The Hidden Cost of Paper in Construction—and How to Get Rid of It

Paper Is the Slowest Thing on Your Jobsite

Your crews move fast. Your deadlines move faster. But your systems?

If you’re still relying on paper timecards, printed invoices, handwritten reports, or sticky notes passed between field and office, paper might be the slowest—and most expensive—thing on your jobsite.

Let’s be honest. Paper seems harmless. It’s “the way we’ve always done it.” It doesn’t crash or require a login. But behind every clipboard or pile of printed forms is a hidden cost—in lost time, rework, payroll delays, and missed profit.

And the worst part? You might not even realize how much it's costing you until it’s too late.

In this article, we’re going to:

• Expose the real operational cost of paper-based workflows

• Show how it impacts payroll, AP, project management, and compliance

• Give you clear, low-friction ways to eliminate paper—without overhauling your company

Because in 2025, if you’re still building with paper? You’re building in slow motion.

Let’s change that.

What Paper Is Really Costing Construction Companies

It’s easy to underestimate the cost of paper in construction. After all, it’s “just how we get things done.” But when you look closer, paper isn’t just old-fashioned—it’s actively draining time, money, and efficiency from your projects every single day.

Here’s how:

1. Slower Payroll = More Errors, More Frustration

Every paper timecard has to be collected, reviewed, corrected, and re-entered manually into your payroll system. That means:

• Late payroll runs

• Inaccurate labor costing

• Frustrated crews who just want to get paid

And if your team is working union jobs or subject to certified payroll? Paper makes compliance riskier—and reporting slower.

2. AP Bottlenecks That Kill Cash Flow

When invoices come in as paper copies, emailed PDFs, or physical handoffs, the approval process stalls:

• PMs forget to review

• AP has to print and chase approvals

• Duplicate or lost invoices go unnoticed

The result? Late payments, lost discounts, and stressed vendor relationships.

3. Duplicate Entry and Rework

Paper = more steps. Field data is written down → scanned or typed into a spreadsheet → re-entered into your ERP. That opens the door to:

• Typos

• Missing cost codes

• Labor and material misallocations

Every extra step = more risk and more wasted time.

4. No Visibility = Slow, Risky Decisions

You can’t manage what you can’t see. If reports, timecards, or invoices are trapped on paper, your leadership team is making decisions based on week-old (or worse, no) data.

That creates:

• Budget overruns you didn’t see coming

• Delayed billing

• Missed opportunities to pivot and protect margin

5. Office Staff Burnout

Manually handling paper—scanning, copying, filing, retyping—is not only tedious, it’s expensive. Your admin team is too valuable to spend hours babysitting paper.

And if a key person leaves? Institutional knowledge often leaves with them—because paper-based systems live in someone’s head or their inbox.

Bottom line: Paper slows down everything—from payroll and billing to job costing and compliance.

And in an industry where speed, accuracy, and accountability matter more than ever, paper is the silent killer of productivity and profit.

What Paperless Workflows Look Like in the Real World

“Going paperless” can sound intimidating—especially in construction. But in reality, it’s not about radical change. It’s about removing the friction and redundancy that paper creates and replacing it with faster, cleaner, and more connected workflows.

Here’s how modern GCs are doing it—without disrupting crews or back-office operations.

1. Mobile Time Tracking in the Field

Instead of paper timecards or texts, crew hours are entered on a smartphone or tablet—daily, by job and cost code. Supervisors review and approve with a few taps.

What that looks like:

• Daily time entries submitted from the field

• Automated approvals routed to payroll

• Time data synced to Sage 300, Vista, or your ERP of choice

• Instant visibility into labor costs—no re-entry needed

2. Digital Invoices Routed Automatically

Vendors email invoices or upload them via a secure portal. hh2 Document Flow tags them by job and routes them to the correct PM or super for approval. No printing. No paper shuffling.

What that looks like:

• Invoices visible to AP in real time

• Digital approvals from any device

• Audit trail automatically created

• Faster payments, no lost paperwork

3. Daily Field Reports Sent Straight to the Office

Supers fill out structured daily logs from the jobsite, including weather, production, photos, and notes. Reports sync instantly to the office and are stored digitally for future reference.

What that looks like:

• Consistent, clean data flowing in every day

• PMs and execs stay informed without chasing updates

• Field issues flagged early, not at the end of the week

• No more unread paper logs buried in trucks or trailers

4. Real-Time Job Costing and Forecasting

With time, materials, and invoice data captured digitally and synced to your ERP, job cost reports update automatically. That gives PMs and executives the power to adjust quickly—not after the fact.

What that looks like:

• Up-to-date job performance data

• Better forecasting and budgeting

• More confident decision-making across the company

Going paperless doesn’t mean introducing complexity. It means removing it. Fewer steps. Fewer delays. And workflows that actually work.

5 Simple Ways to Start Going Paperless Today

You don’t need to overhaul your entire company or hire a consultant to start going paperless. Most GCs see real results by fixing one workflow at a time.

Here’s how to start small—and build momentum that sticks.

1. Digitize Timecards—One Crew at a Time

Start with a single crew or jobsite. Give them access to mobile time tracking (like hh2 Remote Payroll) and have them log hours daily.

Quick win:
Faster approvals, fewer errors, no more deciphering handwriting or chasing down missing hours.

2. Set Up Digital Invoice Routing for AP

Replace printed invoices and email threads with a streamlined system like hh2 Document Flow. Upload, tag, and route automatically—no paper, no manual follow-up.

Quick win:
Speed up approvals, avoid duplicate payments, and give AP full visibility from start to finish.

3. Standardize Field Reporting with a Mobile App

Create a simple digital daily report template for your supers to complete from the jobsite—production, weather, crew count, photos, notes.

Quick win:
Get consistent updates and real-time visibility without micromanaging or waiting until Friday.

4. Sync Field Data Directly to Your ERP

With tools like hh2, the data entered by the field flows straight into Sage 100/300, Vista, or Foundation—no need for re-entry or overnight syncs.

Quick win:
Your payroll, job costing, and financial reports are always working from the same clean data.

5. Pilot, Prove, and Expand

Pick one job to test your new paperless workflow. Show the time saved, errors avoided, and how much smoother things run. Once it works? Roll it out across the company.

Quick win:
Team buy-in, faster adoption, and visible ROI from the start.

Paperless doesn’t have to mean “paper never.” But when you eliminate the critical dependencies—timecards, invoices, and reporting—you unlock massive time savings and risk reduction.

How hh2 Helps Contractors Eliminate Paper (Without Breaking Workflows)

Going paperless doesn’t mean forcing your team into a complicated system. In fact, the best digital tools are the ones that feel easier—especially for the people in the field.

That’s what hh2 is built for.

hh2 replaces slow, manual, paper-based tasks with mobile-ready, cloud-connected tools that work the way GCs already operate. Whether it’s payroll, AP, or daily logs, hh2 gives you the power to eliminate paper without disrupting your people or your ERP.

Here’s how:

Remote Payroll: Replace Timecards With Mobile, Real-Time Entry

Crews log hours from the field by job and cost code. Supervisors approve instantly. Hours sync directly to your payroll system—accurate, fast, and fully compliant with union and certified payroll rules.

Paperless Win:

• No more collecting or retyping timecards

• Real-time job costing accuracy

• Works offline—perfect for remote jobsites

👉 See Remote Payroll in Action

Document Flow: Eliminate Invoice Paper Trails and Delays

Invoices are uploaded, coded, and routed automatically—no printing, scanning, or email forwarding. AP and PMs track everything in real time from a single dashboard.

Paperless Win:

• No more lost or late invoices

• Full visibility into AP status

• Integrated with Sage 100/300, Vista, Foundation, and more

👉 Explore Document Flow

Daily Reports: Field Logs That Don’t Get Lost in Trucks

Superintendents use mobile forms to capture daily activity—progress, delays, photos, crew notes—and send it straight to the office.

Paperless Win:

• Daily visibility without waiting for Friday reports

• Searchable, centralized log history

• Consistent documentation for billing or disputes

👉 Simplify Field Reporting

ERP Integration: No More Re-Entry Between Field and Office

hh2 syncs with your existing ERP system to ensure data flows automatically and accurately—without the need for duplicate input.

Paperless Win:

• Reduce admin hours

• Fewer mistakes

• Cleaner data from jobsite to job cost report

👉 View ERP Integrations

Whether you’re ready to replace all your paper workflows—or just one at a time—hh2 helps you modernize your business without flipping it upside down.

Ready to Ditch the Paper and Keep the Control?

Paper might feel familiar—but it’s holding your team back. Every timecard, invoice, and field report done on paper adds more delay, more risk, and more wasted hours.

You don’t have to fix everything overnight. You just have to fix one thing: the workflow that’s costing you the most time.

hh2 helps self-performing general contractors:
✅ Eliminate paper-based timecards
✅ Automate invoice approvals and routing
✅ Capture daily field reports in real time
✅ Sync everything to your ERP—no re-entry, no friction

Whether you want to start with payroll, AP, or field communication, hh2 makes it easy to cut the clutter—and keep your jobs moving.

👉 Talk to hh2
👉 Request Your Free Demo

Let’s build smarter. One paperless workflow at a time.

Frequently Asked Questions About Going Paperless in Construction

Why is using paper still common in construction?

Because it's familiar, and it feels easy—until it isn’t. Paper may seem simple, but it causes delays, re-entry, and communication breakdowns that quietly cost contractors time and money. Today’s tools are just as easy to use and eliminate those bottlenecks entirely.

What’s the biggest problem with using paper in construction workflows?

The biggest issue is that paper creates friction:

• Timecards get lost or delayed

• Invoices sit unapproved

• Field data is inconsistent or slow to reach the office
  Paper slows down payroll, job costing, billing, and compliance—and introduces risk at every step.

How much money can going paperless actually save?

It depends on the size of your operation, but most GCs save dozens of hours per week by removing manual data entry, invoice follow-ups, and delayed approvals. The value shows up in faster payroll, cleaner job costing, and fewer late payments or billing errors.

Do I need to change my ERP to go paperless?

Not with hh2. You can go fully paperless while keeping your existing ERP system. hh2 integrates with Sage 100, Sage 300 CRE, Vista, Foundation, and others—no system overhaul required.

Will going paperless add more work for my team?

No—if anything, it removes steps. With hh2, field crews and office staff actually have fewer things to manage. There’s no printing, chasing paperwork, or re-entering data. Everything flows digitally, automatically, and in real time.

What part of my business should I start digitizing first?

We recommend starting where the most time is lost. For most GCs, that’s:

• Time tracking (with hh2 Remote Payroll)

• Invoice approvals (with hh2 Document Flow)

• Field reports (with hh2 Field Tools)
  Each can be rolled out independently, starting with just one crew or project.

Can hh2 help with certified payroll and union reporting?

Yes. hh2 Remote Payroll supports certified payroll, Davis-Bacon, union tracking, and multi-state compliance—automatically formatting your data for required reports and syncing it to your ERP.