NetSuite for Construction Companies
CREATED ON : 21 Oct 2024

NetSuite for Construction Companies: Understanding Challenges, Promises and Offerings

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Vishal Gaikwad

Senior NetSuite Developer

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The construction industry is on a growth trajectory, with global building construction expected to reach $11.12 trillion by 2031. As demand increases and the pace of projects accelerates, construction companies must leverage advanced enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to gain a competitive advantage and achieve efficiency. 

The construction industry is fraught with challenges that can hinder the success of projects and the growth of companies. Inefficient project management is a significant hurdle. With multiple moving parts and stakeholders, maintaining control over timelines, budgets, and resources can be overwhelming. This often leads to delays and cost overruns, impacting profitability.

Budget management is another critical area where many construction companies keep track of expenses, forecast costs, and ensure that projects stay within budget, which requires meticulous planning and execution. Yet, many firms find themselves grappling with unexpected costs that eat into profit margins.

Additionally, the integration of various systems within a construction company can be a complex task. From accounting to project management to human resources, having different systems that don’t communicate with each other creates silos and inefficiencies. This fragmentation often results in data discrepancies, making it difficult to gain a comprehensive view of the business.

Understanding NetSuite for Construction Companies

The construction industry is known to be complex and full of challenges. Managing multiple projects, procurement, financials, and human resources while multitasking operations and ensuring their timely delivery are just a few of the regular roadblocks that one may encounter. Oracle NetSuite is a feature-rich cloud-based ERP program that addresses these issues and efficiently aligns all aspects of business operations and functionality to satisfy industry standards and different system evaluations. It is, therefore, crucial that your company finds the best partner, NetSuite, for the construction sector. 

Why is NetSuite Ideal for the Construction Industry?

NetSuite is an ideal choice for the construction industry, owing to its inclusive and flexible ERP capabilities that efficiently address the sector’s unique challenges. 

  • Project Management: NetSuite provides tools to manage multiple construction projects simultaneously. It offers real-time visibility into key metrics such as project status, costs, and profitability, empowering managers to make informed decisions. Multiple managers can access the platform at any time to track progress and collaborate efficiently.
  • Streamlining Finances: Designed with construction accounting in mind, NetSuite helps contractors manage job costing, revenue, and budgeting. Its unified interface simplifies financial operations, making it easier for analysts and investors to make data-driven decisions.
  • Managing Supply-Chain Networks: The construction industry relies heavily on raw materials, making effective supply-chain management critical. NetSuite’s solution supports efficient purchasing, inventory tracking, and vendor management, helping projects stay on track and avoid costly delays.
  • Workforce Management: NetSuite’s cloud-based platform fosters collaboration among team members, contractors, and clients, improving communication and minimizing errors. Department heads can easily assign tasks and oversee progress. Additionally, the platform includes an incentive-based system for managing sales personnel.
  • Scalability: NetSuite’s scalable architecture allows construction businesses to grow seamlessly, handling increased complexity and workload. Its flexible and user-friendly interface minimizes restrictions and adapts to evolving business needs.

How Can NetSuite Help as an ERP Solution for Construction Companies?

NetSuite is a robust, feature-rich, and scalable ERP solution designed to address the unique challenges faced by the construction industry. Its implementation can significantly enhance operational efficiency and streamline processes across various functions. Here’s how NetSuite can tackle key construction-related challenges:

  • Addressing Inefficient Processes: NetSuite accelerates business processes, reducing delays and positively impacting cash flow. Ensuring timely project completion and optimal resource allocation helps minimize interruptions and enhances financial stability.
  • Improved Decision-Making: NetSuite provides real-time insights and analytics that drive better decision-making. It optimizes operations by identifying areas for improvement, utilizing historical data, and offering predictive analytics to forecast future trends and outcomes.
  • Optimizing Pre-Purchase Decisions: NetSuite helps construction companies efficiently price and procure pre-assembled construction materials. This allows companies to make informed decisions about pricing and resources before committing to purchases, optimizing costs and enhancing procurement processes.
  • Efficient Payroll Management: NetSuite’s robust payroll management system ensures efficient payroll processing while maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements. It adapts to the specific needs of construction businesses, ensuring accurate and timely compensation.
  • Contract Management: NetSuite streamlines contract management, whether for large, multi-year projects or smaller subcontractor agreements. By centralizing project data, the system minimizes errors and improves contract execution and project oversight.
  • Meeting Safety Requirements: With NetSuite’s business process automation, construction companies can monitor safety standards and ensure compliance with industry regulations. The platform helps maintain safety protocols and reduces the risk of non-compliance.
  • Enhancing Quality Control: NetSuite includes powerful quality control measures, such as modules for on-site inspections, ensuring construction companies maintain high standards throughout their projects.
  • Comprehensive Project Management: NetSuite’s integrated system allows for the effective management of complex construction projects, from resource allocation to cost analysis. This ensures that all project aspects are aligned for successful execution and delivery.

By leveraging NetSuite, construction companies can overcome industry-specific challenges, resulting in more efficient operations, better project outcomes, and significantly improved profitability.

Increase in Construction Accounting Efficiency With NetSuite

NetSuite significantly improves construction accounting efficiency through its unique tools, which are designed to be in charge of the complex financial features of construction projects. Here’s how:

  • Job Costing: NetSuite makes more intelligible and accurate job costing, helping construction companies track labor, materials, and high costs for each project, assuring better cost control and profitability analysis.
  • Revenue Identification: The platform industrializes revenue recollects based on the proportion of project completion, aligning financial statements with project progress and reducing errors.
  • Change Orders and Managing Budget: NetSuite rationalizes the process of managing change orders and updating project budgets in real time, which helps reduce delays and enhance financial transparency.
  • Financial Reporting: With NetSuite, construction companies can share results in a detailed financial report that offers insights about project performance and overall business health that are in the service of strategic decision-making.

With these features, NetSuite authorizes construction companies to improve their accounting practices, reduce risks, and ensure financial accuracy, all while improving the cost efficiency of operations with NetSuite for construction companies’ costs in mind.

Some applications are built specifically for the construction industry, but many of these applications have lost behind the times compared to the cloud ERP platforms. NetSuite has some construction-specific applications within its platform, and we are seeing an improved integration competency between its software and other construction-specific applications.

NetSuite Cloud ERP: Switching From Traditional Legacy Software to Fully Fledged Cloud ERP 

NetSuite Cloud ERP is now ready to connect construction-based legacy software solutions like Procore to deliver all operational utilities, tools, and features with the power of cloud automation. Expert NetSuite consultants will help you choose the right connector solution to bring together NetSuite cloud ERP and your preferred or existing legacy solution within a comprehensive and powerful package. 

While in the construction industry, businesses often rely on highly industry-specific, legacy software systems that are specifically created with features and functionalities for the construction companies, integrating such solutions with robust cloud ERP platforms like NetSuite often appears to be a challenge. 

The package of NetSuite ERP automation modules supported and configured by the expert NetSuite implementation partner can just bring you the power of cloud automation while allowing you to integrate your legacy construction software with ease. The question is why NetSuite is considered to be the ultimate solution for ERP automation in the construction industry. Well, NetSuite has come as a better alternative to all other software solutions for the following reasons.

Providing the Best Solutions to Integration Problems

Many construction companies still rely on antique on-premise solutions and many of these legacy systems have issues in regard to integration with each other. This is why legacy software systems often do not go well with ERP automation systems. NetSuite integration services, in this respect, can utilise the modular and customisable aspects of NetSuite and ensure smooth integration.  

Spreadsheets are too Outdated Now

Since construction project management has become extremely complex for several years, many traditional software solutions just do not fit into the new requirements. Now, even the supply chains are really global in character, and they need to accommodate the pre-assembly of many construction materials and parts. This further complicated the business process. All these complexities can no longer be accommodated by traditional spreadsheets. This is where a consolidated ERP system like NetSuite can offer great value. 

Relief from Tasks that You Have Little Idea About 

Construction companies often lack exposure to the latest technologies and evolving landscape of ERP tools and business process automation. Naturally, by choosing different software systems for different departments, construction companies often face silos and performance issues across their processes. NetSuite brings relief to them by taking care of all operational procedures with the right modules and ERP automation features. Thanks to this, construction businesses can now concentrate on their core businesses while the ERP automation is taken care of by NetSuite ERP for construction implementation service. 

Reducing Errors to a Minimum  

With NetSuite, construction companies achieve seamless integration among various technology platforms and can ensure optimum visibility across all functional departments such as accounting, operations, executive suite, field staff, etc. This consolidated approach also prevents multiple data entries across the system so that there can be the least errors in the data.

Every Tool a Construction Business Needs 

Companies, by simply bringing their entire processes within a single and consolidated platform, can gain great competitive advantage in the market. A construction company with NetSuite can get access to every different tool and application they need without relying on any other third-party service provider. Seamless collaboration among these tools and different modules brings fast-paced automation, ensuring cost and time savings and new growth opportunities. 

Bringing the Leading ERP in the World 

Oracle NetSuite, as the most advanced ERP automation system, has already been embraced by leading industry players across the niches. With NetSuite, construction companies can easily adhere to the latest industry benchmarks, standards, and compliance regulations to stay more updated than their competitors. When you have the world’s most powerful ERP system on your side, you are more exposed to growth hacking opportunities. 

Why Should One Choose NetSuite?

NetSuite has many advantages, selecting it as an ERP solution can be a wise strategic move for many companies. Here are a few strong arguments for why NetSuite stands out:

  • Provides Extensive Integration: NetSuite provides a single, unified platform that combines financial management, CRM, inventories, e-commerce, and more, reducing the need for various disparate systems. NetSuite also ensures ideal data flow between multiple departments and functions, which leads to more accurate, timely insights. 
  • Provides equipped and Industry-Specific Solutions: NetSuite provides modules and industry-specific solutions that can be customized to meet the particular needs of different sectors, including construction, manufacturing, retailing, and servicing. Additionally, it gives users access to a marketplace with add-ons and integrations from other companies that increase NetSuite’s capability.
  • Provides Real-time transparency and reporting: NetSuite provides real-time access to primary metrics and performance indicators through customizable dashboards. It also offers strong reporting tools that allow for detailed, comprehensive reports.
  • Provides Cloud-Based Accessibility: It can be accessible from anywhere, i.e. you can access NetSuite from your convenient location, which leads to support remote work and performing multi-site operations.
  • Provides worldwide reach and Multi-Currency: NetSuite is appropriate for managing worldwide business since it offers support for multi-language, multi-currency, and multi-subsidiary operations on a global scale. Additionally, it modifies regulations and regularity standards to facilitate the operation of global businesses.
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Conclusion

Industries are growing rapidly, and the continuous development of tools and technologies is making the environment of businesses more complex and full of challenges. Implementing NetSuite in constructing projects becomes crucial for any industry to make their performance efficient and user-adaptable. Hence, it is advised to get a NetSuite Consultant. NetSuite Consulting services will lead to maximizing the performance of your system and optimizing and constructing it in the best way possible making it user-friendly and increasing satisfaction. A NetSuite Provider will thoroughly assess your system to make it future-ready and compete with global organizations and will add value to your Oracle NetSuite system.  

FAQS

NetSuite is the cost of an annual subscription. The subscription consists of two parts i.e. number of users and platform fee. The platform fee is further made up of the base module and added modules which support additional functionalities required for business.

Implementing NetSuite for construction can be challenging sometimes, some of the common challenges include, complexity in customization, User-Adaptation as construction teams may suffer from adapting new technologies, integration with existing construction software and tools can be chaotic, complexity in Data - migration, it can be time-consuming and also prone to error.

NetSuite can be ideal for a wide range of companies as it offers a scalable, all-in-one cloud-based platform that helps in the integration of key business functions such as ERP, CRM, and e-commerce. It also presents real-time data, it is extremely customizable, it supports global operations, and it automates processes as well.