Who it's for
General contractors and project managers who've already won the bid and need to know, at any point during the job, whether they're still on budget — not after the job closes, but while there's still time to act on it.
Key features
- Cost category rows (labor, materials, equipment, permits, or your own categories) with a vendor field for each
- Budget and actual cost columns, with variance calculated automatically per category
- Total budget, total actual, and total variance rolled up from every category
- Remaining budget calculated against the job's overall contract budget, not just the tracked categories
- Variance percentage, so a $500 overrun on a $3,000 job reads differently than the same $500 on a $40,000 job
- Exports to a real .xlsx file
How to use it
- Click "Use this template" to open it in FLYNT Sheets
- Enter the job name and the total contract budget at the top
- List your real cost categories, vendors, and budgeted amounts
- As actual costs come in, update the Actual column for each category
- Check the variance, remaining budget, and variance percentage — updated automatically
What's included
- A working budget-vs-actual table with 4 example cost categories
- Variance, total budget, total actual, total variance, remaining budget, and variance percentage formulas already wired up
Common use cases
- Tracking a remodel job week to week against the original bid
- Catching a materials overrun early enough to adjust before it eats the whole job's margin
- Reviewing job profitability after close, using the same numbers tracked throughout
Frequently asked questions
- Is this different from the Construction Estimate template?
- Yes — the Estimate template prices a job before you bid it. This one tracks what actually happens once the job is underway, against the budget you set. Most contractors use the Estimate to win the bid, then this to run the job.
- What does a negative variance mean?
- Variance is Budget minus Actual, so a negative number means that category is over budget — a positive number means it's under.
- Can I track more categories than the four it starts with?
- Yes — it's a real spreadsheet. Insert additional category rows and extend the total formulas to include them.
- Is this free to use?
- Yes, on FLYNT's free plan — no credit card required.