From Field to Invoice: Streamlining Your End-to-End Concrete Job Workflow

From Field to Invoice: Streamlining Your End-to-End Concrete Job Workflow

In this guide, we walk through how modern concrete takeoff software combined with mobile CAD and estimating tools can streamline your entire workflow - from the first site visit to the final invoice - while improving accuracy and profitability.

Concrete jobs move fast. Site conditions change, scopes evolve, and customers expect accurate numbers in hours, not days. When measurements live on paper, in text messages, and in a foreman's head, it is easy for details to slip through the cracks.

ArcSite helps specialty contractors bring everything together in one place. With mobile CAD, takeoff, and estimating in a single app, your field teams can capture site details, generate precise quantities, and build professional estimates that flow cleanly into production and invoicing.

The hidden pain in your current concrete workflow

Most concrete contractors are already doing takeoffs - just not in a way that scales. Common pain points show up at every stage of the job:

- On site: Measurements get scribbled on graph paper, marked on photos, or stored in memory, making it hard to double-check or share later.

- Back in the office: Someone has to manually redraw sketches, remeasure in a CAD tool, or build spreadsheets from scratch.

- Estimating: Calculations for slab area, footing volume, rebar, and formwork often live in individual spreadsheets that only one or two people understand.

- Change orders: When the customer changes the layout or spec, you are redoing the same calculations and paperwork.

- Field execution: Crews sometimes show up with out-of-date drawings or unclear notes, leading to rework and material waste.

- Invoicing: Billing teams rely on paper tickets, photos, and emails to piece together what was poured, what was extra, and what was already paid.

The result is a constant risk of underbidding, missed items, unbilled work, and disputes. The cost of a single bad takeoff can erase the profit from several good jobs.

How ArcSite connects your field, office, and books

ArcSite is designed to replace fragmented tools with one connected workflow. Instead of bouncing between paper, CAD, spreadsheets, and your accounting system, you work from one shared source of truth.

Mobile CAD built for the field

With ArcSite, your salesperson, estimator, or foreman can walk the site and draw directly on a tablet or phone:

- Sketch slabs, footings, curbs, and site features to scale while standing on the job.

- Use pre-built shapes and templates for common assemblies - driveways, sidewalks, pads, stairs, curbs, and more.

- Attach photos, notes, and customer preferences directly to the drawing.

Because the drawings are to scale, quantities derive from real measurements, not guesswork. You do not have to redraw the same job later in a separate CAD system.

Automated takeoffs tied to your catalog

ArcSite turns those field drawings into live takeoffs. As you draw, the system calculates areas, lengths, and counts and maps them to your materials and labor:

- Concrete volume by mix type and thickness.

- Rebar or mesh quantities based on spacing rules.

- Formwork and edge forms by perimeter.

- Base prep, vapor barrier, insulation, and other under-slab components.

- Labor hours by crew type or task.

Because the takeoff is driven by the drawing, any change you make in the design instantly updates your quantities. That means fewer missed items, faster revisions, and a lot less manual math.

Estimating that reflects how you actually bid

Once quantities are generated, ArcSite applies your pricing rules to build an estimate you can hand directly to the customer:

- Pull current material costs and labor rates from your catalog.

- Bundle common scopes into packaged options (e.g., standard driveway vs. reinforced heavy-use driveway).

- Present alternate options and upsells with clear pricing differences.

- Generate a branded, professional proposal on the spot or shortly after the site visit.

Because everything starts with real on-site measurements and a consistent catalog, your bids are both faster and more consistent across salespeople and estimators.

From signed proposal to scheduled pour

Winning the job is only half the battle. ArcSite helps carry that same data through production and invoicing so nothing falls through the cracks.

Turning accepted estimates into work orders

When a customer accepts a proposal, you can convert it into a work order without rekeying the details:

- Crews see clear, to-scale drawings with layers and notes for prep, pour, and finish.

- Material and labor breakdowns flow into your scheduling and purchasing workflows.

- Revisions and change orders are tracked on the same set of drawings, not in disconnected PDFs.

This reduces confusion in the field and helps ensure that what was sold is what gets built.

Managing changes and additional work in real time

Concrete jobs almost always change. A customer extends a patio, adds a thickened edge, or upgrades to decorative finishes. With ArcSite:

- Field teams can update the drawing on site, capturing added areas or details.

- Takeoffs and pricing adjust automatically, generating a clear change order.

- Customers can review and sign changes digitally, documenting agreement before the work is done.

Capturing changes in the moment makes it far easier to bill accurately later, without awkward conversations or lost revenue.

Closing the loop with accurate invoicing

Because each job's drawing, takeoff, estimate, and change orders live together, invoicing becomes a matter of confirming what was done rather than reconstructing it:

- Invoice off the original scope plus any signed change orders.

- Attach drawings and photos for clarity when needed.

- Reduce disputes by showing exactly what was agreed and installed.

The same data that powered your takeoff and estimate also protects your margins on the back end.

Practical workflows: using concrete takeoff software in the field

Here are a few practical ways contractors are using ArcSite day to day.

Residential driveways and patios

- Walk the property with the homeowner and sketch the layout to scale.

- Adjust shape, thickness, control joint spacing, and finishes on screen as you discuss options.

- Instantly show cost differences between plain gray, broom finish, and decorative options like stamped or colored concrete.

- Email or text a professional proposal before you leave the driveway.

Commercial slabs and footings

- Import site plans or PDFs and trace over them to match real-world dimensions.

- Set rules for rebar spacing, footing sizes, and thickened slabs.

- Generate separate line items for base prep, reinforcement, pumping, and finishing.

- Review complex scopes with GCs using clear, visual drawings tied directly to quantities.

Site concrete and flatwork packages

- Build a library of standard details for sidewalks, curb and gutter, ramps, and pads.

- Drop in and adjust those templates quickly as you walk large sites.

- Use takeoffs to coordinate with suppliers and schedule crews more accurately.

Implementation: getting your team up and running

Switching from paper and spreadsheets to a digital workflow does not have to be disruptive if you roll it out thoughtfully.

Start with one or two champions

Identify a salesperson, estimator, or foreman who is open to technology and give them time to learn ArcSite first. Let them prove the workflow on real jobs, then use their feedback to refine your templates and catalog.

Standardize your catalog and assemblies

Spend time up front organizing how you sell concrete work:

- Define standard slab thicknesses, finishes, and reinforcement options.

- Set consistent rules for rebar spacing, mesh, and base prep by application.

- Create assemblies for common packages, such as driveways, walkways, garage slabs, and loading docks.

This structure lets ArcSite automate more of your takeoff and estimating so your team spends time on strategy instead of manual calculations.

Train in real job scenarios

Use recent or upcoming projects as training examples instead of generic practice files. Have team members:

- Redraw an existing job and compare quantities to your old method.

- Create a proposal for a live opportunity using ArcSite only.

- Walk through how a change order would be handled on a real project.

Practical training builds confidence and shows the immediate benefit of the new process.

Measuring ROI from field to invoice

To understand the impact of adopting this workflow, track a few key metrics before and after implementation:

- Bid turnaround time: How long it takes from site visit to delivered proposal.

- Estimate accuracy: Frequency and size of overruns on materials and labor versus estimate.

- Win rate: Percentage of bids won, especially when you provide on-the-spot or same-day quotes.

- Change order capture: Value of approved change orders per month versus what was historically missed or disputed.

- Rework and callbacks: Jobs requiring corrections due to unclear plans or miscommunication.

- Billing disputes: Number and dollar value of invoices that customers contest or delay.

Contractors typically see gains in speed, fewer missed items, better documentation, and more consistent pricing - all of which contribute directly to higher margins and more predictable cash flow.

Bringing your concrete jobs into one connected workflow

When site measurements, drawings, takeoffs, estimates, change orders, and invoices are all connected, your team spends less time chasing information and more time winning and delivering profitable work.

ArcSite is built to give concrete contractors that end-to-end connection in a tool your field teams will actually use. From the first sketch in the driveway to the final invoice, you get a clear, accurate record of what was planned, sold, and poured.

Ready to see how this workflow could look for your business? Book a demo with our team and explore how ArcSite can streamline your concrete jobs from field to invoice.