A construction job is rarely a single invoice. You bill for an assignment that runs over weeks, with hours from several days, trips to the site and material you pick up at the wholesaler. If you gather that afterwards, you miss hours and costs.
Administration for construction: from quote to invoice per project
Construction
Work that lasts weeks gets its own project. Your hours, kilometres and material costs come together there, and the invoice is made from it.
Start free, no credit card.
SmartWerk starts with the quote and the contract, and lets you collect the work in a project afterwards. This page shows how such a running job moves through the tools. For short one-off jobs the pages for plumbers or painters fit better.
Where it goes wrong in practice
One job, many small entries
Hours from Monday, kilometres from Wednesday, material from Friday. Without a shared place, nobody adds them up at the end.
Material you advance yourself
You pay at the wholesaler and pass it on to the client. If the receipt is lost, so is the amount.
Agreements that live only in your head
What was agreed about price, schedule and payment? Without a written agreement, the final invoice causes discussion.
Payments that take their time
Project invoices are big. If payment does not arrive, you want to remind quickly and politely, not weeks later.
How a job moves through SmartWerk
Every step is an existing SmartWerk feature; click through for the details.
Record the client
The client’s name, address and payment term are ready for every document.
Quote for the work
A quote with several lines; once agreed it becomes an invoice or the basis of a contract.
Record the agreement
You make an agreement and have your client sign it digitally.
Create a project
The project collects everything that belongs to this job.
Hours on site
Record hours worked per day and link them to the project.
Kilometres to the job
Business trips with a rate per kilometre, linkable to the client or project.
Material and tools
Record what you spend and pass on as a cost item.
Keep supplier invoices
You keep wholesaler invoices with the file attached.
Invoice for the job
Make the invoice from the project with the hours, kilometres and costs you linked to it.
Reminder for late payment
A reminder before the due date and also after.
The tools that matter most here
Why this fits SmartWerk
01
A project as the collection point
Instead of separate lists you end up with all hours, trips and costs on the same job. For work of weeks that is far handier than a standalone invoice generator.
02
Material and suppliers kept apart
Expenses and purchase invoices are separate registers. So you keep the hardware-store receipt and the wholesaler invoice both neatly, without booking them twice.
03
Not an ERP, but an overview
SmartWerk does not plan building crews and does not track stock. It helps with the administration of your own jobs.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put hours, kilometres and material on one invoice?
Yes. You create the invoice from hours, kilometres, costs or from the project. You can also pass on expenses.
Do I have to use projects?
No. Hours, kilometres, quotes and invoices also work without a project link; a project is handy for a larger job.
Can I schedule staff or subcontractors?
No. SmartWerk is for the administration of a self-employed person, not for crew or scheduling.
How do I deal with VAT rules in construction?
Discuss that with your bookkeeper. SmartWerk gives no trade-specific tax advice; you set the VAT rate per invoice line yourself.
SmartWerk is invoicing and administration software for self-employed people, not a full accounting package and not a replacement for your bookkeeper or adviser.
Try it with your own clients
Create a free account and start with one client. Upgrading can wait until you really need a feature.