Schwehr Projects · Services · 04 · Project controls

Project controls for contractors: cost tracking, forecasting and claims.

The reporting a project needs once it is won, set up so the people running it can keep it current. Job cost tracking, budget versus actual, estimate-at-completion forecasts, subcontractor ticket logs, progress claims and change management, plus production and cost controls for pits and aggregate operations. Hourly or monthly, from Edmonton for contractors across Alberta and BC.

Talk about a job that needs controls See a weekly cost report

What gets set up

Cost codes that match the estimate, reports the superintendent will actually read.

Budget and cost codes

A cost code structure that mirrors the bid items and the estimate build-ups, loaded as the control budget on day one so every hour and ticket lands against the number it was priced at.

Weekly cost report

Budget, committed, actual to date, estimate to complete, estimate at completion and variance by cost code, with unit costs and productions tracked against the estimate so a problem shows in week two, not at the end.

Estimate-at-completion forecasting

Forecasts built from quantities remaining and measured productions, not from percent complete. Each forecast carries its assumptions so the owner, the bank and the bonding company can see how the number was reached.

Subcontractor and LEM tickets

A ticket log for labour, equipment and material tickets reconciled to subcontractor invoices and to the owner’s progress payment, with disputed tickets tracked to resolution.

Progress claims and change management

Monthly progress claims in the owner’s format with measured quantities and backup; a change log for RFIs, site instructions, extras and claims with cost and schedule impact tracked from notice to settlement.

Schedule

Baseline schedule built in ProjectLibre or Microsoft Project, updated with progress and linked to the forecast so the cost and the schedule tell the same story. Narrative for the monthly report included.

What you get

A cost report where the forecast is a calculation, not a feeling.

The workbook pulls hours and costs from your accounting export, whether that is Sage, QuickBooks, Spectrum or a timesheet spreadsheet, and quantities from the site. The estimate-at-completion for each code is quantity remaining at the measured unit cost unless someone overrides it, and overrides are flagged.

The report is yours and runs without me. Setup includes a walkthrough with your coordinator or superintendent so it stays current after the engagement ends.

Sample weekly cost report · Week 9 of 20Illustrative figures, $ thousands

Code	Item	Budget	Actual	EAC	Var
02-100	Topsoil strip and stockpile	48	51	51	(3)
02-200	Common excavation and embankment	412	236	398	14
02-300	Granular base, supply and place	186	22	203	(17)
03-100	Storm sewer, sub	265	198	265	0
01-500	Site supervision and facilities	120	58	131	(11)

Granular base is forecast over because the supplier’s price rose after award; the variance carries a note and a link to the change log entry. Supervision is over because the schedule slipped two weeks, which the schedule update shows.

Pits and aggregates

Production and cost controls for aggregate operations.

Built from years inside aggregate operations, for producers and for the contractors who run a pit for their own projects.

Production reconciliation. Crusher and screen plant reports, scale tickets, stockpile surveys and sales reconciled monthly, so inventory on the books matches what is on the ground.
Per-tonne cost tracking. Drilling and blasting, stripping, crushing, screening, loading and hauling costed per tonne by product, with the figures that feed the next crushing estimate.
Community Aggregate Payment levy. Alberta CAP levy returns prepared from the reconciled tonnage, with the records a municipal audit asks for.
Royalty and lease tracking. Tonnage and royalty by lease, landowner or Crown disposition, with payments scheduled and reconciled.
Crushing and hauling estimates. Plant production, fleet and cycle-time build-ups for contract crushing and haul bids, including BC MoTI Blue Book and HETS rates where required.

How the engagement runs

A setup fee, then hourly or monthly for as long as the job needs it.

Setup

A fixed fee for the first two weeks: cost codes, budget load, report templates, ticket log, schedule baseline and the walkthrough with your team. Longer for multi-year or multi-site work.

Ongoing

Weekly cost report and monthly claim, forecast and schedule update at an hourly rate, or a monthly fee for a defined scope under a master agreement. Most jobs need a few hours a week once set up.

What I need from you

The contract and bid form, the estimate, access to the accounting export and timesheets, the owner’s claim format, and a site contact for quantities and tickets.

Terms

Setup invoiced on completion, ongoing work invoiced monthly, net 30. Site visits for start-up, a pit survey or a claim dispute are arranged as needed and billed at the hourly rate plus travel.

Questions

What contractors ask before the first job.

Do we need new software?

No. Everything runs in Excel alongside the accounting system you already have. Exports from Sage, QuickBooks, Spectrum, Jonas or a timesheet app feed the workbook; nothing is re-keyed.

Can you run it for us, or train our coordinator?

Either. Some contractors want the reports produced for them every week; others want the system set up and their project coordinator shown how to keep it current, with a monthly review call. Both are common.

Is there a minimum engagement?

The setup is the minimum. After that it is hourly with no commitment, or a monthly fee for a defined scope if you prefer a predictable number.

Can you do just the schedule?

Yes. A baseline schedule and monthly updates in ProjectLibre or Microsoft Project, with the narrative for the owner’s report, is a common stand-alone job.

What about claims and disputes?

The ticket log, change log and forecast history are built to support a claim: dated notices, measured quantities and the cost impact tracked from the day it was first raised. Expert reports for formal dispute resolution are outside this service.

Where I work

Remote from Edmonton, across Alberta and British Columbia.

Drawings, specs and workbooks travel well, so most work is done remotely for contractors in Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray, Lloydminster and Lethbridge, and across the BC Interior including Kamloops, Kelowna, Prince George and the Peace region. Site visits are arranged when a job calls for one, for example a pre-bid walk-through, a pit survey or a start-up week with the site team.

Schwehr Projects Ltd. is an Alberta corporation. Work in BC is done under the same agreement, with BC MoTI Blue Book and HETS equipment rates applied where the owner requires them.

Next step

Set up in the first two weeks, then kept current with the site team.

Tell me about the job, the contract type and what reporting the owner expects. You will have a proposed setup, a cadence and a fee back within one business day.

Send the job details

Emailvern@schwehrprojects.com
Phone780-231-1997
TermsFixed fee or hourly, agreed first · Net 30