# Software Development for UK Construction Firms

Source: https://dijituldevelopments.co.uk/software-for-construction/
Updated: 2026-10-10

> dijitul developments builds software for UK construction businesses: job costing, applications for payment, CIS deduction handling, site diaries and inspection apps, plant and labour tracking, and integrations with Sage, Xero or construction platforms such as Procore. Every project is a fixed-price quote after a free chat.

## Problems this solves

- Subcontractor invoices are checked against CIS status by hand every month
- Valuations and payment notices live in spreadsheets with no audit trail
- Retentions are forgotten until a subcontractor chases them
- Site diaries and photos sit on personal phones
- Job costs are only known after the job is finished
- RAMS and inductions are signed on paper and filed in a van

## Key facts

- CIS-aware workflows: subcontractor verification status, deduction rates and monthly return data
- VAT domestic reverse charge applied correctly on qualifying construction services
- Applications for payment, payment notices and retentions tracked against the Construction Act timetable
- Site apps for diaries, snagging, permits, RAMS sign-off and photos, working offline
- Integrations with Sage, Xero, QuickBooks, Procore and CSCS card checks
- Golden thread information held digitally for higher-risk building work
- Fixed-price quote after a free chat; you own the code

## Construction has rules most software ignores

General business software struggles with construction because the money works differently. Payments follow applications and valuations, not simple invoices. Subcontractor payments carry Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) deductions. Many services fall under the VAT domestic reverse charge, in force since March 2021. Retentions sit unpaid for a year. The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (the Construction Act) sets payment notice and pay less notice timings that, if missed, can cost a contractor the right to withhold.

Large firms buy construction ERPs such as COINS or Causeway. Smaller and mid-sized contractors often run Sage or Xero, a project tool such as Procore or Fieldwire, and spreadsheets in between. dijitul developments builds the bespoke layer that encodes those rules once and connects the systems you already use.

## CIS, reverse charge and payment notices

CIS is the clearest example of where software saves time. A contractor must verify each subcontractor with HMRC, deduct at the right rate (gross, 20% standard or 30% unverified), and file a monthly return. Commercial accounting and payroll software files CIS returns through HMRC's online channels. Our job is usually to make sure the right data reaches that software: each subcontractor's UTR, verification number and status, the labour and materials split on every payment, and the deduction calculated correctly.

We also build applications for payment and valuation workflows: the value claimed, the value certified, the payment notice issued within the contract timetable, any pay less notice with its reasons, and retention held and due for release. Every step has a date, a user and a document, which is exactly what you need if a dispute goes to adjudication.

## Site apps and compliance records

Site teams need tools that work with gloves on and no signal in a basement. We build [progressive web apps](https://dijituldevelopments.co.uk/progressive-web-app-development/) and [mobile apps](https://dijituldevelopments.co.uk/mobile-app-development/) for:

- Daily site diaries with labour, plant, weather and delays
- Inspection and test plans, snagging lists and photos pinned to drawings
- RAMS briefings and inductions signed on a tablet, with CSCS card details recorded
- Permits to work and plant checks
- Accident and near-miss reports that support RIDDOR and CDM 2015 duties

For higher-risk buildings (in England, typically at least 18 metres or seven storeys with at least two residential units), the Building Safety Act 2022 requires a digital golden thread of fire and structural safety information that stays accurate and accessible through the building's life, according to guidance from IStructE and BESA. Software that captures change records and as-built information in a structured way makes that duty far easier to meet.

## Integrations

- **Accounting:** [Sage](https://dijituldevelopments.co.uk/sage-integration/) 50, Sage 200 and Sage Business Cloud, [Xero](https://dijituldevelopments.co.uk/xero-integration/) and QuickBooks Online, including CIS settings and reverse charge VAT codes.
- **Project platforms:** Procore and similar tools have public APIs; we sync projects, RFIs, drawings or commitments where useful.
- **Estimating and BIM:** imports from estimating tools and, where needed, IFC models following ISO 19650 information management.
- **Microsoft 365:** SharePoint document libraries and Teams notifications through Microsoft Graph. See [Microsoft 365 integration](https://dijituldevelopments.co.uk/microsoft-365-integration/).

## Job costing that keeps up with the job

Most contractors find out whether a job made money after it finishes. Live job costing changes that. We tie every cost to a job and a cost code as it happens: labour from timesheets or site app bookings, plant from hire records, materials from purchase orders and supplier invoices, and subcontract values from applications and certificates.

Against that sits the budget from the estimate and the value from applications for payment. The result is a cost-value reconciliation that updates daily rather than at month end, showing committed cost, cost to date, forecast final cost and margin. Variations get their own records, with instruction dates and values, so they are not forgotten when the final account is agreed.

Purchase orders matter here. When a buyer raises a PO against a job and cost code, and the supplier invoice is matched to it in your accounting software, the cost appears in the right place without anyone recoding it. We build that matching around Sage, Xero or QuickBooks purchase invoices through their APIs. For contractors with a lot of supplier invoices, [AI document processing](https://dijituldevelopments.co.uk/ai-document-processing/) can read invoice PDFs and propose the match for a person to confirm.

## Starting a construction software project

We start with a free chat, then follow one job from tender to final account. That shows us where data is retyped and where rules are applied by memory. You get a fixed-price quote for a defined scope, often starting with subcontractor and CIS management or the site app. See also [software for field services](https://dijituldevelopments.co.uk/software-for-field-services/) for trades and maintenance firms, and [software for property](https://dijituldevelopments.co.uk/software-for-property/).

## What we deliver

- A job costing system tying labour, plant, materials and subcontract costs to each project
- Subcontractor management with CIS status, deductions and payment schedules
- Applications for payment, payment and pay less notices, and retention tracking
- An offline-capable site app for diaries, inspections, snagging and RAMS sign-off
- Integration with your accounting software and any project platform you use
- Client and subcontractor portals for documents and valuations

Technologies: Laravel, Sage Business Cloud Accounting API, Xero API, Procore API, Microsoft Graph, PWA

## FAQs

### Can your software file our CIS returns?

We usually make sure your accounting or payroll software, which already files CIS returns with HMRC, gets clean data: subcontractor status, labour and materials split and correct deductions. Where needed, dijitul can build direct filing using HMRC's published specifications.

### Does it handle the VAT domestic reverse charge?

Yes. We apply the reverse charge to qualifying construction services based on customer and supply type, add the required invoice wording, and post the correct VAT codes to Sage, Xero or QuickBooks.

### Can site staff use the app without signal?

Yes. dijitul builds site apps that store diaries, photos, signatures and inspection results on the device and sync when signal returns, with checks so nothing is lost or uploaded twice. Basements, rural sites and concrete cores are not a problem.

### Can you help with the golden thread for higher-risk buildings?

We can build structured, access-controlled records of safety information, change control and as-built data that support golden thread duties under the Building Safety Act. Your duty holders remain responsible for the content and compliance.

### Do you integrate with Procore?

Yes. Procore has a public REST API with OAuth. We sync projects, commitments, documents or RFIs with your accounting or bespoke systems where that removes double entry, and leave Procore as the place your project teams work.

### How is pricing worked out?

dijitul gives a fixed-price quote after a free chat and a short scoping stage. Larger systems are phased, so you can start with the biggest time saver, such as subcontractor and CIS management, and add more later with each phase separately quoted.

## Pricing and contact

Every project gets a fixed-price quote after a free initial chat and a short scoping stage. You own the code and the data. Book a free chat: https://dijituldevelopments.co.uk/contact/ · 01623 650333 · info@dijitul.uk