Odoo set up for contracting
Projects, purchasing, site warehouses, accounting and HR configured around how your company tenders, builds and bills.
Custom ERP built on Odoo · Construction
Odoo for construction companies in Saudi Arabia
Odoo already handles projects, purchasing, stock and accounting well. Where most Saudi contractors need more is billing: BOQ-driven progress claims, retention, advance recovery and back-to-back subcontractor certificates. We build those on top of standard Odoo — in Arabic and English — so you keep Odoo’s ecosystem without forcing your contracts into a template.
OdooStandard apps extended, not replaced
ZATCAE-invoicing configured and tested
AR / ENArabic-first screens and documents
Is Odoo a good fit for a Saudi contractor?
Often, yes — with one condition. Odoo is modular: its Project, Purchase, Inventory, Accounting, Timesheets and HR apps share one database, so a purchase order, a stock issue to site and a supplier bill all land against the same project. That alone removes most of the spreadsheet reconciliation contractors live with.
The condition is billing. A contractor is paid against certified quantities, not against delivered products: a BOQ that changes with variation orders, a monthly progress claim, retention held until handover, and deductions that run for the life of the contract. These are the parts we model explicitly as custom Odoo modules rather than bending a sales order to imitate them.
For e-invoicing, Odoo’s Saudi localization supports ZATCA. We configure it and test it against your real invoice types — including invoices issued from certified claims and the credit notes that follow adjustments — before go-live.
Standard Odoo vs what we build for contractors
The left column is what we configure from Odoo’s own apps. The right column is what we add as custom modules, so the system follows your contracts.
Configured in standard OdooBuilt on top for contractors
ProjectsProjects, tasks, timesheets and analytic accounts per jobProject cost centres mapped to BOQ sections and cost codes
BOQBudget lines on the projectA versioned BOQ; each approved variation order creates a traceable revision
Progress claims (IPC)Customer invoicesCumulative claims per BOQ line, consultant certification status, invoice from the certified amount
Retention & advanceManual journal entriesPer-contract rules applied to every claim, with a running balance and release date
SubcontractorsPurchase orders and vendor billsSubcontract certificates tied to the same BOQ lines you bill the client for
Materials & equipmentPurchase, inventory per site warehouse, equipment maintenanceMaterial requests from site, equipment allocation and hire costs charged to projects
Accounting & VATSaudi chart of accounts, VAT, ZATCA e-invoicing via the localizationProject WIP and margin reports in Arabic and English
What we do
BOQ & variation orders
Import the contract BOQ once; every approved variation becomes a new, traceable version instead of an edited copy.
Progress claims (IPC)
Claims built from cumulative quantities, certification tracked as a status, and the tax invoice generated from the certified amount.
Subcontractor control
Back-to-back certificates against the same BOQ lines, so you see what you have committed against what you have been certified.
Cost & margin per project
Committed, actual and certified figures side by side, so margin is a live number rather than a month-end surprise.
Migration & training
Open projects, BOQs and balances moved from Excel or your current system and reconciled; bilingual training for site and office teams.
How we work
- 01
Map your contracts
BOQ structure, claim cycle, retention terms and subcontract model, taken from real contracts.
- 02
Configure standard Odoo
Projects, purchasing, inventory, accounting and the Saudi localization first — no custom code where Odoo already fits.
- 03
Build the contracting modules
BOQ versions, progress claims, retention and subcontract certificates, built as Odoo modules you own.
- 04
Migrate and test
One live project run end to end, including ZATCA e-invoices from a certified claim, before switching over.
- 05
Go live, project by project
New projects start on Odoo first; running projects move over at a claim boundary.
Frequently asked questions
Is Odoo good for construction companies in Saudi Arabia?
For projects, purchasing, stock, accounting and HR, Odoo is a strong base and its Saudi localization covers VAT and ZATCA e-invoicing. Contracting-specific billing — BOQ versions, progress claims, retention, subcontract certificates — usually needs custom modules, which is the part we build.
Can Odoo handle progress billing (IPC) and retention?
Yes, once they are modelled properly. We build progress claims on cumulative BOQ quantities, apply retention and advance recovery by contract rule, and issue the tax invoice from the certified amount.
Do we need Odoo Community or Enterprise?
It depends on which apps you need and how you want it hosted. We decide after mapping your requirements and tell you the licence implications up front, before any build starts.
Can site engineers use it from the site?
Yes. Measurements, material requests and progress updates can be entered from a phone browser, so the claim is built from site data instead of being re-typed in the office.
Can you move us to Odoo from Excel or another system?
Yes. Open projects, BOQs, certified-to-date quantities, retention balances, suppliers and opening balances are migrated and reconciled before go-live.
Related services
Let’s think
Show us one contract.
Send a BOQ or describe how you bill today. We’ll show what standard Odoo covers, what needs building, and a phased, fixed scope.
- A free review of your BOQ and claim cycle
- Reply within one business day
- ZATCA e-invoicing configured and tested
- Arabic & English team
Book an Odoo construction demo
We reply within one business day.