Built for general contractors

Less paperwork. More jobsite.

PaperForeman gathers bids from your email and texts, files each one under the right job, and keeps every budget current.

Get early access See how it works
PaperForeman on a laptop: the budget for 123 Main Street showing a $78,000 original budget, $36,300 committed and $41,700 still uncommitted, with 4 decisions waiting.
The same budget on a phone, with Budgets, Attention and Capture buttons along the bottom.

Your bids are everywhere except where you need them.

You run three jobs at once. The numbers for each one are scattered across your inbox, your phone and a spreadsheet back at the office.

  • The electrical bid is buried in an email from three weeks ago.
  • The painter's new price is somewhere in your texts.
  • The budget lives in an Excel file on the office computer.
  • Is $24,500 still the framing number, or was it $25,800?
  • PaperForeman keeps all of it in one place, sorted by job, and shows you what changed.

How it works

From a bid in your inbox to a clear budget.

Follow one real bid through PaperForeman. It takes about as long as reading a text message.

  1. A bid comes in

    ABC Electric emails a quote for $14,850 with a PDF attached. PaperForeman picks it up from your inbox and saves the email and the PDF exactly as they came.

    The saved email from ABC Electric: rough-in $10,500 and panel upgrade $4,350, total $14,850, asking which property it is for.

  2. It files the bid and asks what it can't tell

    The amount and the trade are filled in for you. The email never says which house, so PaperForeman asks one plain question instead of guessing.

    "Which property is this for?"

    PaperForeman asking: Still needed, which property is this for? with a property picker.

  3. You approve it

    Before you say yes, you see exactly what the bid adds to the job. Nothing counts toward your budget until you tick the box and tap Approve.

    The approval screen: amount $14,850, nothing committed yet, net budget impact plus $14,850, and a box to confirm before approving.

  4. Your budget is up to date

    Original budget, what you've committed, and what's left. Every property, always current, without retyping a number.

    Budget totals after approving: original $78,000, committed $51,150, uncommitted $26,850.

A new price replaces the old one. It never doubles up.

When your framer sends a revised number, PaperForeman lines it up with the first bid. Approve it, and the budget moves by the difference only.

$25,800 newminus $24,500 old= +$1,300

The first bid stays on file, marked as replaced, so you can always see how the price changed.

Lone Star Carpentry: version 1 at $24,500 marked superseded, version 2 at $25,800 committed.
If you approve: $25,800, currently committed $24,500 replaced, net budget impact plus $1,300.

Texts and handshake deals count too.

"I can mow 123 Main for $75 a week until sold."

Save the screenshot or type a quick note. PaperForeman asks when the work starts and how long to budget for it, then shows the math.

$75 a week× 12 weeks= $900 estimated

Push the closing date back a week and it shows the new total, 13 weeks and $975, before anything changes.

A saved text-message screenshot from Smith Landscaping offering to mow for $75 a week until the house sells.
The estimate: weekly rate $75, 12 visits, September 18 to December 11, estimated total $900.

Everything in one place

The rest of the paperwork, handled.

Start from the Excel budget you already have

Upload your spreadsheet, check that the columns line up, and your budget is in. Cost codes like 02 and 06 stay exactly as you wrote them.

Importing an Excel budget: preview of five cost codes adding up to $78,000.

Answer from the jobsite

Every question and approval works on your phone. Clear a few bids between walkthroughs.

The list of bids waiting for a decision, on a phone.

Competing bids, side by side

Two painters quoted the same job? Both show under Finishes. They are never added together.

The budget breakdown by cost code with pending bids from Brush and Co. and Hill Country Paint listed under Finishes.

Closing moved? See what it costs

Change the date and PaperForeman shows every weekly cost that moves with it, before you confirm.

Changing projected closing to December 18: mowing goes from 12 to 13 visits, plus $75.

Every original kept. Every decision on record.

Emails, PDFs, screenshots and spreadsheets are saved exactly as they arrived. Every number links back to its document, and every approval is on record with who and when.

A saved original email with its details, its SHA-256 fingerprint, and the approved commitment that used it.

You approve the spending. We keep the details together.

  • Nothing counts until you OK itBids wait for your approval. A number found in an email never becomes a commitment on its own.
  • Your original budget stays putThe budget you started with is locked, so you can always compare against it.
  • Estimates say they're estimatesWeekly and open-ended costs are clearly marked, with the math shown.
  • Read-only on your emailPaperForeman looks for bids. It never sends, replies to or deletes your mail.
  • Your bookkeeper keeps the booksPaperForeman tracks bids and what you've agreed to. QuickBooks stays your record of bills and payments.
  • Every paper, findableTap any number to see the email, PDF or text it came from.

Works with what you already use.

  • Outlook
  • Gmail
  • Excel
  • Windows PC
  • Mac
  • iPhone and Android

Runs in your web browser. Nothing to install on the office computer, and nothing to update.

Questions

Straight answers.

Do I need to be good with computers?

No. If you can read an email and tap a button on your phone, you can use PaperForeman. It asks plain questions like "Which property is this for?" and shows you the answer before anything changes.

Do I have to type in every bid?

No. Bids that arrive by email are picked up for you. For a text, a photo or a deal made on site, save a screenshot or type a quick note. You can also talk into your phone's keyboard microphone instead of typing.

Does it pay my subs or send invoices?

No. PaperForeman keeps track of bids and what you've agreed to spend. Payments, invoices and payroll stay where they are today.

Does it replace QuickBooks?

No. QuickBooks stays your books. PaperForeman covers the part before the bills: which bids came in, which one you picked, and what's left in each budget.

What can it do with my email?

It only reads, to find bids. It never sends, replies to or deletes anything, and you can disconnect it at any time from your Google or Microsoft account.

Will it work on my computer?

Yes. PaperForeman runs in the web browser on Windows PCs and Macs (Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox), and on iPhone and Android phones.

Can I use it today?

PaperForeman is in early access. Add your name below and we'll set you up as spots open.

Get your evenings back from the paperwork.

Tell us a little about your jobs. We're opening PaperForeman to a small group of contractors first.

We only use this to contact you about PaperForeman early access. We never sell or share it.