Core Concepts#

Understanding Construbot’s core concepts is essential for effectively managing your construction projects. This section explains the key entities and how they relate to each other.

Note

Spanish Terms: Construbot uses Spanish terminology. Each concept includes the Spanish term for reference. See Glossary for complete translations.

Overview#

Construbot organizes construction management around these core entities:

Entity Relationships

(Diagram placeholder showing relationships between entities)

Key Entities#

Entity Relationships#

Understanding how entities connect:

Contracts#

A Contract (Contrato) is linked to:

  • Counterparty (Contraparte) - Who you have the contract with

  • Site (Sitio) - Where the work happens

  • Concepts (Conceptos) - What work will be done

  • Estimates (Estimaciones) - Progress billing

  • Users - Who manages the contract

Counterparties#

A Counterparty (Contraparte) can have:

  • Sites (Sitios) - Multiple locations (for Clients only)

  • Contacts (Destinatarios) - People at the organization

  • Contracts (Contratos) - Multiple projects

Estimates#

An Estimate (Estimación) links:

  • Contract (Contrato) - Which project it belongs to

  • Estimate Concepts - Quantities completed for each work item

  • Users - Who drafted, supervised, and authorized it

Data Hierarchy#

Organizational Structure#

Customer (Cliente Sistema)
└── Company (Empresa)
    ├── Users (Usuarios)
    ├── Counterparties (Contrapartes)
    │   ├── Sites (Sitios)
    │   └── Contacts (Destinatarios)
    ├── Contracts (Contratos)
    │   ├── Concepts (Conceptos)
    │   ├── Retentions (Retenciones)
    │   ├── Estimates (Estimaciones)
    │   └── Sub-Contracts (child Contratos)
    └── Units (Unidades)

Everything is scoped to a Company for multi-tenancy support.

Contract Hierarchy#

Contracts can be hierarchical:

Main Contract (Parent)
├── Electrical Sub-Contract (Child)
├── Plumbing Sub-Contract (Child)
└── HVAC Sub-Contract (Child)

This allows tracking of subcontractor work separately while rolling up totals to the parent.

Learn more: Projects & Contracts

Financial Flow#

Understanding the financial lifecycle:

  1. Contract Created

    • Total amount (monto) defined

    • Advance payment % (anticipo) specified

    • Retentions (retenciones) configured

  2. Advance Payment

    • Client pays initial percentage (e.g., 10%)

    • Funds mobilization and initial costs

  3. Work Completed

    • Progress is tracked

    • Estimates document completed work

  4. Estimate Created

    • Quantities for each concept recorded

    • System calculates:

      • Subtotal for completed work

      • Minus: Advance amortization (recovery of advance)

      • Minus: Retentions (withholdings)

      • Equals: Net payment due

  5. Invoicing & Payment

    • Estimate marked as invoiced (facturada)

    • Payment received

    • Estimate marked as paid (pagada)

  6. Final Payment

    • All work completed

    • Retained amounts released

    • Contract closed

Learn more: Estimates, Retentions

Common Workflows#

The typical workflow combines these concepts:

Project Setup

  1. Create Client (Contraparte - Cliente)

  2. Create Site (Sitio)

  3. Create Contacts (Destinatarios)

  4. Create Contract (Contrato)

  5. Add Work Items (Conceptos)

  6. Configure Retentions (Retenciones)

Execution

  1. Complete work on site

  2. Create Estimate (Estimación)

  3. Document quantities for each Concept

  4. Generate PDF

  5. Submit to client

Financial Tracking

  1. Mark estimate as Invoiced

  2. Receive payment

  3. Mark estimate as Paid

  4. Monitor dashboard for outstanding amounts

Terminology Quick Reference#

Spanish Term

English Translation

Description

Contrato

Contract / Project

Main construction project

Contraparte

Counterparty

Business partner

Cliente

Client

Customer paying for work

Destajista

Piecework Contractor

Worker paid by task

Subcontratista

Subcontractor

Specialized contractor

Sitio

Site

Construction location

Destinatario

Contact / Recipient

Person at organization

Estimación

Estimate

Progress payment

Concepto

Concept / Line Item

Work item

Retención

Retention

Withholding

Anticipo

Advance

Down payment

Monto

Amount

Total value

Full glossary: Glossary

Detailed Concepts#

Next Steps#

  • Understand each concept by reading the detailed pages

  • Learn workflows in Workflows

  • Explore features in Features

Tip

Start with Projects & Contracts as it’s the central entity in Construbot.