Builders need software that NOT ONLY HANDLES ACCOUNTING efficiently, but ALSO gives them “UP-TO-THE-MINUTE” JOB COSTING information without a lot of tweaking and outside spreadsheet work.

The most important benefit of CHS for builders is that it instantly relates accounting data to the builder’s Budgets/Estimates, Bids, Change Orders, Work Orders, and Purchase Orders in order to provide immediate information about the changing status of estimated job costs.

In order to make sound business decisions, Builders need to watch their Estimated Costs at Completion on a daily basis.   Estimated Costs at Completion represent the DAILY, REVISED estimate of what the total costs of the job will be when the job is complete. The changing "Estimated Costs at Completion" should be constantly reviewed and compared to the Original Job Budget.  There are several factors that can cause the “Estimated Costs At Completion” to be different than the original Budgeted Costs. Some of them are:

• A Change Order has been agreed upon with the customer.
• Agreement to pay Trades or Suppliers more OR less than the budgeted amount.
• Theft, vandalism, damages
• Unavailibity of materials or trade; substitution due to things like weather or delays
• Trade error (no backcharge), Superintendent Error
• Job Budget Errors or Ommissions
• Overpaying a trade or supplier (which shouldn’t happen with all the “over budget” alerts in CHS)

To monitor the above changes AND their effect on the Estimated Costs at Completion can be an OVERWHELMING task.  The builder can keep creating scribble sheets to figure this out, or create massive spreadsheets that need to have constant data entry, OR the builder can use the Estimated Costs at Completion screen in CHS!  That screen instantly gathers the Job Budget data, Change Order Data, Purchase Orders Data, and Actual Posted Costs to Date to calculate the current “Estimated Costs at Completion” for you....

A SIMPLE TABLE is shown below to demonstrate the concept.

(The actual screen in CHS provides more than this.    See Help Document. )

STUDY EACH LINE and you will be able to see how the Est. Costs at Completion were determined.

CHS Will Gather and Calculate ALL the numbers in Black for YOU!

Budget + Est. Change Order Costs= $20,800     Actual Costs To Date = $10,600     Variance = -$10,200 UNDER

What does the Variance Really Tell You?    NOT MUCH UNTIL THE JOB IS COMPLETE.

Budget + CO = $20,800    Today's Estimated Costs at Completion = $20,500     Difference = $300 UNDER

This DOES TELL YOU SOMETHING!   EVERY DAY!   The Job is currently estimated to come in $300 UNDER the budgeted costs.   Know when to promise extra frills, OR NOT, EARLY in the Job!

CHS WILL display the total Contract Price + Change Order Prices and calculate a Revised Contract Price.

Then it will subtract the current Estimated Costs at Completion to display the Current Estimated Profit on the job.

IN ADDITION, CHS will calculate how much costs you have remaining to pay based on the Estimated Costs at Completion AND how much is currently due based on a percent complete that you can enter for each category.

Open the CHS Estimated Cost at Completion Help Document for info about the Estimated Costs at Completion window in CHS.

If you think about it, this ONE FEATURE will return the purchase price of CHS to you many times over!

Now, think about some of the other features.....  and the money they will save.  For Example:

CHS will alert you BEFORE you overpay someone.

Insurance auditors love the audit reports CHS instantly produces!

Arguments with Vendors AND Customers are reduced dramatically!

Banks love the Draw Requests and Detail that CHS produces!

Outside CPA's are thrilled with your accounting records!

Your reputation for efficiency spreads!