Know your real cost, category by category
Estimated vs. spent vs. committed — live
Every job carries the estimate you quoted, and your bills, receipts, and open POs keep it honest. See estimated cost against what you've actually spent — for each category and the whole job — so overruns show up while there's still time to act.
$53,000
Estimated
$43,150
Spent
+$9,850
Variance
Cost distribution
From estimate to forecast, automatically
Quote it, spend it, and watch the variance the whole way.
Estimate
Your proposal template sets the estimated cost for each job-costing category.
Spend
Bills and receipts land as actuals, categorized to the right line.
Compare
See estimated vs. spent vs. variance per category, live.
Forecast
Open POs count as committed, so budget remaining stays honest.
Your budget is the quote you sent
Estimated cost per category is built straight from your proposal and pricing template — each product carries its cost and its category — so the budget on a job is exactly what you priced. Define your job-costing categories once in settings and they flow to every template, proposal, and job.
- Estimated cost pulled from the pricing template
- Org-standard, color-coded categories
- Optional manual base estimates per category
- Flows to every job automatically
Job-costing categories
Org standardReal spend, categorized line by line
Actual cost comes from your bills and receipts, with every line attributed to a job-costing category. Anything not yet placed lands in an Uncategorized bucket, and reassigning a line to the right category takes one click — so your actuals are always complete and correct.
- Actuals from categorized bills & receipts
- Attributed at the line-item level
- An Uncategorized bucket catches the rest
- One-click recategorizing
Blue Ridge Concrete
Bill B-2043 · Bell Residence
See exactly where a job drifts
A per-category table lays estimated cost against what you've spent, with the variance color-coded so over-budget lines jump out. Track it live across the whole job, limit it to categories with activity, or focus on the ones you've marked complete — and a cost-distribution chart shows where the budget is concentrated.
- Estimated vs. spent vs. variance per category
- Over/under color-coding
- Live, by-category, or completed-only views
- Cost-distribution chart by category
$53,000
Estimated
$43,150
Spent
+$9,850
Variance
Cost distribution
Budget remaining that tells the truth
Open purchase orders count as committed spend, so budget remaining is estimated minus actual minus committed — and a forecast at completion flags trouble before the bill lands. It all rolls into the job's gross and net margin, with allowances treated as pass-through, so profitability stays honest.
- Open POs counted as committed spend
- Budget remaining and forecast at completion
- Rolls into gross and net margin
- Allowances excluded as pass-through
$53,000
Estimated cost
$43,150
Actual spent
$6,200
Committed (open POs)
$3,650
Budget remaining
32%
Gross margin
20%
Net margin
Pass-through
Allowances
Everything in Estimates vs. Actuals
Estimates from your template
Estimated cost per category comes straight from your proposal and pricing template, so the budget on every job matches what you actually quoted — plus optional manual base estimates.
Org-standard cost categories
Define your job-costing categories once in settings — color-coded and reusable — and they flow through templates to proposals to every job automatically.
Actuals from bills & receipts
Your real spend comes from categorized bills and receipts, attributed line by line — with an Uncategorized bucket and one-click recategorizing so nothing gets lost.
Committed spend & budget remaining
Open purchase orders count as committed cost — partial receipts and all — so budget remaining and your forecast at completion reflect money that's already spoken for.
Variance, your way
Track variance live across the whole job, only for categories with activity, or only for ones you've marked complete — with a cost-distribution chart by category.
Ties into profitability
It rolls up into the job's gross and net margin against operating expenses — and allowances stay out of the cost math as pure pass-through, so the numbers are honest.
Frequently asked questions
What is Estimates vs. Actuals?
It's job costing on every project. For each job-costing category, Ardovia shows the estimated cost, what you've actually spent, and the variance between them — so you can see, in real time, exactly where a job is making or losing money.
Where does the estimated cost come from?
From your proposal and pricing template. Each product carries a cost and a job-costing category, so the estimate for every category is built from what you quoted — and you can add manual base estimates for lump sums that aren't line-itemed.
What counts as actual spend?
Your categorized bills and receipts. Each line item is attributed to a job-costing category — you can reassign a line's category in a click, and anything not yet categorized sits in an Uncategorized bucket until you place it.
How do purchase orders factor in?
Open POs count as committed spend — money that's ordered but not yet billed, prorated for partial receipts. That feeds your budget remaining (estimated minus actual minus committed) and a forecast at completion, so you catch an overrun before the bill even arrives.
Can I focus the variance on what matters?
Yes. Track variance live across the whole job, limit it to categories that already have bills or receipts, or show only the categories you've marked complete — and a cost-distribution chart shows where the budget is concentrated.
Does it connect to job profitability?
It does. Estimated cost rolls into the job's gross and net margin — net accounts for operating expenses — and allowances are treated as pass-through, excluded from the cost and margin math so profitability stays accurate.
Ready to protect your margins?
Put every job's estimate next to its real spend, and catch the overruns while you still can.
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