How it works
How Arvia runs a project from first quote to final invoice.
Each stage below shows what happens in Arvia, what it passes on to the next stage, and where to read more.
- OpportunityPipeline and quotes
- ProjectPhases and budgets
- Time & costsTimesheets, leave, expenses
- Purchasing & approvalsPOs, deliveries, sign-off
- InvoiceBuilt from unbilled work
- Sync to XeroYour accounting ledger
- ReportingWIP, utilisation, profitability
The problem
Where project margin goes missing.
Most consultancies, engineers and surveyors don't lose money on one bad decision. They lose it in the gaps between timesheets, purchasing and the accounts.
Time and costs arrive late
Timesheets are chased at month end, and supplier bills turn up after the money has already been spent.
Nobody sees committed spend
Purchase orders live in email and spreadsheets, so an overrun only shows up when the invoice does.
Unbilled work goes stale
Billable hours and costs sit unbilled for months because nobody can see them in one place.
Margin is a guess until month end
Profitability is only known once the accounts are closed, which is too late to fix it.
Win the work
An opportunity moves through your sales pipeline and you quote from your product and service list.
When it’s won, Arvia creates the project with the customer, budget and project manager already filled in.
CRMPlan the project
The project is split into phases, each with its own budget, plus tasks and milestones.
You check who is free once working patterns, leave and bank holidays are taken into account.
Projects & ResourcesCapture time and costs
Team members log time, leave, mileage and expenses in the browser, against the project and phase.
Once approved, the time is priced at the locked charge rate and lands on the project’s cost-to-date.
Time, Leave & Expenses| Project · phase | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kestrel Lane officesSurvey & design | 7.5 | 6 | – | 4 | 3 | 20.5 |
| Substation surveySite visits | – | 1.5 | 7.5 | 3.5 | 2 | 14.5 |
| InternalTraining | – | – | – | – | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Total | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 37.5 |
Buy what the project needs
A purchase order is raised against the project and routed through the approvals your rules require.
Approved, it shows as committed spend. Deliveries are recorded and the supplier bill is matched to the order.
Purchasing & ApprovalsApproval trail
- ✓R. EllisonProject manager
- ✓K. DoyleFinance (over £5,000)
Invoice the work
Unbilled time and costs are pulled into an invoice, or billed to a plan you set at the start.
Approved invoices and credit notes go to Xero once you switch invoice sync on, and payment status comes back.
Invoicing & Billing| Unbilled line | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Survey and design, 18.5 h | Time | £1,572.50 |
| Plant hire (supplier bill) | Cost | £640.00 |
| Planning application pack | Fixed fee | £1,200.00 |
See how it’s going
WIP with ageing, utilisation, profitability and billable time are available as standard reports.
Ask Arvia answers questions in plain English from the same data, within each person’s permissions.
Reporting & Ask Arvia| Project | 0–30 | 31–60 | 61–90 | 91–180 | 180+ | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kestrel Lane officesAcme Homes | 6,240 | 2,180 | – | – | – | 8,420 |
| Substation surveyAcme Utilities | 3,150 | – | 1,460 | – | – | 4,610 |
| Brook Street flatsAcme Estates | 1,920 | 840 | – | 1,500 | 800 | 5,060 |
| Millrace bridge inspectionAcme Utilities | – | – | 610 | 1,180 | – | 1,790 |
| Total | 11,310 | 3,020 | 2,070 | 2,680 | 800 | 19,880 |
Because every stage is in one system, reports come from real transactions: approved timesheets, raised purchase orders and issued invoices. Nothing is typed twice.
Around the edges
What stays the same.
Your accounts stay in Xero
Arvia runs project and commercial operations; Xero remains the ledger.
What syncs with XeroWorks in your browser
On desktop, tablet and phone. There’s nothing to install.
A planned go-live
Import your data, check it, and switch over on a date you choose.
How implementation worksFAQ
Common questions.
Does it replace Xero?
How long does it take to go live?
Who counts as a user?
Do we need to use every part?
See it with your own kind of project.
A 30-minute demo that follows a project like yours through every stage.