed against the code, including their change orders | Procurement and subcontract records | Buyer or project manager, when a commitment is issued or changed |
| Actual cost | Cost already incurred: invoices, payroll, equipment and other job cost | Accounting or the ERP job cost ledger | Accounting, through posting |
| Estimate to complete | What is still needed to finish the work on the code | The project manager's forecast, with uncommitted scope listed | Project manager, each forecast period |
| Forecast at completion | Actual cost plus estimate to complete | Calculated | Nobody edits it directly |
| Variance | Revised budget minus forecast at completion | Calculated | Explained in a note when it crosses your threshold |
Pending changes, priced but not yet approved, sit in their own column beside the position, so they are visible to the team without being counted in the revised budget.
Change orders
How does a change order move through cost control?
A change touches the budget, the commitments and the forecast. Each step has an owner and leaves a record.
Log the potential change
A field event, owner request or design change is logged with the cost codes it affects, before anyone knows the price.
Price it
The team prices labour, material and subcontract cost, and the pending amount shows beside the affected codes.
Get client approval
The change goes to the owner or prime contractor; on federal construction contracts the notice dates are tracked against the Changes clause.
Revise the budget
Approval moves the amount from pending into approved changes, and the revised budget updates on each code.
Change the commitments
Matching change orders are issued to subcontractors and suppliers, so committed cost reflects the new scope.
Update the forecast
The project manager updates the estimate to complete, and the variance shows whether the change was priced to cover its cost.
Failure points
Where do project cost reports go wrong?
The problems we plan for on every cost control build.
Challenge
The forecast is just budget minus actual cost.
Agnotic approach
The project manager enters an estimate to complete per code, and the software flags codes where it has not been reviewed this period.
Challenge
Cost codes in the estimate do not match the codes in accounting.
Agnotic approach
One cost code structure is mapped at handover, and accounting imports are rejected when a code is missing.
Challenge
Approved changes and pending changes are mixed together.
Agnotic approach
Pending, approved and rejected changes are separate states, and only approved changes reach the revised budget.
Challenge
Unallowable costs end up in a government billing.
Agnotic approach
Codes and cost types are flagged as unallowable, and they are excluded from billings and proposals by rule.
Challenge
The monthly report is rebuilt in spreadsheets every period.
Agnotic approach
Each forecast period is a saved snapshot, so this month's position can be compared with last month's without rework.
Earned value
When does a contract require earned value management?
Earned value compares the value of work performed with its planned value and actual cost. Federal contracts set when it is required; on most commercial jobs it is a choice.
01
Federal contract with FAR 52.234-4
Example: A development contract where the EVMS clause is included
Approach: An EVMS that the Cognizant Federal Agency has found compliant with EIA-748, monthly reports, and an Integrated Baseline Review
02
DoD cost or incentive contract, $20,000,000 or more
Example: A cost-plus development or production contract
Approach: Earned value that follows ANSI/EIA-748, with work packages, control accounts and a time-phased baseline
03
DoD cost or incentive contract, $50,000,000 or more
Example: A large development program
Approach: The same system, determined compliant by the cognizant federal agency before it is relied on
04
DoD firm-fixed-price contract
Example: A fixed-price production or construction award
Approach: Earned value is discouraged and needs a waiver, so cost control runs on budget, commitments and forecast
05
Commercial construction or engineering
Example: A lump sum or guaranteed maximum price job
Approach: Optional; percent complete by cost code can show earned value without a formal EVMS
Data sources
Which systems feed project cost control software?
Cost control is only as current as the systems behind it. We connect each one so nobody types the same number twice.
Estimating
- Final estimate by cost code
- Quantities and unit rates for percent complete
- Budget versions from bid to handover
Procurement and subcontracts
- Purchase orders and their change orders
- Subcontract values and retention
- Supplier and subcontractor invoices
Accounting and ERP
- Job cost ledger by cost code
- Payroll and equipment cost
- Owner billings and payment applications
Field and schedule
- Timesheets and quantities installed
- Schedule activities linked to cost codes
- Daily logs that support change claims
Sizing
What sizes a cost control software build?
There is no honest cost control software calculator, because the build depends on how your cost data works today. These are the inputs we size on the scoping call, and we do not publish prices.
Cost code structure and cost centres
How many codes, levels and cost types, and whether jobs share one structure.
Budget versions
Original, revised and forecast versions, and how budget transfers are approved.
Commitment sources
Where purchase orders and subcontracts are created today, and how their change orders arrive.
Accounting integration
The ERP or accounting system, how often job cost posts, and whether it is read only or two-way.
Earned value
Whether any contract needs EIA-748 earned value, or percent complete is enough.
History and entities
How many past jobs to migrate, and whether several companies or currencies share the system.
What do we build into project cost control software?
Modules we scope one by one, so a first release can run live jobs on budget, commitments and forecast before earned value is added.
Cost code and budget setup
Cost breakdown structure, cost types and budget import from the final estimate, with transfers between codes approved and logged.
Commitments register
Purchase orders and subcontracts with their values, change orders, invoiced amounts and retention.
Change order log
Potential, pending, approved and rejected changes, with the cost codes, amounts and client approvals behind each.
Forecasting by period
Estimate to complete per code, saved period snapshots and variance notes the project manager signs off.
Earned value
Control accounts, work packages and a time-phased baseline, with planned value, earned value and actual cost for contracts that need it.
Cost reports and dashboards
Job, portfolio and executive views of the cost position, built from the same numbers as the cost code table.
Accounting and ERP connectors
Job cost, commitments and billings exchanged with your accounting system, with failed imports held for review.
Roles and audit trail
Who can change budgets, forecasts and commitments, with every change recorded for owner and government audits.
Facts and sources
Facts behind project cost control software
The federal contract rules behind the earned value, unallowable cost and change order features, each linked to its primary source.
Under FAR clause 52.234-4, the contractor must use an earned value management system that the Cognizant Federal Agency has found compliant with the EIA-748 guidelines, and the Government conducts an Integrated Baseline Review of the contract.
Source: 48 CFR 52.234-4, Earned Value Management System (eCFR)FAR 34.201 requires an earned value management system for major acquisitions for development, and contracting officers must at least require monthly EVMS reports on contracts where an EVMS applies.
Source: 48 CFR 34.201, Policy (eCFR)For the Department of Defense, cost or incentive contracts and subcontracts valued at $20,000,000 or more need an earned value management system that follows ANSI/EIA-748, and at $50,000,000 or more the system must be determined compliant by the cognizant federal agency.
Source: 48 CFR 234.201, DFARS Policy (eCFR)FAR 31.201-6 requires costs that are expressly unallowable, or mutually agreed to be unallowable, to be identified and excluded from any billing, claim or proposal applicable to a Government contract.
Source: 48 CFR 31.201-6, Accounting for unallowable costs (eCFR)Under the FAR Changes clause for construction contracts, the contractor must assert its right to an adjustment within 30 days after receiving a written change order, unless the Government extends the period.
Source: 48 CFR 52.243-4, Changes (eCFR)
Who it is for
Who do we build project cost control software for?
Teams that run projects with budgets, commitments and changes, and need the forecast to be right before the money is spent.
General contractors and builders
Job cost by cost code, subcontract commitments and owner change orders on every live project.
Specialty and trade contractors
Labour and material cost against installed quantities, so overruns show up while the crew is still on site.
Engineering and EPC firms
Cost and earned value across design, procurement and construction phases of one contract.
Government contractors
Earned value reporting, unallowable cost flags and change records that hold up in an audit.
Owners and developers
A portfolio view of committed cost and forecast across several contractors and projects.
Engagement
How do we build cost control software?
We start from one live job and its real cost data, not a blank screen.
1.
Scoping call
We walk through one project's estimate, commitments, change log and cost report, and agree the cost code structure.
Scope2.
Fixed-scope first release
Budget, commitments, change orders and forecast for a pilot job, connected to your accounting system.
Build3.
Scale and support
More jobs, earned value, portfolio reporting and further connectors, with support after launch.
ScaleFrequently Asked Questions
Buy a packaged product when its cost code structure, change workflow and accounting connector match how you run jobs. Build when your contracts, earned value reporting or several accounting systems would force a packaged tool out of shape, or when cost control is part of a platform you sell.
Yes. We read job cost, commitments and billings from your accounting system or ERP through its API, database views or scheduled exports, and decide with you which side owns each record. Imports that fail validation wait in a review queue instead of changing the cost position.
Only if a contract requires it, such as a federal contract with FAR clause 52.234-4 or a large DoD cost or incentive contract. Otherwise most teams use budget, commitments and forecast at completion, sometimes with percent complete by cost code.
Yes. A first release can cover cost codes, commitments, change orders and forecast for a few jobs, connected to the accounting system you already use. Earned value, portfolio reporting and more connectors come later if you need them.
It depends on how many systems feed the cost position, how much job history moves over and whether earned value is in the first release. After the scoping call we give you a plan for a first release on one pilot job.
Yes. Most engagements start with a fixed-scope first release on one live job, so your project managers test the cost position with real numbers before more jobs move over.
Engineers use AI assistants for drafts such as test cases and data mappings, and every change is reviewed and tested by a person before release. Cost figures are always calculated by rules you can audit, never generated.