Control Shift · Construction systems
Control Shift builds project cost management software for UAE contractors who need a clear view of approved budgets, purchase commitments, actual costs and the forecast to finish. Connect commercial, procurement and finance records around the same project and cost codes.
For commercial directors, quantity surveyors, project managers and finance teams managing several live contracts.
Establish the baseline
Versioned project budget
Capture commitments
Outstanding commitment register
Reconcile actuals
Reconciled reporting period
Review the forecast
Forecast at completion with commentary
Proposed workflow. Final roles, records and approvals are agreed during discovery.
A project can appear under budget while issued purchase orders and unfinished subcontract packages already consume its remaining allowance. A useful cost-control system separates approved budget, incurred cost, open commitments and uncommitted work. It also keeps pending variations visible without treating them as approved revenue or budget.
Map the approved estimate to project, work package and cost code. Preserve the original baseline, record authorised budget transfers and show the current budget separately. Material, labour, equipment and subcontract allowances remain traceable to their source.
Track open LPOs, subcontract awards, receipts and posted costs. Agree when a commitment becomes an actual in your accounting process, and reduce the outstanding commitment accordingly so reports do not count the same spend twice.
Record the instruction, source revision, assessed cost, price, approval status and time impact. Keep submitted, disputed and approved changes separate. An approved variation updates the agreed contract and budget records through a logged workflow.
Combine actual cost, outstanding commitments and the remaining uncommitted forecast for each package. Compare reporting periods, explain forecast movements and allow commercial managers to review assumptions before publishing project and portfolio totals.
Each handover has an owner, a required input and a recorded outcome. We define the exceptions alongside the normal process.
Estimator + commercial manager
Map the awarded BOQ and approved estimate to the reporting structure.
Output: Versioned project budget
Procurement + subcontract team
Assign approved orders and subcontract awards to the correct cost package.
Output: Outstanding commitment register
Finance + project controls
Match posted costs and receipts to source records and investigate exceptions.
Output: Reconciled reporting period
Project manager + commercial director
Assess remaining quantities, rates, risks and approved changes before sign-off.
Output: Forecast at completion with commentary
Illustrative workflow example
Illustrative work-package figures in AED, excluding VAT. The forecast categories below do not overlap.
Scroll horizontally to view all columns.
| Cost view | Illustrative amount | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Approved budget | 1,000,000 | Current authorised allowance |
| Actual cost to date | 350,000 | Costs already recognised under the agreed policy |
| Open commitments | 450,000 | Awarded work not already included in actuals |
| Uncommitted remaining forecast | 150,000 | Expected cost of remaining work not yet awarded |
| Forecast at completion | 950,000 | 350,000 + 450,000 + 150,000 |
| Forecast budget headroom | 50,000 | Approved budget minus forecast at completion |
This is a reporting example, not a client result or a software price. Cash paid, certified revenue, retention and pending variations need separate views; budget headroom is not a profit calculation.
We map project codes, suppliers, purchase orders, receipts and ledger entries before choosing APIs or controlled imports. Agree posting dates, currency treatment, reversals and period locks with finance. A rejected import remains in an exception queue rather than silently changing the report.
Connect construction procurement to project budgetsAn assistant can draft explanations for cost movements, group exception records and flag overdue commitments or unusual changes using agreed thresholds. Each comment should reference the underlying report and period. Commercial staff validate forecasts and decide corrective actions; AI does not certify a project margin.
Explore document extraction and review workflowsThe proposal depends on project entities, cost-code mapping, source-system access, historical cleanup and forecast rules. Start with a reconciled report for one pilot project before expanding into portfolio dashboards or automated alerts. Separate implementation and migration from hosting, support and connector costs.
Discovery produces a workflow and data map, a prototype, an integration plan and an itemised delivery scope. Validate a trial migration and pilot with the people who use the system. Agree access roles, backups, deployment responsibilities, source-code handover, third-party licences and support terms before rollout.
Control Shift serves project teams in Dubai and across the UAE. Your project locations, languages and existing systems determine the rollout plan. Where a packaged platform already meets the requirement, configuration or a focused integration may be the appropriate scope.
Construction software development
A focused application can share project references, access rules and approved records with your wider system.
Explore the complete construction ERPCustom BOQ software in Dubai for quantities, rate build-ups, tender revisions and estimate-to-budget handover. Scope BOQ management and reviewed AI extraction.
Explore the workflowCustom construction procurement software in the UAE. Connect site requisitions, RFQs, supplier comparisons, purchase orders, receipts and project budgets.
Explore the workflowCustom fit-out project management software in Dubai for approvals, BOQs, joinery, MEP coordination, variations, procurement, snagging and project handover.
Explore the workflowIt brings approved budgets, commitments, actual costs and remaining forecasts into a project reporting structure. The purpose is to show cost exposure and explain changes while work is still underway. The data definitions and reconciliation process matter as much as the dashboard.
Yes, where the current system provides suitable APIs or exports. We define which system owns the ledger and how project codes, periods and corrections flow into the cost report. A custom cost-control module can complement an existing accounting package without replacing it.
Agree the recognition event with finance, then match actual costs to their original commitment lines. As cost is recognised, the outstanding commitment is reduced. Partial receipts, returns, cancellations and invoice adjustments must be included in acceptance testing.
They can share project and contract references, but represent different things. Variations change scope or commercial value when approved. Retention tracks amounts withheld and subsequent releases. Keep separate registers and connect them to certificates and finance records.
Pricing follows a review of reports, cost codes, data sources and approval rules. A reporting layer for one accounting system has a different scope from a multi-company construction ERP. Request separate discovery, build, integration, migration and support amounts.
Tell us where work gets delayed, which systems you use and what a useful first release needs to achieve. Start with a process description; anonymised sample records can be reviewed during discovery.
We will map requirements, clarify integration access and prepare a phased proposal for construction cost control software.
