HR Software for Construction UK: 4 Options Compared

For a small contractor replacing leave spreadsheets and scattered employee files, start with Breathe or Access PeopleHR. If your main problem is payroll across sites, compare MHR. If you also need labour costs tied to construction jobs and subcontractor payments, investigate Access Coins Evo. The right HR software for construction depends on which of those jobs you need it to do.

A builder with an office team, employed tradespeople and regular subcontractors has several different records to manage. Buying a general HR package does not mean it can run CIS payments, verify trade cards or control access to a site. This guide separates those requirements and gives you a practical way to test suppliers.

Which construction HR systems should you compare?

Start with the problem that creates the most rework each week. Employee records and leave point towards a core HR system. Repeated payroll corrections justify a closer look at connected payroll. If site labour costs also feed job accounts, bring your finance team into the choice before booking demos.

These are editorial shortlist suggestions based on supplier documentation checked in September 2026. We have not run hands-on trials of these systems. Published starting prices cover different products and should not be treated as equivalent quotes. For a wider comparison, see our UK HR software guides.

Breathe is a sensible first demo if your office still collects holiday requests through messages and stores employee documents in separate folders. Its per-business pricing is easy to compare with per-person subscriptions. Keep the trial focused on everyday staff admin, then check whether its optional site-related tools meet your needs.

Breathe’s construction page describes mobile leave requests, rotas, digital clock-ins and document sharing. Its Micro plan costs from £24 a month for up to 10 people, excluding VAT. Core HR includes absence and document management; rota and other add-ons need separate pricing.

Ask a site supervisor to approve leave on a phone and find the latest policy. Then check what happens when their worker moves to another site. Do not assume that a time log includes your required job codes or that payroll integration also covers subcontractor payments. Our Breathe review covers the wider product.

Access PeopleHR is worth comparing when new starters create repeated office work. Its published plan differences make it possible to separate basic record keeping from onboarding and timesheets. That matters for construction firms that need signed documents before a worker starts, but already have another system for site attendance.

PeopleHR pricing lists Starter from £3 per employee per month, with records, documents, absence tracking and a mobile app. Core starts at £5.50 and adds onboarding and e-signatures. Pro starts at £8 and includes timesheets. Confirm VAT, minimum charges, billing terms and any payroll costs in the quote.

Test whether your chosen tier can route a starter between HR and their site manager. Ask how reminders escalate when a document is missing. PeopleHR and Access Coins Evo are different products within the Access group; their shared ownership is not evidence that either subscription includes the other. Read our PeopleHR review for more detail.

MHR deserves a place on the shortlist when HR and payroll teams keep correcting each other’s records. Its construction offering addresses connected people, payroll and finance information. Treat this as a scoped implementation project. Establish which product, modules and services the supplier proposes before comparing it with a basic HR subscription.

MHR’s construction page describes payroll support and integrated HR and finance data. Its range includes People First and iTrent, alongside managed payroll services. Ask for a quote against your actual employee groups, pay cycles and interfaces. We have not inferred a starting price or assumed CIS capability from general payroll claims.

Bring a sample payroll import, with personal details removed. Have the supplier show how it handles a late overtime correction after approval. Your payroll lead should see who changes the record, who approves it and how the change reaches payroll. A polished dashboard is less useful than a clean answer to that question.

Access Coins Evo is relevant when the problem extends beyond HR into construction accounts and resource planning. Its workforce tools sit within a wider construction platform. Shortlist it if labour costing and subcontractor administration need to work with the rest of your operations, and involve the people who own those systems.

Access describes Coins Evo as combining HR, payroll, timesheets and job costs. It also describes employee and subcontractor scheduling, training records, CIS deductions and allocation of labour costs to jobs. Those are supplier claims to test against your contract types and accounting process, not a guarantee that software settles employment status.

Ask for a quote that separates licences, setup, migration, training and interfaces. Have the demo follow an approved timesheet into payroll and then into a job-cost report. If you only need leave approvals and employee files, the scope of a construction enterprise resource planning system may be more than the problem warrants.

Do you need HR, site attendance or subcontractor software?

Write down where each record belongs before you compare suppliers. HR usually owns employee details, contracts and leave. Site systems capture attendance and access. Payroll and finance handle payments and job costs. One supplier may cover several areas, but you still need clear ownership and a tested transfer between them.

If clocking in, mobile attendance or site terminals are your main concern, use our construction time and attendance guide. For sales enquiries and project opportunities, see CRM for construction companies. Those systems solve different problems from employee HR.

How should you handle subcontractors and training records?

Keep a clear record of why someone is in the system and what process applies to them. An employee record, a subcontractor contact and a supplier payment record may describe the same person in different contexts. Your software should support that distinction without automatically treating everyone as an employee or a paid HR user.

HMRC states that CIS registration is not proof of self-employed status. Get the status decision right for the engagement, then record it and apply the appropriate process. A dropdown marked subcontractor does not make that decision. Ask your accountant or adviser about cases you cannot resolve.

For training, store the evidence, completion date, renewal date where relevant, and who checked it. Ask whether a reminder can go to both the worker and the responsible manager. Test an expired record rather than watching a demonstration in which everything is current.

HSE describes competence in terms of training, skills, experience, knowledge and the ability to apply them safely. A stored certificate can support your records; it does not establish competence for every task. Keep site-specific checks and supervision in your process.

What will construction HR software cost your business?

Budget for the package that performs your required work, including setup and the time your team needs to configure it. A low employee rate can exclude onboarding or timesheets. A larger platform quote may include work that a basic HR subscription leaves to your office, payroll provider or accountant.

As an illustration, 20 employees on PeopleHR Core at the published starting rate of £5.50 would mean £110 per month, or £1,320 over 12 monthly payments. This is arithmetic, not a supplier quote. It excludes any VAT or additional charges and assumes the starting rate applies to all 20 employees.

Count employees, subcontractors, managers and occasional users separately. Ask which records create a charge, whether inactive workers still count, and how the bill changes when a project finishes. Compare the first year and a normal renewal year. Our HR software cost guide explains the charging models.

Use this construction demo checklist before signing

Give each supplier the same fictional working week. Include a new starter, a transfer between sites, missing training evidence and a corrected timesheet. Ask your office administrator, site supervisor and payroll lead to follow their own steps. Record what they can complete themselves and what still needs a spreadsheet or support ticket.

1. Create a starter without a company email address. Send the documents and check how they sign in on their phone.
2. Move a worker between sites. Check the approving manager, job code and access to their records.
3. Make a training record expire. Show the reminder, escalation and action needed before assigning work.
4. Correct approved overtime. Follow the revised hours into payroll and job costing, including the audit trail.
5. Lose the phone connection. Establish what still works, what fails and how data syncs afterwards.
6. Remove access for a leaver. Export the required records and show how retention settings work.

Use invented records during the demonstration. Once you choose a system, agree access permissions before importing employee files. A supervisor should be able to manage their team without receiving unrelated medical, disciplinary or pay information. Have the supplier show the actual permission settings, rather than accepting a general security assurance.

Choose the smallest shortlist that covers your hardest task. For records and leave, start with Breathe and PeopleHR. For a payroll replacement, add MHR. For construction job costs and subcontractor processes within a wider platform, add Access Coins Evo. Ask each one to price the same requirements.

Olivia Grant

Head of Research & Insights

Olivia covers workforce management and people technology for UK businesses, including HR software, time and attendance systems, business mobile contracts, and digital marketing services. With over 8 years in market analysis and digital communications, she translates complex HR tech and procurement decisions into clear, actionable advice.

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Reviewed by

Clara Wenslow

Finance & Business Services Editor