A time and material (T&M) ticket is a document used by contractors to track and bill for the work they perform. It shows the total hours worked by a contractor and the total cost of materials used to complete the job.
Many construction
When communication breaks down in the field, it shows up fast in delays, rework, and unexpected costs. According to the Construction Industry Institute, rework alone can cost between 2% and 20% of the total construction project value. This is often triggered by miscommunication, poor documentation, or unclear approvals.
Even a
Every construction site has hidden risks lurking around the corner that cost you money when they’re ignored. One missed delivery, one crew delay, or one communication gap can throw off the entire schedule and eat into profit. But seasoned subcontractors don’t cross their fingers and hope it’ll work out —
Construction teams rely on documentation to move work forward, such as RFIs, schedules, logs, and contracts.
When even one file is outdated or missing, delays turn into disputes, and accountability falls on supers and PMs.
The issue isn’t effort…it’s disconnected systems.
Most crews still juggle important files all over inboxes,
You can win the lowest bid and still lose money if you miss hidden costs. Miss the soft costs? Underestimate the hard costs? Your profit’s gone before the first punch list walk.
Most contractors get this wrong because they focus so much on the obvious hard costs that they miss
Construction doesn’t fail because of the big stuff. It fails quietly, through missed labor hours, mispriced trailers, and forgotten line items you thought someone else was covering. These are your general conditions in construction, and they’re more than just indirect costs. They often decide whether your bid turns into
A schedule of values (SOV) is one of the most important documents in a construction project and often one of the most misunderstood.
At its core, SOV is a detailed breakdown of the entire contract amount, divided by work items or cost codes. Most successful contractors, from GCs to subs,
Let’s make something very clear — timekeeping isn’t a trust issue, and it’s not about nickel-and-diming your workforce.
Labor accounts for 30% or more of a contractor’s costs. It’s the most expensive and complicated asset in your business. Every other asset —
When the scope changes daily and work is moving fast, pricing becomes a moving target. Lump-sum contractors don’t always cut it, especially on long-term maintenance projects.
That’s where an SOR (schedule of rates) comes in.
With SOR, every task has a set price. Zero needs to re-negotiate or issue a
T&M contracts combined with an SOW give contractors the flexibility to start fast, especially on jobs where the scope isn’t fully defined.
But that flexibility can backfire fast without tight documentation.
One missed hour, one unapproved change, and your profit disappears.
According to a study by PlanGrid and FMI:
“Poor
Creating a detailed and accurate Scope of Work (SOW) is one of the most important steps in any construction project. It defines exactly what needs to be done, how it should be done, and who is responsible for each part of the job.
A well-defined SOW is the cornerstone of
Contractors lose money fast when projects slip out of control. One surprise, one delay, and your profits go away. It’s a well-known fact. Cost control is one of the biggest issues in construction projects. In fact, a McKinsey study shows that large projects typically take around 20% longer to finish
