Frequently Asked Questions

Varicon is built for specifically small to medium sized civil construction companies that want better control across finance, operations, and the site. Whether you’re a director, project manager, foreman, or finance manager it helps you stay informed, reduce admin overheads and move faster regardless of the stage of delivery you’re in.

Varicon’s mobile app enables users to capture costs as they occur and organizes supporting documentation efficiently. It also simplifies and streamlines workflows on-site by leveraging the data you’re already collecting to track actual costs against budgets in real-time, helping teams stay on top of project finances and avoid cost overruns.

Everything entered in the field via our mobile app timesheets, dockets, dayworks, forms is instantly shared with the office. This reduces double handling and ensures finance, payroll, and project teams always work with up-to-date information.

Varicon ensures data security by hosting its infrastructure on AWS, using industry-standard encryption, and enforcing strict role-based access controls. We also use Cloudflare for additional protection against web threats, including DDoS attacks and unauthorised access. Regular audits, secure development practices, and automated monitoring help us maintain high standards of security and compliance.

Varicon currently integrates with Xero, MYOB, Quickbooks and Acumatica. If you use a different system, please feel free to get in touch with us for potential integration options of discuss a workaround.

Varicon offers a kiosk mode that can be used on a shared tablet at the site office, so workers can still log times and complete forms without needing to install anything personally.

Varicon pricing depends on your team size and the features you need. We offer flexible packages to suit small and growing contractors. Book a demo and we’ll tailor a quote for your business.

We offer flexible options tailored to your needs and setup, so you can explore how Varicon can deliver value to your organisation. Contact our sales team for more information.

Yes. Varicon’s onboarding team works with you one-on-one. You’ll get training specific to your job—whether it’s timesheets, site diary, or forms. We help set up your cost codes, forms, timesheets, and budgets—so you’re ready to go from day one. Our team also runs training sessions for field and office staff to make adoption easy, even for those who aren’t tech-savvy.

The Varicon site diary automates much of its data entry by integrating with other project management tools. Specifically, it is automatically populated with data directly from timesheets, providing a record of labor hours, and from materials deliveries, documenting the arrival and use of supplies. This automated population streamlines the data collection process and reduces manual errors.

Beyond the automatically populated data, users can enrich the site diary with various forms of additional information. This includes the ability to add photos, which provide visual documentation of site conditions or progress, and notes, which allow for detailed textual descriptions of events, observations, or communications. This flexibility enables a more comprehensive and nuanced record of daily operations.

The Varicon site diary is designed for flexible accessibility to accommodate different working environments. Users can access the site diary directly from a mobile phone or tablet, typically through an admin login, making it convenient for on-site use. Alternatively, it can also be accessed via a web browser, offering an option for desktop users or those working remotely.

Yes, the site diary offers significant customization options to fit specific project needs. Users can tailor its configuration either at a company level, which sets a default for all newly created projects, or for individual projects. This allows for flexibility in what information is tracked and how it is organized.

Varicon provides a Construction Management Dashboard and Reporting tool that gives Finance Managers full visibility across projects and the business. You can access tailored dashboards and reports, including WIP Reports, Earned Value Analysis, and Actual vs Budget comparisons. All views can be grouped, filtered, and exported to CSV for deeper analysis or sharing.

“Varicon supports tracking at the project level, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) level, or Cost Centre level. WBS offers detailed tracking that often mirrors the bill of quantities. Cost Centres (e.g., Earthworks, Drainage, Overheads) are used to organise costs in a way that’s meaningful for delivery teams. Even when using Cost Centres, claims and variations are created against the WBS, enabling comparison of revenues and costs.

Traditional systems rely on supplier invoices for cost tracking — often delayed by weeks and prone to errors. Varicon captures costs in real-time, directly from the field, giving Finance Managers and project teams immediate insights. This early visibility helps prevent budget overruns before they happen and supports faster, more confident decision-making.”

Yes. Varicon allows you to set up a project budget at the start and track actual costs against it. You can import or modify an “Estimated” or “Construction” budget, which then becomes the baseline. Varicon also offers Production Tracking (cost per unit) and a Forecast Cost to Complete tool that predicts total project cost based on actual data and remaining work.

Varicon makes it easy to create and manage progress claims, variations, and dayworks. Claims are compliant with security of payment acts and include automatic retention calculations. Variations can be tracked through statuses like Approved or Rejected. Dayworks can be created from timesheets or site diaries, signed off on-site or via email, and calculated using agreed rates or exported and added to a variation request.

Yes. Varicon integrates with accounting platforms like Xero and MYOB. Purchase orders and bills can sync directly, and if credit notes are applied, a new bill for the correct amount is created automatically in the accounting system.

Varicon simplifies digital timesheet approvals and payroll. Supervisors can approve timesheets in bulk or individually using mobile, tablet, or web. Payroll can be automated by linking timesheets to labour costs, which are then assigned to cost centres or projects. Varicon supports payroll export and reduces admin with its digital construction timesheets and payroll automation tools.

Varicon aids project managers in controlling supplier costs through its Accounts Payable Automation and Delivery Docket Management features. It supports a matching process involving Purchase Orders, Delivery Dockets, and Bills (Supplier Invoices), identified as the most effective way to control your supplier costs. By tracking delivery dockets, you can ensure that quantities claimed by suppliers match purchase order rates and quantities as verified upon receipt by your team. This robust process allows project managers to verify that supplier bills match the terms on approved purchase orders and that quantities align with what your onsite personnel verified. Even if full information isn’t immediately available on-site, employees can save incomplete docket details, ensuring the data is accessible before receiving the corresponding bill. Varicon also features bill OCR (optical character recognition) to scan bills and populate data directly into the system.

Varicon streamlines the process of creating claims and variations, ensuring compliance with security of payments acts. Project managers can create claims and variations for approval by the customer representative, ensuring consistency with revisions and visibility into their status. The system also calculates retentions. For progress claims, you can enter the percentage of progress complete or the number of units complete. For variations, project managers can assign internal cost budgets and define claimable items, including details like unit, submitted quantity, rate, and automatically calculated margin. Varicon allows project managers to export PDFs of claims and variations for easy sharing with customers.

Varicon’s Dayworks Management feature is crucial for recording labor, equipment, and materials used for tasks not covered by the original contract, ensuring accurate tracking and transparent billing for additional work. Dayworks dockets can be generated in two primary ways: from Employee Timesheets for individual operator records, or from the Site Diary for a comprehensive daily record of all personnel, equipment, and materials. Client representatives have the flexibility to approve and sign off on these dockets directly on the operator’s device while on-site or electronically via email. This functionality leads to accurate tracking, streamlined approvals, and simplified billing, ultimately enhancing efficiency and ensuring timely payments for additional work performed. Additionally, Varicon offers a beta dayworks calculator to compute claimable amounts based on approved dockets and contract rates.

Varicon provides advanced analytical tools that go beyond simple cost tracking. Its Production Tracking feature calculates budget and actual costs per unit of production in real-time, allowing project managers to determine if they are ahead or behind budget. Furthermore, the Forecast Cost to Complete module calculates a predicted total cost for your project at completion by adding the number of units left to complete multiplied by the estimated cost per unit. These powerful insights are derived from the data already being captured within Varicon, providing crucial financial answers without requiring additional effort from the project manager. For deeper analysis, project managers can export any report or dashboard view, plugging it into their own systems for further manipulation.

Varicon gives you live dashboards and custom reports showing costs, progress, and profitability across all projects. View WIP, Actual vs Budget, and Earned Value reports, filter and group data as needed, and export to CSV or Excel.

Yes. You can track costs by Project, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), or Cost Centre. WBS links to claims and contracts. Cost Centres (e.g. Earthworks, Drainage) are ideal for field teams and can still be tied back to your WBS for reporting and forecasting.

Progress claims follow your WBS and support input by % or units. Variations can be tracked by approval status and claimed in stages. Dayworks are logged via site diaries or timesheets, signed off digitally, and can be auto-calculated or exported for claim inclusion.

Your crew can log hours via mobile or kiosk. Supervisors approve in bulk, and timesheets are linked to payroll exports. This cuts payroll admin time and ensures labour costs are captured accurately by cost code or project.

Absolutely. Varicon’s Custom Forms module lets you build any form on web and complete them in the field. They include geolocation, dynamic fields, and automatic logging. Completed forms are instantly available to office staff.

Site teams can use mobile or tablet to enter timesheets, dayworks, delivery dockets, and forms. No more chasing paperwork or duplicate data entry. It’s faster, clearer, and saves everyone time.

“Traditional systems give you cost data too late — sometimes 4–6 weeks after the fact. Varicon gives you real-time visibility from the field, so you can catch issues early and stay in control.

Traditional systems often rely on delayed cost data and involve double handling—where the same data is entered multiple times into different tools like spreadsheets, payroll software, and accounting systems. With Varicon, you enter data once and it flows through automatically: for example, timesheet data powers labour costing, payroll, and project reporting. It’s a connected cost management platform that eliminates delays and manual effort.”

No. Varicon integrates with Xero, MYOB, and QuickBooks. You can keep your existing accounting platform while gaining live cost tracking and tighter project-to-office workflows.

Yes. Varicon was built specifically for SMB civil contractors. It’s easy to use, quick to set up, and aligns with how you run your projects and crews.

You can book a demo or start with a trial. We’ll help set up your key projects, cost centres, and forms so you’re up and running fast—with minimal training required.

Yes. You get visibility over who’s clocked in, what hours they’ve worked, and which crews are on-site. Approving timesheets is quick—just tap to approve in bulk or one by one, straight from your phone or tablet.

Varicon digitises the entire site diary. You can log weather, crew activity, equipment used, issues, and attach photos. It auto-pulls data from timesheets and delivery dockets to save time. No more end-of-day paperwork or lost entries.

Yes. You can log delivery dockets digitally, including supplier name, materials delivered, quantities, and attach photos. These records are instantly shared with the office and linked to cost tracking.

Varicon helps you capture dayworks in real-time—labour, plant, and materials—all on your phone. You can generate a digital docket, get it approved on-site by the client or sent via email, and it syncs to the office for faster billing.

All forms—prestarts, toolbox talks, SWMS, hazard reports, and more—can be completed and signed digitally on-site. No more printing or scanning. Forms are custom-built for your workflows and instantly available to the office once submitted.

Yes. You can open the latest plans, drawings, and documents from your mobile device. No more out-of-date paperwork or digging through emails—everything is in one place and always current.

Anything you log in Varicon—site diary entries, forms, dayworks, dockets, timesheets—is instantly available to the office. You don’t have to send emails or texts—they see it as soon as you save it.

Varicon’s flexible forms reduce paperwork for employees, ensure documentation is done more consistently, and make completed forms available in real-time.

Custom forms support various field types including text, numbers, radio buttons, checkboxes, dropdowns, and more. They can also collect and organize structured data in a table format.

Yes, custom forms enable seamless integration with employee timesheets2. They can also dynamically fill dropdowns with data from Varicon system lists, such as employees, projects, clients, equipment, and suppliers

Yes, forms can be submitted and accessed via the Varicon mobile app or web interface

Employees can easily clock in and out directly from the Varicon mobile app, selecting the relevant project and equipment. There is also a tablet (Kiosk) login option available for timesheet submission.

Yes, supervisors can approve timesheets either in bulk or individually. This can be done through the Admin login on a mobile phone, tablet, or via the web browser45.

Varicon offers seamless payroll integration with approved timesheet data12. To enable this, your payroll calculator needs to be set up, and your Varicon customer success specialist will guide you through this process2.

Yes, Varicon’s payroll calculator is designed to assign specific “pay rules” based on “Employment Type” (e.g., Wages, Salary, Casual, or Subcontractor)3. These employment types assign the necessary pay rules for the payroll calculator3. Additional employment types can be created if required3. The payroll calculator needs to be set up, with guidance from your Varicon customer success specialist2. While the sources do not explicitly use the term “Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA),” the system’s ability to assign and apply different “pay rules” based on various employment types suggests it can be configured to handle complex and varied compensation structures23.

Varicon’s cost tracking is designed with a unique connected workflow that captures essential data directly at its source, minimizing manual entry and ensuring high accuracy. For example, employee timesheets, completed by clocking in and out via the mobile app or tablet, are automatically linked to projects

Varicon allows project costs to be tracked using one of three methods: at the project level, at the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) level, or at the Cost Centre level3. While project-level tracking is the simplest for total project costs4, WBS tracking offers the most detailed cost breakdown5. Cost Centres (or Cost Codes) are typically the most common method, providing a good balance between ease of use on-site and actionable real-time feedback on financial performance6. The tracking method is set in your company settings3.

Varicon offers advanced features like “Production Tracking” and “Forecast Cost to Complete”9. Production tracking calculates your budget and actual costs per unit of production in real-time, showing whether you are ahead or behind budget9. “Forecast Cost to Complete” predicts the total cost for your project at completion by using the information you’re already capturing in Varicon, without requiring additional effort10.

The 3-Way Match feature in Varicon is the most effective way to control your supplier costs by matching Purchase Orders, Delivery Dockets, and Bills. This process helps ensure that supplier bills align with approved purchase order terms and that quantities match what your onsite team verified upon receipt. While highly recommended for best controls, it’s not strictly required for cost tracking in Varicon, as you can also capture bills independently.

Currently, Varicon integrates with XERO, MYOB, QuickBooks and MYOB Accumatica.

We offer 50 free OCR per month with every contract and post that certain number of scans are included based on your customised plan.

Yes, your field team can raise PO specific to a particular job using our native PO feature

Dayworks dockets in Varicon can be generated through two main methods, both accessible via the Varicon mobile. Individual operators can create a Dayworks docket directly from their timesheet. This docket will detail their labor and the equipment they’ve used. Operators can adjust recorded times or add equipment as needed, allowing them to accurately record details that might not be billable, such as pre-start meetings. A supervisor can compile a comprehensive Dayworks docket from the site diary. This method is ideal for consolidating all personnel, equipment, and materials used on the job site for a single day into one document, ensuring a complete record of daily activities. Users must have appropriate permissions to create dockets this way.

Varicon ensures accurate billing for Dayworks by allowing users to map their internal resources to the agreed-upon rates from the customer’s daywork schedule using a resource charge sheet. This feature allows for the mapping of various items, including workers, equipment, equipment attachments, materials, and miscellaneous items, to specific charge rates. These charge items can be imported in bulk or added individually. By enabling this mapping, Dayworks dockets can be created with resources listed precisely as they appear in your dayworks schedule, which helps to expedite the invoicing process and reduce the likelihood of billing disputes.

Once a Dayworks docket is finalised and signed off by the operator or supervisor, client representatives can approve and sign off on the dockets directly on the operator’s or supervisor’s device while on-site, or they can do so electronically via emai

Clients can approve and sign Daywork Dockets in two main ways: on site approval via mobile and approval via email

Yes, you can manage retention in Varicon, and it streamlines the process with automatic calculations. Varicon’s contract management functionality is designed to calculate retentions as part of streamlining the creation of claims and variations1. Before creating a claim, you need to set up your retention settings

Yes, as you raise variations in Varicon, it is automatically added to your progress claims. Even the pending variations is captured for your client’s reference.

Yes, Varicon offers custom dashboards designed for every level within your organization, ensuring the appropriate view is presented to the right person. You have the flexibility to customize dashboards by role, project, or even region to deliver focused, noise-free insights. Furthermore, reports can be customized to align with your specific workflows, enabling you to select the data you wish to see, group it as required, and apply filters for detailed drill-downs or broader overviews

Varicon’s reporting features enable you to analyze key financial and performance metrics, including WIP Reports, Earned Value Analysis, and Actual vs. Budget comparisons. The system also supports production tracking, which calculates budget and actual costs per unit of production in real-time. Additionally, it offers forecast cost to complete, predicting the total project cost at completion by adding the units left to complete multiplied by the estimated cost per unit. This comprehensive tracking allows for total control over costs, usage, and performance.

The Dashboard and Reports feature is specifically designed to draw on all data captured within Varicon to provide real-time insights into your project’s financial performance. By integrating information across various system features, Varicon ensures that your project data is powerful and readily usable. This capability is fundamental to facilitating real-time construction cost management.

Varicon allows you to export any report or dashboard view for deeper analysis or to share with others. Specifically, once a report has been run to generate data, you can download it as an .xlsx file. This functionality enables you to easily integrate the data into your own systems and manipulate it as needed.

Varicon supports a matching process between Purchase Orders, Delivery Dockets, and Bills (Supplier Invoices), which is considered the most effective way to control your supplier costs. For optimal control, it’s recommended to raise purchase orders in advance of deliveries and then connect the received delivery dockets to the relevant purchase order. This creates a cost against your project at the time of receiving the delivery and allows you to verify that supplier bills match the terms on approved purchase orders and that quantities align with what your onsite personnel verified.

Tracking delivery dockets in Varicon provides significant advantages for cost control and verification. It ensures the quantities claimed by suppliers align with your purchase orders and verified receipts. By recording costs at the time of delivery and leveraging a robust matching process, Varicon empowers you to maintain complete oversight of supplier costs and confirm the accuracy of supplier invoices.

In Varicon, the connection between delivery dockets and real-time cost tracking ensures that costs are recorded as they occur on-site. As soon as a delivery docket is received, the associated costs are instantly tracked, allowing you to capture expenses in real-time. This approach helps you avoid unexpected surprises, such as delayed supplier invoices, by maintaining an up-to-date and accurate view of project costs. It ensures proactive cost management and greater financial control throughout the project lifecycle.