Upload the client's Excel workbook. You'll then map the columns, pick which lines to pull through, and we'll build the sections and items for you.
Accepted: .xlsx, .xls · up to 20 MB
A Job is a live, awarded contract. Jobs are created automatically when a tender is marked Won, inheriting its client, project, value, priced BoQ, drawings and take-off. From here the job becomes the home for everything commercial: costs, variations, valuations, cashflow and the final account.
The strip across the top of a job is your at-a-glance P&L. Here's exactly what each figure means:
| Figure | How it's calculated |
|---|---|
| Contract Sum | The awarded value |
| Approved Variations | Σ agreed variation amounts, with the % drift = (projected − contract) ÷ contract |
| Variations Outstanding | Σ claimed amounts of open variations/claims (not yet agreed), with a count |
| Projected Final Account | Contract sum + agreed variations |
| Certified to Date | Σ certified on payment applications, vs the total applied for |
1Projected final account = Contract sum + agreed variations
2Anticipated final = Projected final + outstanding claims (in play)
3Drift % = (Projected final − contract sum) ÷ contract sum × 100
| Tab | What's there |
|---|---|
| Details | Contract terms, project overview |
| Commercial Register | All contractual events — variations, instructions, claims |
| Variations | Detailed variation management with valuation breakdown |
| Payment Applications | Interim valuations and certification tracking |
| Cost Ledger | Actual and committed costs |
| Documents | Drawings and files, with the take-off tool |
The header buttons open the Bill of Quantities, Cost Value Reconciliation, Cashflow Forecast and Final Account.
On the Details tab, set the terms that drive the commercial engine:
The Cost Ledger records what the job actually costs. Each entry has a type (Labour, Material, Plant, Subcontract, Prelim, Other) and a status that decides how it counts:
| Status | Meaning | Counts as |
|---|---|---|
| Committed | Ordered, not yet invoiced | Future spend |
| Accrued | Work done, not yet invoiced | Cost to date |
| Invoiced | Invoice received | Cost to date |
| Paid | Settled | Cost to date |
These feed the CVR (where they're compared against the BoQ budget) and the Cashflow Forecast (where they become cash out, 30 days after the cost date).
Tip: Keep the Cost Ledger current as invoices arrive — the CVR, the forecast and your margin are only as accurate as the costs entered.
The Bill of Quantities is the priced schedule of everything the works contain. It's the heart of the estimate at tender stage and the cost baseline once the job is live. Get it right and it drives your pricing, your Cost Value Reconciliation, your Cashflow Forecast and your Final Account — all from one source.
A BoQ is built in three layers:
| Layer | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Section | A heading that groups items | "Roofing", "Preliminaries" |
| Item | A measured line: quantity × unit rate | "Slate roofing — 250 m²" |
| Build-up | The cost lines that make an item's rate | Labour + Slates + Battens |
Items can be nested under a parent item to create sub-totals. Only the bottom-level (leaf) lines are counted in the BoQ total — parent/heading rows group their children but are never double-counted.
Each item line is simply:
1Line total = Quantity × Unit rate
Quantities can be typed in, or measured straight off a drawing with the Take-off tool and linked to the item — see the Take-off guide.
Rather than guessing a rate, you can build it from its components. Each build-up line has a type (Labour, Material, Plant or Subcontract), a quantity and a cost. The item's unit rate is the sum of its build-up lines:
1Unit rate = Σ (build-up cost × build-up quantity)
Worked example — a roofing rate (per m²):
- Labour: 0.4 hr × £28/hr = £11.20
- Slates: 1.05 m² × £24/m² = £25.20
- Battens & fixings: £3.10
Unit rate = £39.50/m². At 250 m², the line total is £9,875.
Build-up types matter: they let the system analyse your cost by Labour / Material / Plant / Subcontract, which powers the budget column in the CVR and the labour/material uplifts in Adjudication.
1BoQ net cost = Σ all leaf-item line totals
This is your cost — before any margin. Turning it into a tender price is the job of Adjudication (see that guide).
At tender stage the BoQ is worked in three steps, each with its own screen:
A BoQ can be imported from a spreadsheet to save re-keying a client's pricing schedule — useful when you're given a blank bill to price.
Tip: Always classify your build-up lines by type. It costs nothing extra at pricing time and unlocks accurate budget-vs-actual analysis later in the CVR.
The Take-off tool lets you measure quantities directly off a PDF drawing — lengths, areas and counts — and feed them straight into your Bill of Quantities. Open any drawing from a tender or job's Documents to start.
Bidix has to know how many real-world metres a pixel represents. Two ways:
1scale factor = real distance ÷ line length in pixels
The scale is saved per page. If you re-calibrate later, every existing measurement on that page is recalculated automatically from its original geometry — you never have to re-draw.
Measurements are locked until the page is calibrated — a red banner reminds you. This stops accidental "uncalibrated" quantities entering your BoQ.
| Tool | Measures | How |
|---|---|---|
| Linear / polyline | Length (m, lm) | Sum of segment lengths × scale |
| Polygon area | Area (m²) | Shoelace formula × scale² |
| Rectangle | Area (m²) | width × height × scale² |
| Ellipse | Area (m²) | π × r₁ × r₂ × scale² |
| Count | Number (nr) | 1 per pin placed |
Areas scale by the square of the scale factor; lengths scale linearly. Hold Shift while drawing to lock to horizontal/vertical.
Two adjustments handle 3-D reality from a 2-D drawing:
Pitch (for areas) — corrects a plan area to a sloped (true) area:
1true area = plan area ÷ cos(pitch°)
A 100 m² roof plan at 30° pitch = 100 ÷ cos 30° = 115.47 m².
Depth/height (for lengths) — turns a length into an area:
1area = length × depth (unit changes from m to m²)
A 20 m wall run at 3 m high = 20 × 3 = 60 m².
Mark a measurement as a deduction to subtract it — for openings, voids or omissions. Deductions draw with a dashed outline and are netted off the linked BoQ item (the quantity is never allowed to go below zero).
A measurement can feed one or many BoQ items, and an item can be fed by many measurements — so you can take off guttering (linear metres) plus downpipes, outlets and stop-ends (counts) and roll them into one item, or split one measurement across several.
When measurements are linked, the BoQ item's quantity is recomputed as:
1quantity = max( 0 , Σ (each measurement, deductions subtracted) )
Worked example — one BoQ item fed by three measurements:
- Roof area (polygon): +120 m²
- Extra dormer (polygon): +15 m²
- Rooflight void (deduction): −4 m²
BoQ quantity = 120 + 15 − 4 = 131 m².
The item adopts the unit from the first non-deduction measurement.
Group measurements into layers (e.g. by trade or floor) and toggle their visibility. When you're done, export an annotated PDF with your markups and a measurement schedule for the record.
Tip: Calibrate first, measure second, link last. Because re-calibration recalculates everything automatically, a scale you fix later won't cost you the morning's take-off.
A Variation is a change to the contracted scope — extra work, an omission, or a change instructed by the client or main contractor. Variations live on the job's Commercial Register and, once agreed, flow into the Projected Final Account and the CVR.
Both produce the same record; the detailed form simply captures more.
Rather than entering a single lump sum, you can build the value up line by line:
1Line amount = quantity × rate
2Claimed value = Σ all line amounts (pre-fills automatically)
Each line has a type (Labour, Material, Plant, Subcontract, Preliminary, Other), a quantity, a unit and a rate. The breakdown total pre-fills the claimed value, which you can still adjust.
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Reference | Your variation number, e.g. VO-001 |
| Instructed by | Who originated the change |
| Title / scope | What the change is |
| Contract clause | The clause it's claimed under |
| Claimed vs agreed amount | What you've asked for vs what's been agreed |
| Programme impact | Extension of time claimed and agreed, in days |
| Notified / response / resolved dates | The timeline |
Open → Agreed / Rejected → Closed
Important: only variations marked Agreed (with an agreed amount) count towards the Projected Final Account and the CVR. Until then they show as outstanding — visible in the job's commercial summary as claims "in play" but not yet in the forecast value.
Set a notified date and Bidix calculates the response deadline from the contract type and the kind of notice. Typical response windows:
| Notice type | NEC4 | JCT / SBCC | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Warning (EWN) | 7 days | — | 7 days |
| Compensation Event (CE) | 21 days | — | — |
| Variation (VAR) / Instruction (AI) | — | 14 days | 14 days |
| Extension of time (EOT) | 21 days | 14 days | 14 days |
The register colour-codes each deadline so you can act in time:
| Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 🟢 On track | More than 3 days to respond |
| 🟠 Due soon | 3 days or fewer remaining |
| 🔴 Overdue | Past the response deadline |
| ⚪ Resolved | Agreed, rejected or closed |
Tip: Notify early and let the deadline calculate itself. The compliance colours exist to protect your entitlement — a late notice can lose it under the contract.
A Payment Application is your interim valuation — what you're claiming for work done in a period. Bidix tracks the full cycle the Construction Act expects: what you applied for, what was certified, the notices due, and what was finally paid — and it derives every statutory date for you so nothing becomes time-barred. Find them on the job's Payment Applications tab.
Submitted → Certified → Paid (or Overdue if the final date passes)
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Applied amount | The gross value you're claiming this period |
| Certified amount | What the payer certifies as due |
| Retention | Deducted automatically per the job's terms (override if needed) |
| Paid amount / paid date | Recorded on settlement |
Set the application date and Bidix derives the rest from the job's contract type (you can override any of them). The day counts are:
| Contract | Payment due | Final date for payment | Pay-less notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| JCT / SBCC | application + 14 days | due + 17 days | final − 7 days |
| NEC4 | application + 21 days | due + 14 days | final − 7 days |
| Standard | application + 30 days | due + 14 days | final − 7 days |
The payment notice is due 5 days after the payment due date in all cases.
Worked example — JCT, applied 15 Jun 2026:
- Payment due: 29 Jun (15 Jun + 14)
- Payment notice due: 4 Jul (due + 5)
- Pay-less notice due: 9 Jul (final − 7)
- Final date for payment: 16 Jul (29 Jun + 17)
The list flags applications overdue against the final date for payment (with the number of days), and warns when one is due soon (within 7 days).
This is where the Construction Act bites. Bidix works out the notified sum — the amount that must legally be paid — from the notices served and whether they were served on time:
1Notified sum = pay-less notice amount (if a valid pay-less notice was served)
2 → else payment notice amount (if a valid payment notice was served)
3 → else the full applied amount (the payee's right under the Act)
A notice served after its deadline is ineffective, so the amount falls back down the list. From the notified sum:
1Shortfall = max(0, applied amount − notified sum) (what the payer is withholding)
2Net payable = max(0, notified sum − retention) (what's due after retention)
3Outstanding = max(0, net payable − paid amount) (still owed)
Why it matters: if the payer misses both notice deadlines, the full applied amount becomes payable — the "smash-and-grab" right. Bidix tracks those deadlines precisely so you know where you stand.
The expected interval between applications is configurable (monthly by default), and Bidix can suggest the next application date from the job's most recent one.
Tip: Enter the application date and let Bidix calculate the deadlines — then act on the pay-less notice date in particular. For a payer, missing it can mean paying the full claim; for a payee, it's the date your entitlement crystallises.
Retention is the percentage a payer withholds from each valuation as security, released in two halves — once at practical completion, and once at the end of the defects period. Bidix calculates it automatically on every Payment Application and tracks the running position and release dates for you.
Two settings on the job drive everything (set them on the job's Details):
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Retention % | The percentage withheld from each certified valuation | 5% |
| Limit of retention % | A cap on total retention, as a % of the contract sum | 3% |
| Practical completion date | When the first half is released | — |
| Defects liability (months) | Months after PC until the second half releases | 12 |
For each payment application:
1This application's retention = valued amount × retention %
where the valued amount is the certified figure if entered, otherwise the applied figure. The running total is then capped so total retention never exceeds the limit:
1Cap (£) = contract sum × limit %
2Retention kept = max( 0 , min( this application's retention , cap − already held ) )
Worked example — £500,000 contract, 5% retention, 3% limit:
- Cap = £500,000 × 3% = £15,000.
- Apps 1–3 would withhold £5k + £9k + £10k = £24k at 5%…
- …but the cap stops it at £15,000 total. Once £15k is held, later applications withhold nothing further.
You can always override the retention figure on an individual application if a one-off arrangement applies.
Retention is released in two equal halves (moieties):
| Release | When | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| First half | Practical completion date | Half of total held |
| Second half | PC + defects liability months | The remaining half |
1Outstanding retention = total held − released so far
If no practical completion date is set, no release is scheduled yet — the full amount stays outstanding.
Continuing the example: £15,000 held → £7,500 released at practical completion, £7,500 at the end of the 12-month defects period.
Tip: Set the practical completion date as soon as it's known. It's what schedules your retention release — and a meaningful sum of cash usually rides on it.
The CVR answers the most important question on any job: are we making the margin we expected? It brings the value you've earned and the cost you've incurred together in one place, so profitability is visible at any point — not just at the end. Open it from the Cost Value Reconciliation button on a job.
| Card | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Final Account | Contract sum + agreed variations |
| Value Earned | % complete, with applied and certified to date |
| Cost to Date | Incurred cost, plus committed cost not yet invoiced |
| Margin to Date | £ and %, against budget and forecast margins |
1Final account = Contract sum + agreed variations
2Value earned = Σ (certified amount, or applied amount where not yet certified)
3% complete = Value earned ÷ final account (capped at 100%)
Only variations marked Agreed are included. A claimed-but-unagreed variation does not lift the final account until it's agreed.
Costs come from the Cost Ledger, and their status decides how they count:
| Cost status | Counts as |
|---|---|
| Accrued, Invoiced, Paid | Cost to date (incurred) |
| Committed | Committed (shown separately — future spend) |
1Cost to date = Σ costs with status accrued / invoiced / paid
2Committed = Σ costs with status committed
1Margin to date = Value earned − cost to date
2Margin % = Margin to date ÷ value earned × 100
3
4Budget margin % = (Final account − BoQ budget cost) ÷ final account × 100
The budget cost is the BoQ net cost analysed by type (Labour, Material, Plant, Subcontract) — see the Bill of Quantities guide.
Bidix extrapolates the likely out-turn from your run-rate so far:
1Forecast cost = Cost to date ÷ % complete (once > ~2% complete)
2 — but never less than cost to date + committed
3Forecast profit = Final account − forecast cost
Early in a job (under ~2% complete) the forecast falls back to the BoQ budget, because a run-rate from almost no data would be meaningless.
Worked example — £500k contract, £50k agreed variations:
Figure Value Final account £550,000 Value earned (certified) £480,000 → 87% complete Cost to date £140,000 Committed £40,000 Margin to date £480k − £140k = £340,000 (70.8%) Budget margin (£550k − £380k) ÷ £550k = 30.9% Forecast cost max(£140k ÷ 0.87, £140k + £40k) = £180,000 Forecast profit £550k − £180k = £370,000 (67.3%)
A table breaks cost down by type — Labour, Material, Plant, Subcontract, Prelim, Other — comparing the BoQ budget against actual and committed cost, so you can see exactly where margin is being won or lost. Each type expands to its individual resources (e.g. "Scaffold hire", "Insulation").
Freeze a CVR at a period end to keep a record. Frozen snapshots build a history of value, cost and margin period by period — ideal for monthly reporting and spotting whether margin is trending up or down. The CVR also exports to PDF.
The CVR is a read-only view of data entered elsewhere. To change the numbers:
Tip: Freeze a snapshot at each month end. Comparing snapshots is the quickest way to see whether margin is improving or eroding — and the forecast column gives you early warning long before the final account.
The Cashflow Forecast projects money in against money out, month by month, so you can see your working-capital position before it becomes a problem. It combines what's already happened with a forecast of what's to come, and flags the lowest point — the month you'll need the most cash.
Open it from the Cashflow Forecast button on a job.
The forecast runs across a rolling window — roughly two months back and the next nine ahead — with an opening balance carried in from everything before the window starts. Each month shows cash in, cash out, the net, and the running cumulative balance.
| Source | Amount | Dated to |
|---|---|---|
| Payments received | What was actually banked | The paid date |
| Outstanding valuations | Net payable still owed on unpaid applications | Final date for payment (or now, if overdue) |
| Retention release | Each half of retention held | Practical completion / end of defects |
| Run-rate (open jobs) | Projected future valuations to complete the job | Through the full payment cycle |
The run-rate fills in the future: for a job that isn't finished, Bidix estimates the remaining turnover (final account − applied to date) and spreads it forward at your recent application rate, dating each receipt to the end of its payment cycle.
| Source | Amount | Dated to |
|---|---|---|
| Incurred costs | Accrued, invoiced and paid costs from the Cost Ledger | Cost date + 30 days (payment lag) |
| Committed costs | Orders placed but not yet invoiced | Cost date + 30 days |
The 30-day lag reflects that you typically pay suppliers a month after the cost is booked.
Worked example (simplified):
Month In Out Net Cumulative Apr £95k (paid) £60k +£35k £35k May £171k (paid) £45k +£126k £161k Jun £200k (forecast) £75k +£125k £286k Oct £7.5k (retention) — +£7.5k … The cumulative line is what tells you whether you can fund the next stage.
The forecast is only as good as the data behind it. To sharpen it:
Tip: Watch the lowest month, not just the closing balance. A healthy end position can still hide a mid-job dip that needs funding.
The Final Account is the close-out statement: the agreed total value of the works, what's been received, what's still owed, and the final margin. It pulls everything together — contract, variations, claims, payments and retention — so you can settle the job cleanly and lock the result.
Open it from the Final Account button on a job.
1Final account total
2 = Contract sum
3 + Agreed variations (only variations marked "Agreed")
4 + Remeasurement adjustment (final measured quantities vs contract)
5 + Loss & expense (agreed claims)
6 − Contra-charges (deductions / back-charges, entered positive)
Worked example:
- Contract sum £500,000
- Agreed variations +£50,000
- Remeasurement +£8,000
- Loss & expense +£6,000
- Contra-charges −£3,000
Final account total = £561,000.
Alongside the value, the statement reconciles what's actually changed hands:
| Figure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Applied to date | Total you've applied for across all valuations |
| Certified to date | Total certified (or applied, where not yet certified) |
| Paid to date | Cash actually received |
| Retention held / released / outstanding | From your retention position |
| Received to date | Paid + retention already released |
| Outstanding total | Final account total − received to date |
| Final payment due | Outstanding total − retention still to be released |
The split between outstanding total and final payment due matters: it separates what's payable now from the retention that only falls due at the end of the defects period.
The statement closes the loop against your CVR forecast:
1Final margin = Final account total − forecast cost at completion
2Final margin % = Final margin ÷ final account total × 100
3Variance = Final account total − forecast value (the remeasure + claims uplift)
This tells you whether the job landed where the CVR predicted, and how much the final value moved beyond the agreed contract-plus-variations figure.
When the account is settled, agree it. This:
The frozen statement is a permanent record for audit and dispute purposes.
For an accurate final account, make sure:
Tip: The final account is a statement, not a data-entry screen — it reads from the job. Tidy the variations, costs and payments first and the close-out falls into place.