Time and materials
A contract arrangement where the owner pays the contractor based on the actual time spent and materials used rather than a fixed price.
This arrangement offers flexibility for projects with uncertain scopes or durations, accommodating changes and adjustments as needed.
Used in a sentence
The time and materials contract allows for billing based on actual hourly labor and material costs.
Synonyms/variation
T&M
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How Leveraging Field Data Accelerates Public Sector Pay Apps & Invoice Processing
As the complexities of municipal projects increase, the inefficient legacy systems they rely on cannot provide the transparency, visibility or real-time data needed. This poses ungainly financial risk in the form of stalled payments. To address this failure, managers must employ digital solutions that accelerate and standardize the process. This allows them to course-correct toward […]

How GCs Can Achieve Better Accountability with Financial Analysis Software
Virtually every general contractor (GC) financially plans for a project before it gets underway. The trouble isn’t necessarily budgeting — it’s monitoring that budget from groundbreak on. Every project has a multitude of moving parts, all while different people report different information at different times. A GC might not really know how the build shook out […]

RIP Expense Reports: How PMs Can Leverage Tech for Precision Spend Management
Mismanaging money costs money. And across construction, random credit card swipes and stray receipts add to the mystery spending that disrupts budgets — and aggravates project mangers. Replace the randomness with cohesion and every aspect of project operations — including materials management, scheduling and budgeting — proceeds more smoothly. Today’s tech-enabled, AI-assisted tools for managing spend […]
What Happens When Data Drives the Business?
Construction has long been seen as a low-margin industry. But what if the real problem isn’t the margins—it’s how decisions get made? In episode 17 of The Power of Construction, we sit down with Indra Gutiérrez, President of Gutier, who’s transforming what’s possible when data drives business decisions. Starting with zero capital, she’s built a […]
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