/ RIB Candy Planning, Forecasting & Project Controls

Connect cost, time, resources and progress so that project information can support better decisions.

RIB Candy Assist helps building and civil contractors connect estimates, programmes, resources, budgets, progress and forecasts around a practical project-control process.

Planning, Forecasting & Project Controls

* Graphics are for illustrative purposes only and may differ from the actual software interface.

An estimate establishes what the work is expected to cost. A programme establishes when and how it is expected to happen. Project controls help compare those expectations with what is happening on site—and what is likely to happen next.

RIB Candy Assist helps building and civil contractors use Candy to connect estimates, programmes, resources, budgets, progress and forecasts around a practical project-control process.

Support can focus on establishing the system, solving a specific problem or improving an existing process that is no longer producing reliable information.

Tell us about your project

Which parts of the project need to work together?

Project controls are most useful when the underlying information is connected and maintained consistently.

Discuss your project controls

Estimates and budgets

Use the accepted estimate as a foundation for understanding the quantities, resources, costs and allowances behind the project budget.

The estimate may need to be reviewed or reorganised before it can support effective project control.

Construction programmes

Develop or review a time-based programme showing the activities, durations, dates and relationships required to complete the work.

The programme should reflect a practical construction approach rather than becoming a colourful bar chart that receives polite attention at meetings and little else.

Resource planning

Use programme and estimating information to understand when labour, plant, materials and other resources may be required.

Resource forecasts help identify planned demand and provide a basis for reviewing whether the proposed construction sequence is realistic.

Progress and performance

Establish a process for updating actual progress and comparing it with the planned programme and available budget information.

The reliability of this comparison depends on regular updates, consistent measurement and clearly assigned responsibilities.

Cash-flow forecasting

Distribute project values over time to develop an expected cash-flow profile linked to the construction programme.

Forecasts should be reviewed as programme dates, progress, assumptions and remaining work change.

Reporting and forecasting

Bring the relevant cost, time, resource and progress information together to support practical project reporting and forecasts.

The reports required will depend on the contract, management needs, available information and systems used by the business.

A project plan should change when the project does

A tender programme and budget represent the assumptions made before the project began. Once work starts, conditions change.

Click any of the software screenshots below for more details.

A time-based project programme showing construction activities, durations, dates and the relationships between them.
A plant histogram showing when different types of construction equipment are expected to be required.
A labour histogram showing when different skills and workforce resources are expected to be needed during the project.
Budgeted project amounts distributed month by month using information linked to the construction programme.
The monthly and cumulative values behind the forecast curve, showing the expected expenditure range over time.
Lower, mean and upper curves used to model how project expenditure may be distributed across the contract period.
A detailed worksheet showing how labour, plant, production rates and other resources combine to calculate a construction activity rate.

Activities may take longer than expected. Productivity can differ from the allowance. Resources may be required earlier or later. Information may be delayed, and the remaining work may need to be approached differently.

Project control is therefore not a once-off setup. It is a working cycle:

  • Establish the budget and baseline programme.
  • Record progress and relevant actual information.
  • Compare actual performance with the plan.
  • Review the remaining work and resources.
  • Update the forecast.
  • Communicate the issues requiring attention.

RIB Candy can support this cycle, but the quality of the result still depends on the accuracy, timing and consistency of the information supplied.

How project-control assistance works

1

Start with the control problem

We clarify what management or the project team needs to understand, which reports are required and where the current process is falling short.
2

Review the estimate and programme

We assess the relevant Candy estimate, programme, resources, budgets, forecasts, progress information and current reporting process.
3

Agree on the control basis

We define which information will be used, how it will be structured, how progress will be measured and who is responsible for supplying, reviewing and approving updates.
4

Establish or improve the controls

Depending on the scope, this may involve developing the programme, linking cost and time information, establishing resource forecasts, reviewing cash flow or improving reporting outputs.
5

Support the update and handover process

We help establish how the controls should be updated and used during live work, then hand the agreed system or outputs back to the responsible project team.

Project controls require continued input from the people closest to the work. RIB Candy Assist can establish, improve or support the process, but the client remains responsible for providing accurate project information and making project and commercial decisions.

From tender information to live project control

A well-structured tender estimate can provide useful information for procurement, planning, resource scheduling, budgeting and forecasting after award.

That does not mean the tender file should automatically become the project-control system without review. The estimate needs to be aligned with the accepted contract, construction programme, project responsibilities and reporting requirements.

Is the estimating foundation unreliable?

Tender Estimating Support can assist with resource-based rate build-ups, BOQs, resource calculations and tender review.

Explore Tender Estimating Support

Does the Candy system need restructuring?

RIB Candy Setup & Implementation can help establish the resources, Masters, coding structures, contract setup and working processes needed to support live projects.

Explore Setup & Implementation

Do actual costs sit in BuildSmart?

Our Candy & BuildSmart Integration service can help assess how estimating, budget and actual-cost information should be aligned across the two systems.

Explore Candy & BuildSmart Integration

Frequently asked questions

Potentially. We first need to understand the project, available contract information, existing programme and intended use of the programme.

Candy can be used to connect estimating, planning, resource and time-based information. The practical setup will depend on how the estimate and programme have been structured.

Yes. Support can include time-based cash-flow forecasting using available budget and programme information. Forecast reliability depends on the assumptions, programme and project information supplied.

Yes. We can assess the current information and determine what controls can practically be established or improved. The further the project has progressed, the more important reliable historic and current information becomes.

The frequency and responsibilities must be agreed as part of the engagement. Support may involve establishing the process, assisting with particular updates or working alongside the responsible team.

No. Project controls help identify and communicate performance, changes and forecast outcomes. They cannot remove commercial or operational risks or guarantee the final result.

Workplace mentoring can help team members apply the process while completing live work. Formal RIB Candy training is delivered and administered separately through Best Training.

Get a clearer view of the work ahead

Tell us about the project, the controls already in place and the information you are struggling to connect. We’ll assess the current position and help identify a practical route forward.

When contacting us, please include:

  • The type and current stage of the project.
  • Whether a Candy estimate and programme already exist.
  • The controls or reports you currently use.
  • The particular problem requiring attention.
  • Any important reporting or contract deadline.

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