Construction site management software covers programme management, RFI and drawing issue control, subcontractor coordination, inspection and snagging workflows, and on-site safety record management. UK principal contractors on notifiable projects must maintain a construction phase plan under CDM Regulations 2015, and site management platforms increasingly embed CDM documentation workflows. Procore, PlanGrid (now Autodesk Build), Buildertrend, and Causeway's site management modules are most commonly used by UK contractors. Mobile-first platforms with offline capability are essential for sites with intermittent connectivity.
Last reviewed May 2026
Site management software has moved from a document filing tool to the operational backbone of complex UK construction projects. On a mid-sized commercial project, a site manager may be coordinating dozens of subcontractors, tracking hundreds of outstanding RFIs, managing a drawing register running to thousands of documents, and maintaining the safety and inspection records required by the HSE, the principal designer, and the client. Software that consolidates these workflows - and makes them accessible to the site team on a mobile device without reliable internet connectivity - reduces the administrative burden on site management staff and improves the quality of records produced. For UK contractors, CDM Regulations 2015 compliance documentation and RIDDOR-reportable incident records are the compliance anchors around which site management software must be evaluated.
CDM Regulations 2015 and the Construction Phase Plan
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 impose specific duties on principal contractors for notifiable projects (those expected to last more than 30 working days with more than 20 workers simultaneously, or exceed 500 person-days). The principal contractor must prepare and maintain a construction phase plan setting out how health and safety risks will be managed during construction. The plan must be reviewed and updated throughout the project as conditions change.
Site management software that embeds CDM construction phase plan templates and provides version-controlled storage of the plan and its revisions reduces the risk of the plan becoming a static document filed at project start and never updated. Platforms that link the construction phase plan to the live site safety record - incident reports, toolbox talk records, induction logs, permit-to-work registers - create a coherent safety management audit trail that demonstrates active CDM compliance rather than paper compliance.
The principal contractor must also ensure that all workers on site have received a site induction covering the construction phase plan's key safety provisions. Site management platforms with digital induction recording - capturing the worker's name, induction date, and topics covered - provide an auditable induction record that satisfies the HSE's expectation and is essential evidence in the event of a RIDDOR-reportable incident or HSE inspection. Paper induction records stored in a site office are frequently incomplete, illegible, or lost.
Drawing and Document Control on UK Construction Sites
Drawing management is one of the highest-value functions of site management software on complex projects. A live project may receive dozens of drawing revisions per week from the design team, each of which must be distributed to the relevant subcontractors and supersede previous revisions in the site team's working documents. Manual drawing distribution - by email or shared drive - routinely results in subcontractors working from superseded drawings, creating defects that are expensive to rectify and generate disputes about responsibility.
Site management platforms address this through a controlled drawing register: each drawing has a current revision status, a distribution list, and a notification workflow that alerts relevant recipients when a new revision is issued. Subcontractors access drawings through the platform (rather than from an email attachment) and the platform records when they accessed the current revision. This access log is valuable in disputes about whether a subcontractor had notice of a design change that affected their work.
RFI (Request for Information) management is a related function. On a complex project, hundreds of RFIs may be raised, requiring responses from the design team within contractually specified timeframes. Unanswered RFIs are a common source of programme delay and extension of time claims. Site management software that tracks RFI status (raised, issued to designer, response received, closed), highlights overdue responses, and links RFIs to affected drawing areas and programme activities provides the site manager with the information needed to escalate delays before they affect critical path activities.
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Platforms Used by UK Site Management Teams
Procore is the most widely used site management platform on large UK commercial and infrastructure projects. Its document management, RFI, drawing register, inspection, and daily log modules are comprehensive. Its mobile app functions offline and syncs when connectivity is restored, which is essential for basement, tunnel, or underground structure work. Its integration marketplace includes connections to UK accounting platforms, BIM tools, and safety management systems. Pricing is project-based or enterprise licence; it is positioned at the upper end of the market in cost.
Autodesk Build (which incorporates the former PlanGrid functionality) is widely used for drawing management and field issue tracking. Its 2D and 3D model viewing on mobile is strong, and its integration with Autodesk Takeoff and Autodesk Cost Management supports a connected project data model for firms standardising on the Autodesk Construction Cloud. Its RFI and daily log modules are less mature than Procore's equivalent.
Buildertrend is more commonly used by UK housebuilders, residential developers, and smaller contractors than by main contractors on large commercial projects. Its customer-facing portal (allowing clients to view project progress, approve selections, and track programme) is a differentiating feature for contractors where client relationship management is a competitive factor. Its CDM documentation support is less developed than Procore.
Causeway Site Manager is a UK-built platform with CDM documentation templates, RIDDOR reporting workflows, and integration with Causeway's estimating and commercial management suite. It is positioned at mid-market UK contractors who want a UK-specific platform integrated with their wider Causeway toolset rather than a US-origin platform requiring UK configuration.
| Platform | CDM templates | Offline mobile | RFI tracking | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Procore | Configurable | Yes | Strong | Large commercial projects |
| Autodesk Build | Limited | Yes | Moderate | BIM-enabled, Autodesk ecosystem |
| Buildertrend | Basic | Yes | Basic | Residential, client-facing portal |
| Causeway Site Manager | UK-specific | Yes | Good | Mid-market UK contractors |
Snagging, Inspections, and the Building Safety Act 2022
The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced the Higher-Risk Buildings (HRB) regime, which applies to buildings of 18 metres or more in height (or seven or more storeys) containing at least two dwellings. Principal contractors on HRB projects must maintain a golden thread of information - a structured, accessible record of design and construction decisions that affect the building's structural integrity and fire safety. Site management software used on HRB projects must be capable of maintaining this golden thread: linking inspection records, defect records, and design change records to specific building elements in a format that can be handed over to the accountable person (building owner or management organisation) at practical completion.
For all projects, digital snagging workflows - capturing defects with photographs, location references, and responsible subcontractor assignment - produce a more complete and actionable snag list than paper-based processes. Platforms that allow the site manager to raise a snag on a mobile device, attach a photograph, link it to a drawing location, and assign it to the responsible subcontractor with a target completion date reduce the time between defect identification and rectification, which directly affects practical completion dates and client satisfaction.
Quality inspection records - structural inspections, hold points, witness points, and manufacturer-specified installation checks - should be stored digitally with the inspector's name, date, and outcome. These records form part of the health and safety file that the principal contractor must hand over to the client at project completion under CDM Regulations 2015 Regulation 4(4). A site management platform that generates the H&S file handover package from the records created during construction is significantly more efficient than assembling the file manually from paper records at project end.
Programme Management Integration
Programme management (Gantt charts, critical path analysis, lookahead programmes) is typically handled in dedicated tools such as Asta Powerproject or Microsoft Project rather than within site management platforms. However, the link between the site management platform and the programme is important: RFI delays, material delivery deferrals, and subcontractor resource shortfalls that affect programme should be identifiable from site management data without requiring the site manager to maintain a separate delay log.
Some site management platforms include a basic lookahead programme or weekly work plan module that allows the site manager to identify planned activities for the coming two to four weeks and flag constraints (awaiting RFI response, awaiting material delivery, subcontractor resource not confirmed). This lookahead is distinct from the master programme and is a practical site coordination tool rather than a contract management document. Platforms that integrate the lookahead with the RFI and drawing management modules - automatically flagging programme activities that have an outstanding RFI or unissued drawing - reduce the risk of the site team discovering programme constraints too late to mitigate them.
FAQ
Is a construction phase plan required for all UK construction projects?
A construction phase plan is required for all construction projects, including non-notifiable ones, under CDM Regulations 2015. For non-notifiable projects, the plan can be straightforward and proportionate to the project's risks. The more extensive CDM requirements (appointment of principal designer and principal contractor, notification to HSE) apply only to notifiable projects - those exceeding 30 working days with more than 20 simultaneous workers, or 500 person-days total.
What records must a UK principal contractor retain under RIDDOR?
Under RIDDOR 2013 (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations), employers must report deaths, specified injuries, over-seven-day incapacitation injuries, occupational diseases, and dangerous occurrences to the HSE electronically. Records of all reportable incidents must be retained for three years. Site management software that includes an incident reporting module should generate the RIDDOR report in the correct format and retain a copy against the project record.
Does the Building Safety Act 2022 apply to refurbishment projects?
The Building Safety Act 2022 Higher-Risk Buildings regime applies to works on existing HRBs as well as new build. Significant works on existing buildings of 18 metres or more (including major refurbishment) trigger the requirements for a principal accountable person, a building assessment certificate, and maintenance of the golden thread of information. Contractors undertaking major refurbishment of existing tall residential buildings should verify the specific HRB regime requirements with their legal advisers before commencing work.
Can site management software replace a formal document control system?
For most UK construction projects, a well-configured site management platform with drawing register, revision control, and distribution tracking provides adequate document control. Large infrastructure projects or those with ISO 9001-certified quality management requirements may need a dedicated document control system (such as Aconex or SharePoint with a structured configuration) that provides more granular access controls, formal transmittal records, and integration with the client's document management system.
What offline capability should UK contractors require from site management apps?
At minimum, the mobile app should allow a site manager to view the current revision of any drawing, raise a defect or inspection record with a photograph, complete a daily diary entry, and record a site induction without an active internet connection. Data should sync automatically when connectivity is restored. Platforms that require continuous connectivity are not suitable for basement, underground, or rural site work where mobile signal is intermittent.
How We Verified
This article draws on HSE guidance on CDM Regulations 2015, the Building Safety Act 2022 as enacted, and RIDDOR 2013 reporting requirements. Platform capability descriptions are based on publicly available product documentation and vendor websites as of May 2026. No vendor paid for inclusion or placement in this article.
