Job Budget: Budget vs Committed vs Actual, Forecast at Completion and Margin (Excel)

Tagline: Know where the job's money is going before it's gone.

Description

Most small jobs find out they lost money after the last invoice. This workbook sets a cost budget for one job, tracks what you've committed in POs and subcontracts and what you've actually spent, and forecasts where each cost code will finish. Red, amber and green flags show which codes are over, close or OK, and the Dashboard shows contingency used and projected margin.

What's in the zip

• EXAMPLE workbook (.xlsx), filled in for a made-up job
• BLANK workbook (.xlsx)
• README quick start
• 10 tabs: Setup · Dashboard · Instructions · Lists · Budget · Commitments · Actuals · Variance · Invoiced & Paid · Client Statement

Key features

• Budget: up to 200 lines by cost code and category (Labour, Materials, Equipment, Subcontract, Other), qty x unit cost, with sell price from your overhead and profit or a per-line markup.
• Commitments: POs and subcontracts with approved and pending change orders, invoiced to date and left to invoice.
• Actuals: up to 1,000 cost entries with checks for missing details, unknown PO numbers and possible duplicates.
• Variance by cost code: forecast to complete (or your own estimate), forecast at completion, variance and an OVER / WATCH / OK flag.
• Dashboard: contract value, budget, committed, actual, forecast, contingency used, projected margin, % spent vs % time used, and a chart by category.
• Cost-plus and T&M jobs: a client-ready cost statement with your fee, and an Invoiced & Paid register with partial payments, overdue status and an optional holdback %.
• Pairs with the Bid Sheets Change Order Log: approved changes paste straight into the Budget tab, credits included.
• Pop-ups and dropdowns on every input cell, with stop messages when something doesn't fit. No macros.

Who it's for

Small contractors, fab shops and trades who want to see cost against budget without buying job-costing software.

FAQ

Is it accounting software? No. It's a job cost tracking aid. Your bookkeeping still happens in your accounting system.

What about GST? The price is CA$39. No GST is charged. Inside the workbook all amounts are before GST; GST lines are for information.

Does it work in Google Sheets? You can upload it, but Google Sheets shows the pop-up help differently (or not at all), drops the sheet protection and ignores the print layouts.

Disclaimer: an estimating / tracking aid, not payroll, accounting, tax, engineering or legal advice. Example numbers are made up. Holdback and contract terms: check your contract.

About the maker

Built by a tradesperson with 35 years in fabrication and construction across Western Canada.

Compatibility (spreadsheets)

• Made for Microsoft Excel 2016 or newer, Windows or Mac. Plain .xlsx with no macros.
• LibreOffice Calc (free): every workbook recalculates with no formula errors.
• Does it work in Google Sheets? You can upload the .xlsx and open it in Google Sheets, but Sheets drops the sheet protection (so grey formula cells can be typed over) and ignores the print layouts. For printing, Excel is recommended.
• Not tested in Apple Numbers.
• Type in the yellow cells. Grey formula cells are locked (no password), so you can't break a formula by accident.
• Grab the free Bid Go/No-Go Scorer first. It's built the same way, so if it opens and works on your computer, the paid sheets will too.

Licence

One-business licence: use it across your business (all its sites and crews) on as many jobs as you like. Please don't resell, share or publish the blank templates outside your business. Completed job files and filled-in forms can go to your clients, prime contractors, auditors and regulators.

Refund policy

Because these are digital downloads, I don't offer refunds once a file has been delivered. Please check the compatibility list above before you buy, and grab the free Bid Go/No-Go Scorer to test on your computer first. If a file won't open or something isn't working, email me at support@bidsheets.ca and I'll help you sort it out.

Updates

Buyers get the 2027 update free. I'll email you the new version when it's ready. Each January I refresh the payroll rates (CPP, EI, WCB) in the estimating workbook and fab calculator, re-check the Alberta OHS and prompt-payment references in the safety and billing products, and re-check the standards references in the takeoffs.

Support

Questions? Email support@bidsheets.ca. I usually answer within 2 business days.