Payapps, along with Censuswide, have surveyed financial decision-makers in construction to gauge the use of technology in construction
The report, The New Finance Mandate: Why technology is critical for meeting the evolving role of finance in construction, examines finance in construction and argues for more strategy in cashflow management.
Many finance teams are struggling with management of subcontractor payments, administrative workloads, cashflow visibility, and payment compliance.
162 senior financial decision-makers responded
The survey covered UK businesses with an annual revenue of £75m or more, and Irish businesses with a revenue of at least €86.5m, and ran from 27 October to 3 November 2025.
The report found that on average, construction businesses manage an average of 210 subcontractors, while their finance and subcontractor ledger teams average just five employees, and even businesses with a turnover between £100-£499.99m have finance teams averaging six staff.
The report identifies this imbalance as a key reason teams have less capacity for financial analysis, increasing the risk of errors, disputes, and cash flow problems.
Manual tools are still a key part of managing subcontractor payments for many businesses, with 50% of respondents still using spreadsheets, 46% using email, 44% using a dedicated payment software, 37% using ERP software, and 27% using pen and paper.
Furthermore, the average processing time for subcontractor applications for payments hit 20 hours per week, while managing and chasing self-billing agreements takes an average of 18 hours per week.
Technology can boost construction businesses
91% of respondents said that technology and software implementation is important to improving their construction processes, indicating that the majority of businesses could improve their processes with technology upgrades.
Furthermore, 81% believe that subcontractor payment management software would make their business more efficient, and 63% of businesses not yet using a dedicated software plan to introduce it within the next six months. 45% identify improving process efficiency through technology as a business priority over the next 24 months, while 41% prioritise improving payment times across their supply chains, while the same proportion prioritise improving profit margins, and 51% identify demonstrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) governance as a priority.
Payapps have also recently released a report from the reverse perspective, finding that 55% of subcontractors spend at least 20 hours per month on general administration, and on average, preparing and submitting an application takes 1.5 hours.
Furthermore, 67% of respondents say that they still prepare most payment applications using spreadsheets, and 15% say that a single application takes more than three hours. 60% of those still using spreadsheets say that administration affects their day-to-day work either a lot or a fair bit.
Download the Payapps report today.
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