Project Profitability Software for African Construction Contractors

Most construction companies in Africa know their bank balance but not their margin. They know a project cost KES 38M to deliver, but cannot easily tell you whether it was profitable — because the revenue recognition, overhead allocation, and cost categorisation that would answer that question live in different spreadsheets, different people's heads, and the accountant's year-end workbook. InfraPro's Project Profitability module puts live margin data in the hands of project managers and executives without waiting for month-end close.

The module starts with the contract: the agreed contract value with the client, any approved variations, and the expected margin at contract stage. As the project runs, every approved expense, payroll allocation, material issuance, and subcontractor payment is recorded against the project. The profitability dashboard updates in real time — showing contract value, total costs to date, estimated costs to complete, projected margin, and a comparison to the original bid margin. When a project's projected margin falls below the target threshold, the system alerts the project manager and finance director automatically.

Overhead allocation is one of the most underestimated profit killers in construction. Head office staff costs, vehicle running costs, and administrative overheads are real costs that must be recovered from project margins — but in most companies, they are either ignored at project level or allocated by guesswork. InfraPro's overhead allocation engine distributes indirect costs to projects based on configurable rules (revenue %, labour hours, or direct cost %) giving a genuinely accurate picture of each project's net contribution to the business.