How Kikavu Tech Solutions built a custom ERP for Waterway Company Limited, a swimming-pool construction company in Dar es Salaam, so that estimating, purchasing, site progress and billing all run from a single, secure platform.
Pool construction looks simple from the outside, but a single job mixes civil works, plumbing, filtration equipment, tiling and finishing, each with its own quantities, suppliers and payment milestones. Waterway was quoting and running jobs across spreadsheets, paper and separate tools.
The management team needed one place to see what a job is expected to cost, what has actually been spent, and what can be billed to the client right now.
The Bill of Quantities (BoQ) is the heart of the system, and every other function connects to it.
Enter the pool's length, width, depths and deck size and the system works out volume, surface area and equipment sizing. From there the estimator builds a BoQ from reusable templates, section by section, with quantities, unit rates and margin.
| Item | Qty | Unit rate | Total (TSh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Earthworks and structure | |||
| Excavation and disposal (m³) | 60 | 25,000 | 1,500,000 |
| Reinforced concrete shell (m³) | 18 | 420,000 | 7,560,000 |
| 2 · Finishes | |||
| Mosaic tiling (m²) | 72 | 65,000 | 4,680,000 |
| 3 · Filtration and pumps | |||
| Circulation pump 1.5 HP | 1 | 850,000 | 850,000 |
| Sand filter Ø600 mm | 1 | 1,250,000 | 1,250,000 |
| Subtotal | 15,840,000 | ||
| Margin 15% | 2,376,000 | ||
| Quotation total | 18,216,000 | ||
Once a quotation is accepted the BoQ becomes the job's budget. Every supplier purchase order is matched against it, so the team sees overspending while there is still time to act, not at the end of the job.
| Section | Budget | Actual | Usage | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earthworks | 1,500,000 | 1,620,000 | Over 8% | |
| Structure | 7,560,000 | 6,900,000 | On track | |
| Finishes | 4,680,000 | 4,300,000 | On track | |
| Filtration | 2,100,000 | 1,980,000 | Watch |
Suppliers receive automatic, consistent codes. Purchase orders are numbered, downloadable with the order number as the file name, and carry the company's branded header, so what leaves the office always looks professional and is easy to find again.
| Item | Qty | Unit price | BoQ check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pool pump 1.5 HP | 2 | 850,000 | Above BoQ qty |
| Sand filter Ø600 | 1 | 1,250,000 | Within BoQ |
Construction is paid in stages. The system records the percentage of work completed and produces a payment certificate that already accounts for retention and any advance deposit, then raises the matching invoice. No manual calculators, no arguments over the arithmetic.
| Gross value of work done | 20,000,000 |
| Less retention (5%) | - 1,000,000 |
| Less advance recovery | - 4,000,000 |
| Invoice due | TSh 15,000,000 |
The built-in pool calculator turns dimensions into volume, required flow rate and surface area, so the equipment on the quotation matches the pool that is actually being built.
Staff sign in with a password plus a code from Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator. A trusted device is remembered for 90 days, then asked again.
Each team member sees what their job needs. Managers get broad access without the keys to system settings.
Calculations for billing, budgets and purchase matching are covered by automated tests, and every deployment can be rolled back.
A built-in health page checks the system's components, so problems are found before users notice them.
Waterway now works from one source of truth. The estimate becomes the quotation, the quotation becomes the project and its budget, purchases are checked against that budget, and progress on site drives the invoices that go to the client.
The management team can see a job's financial position without asking three people for three spreadsheets, and every document that leaves the company carries the same professional Waterway branding.
We design ERP systems around the way your company actually works, for contractors, builders, engineers and service companies in East Africa.
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