Progress Billing & Pay Applications

Q: Can the automation handle different labour rates and markups for different projects?

Yes. The automation looks up contract terms for each project, including labour rates, material markups, and retention percentages, and applies them correctly to every invoice.

Q: Will the automation work with our existing accounting software and spreadsheets?

The automation integrates with your accounting software and spreadsheets to pull data, calculate amounts, and record invoices automatically. No manual data entry is needed.

Q: How does the automation handle change orders or contract variations?

The automation flags any changes to contract scope or terms and alerts the finance team for review before the invoice is finalized, preventing billing disputes.

Q: What happens after an invoice is generated?

The invoice is recorded in your accounting software with project and cost-code allocation, and is sent to the client and subcontractors via email automatically. Copies are filed in the project folder.

Keep every draw cycle on schedule by automating the assembly, submission, and follow-up of AIA-style pay applications.

300 hrs

Manual time identified

Companies have mapped

Map This Automation

About This Automation

Progress billing and pay applications require collecting timesheets, material receipts, and site progress data from multiple sources, then manually verifying contract terms and building invoices with complex calculations.

Automation aggregates all billing data, applies contract terms automatically, and generates formatted invoices and pay applications in minutes. The result is same-day billing, fewer disputes, and faster cash collection.

Key features:

Collect timesheets, material receipts, and progress data from email, spreadsheets, and accounting software automatically

Look up contract terms, labour rates, markups, and retention percentages without manual searching

Calculate invoice line items with taxes, markups, and retention applied correctly every time

Generate formatted invoices and subcontractor pay applications ready to send

Record invoices in accounting software with project and cost-code allocation in one step

Flag missing data or contract discrepancies before invoices are sent

Data insights How it works Apps used What you get FAQ

Top friction points when done manually

The issues teams report most often with this process

#	Friction point	Companies Report This
1	Late or incomplete timesheets Site supervisors delay submitting timesheets, forcing finance staff to chase data and delay invoicing.	80%
2	Manual contract term lookup Finance staff must search multiple documents to find labour rates, markups, and retention terms for each project.	67%
3	Spreadsheet calculation errors Manual entry of hours, costs, and markups into spreadsheets leads to formula errors and invoice disputes.	53%
4	Scattered receipt and PO data Material invoices and purchase orders are stored in email, accounting software, and site folders, requiring manual cross-checking.	40%
5	Duplicate data entry Invoice data is entered manually into both spreadsheets and accounting software, creating rework and inconsistency.	26%

Disclaimer

Automation readiness

How well-suited this process is for automation

Process Pain Score™

9.2/ 10

AI Fit Rating™

8.9/ 10

Automation Lift Index™

8.5/ 10

Hidden Overhead™

7.3/ 10

How The Automation Works

The full workflow, from trigger to completion.

1. Progress Billing Cycle Triggeredtrigger

Weekly or monthly progress reporting deadline is reached. The automation platform receives a trigger from a calendar or manual webhook.

2. Fetch Timesheets and Labour Data

The automation retrieves timesheets from the designated source (email, spreadsheet, or timesheet system) and extracts labour hours and rates.

3. Retrieve Material and Equipment Costs

Material invoices and equipment charges are pulled and matched against purchase orders.

4. Look Up Contract Terms and Billing Rates

The automation queries the contract database or spreadsheet to retrieve labour rates, material markups, retention percentages, and payment terms for the project.

5. Calculate Invoice Line Items

The automation calculates labour costs, material costs with markups, equipment charges, taxes, and retention based on contract terms and current data.

6. Generate Invoice

A formatted invoice is created with all line items, project allocation, and cost codes automatically populated.

7. Generate Pay Application Document

A pay application PDF is generated for subcontractors, summarising work completed, amounts due, and retention held.

8. Send Invoice and Pay Application via Email

The invoice and pay application are sent to the client and subcontractors respectively, with copies logged in the project file.

Most popular tool stack used

— the complete tool combinations companies use

52% of companies

28% of companies

19% of companies

Disclaimer

What you get when you map this process

Everything you need to understand, plan, and build your automation.

ROI and business case

What this process costs today and what changes once it's automated.

Launch schedule

What gets built, in what order, and what success looks like once it's live.

Process runbook

How the automation runs day to day, including exceptions and human decision points.

Developer handover pack

Full build spec, logic, and configuration — ready to hand off without a briefing call.

Integration and connections guide

Every tool connection, credential, and data mapping the build needs.

Test and QA plan

20 hrsIdentified

4Mapped

View

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know before mapping this process.

What happens if a timesheet or receipt is missing when the automation runs?

The automation flags missing data and notifies the finance team, pausing invoice generation until the data is submitted. This prevents incomplete invoices from being sent.

Can the automation handle different labour rates and markups for different projects?

Will the automation work with our existing accounting software and spreadsheets?

How does the automation handle change orders or contract variations?

What happens after an invoice is generated?

View more FAQs

Process pain:9.2/10

Mapped by:4 Companies

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Page updated 10 August 2026