Labour variance
Review hours, rework, overtime, scope changes or data coding where your records support it.
COMPLETED JOB PROFITABILITY
Job profitability analysis for M&E contractors
Understand what each completed job actually made and what deserves a closer review.
Netluno helps M&E contractors compare estimates with actual results, identify recorded revenue and cost variances, and use completed-job evidence to guide future commercial decisions.
OUTCOME AND EVIDENCE
Go beyond the final job margin
A 24% margin on one job and 14% on another show the outcomes. The useful question is what created the difference.
Netluno highlights recorded variances and areas to investigate without claiming certainty about operational causes.
- Estimated and actual revenue
- Estimated and actual labour
- Estimated and actual materials
- Other recorded direct costs
- Estimated and actual gross profit
- Estimated and actual gross margin
FROM ESTIMATE TO REVIEW
Compare estimated job costs with actual costs
Finish the work, record what happened, compare it with the estimate and decide what deserves investigation.
- 01Estimate
- 02Complete work
- 03Record actuals
- 04Compare
- 05Investigate variances
- 06Apply the lesson
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
A completed M&E project
| Recorded category | Estimated | Actual | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | £50,000 | £50,000 | £0 |
| Labour | £14,000 | £17,200 | +£3,200 |
| Materials | £17,000 | £18,100 | +£1,100 |
| Other direct costs | £4,000 | £4,000 | £0 |
Illustrative figures only. The value lies in seeing which recorded categories changed materially.
SIGNALS, NOT ASSUMPTIONS
See where the job moved away from the estimate
A variance shows where recorded performance changed. It starts a commercial review without inventing an unsupported explanation.
Material variance
Compare the allowance with actual costs, then examine purchasing, specification, waste or scope.
Revenue variance
Check whether final revenue moved above or below the estimate. The figures do not explain the reason on their own.
Other direct-cost variance
Keep other direct costs visible so smaller differences do not disappear inside the final margin.
REVIEW THE FULL PICTURE
Learn from strong jobs as well as weak ones
Profitable jobs can also sharpen how you estimate, deliver and price repeatable work.
- Which jobs regularly produce stronger margins?
- Which estimates are consistently accurate?
- Where does labour regularly exceed estimates?
- Where do materials repeatedly differ from estimates?
- Which completed projects deserve deeper review?
- What should change before similar work is priced?
FROM REVIEW TO THE NEXT QUOTE
Turn completed jobs into a feedback loop
Netluno does not create estimates automatically. It helps contractors use evidence from completed work in the next estimating and pricing conversation.
Your completed jobs become evidence for the next commercial review.
- Review the completed job
- Identify material recorded variances
- Investigate with operational context
- Check the lesson before pricing similar work
A FOCUSED ANALYSIS TOOL
Works alongside the software you already use
Netluno is not an accounting, CRM, scheduling, field-service or invoicing platform.
Enter a completed job manually or use Netluno’s validated CSV format. Direct software integrations are not part of the current workflow.
Two ways to bring completed jobs in
Manual entry
Record a completed job and its original estimate directly.
Validated CSV
Prepare completed jobs in Netluno’s required format before import.
WHO NETLUNO IS FOR
Built for project-based trade contractors
Netluno is designed for small trade contractors whose commercial results depend on labour, materials, direct costs and revenue job by job.
M&E contractorsMechanical contractorsElectrical contractorsHVAC contractorsBuilding-services companies
JOB PROFITABILITY FAQ
Clear answers for a practical review
What is job profitability analysis?
It compares a completed job’s revenue and recorded direct costs to understand gross profit and gross margin. Netluno also compares the estimate with the result and highlights variances worth investigating.
What is the difference between job costing and profitability analysis?
Job costing records revenue and direct costs. Profitability analysis uses those records to assess margin, performance against the estimate and areas needing review.
How do you compare estimated and actual costs?
Record estimated revenue, labour, materials and other direct costs, then enter the corresponding actual figures after completion. Netluno shows each difference alongside gross profit and margin.
What is job cost variance?
It is the difference between an estimated cost and the recorded actual cost. It shows where numbers changed, not necessarily why.
Does Netluno calculate business net profit?
No. It calculates job gross profit from revenue minus recorded direct costs. Company overhead and tax are excluded.
Does Netluno replace accounting software?
No. Netluno works with completed-job data entered manually or supplied in its validated CSV format.
What data do I need?
Estimated and actual revenue, labour, materials and other direct costs for a completed job. Complete, consistently coded records make the comparison more useful.
START WITH ONE COMPLETED JOB
See what the records show.
Compare the estimate with the actual result, review the variances and decide what to investigate before similar work is priced again.
Analyse a completed job