Progress claims and variation orders for an M&E contractor.
How an M&E contractor in Johor stopped building claims in spreadsheets, and stopped doing variation work that never got paid.
Claim no. 9
Work doneVariations2| BQ section | Done | To date | Since last |
|---|---|---|---|
| A · PreliminariesContract RM 120,000 | 70% | 84,000 | 6,000 |
| B · LV boards and cablingContract RM 640,000 | 60% | 384,000 | 51,200 |
| C · Lighting and powerContract RM 410,000 | 45% | 184,500 | 41,000 |
| D · Air-con and ventilationContract RM 780,000 | 35% | 273,000 | 39,000 |
| E · Fire protectionContract RM 330,000 | 50% | 165,000 | 19,700 |
| F · Water and sanitaryContract RM 200,000 | 30% | 60,000 | 10,000 |
| Variations approvedVO-01, VO-02 | – | 24,600 | 6,200 |
| Total | 1,175,100 | 173,100 |
Sedenak factory, phase 2
- Main contractor
- Lindung Arif Builders
- Contract sum
- RM 2,480,000
- Prepared by
- SYSyahirah · QS
Claims · October
5 projects · Mr Lau
On screen: Claims from the BQ, VOs tracked until paid.A real project. The business isn’t named, and names and figures on the screens are changed.
- Business
- M&E contractor, Johor
- Team
- About 45 staff: 3 QS, 6 site engineers
- Projects
- 6 to 8 at a time, for main contractors
- Works with
- SQL Account, MyInvois, WhatsApp
- First version
- 4–5 weeks
- Project size
- Business system, from RM 15k
How claims worked before.
Six projects, a spreadsheet for each one, and extra work agreed on site by word of mouth.
Each progress claim was a copy of last month’s spreadsheet. One wrong formula, and the claim was out by thousands.
Retention was worked out by hand on every claim, and nobody was sure how much was held across all projects.
Site engineers did extra work on a verbal instruction. Months later, there was no record to claim it.
From the BQ to the money in the bank, in four parts.
The QS kept their BQ and their way of measuring. The arithmetic and the chasing moved into the system.
Each claim built from the BQ and the work done.
The QS updates each item’s percentage done monthly, and the claim works out the value, retention and amount due.
Claim no. 9 · work done
D · Air-conAll sections6| BQ item | Done | To date | Since last |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1 · VRF outdoor units6 nos · RM 312,000 | 50% | 156,000 | 15,600 |
| D2 · Fan coil units48 nos · RM 192,000 | 40% | 76,800 | 9,600 |
| D3 · Refrigerant piping and insulationRM 120,000 | 25% | 30,000 | 12,000 |
| D4 · Ducting and grillesRM 102,000 | 10% | 10,200 | 1,800 |
| D5 · Testing and commissioningRM 54,000 | 0% | – | – |
| Section D | 35% | 273,000 | 39,000 |
Extra work recorded on site, the day it is asked for.
The engineer logs it on the phone with photos and an acknowledgement, then the QS prices the VO.
Site instruction
VO-05 · SI-14 · Level 2 corridor
Every VO followed from instruction to payment.
One board shows each VO as instructed, quoted or approved, and flags any left waiting too long.
Variation orders · Sedenak factory
BoardListEn. Hairul · Thu 8 Oct
Told on site · Fri 9 Oct
Sent to main con QS · 2 Oct
RM 4,850Sent to main con QS · 6 Oct
RM 22,300Approved 11 Sep
RM 18,400Approved 29 Sep
RM 6,200Claimed, certified and paid, across every project.
The owner also sees the retention still held on each project, and the dates it comes back.
Claims and retention · October
October5Retention| Project | Claimed | Certified | Retention | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sedenak factory, phase 2Lindung Arif Builders · No. 9 | 155,790 | – | 100,200 | Draft · due 26 Oct |
| Gelang Patah apartments, block BRimbun Kencana Construction · No. 12 | 212,400 | 198,600 | 186,000 | Paid 7 OctRM 13,800 not certified |
| Ulu Tiram warehouseSeriang Tegap Bina · No. 4 | 64,800 | 64,800 | 21,600 | Payment due 30 Oct |
| Kota Tinggi school blockLindung Arif Builders · No. 11 | 48,300 | 41,900 | 52,000 | Certified 5 OctRM 6,400 not certified |
| Pengerang plant roomRimbun Kencana Construction · Final account | – | – | 38,750 | Defects periodRetention back 12 Jan 2027 |
Each part is a feature with its own fixed price, agreed before we start. See how this project was priced or get a fixed quote for yours →
The QS, the engineers and the owner, on one set of numbers.
Tajudin records the instruction on site. Syahirah prices it, and it reaches the next claim without a spreadsheet.
- SYQS · Syahirah
Updates the work done item by item, and the claim works itself out.
- ×6Site engineers
Tajudin and the other engineers record site instructions on the phone, the same day.
- KSProject manager · Ir. Kesavan
Sees every VO and claim for his projects in one place.
- RMAccounts · Rahmah
Issues invoices and e-invoices once a claim is certified.
- LKOwner · Mr Lau
Sees claimed, certified, paid and retention held, any day.
- No more claims rebuilt from last month’s spreadsheet.
- No variation work done without a record.
- Retention held across every project, known at any time.
Claims first, then variations.
Syahirah sent her first claim from the system after five weeks. Site instructions, the VO board and payments came next.
Claims from the BQ
VOs, payments and retention
Want claims and VOs tracked like this?
Questions about this system.
What did this project cost?
Business system, from RM 15k. Every feature had a fixed price, agreed before work started, and the first 3 months of hosting and care were included.
Can it use our existing BQ?
Yes. If your BQ is in Excel, we load it into the system for each project. Nobody retypes it.
Does it follow our contract’s retention terms?
Yes. The retention rate, its limit and the release dates are set per project, the way your contract says.
Does it replace SQL Account?
No. SQL Account stays. Certified claims become invoices there, and e-invoices go to MyInvois, so accounts stop retyping.
Who owns the system?
You do. You get the source code, your data, the documentation and admin access.
Another question? 
Ask on WhatsAppWe reply within one working day.
Tell us how you work today.
We’ll show you what we’d build first and what it costs. Free, no obligation.
- 1
Send us a message
Pick what sounds familiar and a time. We reply within one working day.
- 2
A free 30-minute call
On WhatsApp or Google Meet. We look at how you work today.
- 3
A fixed price for every feature
Your written quote within 3 working days of the call.
Send on WhatsApp Or email sales@belcort.com · We reply within one working day.