Construction progress certificate software: how to choose
Andrés Segnini Capriles6 min read
| Type | Measure and certify | Verify progress | Hold and pay | Taxes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budgeting and measurement | ||||
| Project management | ||||
| Milestone payments | ||||
| Cimbrium |
A construction progress certificate has two lives. The first is a document: measuring the work done, valuing it and having the technical supervisors sign it. The second is money: getting that amount to whoever did the work. Almost all the software in the sector handles the first, and handles it well. Before choosing, it is worth knowing which of the two you need to solve.
What progress certificate software has to do
At a minimum, cover the document’s cycle without going through a separate spreadsheet:
- Measure the work done against the budget line items, for the period being certified.
- Value it cumulatively and for the period: what has been certified to date minus what was certified before.
- Apply what was agreed: retentions, price adjustments and approved change orders.
- Generate the document for the technical supervisors to sign and keep a record of what changed in the review.
- Link it to the invoice, so what is certified and what is invoiced never drift apart.
Most tools get this far. What comes next (checking that progress is real, that the money is available and that the payment is split correctly between taxes and profit) is a different category of problem.
Four types of tool
1. Budgeting and measurement
These are the sector’s veteran programs in Spain, with years of use in architecture studios, engineering firms and construction companies. Their strength is budgeting and measurement, and all of them include certification.
| Tool | What its website says about certification and control |
|---|---|
| Presto RIB Software | Budgeting, planning and financial tracking of the project, with progress certificates, earned value analysis and connection to BIM models. |
| Arquímedes CYPE | Budgets and measurements, with progress certificates and cost management; its project control forecasts cash flow with the due dates of receipts and payments. |
| Menfis Cegid | Budgets and measurements with generation of progress certificates, and import and export of measurements from BIM models. |
| TCQ ITeC | A time, cost and quality program built on the BEDEC price database; ITeC teaches it for planning, certifying and tracking the project’s finances. |
None of the four mentions holding or releasing payment on its website. Arquímedes comes closest to the money, with its forecast of receipts and payments, which is cash-flow planning, not payment.
2. Project management
Large-scale platforms such as Procore, which presents itself as construction management software: project execution, costs, resources and lifecycle. They are very complete on documents and coordination; certification is one more piece within management, not the center.
3. Milestone payments
Tools that start from the other end: the money. Fintiq presents itself as a platform for paying by progress certificates on construction and renovation projects, with funds tied to the project and release conditional on milestones. They solve the progress certificate’s second life; the first (measuring, valuing, budgeting) falls outside what they publish.
4. The full cycle
The fourth option is for the same system that measures and certifies to be the one that verifies and pays, and for the payment to arrive already split. This is Cimbrium’s proposal, and it is worth describing with its real status:
- CostPact (live): budgets on an official price catalog, progress certificates with draft and review, change orders paid within the progress certificate, cost control, purchasing and subcontractors.
- PactStream (switching on with our first clients): the amount for each phase set aside in a regulated escrow account, through a regulated payment provider, and released when the milestone has been verified by AI and certified by the technical supervisors.
- FiscalCore (live): drafts of Spain’s tax forms 303, 111 and 130 and the split of each payment into taxes, costs and profit.
Almost all the software in the sector can produce the progress certificate. Very little of it makes sure it gets paid.
The questions worth asking before you choose
- Does it certify cumulatively and by period, with retentions, price adjustments and change orders, without redoing anything in a spreadsheet?
- Who uses the tool: only whoever certifies, or also the technical supervisors and the client, each with their own access?
- Does it record what was measured, what changed in the review and who approved it?
- What price database does it use, and can you bring your own?
- What happens to the money once the progress certificate is signed: does the tool handle it, or does another process start outside it?
- Does it work on a phone, on site, or only in the office?
If the first three are enough, any of the budgeting and measurement programs will do the job. If the fifth is what keeps you up at night, the problem isn’t progress certificate software: it is how the project gets paid, and we cover it in how to get paid for a progress certificate without waiting 90 days.
What sits behind the full cycle
| Division | What it brings here |
|---|---|
| CostPact | Measurement and certification against the budget, with draft, review and change orders, and cost control for the project. |
| PactStream | Verification of progress and the safekeeping and release of the amount for each milestone (switching on with our first clients). |
| FiscalCore | The payment, split into taxes, costs and profit, with drafts of Spain’s tax forms 303, 111 and 130. |
| PropertyJourney | When the project is a real estate development, the sales that start it and the handover and after-sales that close it. |
Frequently asked questions
Which programs are used in Spain to produce construction progress certificates?
The most widespread are budgeting and measurement programs: Presto (RIB Software), Arquímedes (CYPE), Menfis (Cegid) and TCQ (ITeC). All of them include progress certification alongside budgeting and measurement.
Does progress certificate software also handle payment?
Generally, no. Budgeting and measurement programs generate the progress certificate and, in some cases, a forecast of receipts and payments, but they don’t hold or release the money. That is done by tools built specifically for milestone payments.
What is the difference between certifying and verifying progress?
Certifying is valuing the work done and having the technical supervisors sign it. Verifying progress is proving with evidence that the work exists and complies. We explain it in how to verify construction progress before you pay.
Which parts of Cimbrium are available today?
CostPact, for budgets, progress certificates and project control, and FiscalCore, for taxes, are live. PactStream, setting aside and releasing payment, is built and switching on with our first clients, with custody through a regulated payment provider.
Information on each tool from its official website, checked on October 14, 2026: RIB Presto · CYPE Arquímedes · Cegid Menfis · ITeC, TCQ training in planning, certification and financial tracking · Procore and Fintiq, according to their websites (see our comparisons with Procore and Fintiq). Features change: confirm with each vendor before you decide.
