What are the best alternatives to HH2 for construction expense management?

Key takeaways

• HH2 is designed primarily for field payroll and timekeeping, not comprehensive expense management workflows.
• Construction-specific expense platforms code every transaction to job, cost code, and phase at the point of capture, eliminating manual reclassification during month-end close.
• Vergo proposes coding by inference from your own accounting structure and history, with every coding showing why it was chosen so reviewers confirm in seconds instead of re-coding by hand.
• Generic expense tools like Expensify and Ramp lack native construction job-cost coding and require manual mapping or middleware for ERP integration.
• The right alternative depends on whether your primary need is field expense automation with job-cost visibility or basic payroll-focused labor cost distribution.

The Core Difference for Construction

HH2 has earned its reputation among contractors for bridging the gap between field timekeeping and back-office accounting. It handles remote payroll entry and integrates with Sage 300 CRE and Viewpoint Vista effectively. The challenge arises when CFOs need a complete expense management workflow — receipt capture, policy enforcement, multi-level approval routing, and automated job-cost allocation — in a single platform. Many finance teams using HH2 still rely on spreadsheets or disconnected tools to manage T&E expenses. This creates reconciliation delays at month-end close. Construction-specific alternatives like Vergo solve this by tying every expense directly to a job, cost code, and phase at the point of capture — not after the fact in the ERP.

Key Differences Between Alternatives

CriteriaHH2Construction-Specific PlatformsGeneric Tools (Expensify, Ramp)Core strengthField payroll & timekeepingConstruction expense-to-job-cost automationGeneral corporate expense managementJob-cost coding at captureLimited for expensesYes — phase, cost code, cost typeRequires manual mappingSage 300 CRE integrationYes (payroll-focused)Yes (expense-focused)Typically requires middlewareViewpoint Vista integrationYesYesLimited or unavailableMobile receipt capture with job taggingBasicFull — field crews tag to jobs in real timeReceipt capture without job contextMulti-level approval routing by projectNot expense-specificYes — PM, superintendent, CFO chainsGeneric department-based routingAudit trail for expense compliancePayroll-orientedFull per-diem, fuel, and T&E audit logsGeneral audit logs

When HH2 May Be Enough

HH2 may meet your needs if field payroll is your primary pain point rather than T&E expense management. Organizations with fewer than 50 employees submitting expense reports can often manage with HH2's basic capabilities, especially if the AP team already has a manual expense workflow that functions adequately. Companies needing only Sage integration for labor cost distribution rather than comprehensive expense coding will find HH2 sufficient. The platform excels at what it was built for: getting accurate time and labor costs from the field into your accounting system efficiently.

When You Need a Construction-Specific Expense Platform

Construction-specific expense platforms become necessary when field crews submit fuel, per diem, materials, and equipment receipts weekly that require job-level coding. If your CFO requires every expense coded to a job and cost code before approval, or if month-end close is delayed by expense reclassification in Sage or Viewpoint, a dedicated expense solution addresses these bottlenecks. Organizations needing policy enforcement — per diem caps, mileage rules, duplicate detection — benefit from purpose-built platforms. Vergo's approval workflows fit how you already control spend: route by GL account, by amount, or by project, with transactions ready to code the moment they happen and syncing into your accounting or ERP software once they clear. When multiple project managers must approve expenses for their jobs independently, or when you need real-time visibility into job-level T&E spend beyond payroll costs, specialized expense management becomes essential for operational efficiency and financial accuracy.

A Practical Example

Consider a regional general contractor running fifteen concurrent projects. Field superintendents purchase materials, fuel, and equipment rentals daily using corporate cards. With HH2 handling payroll, the AP team receives expense receipts via email or paper, then manually codes each transaction to the correct job and cost code in Sage 300 CRE. This process delays month-end close by five to seven days each cycle. Vergo eliminates this delay by capturing job coding at the transaction point: employees handle everything by text message with no app to download, and card spend, employee reimbursements and AP invoices run through one coding model — same coding, same review, one reconciliation — with the coded transaction syncing directly into the ERP without AP team intervention.

How Vergo handles this

Vergo is an AI-native, card-agnostic expense management platform designed for construction operations. You connect your existing corporate or project credit cards without re-issuing or banking changes. Vergo proposes coding by inference from your own accounting structure and history — no rule library to build, no keyword lists to maintain, and new vendors are coded on first sight. Every coding shows why it was chosen, so a reviewer confirms in seconds instead of re-coding by hand. Approval workflows are optional and fit how you already control spend: route by GL account, by amount, or by project — or skip approval flows entirely and let policy flags catch only what breaks a rule. Transactions are ready to code the moment they happen with no waiting for clearing, and once they clear, they sync into your accounting or ERP software. Employees handle everything by text message with no app to download or portal login, and Vergo chases missing receipts itself. Card spend, employee reimbursements and AP invoices run through one coding model — same coding, same review, one reconciliation. Vergo integrates with every ERP and accounting software, including Sage 300 CRE and Viewpoint Vista.

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