Ramp for Construction: Know where every job stands while there’s still time to act

Evidence tier: A1 Evidence type: Auto-discovered official publication Source: Ramp Blog Official publication date: 2026-07-14 Captured: 2026-07-16T20:32:11.464Z

Cost overruns don’t happen at month-end. That’s just when finance finds them.

Construction companies put more than $2.2 trillion to work each year, building homes, hospitals, schools, roads, factories, and data centers people depend on. They do it on unforgiving margins. The latest industry benchmark puts average pre-tax profit at less than seven cents for every dollar of revenue.

Protecting that margin depends on knowing where every job stands as costs come in. But today, field purchases, invoices, committed costs, and budget changes sit across disconnected systems. By the time finance reconstructs the full picture, materials have been delivered, crews have logged the hours, and subcontractors have completed the work. Those costs can’t be taken back. They erode the job’s margin and leave less capacity to build what comes next.

Ramp for Construction connects cards, expenses, accounts payable, and ERP data in one platform. Every dollar carries the right job, cost code, and budget context from the source, so finance can see budget risk sooner, project managers can act before margins slip, and AP can release payments with retainage accounted for.

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Code field purchases correctly at the source

Ramp gives cardholders only the job, cost code, and cost type options that apply to their project, using the structure already defined in the company’s ERP.

A foreman spending $88.69 at Home Depot for the Hudson Yards Office Tower can snap a picture of the receipt, confirm the cost code, and select from a pre-filtered list before leaving the store. More than 70% of receipts are matched within 24 hours, and 2.7x more transactions are accurately coded at submission. That means Accounting receives the charge, receipt, project, and coding together that day, not weeks later at close.

“Our teams should be focused on construction, not bureaucracy and paperwork. The real-time reminders, coding, and controls make their jobs and lives easier.”

-Chris Moberger, Controller, Construction One

Spot budget risk early and route reviews to the right project manager

When the receipt, project, cost code, and cost type arrive together, the project budget stays updated without finance needing to reclassify it. Ramp brings card spend, bills, and purchase-order activity into one project budget.

Finance can set limits by project, vendor, cost code, or role, restrict cards to approved suppliers, and alert the team as a job approaches its budget in real time.

When an expense or bill needs review, Ramp routes it to the project manager responsible for that job, with the project and budget details attached.

Knowing where the job stands also means tracking subcontractor work: what has been billed, what remains committed, how much retainage is withheld, and whether finance can release the payment.

Process pay applications with retainage and compliance in place

Ramp keeps the pay application, purchase order, retained balance, and required compliance documents in one workflow. Before payment, Ramp checks that the required lien waiver, W-9, and certificate of insurance are present and meet company policy. If something is missing, the payment waits. Finance can release payments knowing the committed costs, retainage, and required documentation have all been accounted for.

Bills are processed 2.4x faster than legacy systems and teams save more than 15 hours each month on retainage tracking and compliance document review.

"I drop the invoice in and Ramp pulls all the amounts, retainage included, and matches it against what's committed on the PO. It updates in real time as I enter invoices and change orders, so when it's time to release, I just check the balance in Ramp and release it, no separate report needed."

-David Anderson, Accountant, Dick Anderson Construction

Keep every job moving with margin in view

From a foreman replacing a broken tool mid-job to finance releasing a subcontractor's payment, every dollar stays connected to the job, cost code, and budget it affects. Finance sees costs sooner, project managers can act before a job exceeds its budget, and AP can release payments knowing every requirement is in place.

Ramp for Construction works with the ERPs teams already use: Viewpoint Vista, Viewpoint Spectrum, Sage 100 Contractor, Sage 300 CRE, Sage Intacct, Sage Intacct Construction, CMiC, Acumatica, NetSuite, and QuickBooks Online.

Stop reconstructing the job at month-end. Control it while the work is happening.

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