Contracting & progress certificates — in one system
From the BOQ to measurement to the certificate — Zemam runs the full contracting cycle, computes the net due with its retention, advance, and VAT, and shows each project's profit straight from the ledger.
Each project's profit — from the books, not a guess
Every project has its own cost center. Tag a purchase invoice or a cash voucher to the project and its cost lands there, while contracting revenue is attributed to the project automatically from its certificate. You run the project's P&L straight from the ledger: each project's direct margin on its own — not just company-wide profit.
Bill of quantities (BOQ)
Record the contract items with their agreed quantities and unit prices. This schedule is the reference every certificate is measured against, so no one exceeds the contracted quantities or prices.
Measurements — what was actually executed
Record the quantities executed on site per item, and the system tracks cumulative execution. The measurement is what each certificate is built on, so every claim is tied to real work.
The progress certificate — fully computed
Period work value = (cumulative executed + materials) − prior certificates. Then VAT on the work value, then retention, advance recovery, and penalties are withheld — down to the net amount due. All computed automatically.
The client advance — cash or billed
Zemam supports both ways companies work. Cash: receive it as a «client advance» voucher on the project. Or bill it: raise an advance invoice that increases the customer's balance and parks the money as a liability until it is earned by work — not fake revenue before you start. Either way, each certificate recovers the agreed share automatically, capped at what is genuinely left, and a billed advance is recovered against its collected portion and hands back its VAT at the same rate.
Retention withholding
Retention is withheld from each certificate and accumulates on the project. When the defects-liability period after handover ends, a «release» turns it into a normal receivable you collect, and the Retentions report shows what is due across projects.
Subcontractors
Each subcontractor gets a contract with its own lines and prices. Their certificate computes the work, withholds their retention, recovers their advance and deducts penalties, and the cost lands on the project — then you pay them straight from the certificate.
Change orders
Extra work is recorded as a change order with its own lines, then approved or rejected. Only approved ones join the contract value, measurements and certificates.
Certificate approval before it posts
The certificate passes an approval path before posting — you decide who must approve it (consultant / management). Before approval there's no accounting effect; approval is what posts the entries.
Accounting posts automatically
The moment a certificate is approved, the system posts revenue to the Contract Revenue account on the project's own cost center, records retention, advance, and tax in their accounts, and shows the net due as a receivable — all in one balanced entry.
A project's profit comes from its cost center
Every project in Zemam is created with its own cost center. When you tag a supplier purchase or a cash payment to the project, its cost lands there — and its direct margin comes from the Cost-Center P&L report, taken from the ledger.
Read: what are cost centers and why you need them →Frequently asked questions
How exactly is a certificate computed?
Period work value = (cumulative executed work + materials supplied) − prior certificates. VAT is computed on the work value, then retention, advance recovery, and any penalties are withheld — leaving the net amount due to the contractor.
When is revenue recognized?
You choose. By default revenue posts when a certificate is approved. If you need IFRS 15, switch to percentage of completion: certificates still bill the client, and a period-end adjustment brings revenue to contract value × % complete from the latest approved measurement, with the difference shown as unbilled work or billed in advance. % complete is measured from executed quantities today, not from cost.
Do you handle retention and the client advance?
Yes, both — and on the subcontractor side too. Retention accumulates on the project and is released after the defects-liability period with a document that turns it into a normal receivable you collect. The advance has two paths: cash (received as a voucher) or billed (an advance invoice that raises the customer's balance and stays a liability until earned by work). Either way it is recovered from each certificate at the agreed rate until it runs out, and the billed one hands back its VAT at the same rate. Subcontractor retention and advances work the same way.
Does it support change orders (variations)?
Yes. A change order has its own screen with its date and lines, and is approved or rejected. Once approved, its lines join the bill of quantities and the contract value, and can be measured and billed on certificates.
Do certificates work in multiple currencies?
Certificates are currently in the company's base currency. Multi-currency certificates are on the roadmap — while the rest of the system (invoices, purchases, treasury) supports multiple currencies today.
Do I have to run the whole system just for contracting?
Contracting is part of Zemam, not a separate system — the same purchasing, treasury, and accounting that run your business feed your projects. Tag a purchase invoice or a cash voucher to the project and its cost lands there, while contracting revenue is attributed from the certificate — all from the same ledger.
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