Custom software for agricultural contractors
Appfront builds custom software for agricultural contractors and land development companies: from scheduling machines, staff and tasks during the season to digital job tickets and time registration on site, machine and equipment management, GPS and trip logging, and post-calculation and invoicing per field, client or task. The app works on mobile and offline in the field, syncs automatically and integrates with your accounting. For contractors, land development, earthworks, grounds maintenance and manure distribution who want planning and administration in order without loose notes.
What is contractor software?
Contractor software supports the full workflow of an agricultural or land improvement contractor: scheduling machines, staff and jobs, recording hours worked and tasks performed through digital job sheets on site, managing machinery and equipment, and post-calculating and invoicing per field, customer or task. In short, everything needed to get from a scheduled job to a correct invoice, in one coherent system.
In practice, a great deal of work gets lost in paper notes, messages and spreadsheets. Hours are noted on the machine, retyped later and, at the end of the month, painstakingly tracked down again when invoicing. That costs time and leads to missed hours and disputes with customers. Digital job sheets record the work as it happens, so your administration is accurate and your post-calculation is complete.
Off-the-shelf packages often force your way of working into a fixed mould, while every contractor uses its own job types, units and rates and plans differently during the busy season. Custom software fits your process rather than the other way round, and can grow with you as you add new services or machines. Read more about our approach to custom software for small and medium-sized businesses.
From planning to invoice
Planning, job sheets, hours, machines and invoicing in one system. What is recorded in the field flows into post-calculation and onto the invoice without retyping, so no hours or journeys fall through the cracks.
Works on mobile and offline
The driver's app runs on phone or tablet, including in places without coverage. Job sheets and hours are stored locally and synchronise automatically once connectivity returns, so no records are lost.
Set up for your business
Your job types, units, rates and regular customers are built into the software, not a generic industry standard. That way your team recognises the work immediately and the administration matches how you invoice.
How we build your contractor software
We work step by step and involve your planners and drivers early in the process. From a thorough exploration of your job types, machines and invoicing approach through to go-live and ongoing support, every step aims to deliver software that your people, both in the office and on the machine, understand and want to use every day.
We map out your workflow: types of work, units and rates, how you plan during the peak, how job tickets and hours are currently created, and which integration with your accounting is needed. Together we determine where the greatest time savings and error reduction can be achieved.
We design the planning, the on-site work order app and the invoicing process, with particular attention to use on a phone or tablet while wearing work gloves, and to reliable synchronisation where mobile coverage varies.
We build in short iterations with automated testing and monitoring. You see working versions along the way, and drivers can review them, so we refine the app based on real work in the field.
A controlled go-live, ideally well ahead of the busy season, with support for your team. Afterwards, ongoing management, monitoring and further development as you add new services, machines or integrations.
What agricultural contracting software actually does
We tailor every application specifically to your types of work, machines and invoicing approach. Below are the features we most often deliver for agricultural contractors and land improvement companies.
Planning of machines, staff and jobs
Plan which machine, with which driver, on which field and for which client is deployed, by day and by week. During the peak season you can easily reschedule when the weather changes or a job overruns, and the staff involved see the change straight away in their app.
Digital work orders on site
The driver records on the machine which work has been carried out, on which field and for which client, with the units used and any remarks or photos. The job ticket works on mobile and offline and syncs automatically as soon as there is a connection.
Time registration
Hours worked by staff and operating hours of machines are recorded per client, field and task. This forms the basis for payroll processing, post-calculation and an accurate invoice, and avoids disputes because every hour can be traced back to a work order.
Field and client records
Fields and clients, with their agreements, rates and work history, all in one place. You can see at a glance what work has been done where, which agreements apply and what has already been completed this season, so that planning and invoicing are always tied to the correct location.
Machine management and GPS trip logging
Keep track of maintenance, inspections, operating hours and fuel consumption for each machine, so you can plan ahead and prevent downtime. With GPS and trip logging you record where machines have been and which journeys were made, providing evidence for hours, fuel and invoices.
Post-calculation and invoicing
Job tickets and hours lead directly to a post-calculation and an invoice proposal per field, client or task. After checking, the invoice goes to your accounting through an integration with, for example, Exact Online or Twinfield, so you invoice faster and more completely.
Who we build agricultural contracting software for
Contracting work takes many forms, from arable contracting to earthworks and groundcare. What these businesses share is that people and machines work across changing locations, and every completed task must lead to a correct invoice. For each of them we build software that fits the types of work and rates of that business.
Agricultural contractors
Contracting businesses that cultivate land, sow, harvest, fertilise and carry out crop protection. The software supports seasonal planning with multiple machines and drivers, work orders per field, and post-calculation based on the types of work and units you use.
Land improvement and earthworks
Companies carrying out earthworks, drainage, bank protection and land improvement works. Project-based recording, machine deployment and GPS trip logging give you oversight of hours, equipment and progress per job, and support your invoices.
Groundcare
Gardeners and landscapers carrying out maintenance and new landscaping for municipalities, businesses and private clients. Work orders, time registration and the planning of crews and equipment keep every job traceable on site and invoicing complete.
Manure distribution
Companies that transport and spread manure, where recording loads, fields and quantities is critical. The software records journeys, loading and unloading registrations and hours, so accountability and invoicing stay in order.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
We build with a modern, maintainable web stack and a mobile app that works offline and syncs automatically. Where needed, we connect to your accounting, to GPS and telematics systems, and to other systems you already use. For smart work allocation we deploy custom planning and scheduling software, and to optimise routes and sequencing we combine this with route planning software. We set up every integration so that data is only recorded once.
If you also do earthworks and want machines and operators on one planning board with machine hours on site, take a look at our equipment planning app for earthworks.
Why choose Appfront for your contracting business software?
Appfront builds custom software for SMEs and always starts with a thorough analysis of your work process, machinery and invoicing method. Software for an agricultural contractor must not only be technically correct, but above all work in practice: on a tractor with work gloves on, in a field with no signal, and in a busy office that wants to invoice at the end of the week.
We write clear documentation and deliver transparent code, so that your own team or a future supplier can understand and manage the software. No black box and no vendor lock-in, but clear agreements on management, integrations and further development. That way, you remain the owner of your software and your data.
You work with a dedicated point of contact who understands both the technology and your field of work. This keeps lines of communication short, prevents misunderstandings and speeds up decisions when choices need to be made during development, for example about how a type of work or rate should function in the app.
Also take a look at our broader services: custom software, planning and scheduling software and route planning software. Have any questions? Get in touch.
- Custom software for agricultural contractors and landscaping engineering
- Mobile job-ticket app that works offline and syncs
- Configured for your types of work, units and rates
- From planning to final costing and invoice in one system
- Integration with accounting packages such as Exact Online and Twinfield
- Machinery and equipment management with maintenance and fuel
- GPS and journey logging to substantiate invoices
- Clear documentation and transparent code, no lock-in
- A fixed point of contact, no account managers passed around
- Ongoing management and seasonal development
Security and privacy in contracting business software
Contracting businesses also process personal data: that of your own employees and of your clients. That is why we build in security and privacy from the architecture stage. We set up access based on role, so that a driver only sees their own job tickets and planning, not the full client and financial administration. This keeps you in control of who can view and edit which data.
We work in line with the GDPR and common security standards, with encryption in transit and at rest, secure authentication and logging of key actions. Your data runs in a professional hosting environment with backups and monitoring, and for an integration with your accounting we only exchange the data needed to invoice.
You can read more about our approach to security in our information security policy. Discuss your situation with no obligation via our contact form.
- GDPR-compliant processing of employee and client data
- Role-based access and least-privilege principles
- Encryption in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest
- Secure authentication for office and app
- Logging of important actions and changes
- Backups and monitoring in a professional hosting environment
- Only necessary data exchange in integrations
- Clear agreements on ownership of software and data
Frequently asked questions about contracting business software
Answers to the questions we are asked most often about custom software for contracting businesses.
Contracting business software supports the entire workflow of an agricultural contractor or land improvement company: scheduling machines, staff and jobs, recording hours worked and tasks carried out through digital job sheets in the field, managing machines and equipment, and post-calculation and invoicing per field, customer or task. Custom software lets you set this up the way your own business works, with your units, rates and types of work, rather than adapting your way of working to a standard package. Loose notes and spreadsheets disappear, and every journey, hour and shift remains traceable from planning through to invoice.
Yes. The driver or employee records on the machine, or via a phone or tablet, which work has been carried out, on which plot, for which client and how many hours or units. As coverage varies in the field, we build the app offline-first: data is stored locally and syncs automatically as soon as a connection is available again. That way, no records are lost and nobody has to type up work orders afterwards.
We build custom software. Every contracting business works differently: different types of work, different units and rates, different arrangements with regular customers and its own approach to planning during the busy season. Custom software fits your actual processes and can grow with you as you add new services or machines. After an initial conversation, we agree together which functionality matters most and in what order we build it, without promising a fixed timeline or price we cannot yet justify.
Yes. We integrate the software with common accounting packages such as Exact Online, Twinfield or e-Boekhouden, so that invoices and client details aren't maintained twice. Hours and work orders feed directly into a post-calculation and an invoice proposal, which goes to your accounting as an invoice once checked. Which integration is most convenient depends on your current administration and the way you invoice.
In the season a lot happens at once: multiple machines, drivers and customers, weather-dependent work and shifting priorities. The planning view shows, by day or week, which machine with which driver is scheduled on which field, so you can quickly reshuffle when the weather changes or a job overruns. Changes are immediately visible to the staff involved via their app, so the plan and the actual work stay in step.
Yes. For each machine or implement we record when maintenance, inspection or servicing is due, and we track operating hours and fuel consumption, so you can plan in good time and avoid downtime. With GPS and trip logging you record where machines have been and which trips were made, which helps with hours reporting, fuel records and substantiating your invoices. To optimise trips and routes, we can combine this with custom route planning.
We build for agricultural contractors who cultivate land, sow, harvest and carry out crop protection, for land improvement and earthmoving companies, for grounds maintenance and for manure distribution. What these businesses share is that people and machines work across changing locations, and that every task carried out must be recorded correctly and be traceable to an invoice. We configure the software for each business around the types of work, units and rates you use.
Ready to build your contracting software?
Tell us how your contracting business works and where you run into problems, from planning and work orders to machinery management, post-calculation and invoicing. We're happy to think along with you about process, mobile recording on site and the integration with your accounting. In a no-obligation first conversation you'll get a clear picture of the custom software options that suit your business and your season.