EN|TH Book a demo
Nested / Solution / Project-based and contracting businesses
Solution · Project-based / contracting businesses

Contracting / projects
Budget control at every step
See the real cost
Clear profit on every job

Keep each project's budget and actual spending in one place See the cost and profit of every job throughout the project Through working by Cost Center — no waiting for a budget summary at job close

Compare budget against actual spending Separate cost and profit with Cost Centers Control retention receivable and payable
Sound familiar?

The problems project-based and contracting businessesEveryday challenges

These problems are not a sign that your business is badly run. They happen because budgets and actual spending are not connected in real time.

Budgets on site are out of control

You have no idea how far over budget you are, and by the time you realize a project is losing money, the work is already handed over.

Costs from different projects are mixed

Labor, materials and expenses from several projects are mixed together, so you cannot tell which job made money and which lost it.

Milestone billing is slow

Billing documents are prepared by hand every milestone, making progress and amounts billed per milestone hard to track.

Petty cash is drawn but never posted to project cost

Staff draw petty cash or advances on site but never post them to project cost, so the cost shown in the system does not match reality.

One system for your whole business

Nested connects every projectin one place

Set budgets, record spending and view profit and loss per project — all on one database, with no manual budget summaries.

  • Set budgets and compare them against actual spending throughout the project, and filter to see only the jobs that are over budget.
  • Separate cost, profit and expenses by Cost Center for each project
  • Post petty cash and advances to project cost immediately
  • Retention is controlled on both sides — amounts you withhold from subcontractors and amounts your client withholds from you. The system calculates the amount from the pre-VAT value using the percentage you set, with a clearly specified release due date.
  • Costs are separated automatically by plot and by unit. Have the system create a Cost Center from the sales order number, and every purchasing document that references that job flows into the same plot's cost.
  • Bill by contract milestone. Set payment milestones on purchase orders and sales orders; the system lets you pay the deposit before receiving goods in the right sequence and offsets the deposit when the vendor invoice is raised.
Before vs after

Typical contracting business Compare with Businesses using Nested

A difference you can see from the first month you use it

Topics
Typical business
Businesses using Nested
Project budget
Budgets are set but never compared against actual spending
Compare budget against actual spending throughout the project, and filter to see only the jobs that are over budget.
Cost and profit per project
Mixed across every job, impossible to separate
Clearly separated with a Cost Center per project
Petty cash / advances
Drawn but not posted to project cost
Every transaction posts to project cost immediately
Cash leakage on site
Amounts drawn and returned are hard to check, with leakage risk
Track petty cash drawn and returned clearly, and reduce risk
Getting started

Ready for real useWithin a few days

No IT team needed. The Nested team helps set up Cost Centers and migrate your data from day one.

1

Book a free business assessment with our CPA team

Our CPA team will ask about the nature of your projects, your contract structures and the problems you are facing, then recommend the setup that fits you best.

2

Set up Cost Centers and migrate your data

Our team helps set up your budget structure and Cost Centers and imports project and partner data from your Excel files.

3

Get started with a support team

Start tracking budgets and issuing billing documents right away, with a support team on hand to answer questions as you go.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions fromProject-based and contracting businesses

How do I track budget against actual spending?
The system records each project's actual spending against the budget you set. View it in the budget and Cost Center reports, which include filters so you can review over-budget jobs first.
Can I separate cost and profit by project?
Yes. The system supports working by Cost Center, recording the cost and revenue of each project — or each plot/unit — separately, so profit and loss is clear without waiting for the job to close.
How do I post petty cash and advances to project cost?
When staff draw petty cash or advances on site, the transaction can be posted to that project's cost immediately, so the cost you see in the system always matches actual spending.
Is migrating existing project and contract data difficult?
It is straightforward. Our team helps import your projects, trading partners and active contracts during system setup, and verifies the data before go-live.
Where do I check outstanding retention?
Check the retention report, which separates receivable and payable retention by Cost Center and by vendor/customer. The general outstanding balance report is not designed to show retention amounts, so the retention report should be your main reference.
Free consultation

Want to know how well your contracting/project
business fits Nested

Talk to our CPA team for a business assessment and advice on the Cost Center setup that suits you. Free of charge.

LAdd Line Book a demo
LINE QR code
LScan to add on LINE