Construction procurement teams are losing real‑time visibility of project spend because workers rely on paper receipts, delay uploads, and use desktop tools that don’t match on‑site workflows.
Why is procurement losing real-time visibility of spend?
Construction workers still operate in a world of paper receipts. Material purchases are often unplanned and bought on the fly when an issue on-site occurs and needs immediate attention, otherwise work grinds to a halt. But there’s a problem. While on-site work continues, off-site in the back office, procurement teams are absorbing avoidable cash-flow risk and losing real-time visibility of project spend. Receipts stuffed in wallets or fluttering around the dashboards of construction vehicles, for example, often take days or weeks to be uploaded or sent to finance for processing.
What the latest Capture Expense data shows
New data from our expense management software, Capture Expense, reveals exactly how construction teams are claiming, spending, and delaying uploads of their expenses. And what it shows is that controlling site spend has never been more critical. With margins under pressure, labour constraints biting, and projects moving at speed, visibility over every ad hoc purchase—from a tank of diesel to emergency equipment hires—is essential.
We looked at 22,556 construction sector claims submitted via our platform in 2025, and it’s messy. There are two stand out trends we found that procurement managers need to address:
- Paper still dominates. Two thirds (65%) of expense claims were submitted with paper rather than digital receipts. Paper-based spend equals late uploads, lost receipts, and no live visibility for procurement.
- Workers are still going back to their desks to submit claims. Despite being on the move all day, nearly half (47%) of claims come from a desktop computer, with only 32% uploaded via a mobile app and 4% via WhatsApp. This is critical. Most construction workers keep receipts in vans, pockets, or glove compartments, meaning claims pile up, errors and delays creep in, and procurement teams are left blind to daily site spend.
The cost of lost visibility
Think about it. Procurement is potentially losing visibility on thousands of pounds of spend. We found that the average claim value is £66.19; well under the likely minimum approved spend limit. Multiply that by an average of 22,500 annual expense submissions, and construction firms could easily be seeing an overspend or inconsistent supplier use for £1.4m worth of expenses.
Stats at a glance
Average claim
£66.19
Annual submissions
22,500+
Potential uncontrolled spend
£1.4m
What’s the best way to get cost control under control? It’s behaviour change
Construction workers aren’t unwilling; they just need tools that fit the way they work. They need to be able to deal with expenses as they happen. Quick photo. Quick upload. Zero desktop admin. Mobile submissions on the go is the way to go. Yet both WhatsApp and mobile submissions are massively underused – only 4% of submissions are made using former, and 32% made using the latter.
Immediate receipt capture using a friendly interface, such as Whatsapp, means fewer missing receipts, instant compliance checks and real-time spend data for procurement. And using live dashboards with daily uploads can help you spot supplier drift, whether that’s site managers buying from unapproved suppliers, expenses trending above budget and project costs starting to slip. Having real-time insight = real-time correction.
Then set expectations for same‑day or real‑time submissions to help reduce receipt loss, increase compliance, improve worker reimbursement (many are waiting a full 30 days).
How do you get workers to adhere to expense management rules? Bring expenses into the flow of work
Construction workers aren’t going to switch to mobile admin just because you tell them to. The opportunity is to fit expense capture into the natural rhythm of their day. Show them the benefits of snapping a receipt while they’re still in the van and upload it in seconds and highlight how it removes end‑of‑month admin stress.
Final thought: why delay payment to workers when speed isn’t the issue?
We found that on average expense submissions are paid in 1.8 days. What this tells us is that finance isn’t the problem. It’s the moment the claim is created causing the issue. If you can shift that moment earlier in the cycle – by getting expenses uploaded and into the system on the same day, procurement gains from real-time cost tracking, consistent supplier use and reduced errors. But importantly you benefit from happier, case-secure workers who don’t feel like they’re subsidising the company and its construction projects while waiting for recompense. This is where competitive advantage begins.
Why do construction workers delay submitting expenses?
Because the existing process forces them back to a desktop, and receipts accumulate in vans or pockets.
How much spend can procurement lose visibility on each year?
Up to £1.4m based on typical claim volumes and average values.
What’s the simplest way to improve real‑time visibility?
Encourage same‑day mobile or WhatsApp receipt capture to eliminate delays and lost receipts.
Find out more about Capture Expense
We’re so much more than just an app to track your business expenses. From saving days reconciling your credit cards to getting customised insights in an instant with your finance copilot, here’s everything you need to know about Capture Expense.