Project cost control for civil infrastructure
Roads, bridges, earthworks, utilities, civil contracting means long project timelines, heavy equipment costs, and the financial complexity of government and head-contractor billing. Entry-level accounting systems don't come close.
Why civil contractors outgrow Xero and MYOB
Heavy equipment depreciation, long project timelines, government billing requirements, and tight margins, civil is one of the most financially complex segments in construction.
Equipment cost allocation is a mess
Allocating depreciation, fuel, maintenance, and operator costs for each piece of plant and equipment to the right project, and the right cost code, manually is a constant source of error.
Government billing requirements are complex
AS4000 and AS2124 contract structures, Commonwealth reporting obligations, and local government billing formats require more than a standard accounts receivable module can handle.
Earned value management is manual
Tracking progress against schedule, identifying cost overruns before they compound, and generating EVM reports for head contractors all require effort that Xero simply wasn't designed for.
Multi-project visibility is limited
Running three to ten civil projects simultaneously with different clients, billing milestones, and cost structures makes getting a consolidated view of your business almost impossible.
Long project timelines distort your P&L
Revenue recognition on multi-year civil contracts, using percentage of completion, requires accounting mechanics that Xero and MYOB handle crudely at best.
Subcontractor and material volumes are high
Civil contracts often involve dozens of subcontractors and hundreds of supply deliveries. Managing retentions, TPAR, and cost reconciliation at that volume is a full-time job without proper tools.
The financial tools civil contractors need
Sage Intacct handles the financial complexity of civil infrastructure, from equipment cost allocation to government contract billing to multi-year revenue recognition.
Project cost tracking & EVM
Track all project costs, labour, plant, materials, subcontracts, in real time against your budget. Generate earned value reports automatically for head-contractor and internal reporting.
Equipment & plant cost allocation
Allocate depreciation, fuel, maintenance, and operator costs to specific projects and cost codes automatically. Track utilisation rates and calculate true equipment cost-per-hour for accurate project pricing.
Government contract billing
Generate progress claims and milestone invoices that meet AS4000, AS2124, and government contract formats. Manage variations, latent conditions claims, and extension of time requests in the same workflow.
Revenue recognition & WIP
Automate percentage-of-completion revenue recognition for multi-year contracts. Track WIP accurately and generate compliant financial statements without manual adjustments at each period-end.
Subcontractor & supply management
Manage high-volume subcontractor claims, retentions, TPAR lodgement, and security of payment obligations. Track materials deliveries against purchase orders and allocate costs to the right project automatically.
| Cost Code | Budget | Actual | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthworks | $8.4M | $9.1M | -$0.7M |
| Pavement | $11.2M | $10.8M | +$0.4M |
| Drainage | $4.6M | $4.2M | +$0.4M |
| Structures | $6.8M | $6.5M (est.) | +$0.3M |
| Equipment | Cost/hr | Utilisation | Allocated to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caterpillar 390 Excavator | $148 | 94% | PHW Upgrade |
| Komatsu D155 Dozer | $122 | 89% | PHW Upgrade |
| Articulated Dump (x3) | $96 | 78% | Mixed |
| Asphalt Paver | $210 | 52% | Idle, review |
| Schedule Item | Qty | Rate | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk Earthworks | 42,000 m³ | $28 | $1.18M |
| Sub-base Pavement | 18,500 m² | $42 | $0.78M |
| AC Surfacing | 12,400 m² | $86 | $1.07M |
| Drainage Works | Lump sum | - | $0.94M |
| Approved Variations | - | - | $0.85M |
| Area | Status |
|---|---|
| TPAR Lodgement | Auto-generated |
| Retention Schedules | Auto-tracked |
| SoP Obligations | Live monitoring |
| PO to Cost Matching | Automated |
| Payment Terms Compliance | Automated |
Built for civil infrastructure at every scale
From road upgrades and utilities to major infrastructure projects, Sage Intacct handles the financial complexity that comes with civil contracting.
Road & Highway Construction
Manage earthworks, pavement, and structure packages within a single contract. Track earned value against the schedule of rates and generate progress claims in AS4000 or AS2124 format automatically.
Earthworks & Bulk Excavation
Track plant utilisation and fuel burn against excavation quantities. Allocate every hour of machine time and every litre of diesel to the right cost code, and use that data to price your next job accurately.
Water & Utilities
Handle the billing complexity of water authority and utilities contracts, including milestone payments, schedule of rates billing, and the compliance reporting requirements of government clients.
Bridges & Structures
Manage the financial complexity of long-duration bridge and structure contracts with percentage-of-completion revenue recognition, detailed cost code structures, and retained margin tracking through to defects liability.
Other construction & real estate industries
Civil contractors with transport and logistics operations
For many civil businesses, fleet and logistics are not a side operation - they are central to how work gets done. Transport costs are among the hardest to allocate accurately, and they can quietly destroy project margins if your system does not track them at the project level.
Your fleet is moving. Do you know which runs are actually profitable?
Fleet cost allocation by project, run-level profitability reporting and subcontractor TPAR compliance - built into Sage Intacct from day one.
Get the financial control your civil projects demand.
Book a free 30-minute system review. We'll assess your current setup and show you exactly how Sage Intacct handles the cost complexity, billing and compliance requirements of civil contracting.