Best construction software for Sage users: 3 options compared

The best construction software for Sage users is Eque2 Construct for contractors on Sage 50, Sage 200 or Sage Intacct, Planyard for smaller firms on Sage Accounting and Tradify for trades businesses that only need invoices to sync. Of the three, only Construct states that it works with Sage 50, Sage 200 and Sage Intacct.

Sage runs the ledger, VAT and payroll for a lot of contractors, and most don't want to replace it. What Sage doesn't do is cost and value by contract, retentions or CIS deductions against a job, so those end up in spreadsheets beside it. This guide only includes systems that work with Sage, because a contractor on Sage needs to know what connects to the version they already run.

If you're weighing whether to keep Sage at all, the wider guide to construction accounting software covers systems that replace it. Eque2 makes one of the systems listed here, and every entry was judged by the same method.

How did we choose these?

Every system was judged against the same four tests: construction depth, finance and commercial fit, platform and integrations, and who it suits. On this list, a system also had to state on its own website that it works with Sage, and we recorded exactly which Sage products it names. The order follows how much of the construction finance job each one covers. Facts were last checked on 22 October 2026.

How do the options compare?

What do contractors on Sage actually need from construction software?

Contractors on Sage usually hit the same three gaps as they grow. The software you add should close all three without making the finance team key anything twice.

Cost and value by contract

Sage records what's been spent, by nominal code. It doesn't show what each contract has cost against its budget, or what's been committed but not yet invoiced. King Builders, a long-standing Sage user, chose Construct for Sage because it needed job costing that worked with the accounts it already ran, and says Construct has cut the time it spends on manual tasks by around 90% (how King Builders added job costing to Sage).

CIS and subcontractor management

CIS is where duplicate keying hurts most. Northern Bear, a group of ten companies on Sage 200, used to spend a full week filling in CIS returns, typing them into Sage and then again into a spreadsheet to reconcile them. It now runs CIS and subcontractor management through Construct for Sage (how Northern Bear ended the week of CIS returns).

Purchasing and invoices

Purchase orders and invoices raised by hand in Sage slow the office and leave site teams out of the loop. At Kitchen Civils, site requests used to arrive by spreadsheet and email before someone raised the order in Sage. Since moving purchasing onto Construct's app, it has seen a 50 to 60% improvement in efficiency and accuracy between office and site (how Kitchen Civils fixed purchasing).

What are the best construction software options for Sage?

1. Eque2 Construct: best for contractors on Sage 50, Sage 200 or Sage Intacct

Why we picked it: Construct works with Sage Business Cloud, Sage 50 Accounts, Sage 200 Standard, Sage Intacct and Sage Payroll. The nominal, sales and purchase ledgers stay in Sage, while Construct adds job costing, applications, retentions and CIS against every contract.

Best for: Growing contractors and housebuilders who want to keep Sage and add proper contract control.

What it covers:

• Job costing and contract and budget management across every live job
• Subcontractor billing: part payments, retentions and CIS, with online HMRC verification and return submission
• Client billing: track project milestones, establish billing dates and invoice completed work.
• Procurement: analyse all historic costs against suppliers to negotiate better rates.
• Role-specific, contract-level and company-wide reporting for commercial, finance and procurement.
• Construction project-specific reporting including cost-to-complete, retentions, WIP and CVR.

Worth checking: You keep paying for Sage alongside Construct. Ask which Sage products you can move between later, so a switch from Sage 50 to Sage 200 or Sage Intacct doesn't mean starting again.

In practice: Lochlie Construction Group runs Construct with Sage 50 and cut invoice processing from more than eight to nine minutes per invoice to around 30 seconds (how Lochlie built its edge on Sage 50).

2. Planyard: best for smaller firms on Sage Accounting

Why we picked it: Planyard is cloud construction finance software that lists an integration with Sage Accounting, Sage's cloud bookkeeping product. It tracks budgets, committed costs and invoices, and handles CIS and VAT calculations.

Best for: Smaller contractors and specialist subcontractors already on Sage Accounting. Planyard says it's built for firms typically turning over £5m to £30m.

What it covers: Budgets, committed costs, invoices, purchase orders, subcontractor orders and valuations, variations, forecasting, and CVR and P&L reports.

Worth checking: Planyard doesn't list an integration with Sage 50, Sage 200 or Sage Intacct. If that's what you run, confirm with Planyard before booking a trial. Its Essential plan starts at £82 per project manager a month, with a 14-day free trial.

3. Tradify: best for trades businesses that need invoices to sync

Why we picked it: Tradify is job management software for trades that syncs invoices with Sage, so there's no double entry between the job and the accounts. It covers quoting, scheduling and invoicing rather than contract finance.

Best for: Small trades businesses that price and invoice jobs, not contractors running valuations, retentions and subcontract packages.

What it covers: Quoting, job scheduling, invoicing, overdue payment reminders and online card payments, with invoice sync to Sage, Xero or QuickBooks.

Worth checking: Tradify doesn't describe CIS deductions, applications for payment or retentions, so it suits trades work rather than contracting.

When should a Sage user move off Sage instead?

Keeping Sage makes sense while the business runs one company and the finance team is happy with the ledger. Moving to a full construction platform starts to make sense when the business runs several companies, needs consolidated reporting or wants payroll, procurement and finance in one system.

Plenty of Eque2 customers have made that move without losing their contract history. KonFloor ran Construct for Sage 50 at £6m turnover and moved to Evision as it grew to £20m (why KonFloor moved up from Sage 50). Stonebond moved from Sage 200 to Evision and Eque2 Housebuilding, and has grown from £20m to around £100m turnover, with a profit forecast that once took a week now produced in under 20 seconds (how Stonebond scaled off Sage 200). For that stage, Evision runs on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and replaces Sage entirely.

What should Sage users ask in a demo?

Ask each supplier to show these on your own data, connected to your Sage product:

• Post a purchase invoice against a job and show it arriving in Sage without rekeying
• Run a subcontractor payment with a CIS deduction and show what lands in the Sage ledger
• Raise an application for payment and show where the retention is held
• Show what happens to job history if you move from Sage 50 to Sage 200

FAQs: best construction software for Sage

Does Sage have construction accounting built in?

Sage 50 and Sage 200 cover the ledger, VAT, banking and payroll, but they don't track cost and value by contract, hold retentions against jobs or run CIS as part of a subcontractor payment run. Contractors on Sage usually add a construction system that connects to it, so the accounts stay in Sage.

Will a Sage add-on still work if we move from Sage 50 to Sage 200?

It depends on the add-on. Eque2 Construct works with Sage Business Cloud, Sage 50, Sage 200 Standard and Sage Intacct, so the contract data stays in place within Construct with the data flowing back into Sage. Check which Sage products any other add-on supports before committing, because support varies between add-ons.

Is Eque2 Construct an official Sage partner?

Eque2 is a Sage 50 and Sage 200 partner, and Construct is built to sit alongside Sage accounts. The ledgers, banking and VAT stay in Sage, while Construct handles job costing, applications, retentions and CIS. That suits contractors who want construction control without retraining the finance team on a new accounts system.

Can Sage handle CIS for contractors?

Construction businesses need CIS deductions tied to the job and the subcontract package they belong to, which Sage's general ledger isn't built to do on its own. Adding a construction system means verification, deductions and returns run as part of the subcontractor payment, against the contract they belong to.

How long does it take to add construction software to Sage?

An add-on that sits alongside Sage leaves your ledgers where they are, so there's far less to migrate than when you replace the accounts package. Most of the work is setting up contracts, budgets and subcontractors. Ask each supplier for a typical timeline for a business your size.

About Eque2

Eque2 is the commercial and finance platform for construction, trusted by over 3,000 construction businesses. Construct brings job costing and contract management to the Sage or Xero accounts a contractor already runs. Evision runs construction commercial and finance management for larger contractors and housebuilders on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.