Subcontractors submit monthly progress claims through a form, line by line against their contract. Amounts, prior claims, retention and insurance documents are checked automatically, the site and project managers approve, and approved claims become payables with a payment certificate.
Typical results
≈4 days
Typical time from claim to approval
≈10 hrs/mo
Quantity surveyor time on claim checks saved
100%
Claims checked against contract and prior claims
0
Claims paid while a certificate had lapsed
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Every month, dozens of progress claims arrive as spreadsheets and PDFs in different formats. The quantity surveyor checks each line against the contract and prior claims by hand, chases expired insurance certificates, and waits for site managers to confirm quantities. Claims take about two weeks to approve, and over-claimed lines sometimes slip through to payment.
Before and after
Days from claim submission to approval
−71%Quantity surveyor hours per month on claims
−63%Over-claimed lines found after payment per quarter
−80%The automation
Each subcontractor submits their monthly claim through a form listing their contract lines, with percent complete on each. The automation checks claimed amounts against contract value and prior claims, calculates retention, and holds any claim with an expired insurance certificate or missing safety documents. The site manager confirms quantities, the project manager approves the amount, and the approved claim becomes a payable in the accounting system, with a payment certificate PDF sent to the subcontractor.
How it works
- 01
Claim form opens monthly
On the claim date, each subcontractor gets a form with their contract lines, the value of each line and what was claimed before.
- 02
Amounts checked
Each claimed percent is turned into an amount and checked against contract value and prior claims. Retention is calculated on every line.
- 03
Documents checked
Claims with an expired insurance certificate or missing safety documents are held, and the subcontractor is told what to upload.
- 04
Two approvals
The site manager confirms quantities on site, then the project manager approves the amount or sends it back with a comment.
- 05
Payable and certificate
The approved claim is posted as a payable in the accounting system, and a payment certificate PDF goes to the subcontractor.
Starts from
- Monthly claim form
- Contract values and history
- Insurance and safety docs
Delivers
- Site and PM approval
- Payable in accounting
- Payment certificate PDF
The impact
Claims move from submission to approval in about 4 days instead of two weeks. The quantity surveyor spends roughly 10 fewer hours a month on checks, over-claimed lines found after payment drop from about 5 a quarter to 1, and no claim is paid while insurance has lapsed.
Questions about this automation
How does it catch over-claims?
Every claimed percent is turned into an amount and compared with the contract line value and everything claimed on that line before. A line that would go past 100% or jumps far beyond site progress is flagged for the site manager, who confirms the real quantity before the project manager approves.
Which documents can hold a claim?
You set the list. Most contractors hold claims for an expired insurance certificate, a missing safety method statement or an unsigned contract variation. The subcontractor gets a message naming the missing item and a link to upload it, and the claim moves on once the document is checked.
Does it need a construction ERP?
No. It works with a claim form, a contract register in Google Sheets or your project system, email for the two approvals and your accounting system for payables, with payment certificates generated as PDFs. It's a multi-step build, usually rolled out in stages, starting with the subcontractors on one site.