For a single small NEC contract with one careful owner, a well-built spreadsheet can be enough. NEC software starts paying its way when you have several contracts, several people updating the record, or a level of change that makes reply dates easy to miss.
So the choice between NEC software and spreadsheets depends on the size of the job and who is keeping track. This comparison sits within the NEC contract management software guide, and is written for someone trying to decide, not for someone already sold.
Side by side
| What you need | Spreadsheet | NEC software |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to start | Close to nothing | A subscription and setup time |
| Flexibility | Change any column today | You work within the product's structure |
| Reply dates | Formulas you write and have to trust | Worked out from the periods you record |
| Telling the other side | Separate e-mail or letter | Notified when the record is submitted |
| Who changed what | Limited, and depends on your setup | Record history kept as a matter of course |
| Several people at once | Possible on shared files, but conflicts and overwriting are common | Designed for it, with each side seeing its own actions |
| Other party's view | Usually a private list, or a copy sent out | Both sides see the same records, subject to access settings |
| Across many contracts | Manual roll-up | Built-in lists across contracts |
| Training | Most people already know spreadsheets | New screens to learn |
| Getting the process right | Depends on the person who built it | Depends on how well the product follows NEC, so test this |
Where a spreadsheet is fine
- A short contract with few expected changes.
- One person owns the tracker, and is there for the whole job.
- Notices already go out properly as letters or through an agreed system. The spreadsheet only tracks them.
- You are clear that it is a private aid, and not the contract record.
If that is your position, spend your effort on the tracker. The guide to tracking NEC contracts in a spreadsheet covers how to build one that holds up.
Where spreadsheets tend to fail
The failures are rarely dramatic. A formula gets copied across a row with a Z-clause period, and nobody notices. A column labelled "date" means notified on some rows and aware on others, which is the difference that decides whether a 61.3 time bar applies. The tracker's owner goes on holiday. Two copies exist, and the one that went to the Client is three weeks old.
The other weakness is that a spreadsheet records what somebody typed about an event, not the event. If the question later is when a notice went out, the spreadsheet can't help on its own. You will be searching e-mails anyway. See tracking periods for reply for what needs to be captured.
Six signs it is time to change
- A reply date or a time bar has been missed, or nearly missed, because nobody saw it coming.
- The tracker depends on one person and you would struggle without them.
- You keep more than one version of the register and need to reconcile them.
- Producing the monthly report takes someone longer than a day, or involves re-keying.
- You run several contracts or mix NEC3 and NEC4, so one template's rules won't fit them all.
- When asked "what's waiting on us?", the honest answer is "let me check".
What software won't fix
Moving to software won't make a late notification on time if nobody told the commercial team, and it adds a discipline of its own: everyone has to use it, or the records stop matching what actually happened. A meeting decision or site instruction isn't on record until someone enters it.
In Contract Status, for instance, reply dates, Action Lists and history come from the records, but whether an event is a compensation event stays with you. Our audit trail guide covers what to keep either way.
If you are moving across
Don't try to load every closed row. Start with what can still cost you something: open compensation events and quotations, the current Accepted Programme, the live register, and the next assessment date. Keep the old spreadsheet read-only as a reference. If you think you are at that point, book a call, and bring the tracker along.
Related guides
- NEC Contract Management Software
- How to Choose NEC Contract Software
- Looking for a CEMAR Alternative?
- Why Use NEC Contract Management Software?
- Construction Contract Management Software
- Subcontract Management Software
See how this works in practice
Click through Contract Status with sample contracts: raise the notice, reply to it, and watch both sides of one record.
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This guide is general information in our own words, not legal advice. Your contract and its Contract Data always govern. NEC, NEC3 and NEC4 are trade marks of Thomas Telford Ltd; Contract Status is not affiliated with or endorsed by NEC.