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63 guides and answers for everything in Saguaro Control Systems, from AI takeoffs and trade cost codes to pay apps, the field app, and billing.
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Tap any article to read it. 63 guides across 9 topics.
Getting Started
7 articlesSet up your company, invite your team, and import your first project from any platform.
Create Your Company Account
Sign up at saguarocontrol.net, name your company, and pick your trade focus. Your first project workspace, cost-code list, and document folders are created automatically so you can start working.
Invite Your Team and Assign Roles
From Settings → Team, add email addresses and assign a role: Admin, PM, Field, Accounting, or Read-Only. Every plan includes unlimited users, so there is never a per-seat charge for adding your whole crew.
Self-serve setup from Procore, Buildertrend, or Spreadsheets
Use the getting-started guide to set up your company and a sample project. Check supported file formats before importing records. Keep the originals. Managed migration and a completion deadline are not included.
Install the Field App on iPhone & Android
On iPhone, install the Saguaro Field app from the App Store using the download link at saguarocontrol.net/get-the-app. On Android, open saguarocontrol.net in Chrome and choose Add to Home screen. Sign in with your account and your assigned projects are there.
Set Up Approval Chains for Pay Apps and Change Orders
Under Settings → Approvals, define who reviews and signs off on pay applications, change orders, and POs. You can require multiple approvers and set dollar thresholds that route larger items to ownership.
Import Your Cost Codes and CSI Divisions
Upload your existing cost-code list as a CSV, or start from the built-in CSI MasterFormat divisions. Codes flow into budgets, takeoffs, commitments, and job-cost reports so everything reconciles.
Connect QuickBooks Online
Link QuickBooks Online under Integrations → QuickBooks. Press Send and approved, certified and paid pay applications go to QuickBooks as invoices to the job owner, with your subcontractors as vendors — matched to records already in QuickBooks, and never sent twice. Pick the date to invoice from before the first send.
Projects & Field Ops
9 articlesRun jobs end to end — schedules, RFIs, submittals, change orders, and daily logs.
Create a Project and Build the Schedule of Values
Start a project, enter the contract amount, and break it into a schedule of values (SOV). The SOV drives your G703, budget, and cost-to-complete so billing and costing stay in sync.
Manage RFIs and Route Them with Autopilot
Create an RFI, attach drawings or photos, and Autopilot suggests the right recipient and due date. Track open, answered, and overdue RFIs in one log with the full ball-in-court history.
Submittals, Transmittals & Document Control
Build submittal packages, route them for review, and track ball-in-court status. Every revision is versioned, and transmittals generate a stamped PDF record automatically.
Change Orders That Tie to the Budget
Log potential change orders (PCOs), price them, and promote approved ones to change orders that adjust the contract and budget. The CO log shows pending, approved, and executed value at a glance.
Daily Logs with Photos, Weather & Manpower
Capture a daily log from the field with crew counts, equipment, notes, and photos. Weather is pulled automatically for the job-site location and stamped to the record for documentation and claims.
Build and Manage the Project Schedule
Create milestones and tasks, set durations and dependencies, and track percent complete. The field team sees upcoming work, and slippage flags so you can re-sequence before it costs you.
Punch Lists and Project Closeout
Create punch-list items with photos and assign them to subs. Track open versus closed, then generate a closeout package with warranties and O&M manuals to hand the owner a complete record.
Drawings & Blueprint Version Control
Upload plan sets as PDFs; Saguaro keeps every version and shows the current set to the field. Markups, RFIs, and photos can be pinned to a sheet location so context travels with the drawing.
Meeting Minutes and Action Items
Record meeting minutes, assign action items with owners and due dates, and carry open items forward to the next meeting automatically so nothing gets dropped.
Financials & Pay Apps
8 articlesPay applications, AIA documents, lien waivers, budgets, and cost tracking that reconcile automatically.
Generate G702 / G703 Pay Applications
Build an AIA-style G702 application and G703 continuation sheet directly from your schedule of values. Enter this period of work and retention, stored materials, and totals calculate automatically.
AIA Documents: G702–G706, A310, A312
Generate the full AIA family — G702/G703 pay apps, G706/G706A/G707 closeout and lien releases, and A310/A312 bonds — pre-filled from your project data and ready to sign.
Lien Waivers — All Four Types
Produce conditional or unconditional, progress or final lien waivers for a job in any state. Arizona, California and Texas waivers use each state's statutory language; other states use a standard form. States with a mandatory statutory form of their own may require you to use that form.
Certified Payroll WH-347 & Davis-Bacon
Run certified payroll on prevailing-wage jobs with the federal WH-347 form. Look up Davis-Bacon wage determinations by county and classification, and export the signed statement of compliance.
Track Budgets, Commitments & Cost-to-Complete
See the budget, committed costs, actuals, and projected cost-to-complete on one page. Variances flag early so you can act before a line item goes underwater.
Retention / Retainage Tracking and Release
Saguaro tracks retainage withheld on every pay app and accrues it across the job. When it is time to bill retention, generate the G703 retention release and final waiver in a couple of clicks.
Subcontractor Invoices, COIs & W-9s
Collect sub invoices, certificates of insurance, and W-9s through the Sub Portal. Expired COIs flag automatically and can block payment until compliance is current.
Job Costing and WIP Reports
Generate work-in-progress (WIP) and job-cost reports that reconcile billings to costs, calculate over/under billing, and give your CPA the schedule they need at period close.
AI: Sage & Takeoff
6 articlesDraft RFIs, summarize specs, and run AI takeoffs straight from your plan sets.
What Is Sage, the AI Assistant?
Sage is the built-in AI assistant. Ask it to draft an RFI, summarize a submittal, find which lien-waiver a state requires, or pull cost-to-complete — and because Sage reads your project context, answers are specific to your data.
Draft an RFI or Letter with Sage
Describe the issue in plain language and Sage writes a clear, professional RFI — subject, question, and suggested assignee — that you can edit and file. The same works for letters, scopes, and emails.
Run an AI Takeoff from a PDF Plan Set
Upload a plan set, set a scale reference, and AI Takeoff measures linear feet, square footage, and counts automatically. Every measurement is editable, and quantities flow into your estimate and budget.
Summarize a Long Submittal or Spec Section
Open a long spec, submittal, or contract and Sage returns the key requirements, deadlines, and risks, so you catch the buried clause before it bites you.
AI Daily Reports — Speak It, Sage Writes It
On the field app, tap the mic and describe your day. Sage turns your voice note into a structured daily report with work performed, manpower, and issues, ready to submit.
Auto-Generate Scopes of Work and Bid Packages
Give Sage a project and a trade and it drafts a scope of work and bid invitation you can send to subs, then helps you level the bids that come back.
Trades, Takeoff & Cost Codes
13 articlesSet up cost codes and run takeoffs for low-voltage, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, concrete, and more.
Set Up Cost Codes for Low-Voltage, Security & AV
Add a low-voltage division to your cost codes for structured cabling, access control, CCTV, fire alarm, and AV. Saguaro tracks device counts and cable footage so your bids, budgets, and pay apps line up with how low-voltage work is actually billed.
AI Takeoff for Electrical Devices & Fixtures
Run an AI takeoff on the electrical plans to count receptacles, switches, fixtures, panels, and home runs, and to measure conduit and feeder lengths. Counts drop straight into your estimate by cost code.
Plumbing Takeoff: Fixtures, Waste & Supply
Take off plumbing fixtures, then measure waste, vent, and supply runs by size and material. Saguaro totals fixture units and pipe footage so you can price the rough-in and trim-out accurately.
HVAC / Mechanical: Equipment & Duct Runs
Schedule HVAC equipment — RTUs, splits, VAV boxes — and measure duct runs and diffusers off the mechanical plans. Equipment schedules and linear footage roll up into the mechanical budget.
Concrete & Flatwork Takeoff by the Cubic Yard
Measure slabs, footings, and walls and Saguaro converts area and thickness to cubic yards, adds a waste factor, and totals rebar and forming. Pour quantities feed the budget and the supplier order.
Framing & Carpentry: Linear Feet and Sheet Counts
Take off wall framing in linear feet, count studs and joists, and tally sheathing and decking by the sheet. It works for wood and light-gauge metal framing alike.
Drywall & Finishes: Square-Foot Takeoff
Measure wall and ceiling board by the square foot, apply a waste factor, and total board, tape, mud, and corner bead. Finish schedules tie each room to its assembly.
Roofing: Squares, Membrane & Tear-Off
Take off roof area in squares, break out membrane, insulation, fasteners, and flashing, and add tear-off quantities for re-roofs. Pitch and detail allowances are built in.
Earthwork & Grading: Cut, Fill & Haul
Estimate cut and fill volumes, balance the site, and calculate haul-off or import by the cubic yard and truckload. Quantities feed your site-work budget and equipment plan.
Masonry: CMU and Brick Counts
Measure masonry walls and Saguaro returns CMU or brick counts, mortar and grout quantities, and reinforcing — by wall type and size — ready for the budget and supplier takeoff.
Fire Protection & Sprinkler Heads
Count sprinkler heads, measure main and branch piping, and schedule risers and valves off the fire-protection plans, with quantities organized for design-build sub billing.
Solar / PV: Panel Counts and Racking
Take off module counts, racking footage, and inverter quantities from the PV layout, and roll DC and AC scope into separate cost codes for clean billing.
Create a Bid Package and Invite Subs by Trade
Assemble a bid package with plans, specs, and a scope of work, then invite subs by trade. Track who viewed, downloaded, and bid, and level the responses side by side.
Field App
6 articlesThe Saguaro Field app for iPhone — field capture keeps working when signal drops and syncs when you get signal back.
Download & Log In to Saguaro Field
On iPhone, install Saguaro Field from the App Store using the download link at saguarocontrol.net/get-the-app, then sign in with your Saguaro account — Face ID gets you in fast. On Android, open saguarocontrol.net in Chrome and choose Add to Home screen. Your assigned projects sync automatically.
Capture Punch-List Items with Photos
Walk the site, snap a photo, drop a punch item with a location and assignee, and it syncs to the office. Subs see their list and mark items done from their own device.
Log Time & Track Crews on Site
Clock crews in and out, allocate hours to cost codes, and capture daily manpower. Time flows into job costing and certified payroll without re-keying.
Work Offline — Automatic Sync on Reconnect
When signal drops, daily logs, photos, punch items, and time entries keep capturing — they queue locally on your phone and sync the moment you reconnect. Open the app once with a connection so it is loaded before you head into a dead zone.
Push Notifications for RFIs & Approvals
Get a push when an RFI is answered, a pay app needs your signature, or a change order is approved, so the field and office never wait on each other.
Scan Blueprints and Mark Up in the Field
Open the current plan set on your phone or tablet, zoom to a detail, and pin photos, RFIs, or notes to a location on the sheet.
Owner & Sub Portals
4 articlesGive owners and subcontractors scoped logins to approve, submit, and stay compliant.
Owner Portal: Approve Pay Apps & Change Orders
Give owners a scoped login to review and approve pay applications and change orders, see progress photos, and track the schedule — without exposing your internal costs.
Sub Portal: Invoices, COIs & Lien Waivers
Subs submit invoices, upload certificates of insurance, and sign lien waivers in their own portal. You approve and pay from one queue, and compliance is enforced automatically.
Share Documents with Scoped Access
Share drawings, specs, or a single folder with an owner, architect, or sub using a secure link. They see only what you grant, and access can be revoked any time.
Collect W-9s and Insurance from Subs
Request W-9s and COIs through the Sub Portal; Saguaro tracks expiration dates and flags lapses, and can hold payment until a sub’s insurance certificate is current.
Billing & Plans
5 articlesManage your subscription, invoices, add-ons, and seats. No per-seat surprises.
Switch Between Monthly & Annual Billing
Change your billing cycle any time under Settings → Billing. Annual plans include a discount, and any proration is handled automatically on your next invoice.
Upgrade, Downgrade, or Add an Add-On
Move between Starter, Professional, and Enterprise, or turn on an add-on like QuickBooks Sync from Billing. Changes prorate, and you keep all your data when you switch.
Update Payment Method & Download Receipts
Update your card and download itemized receipts and invoices from Settings → Billing — handy for expense reports and your bookkeeper.
Flat Pricing & Unlimited Users Explained
Saguaro charges a flat plan price with unlimited users — no per-seat fees. Add your whole crew, your estimators, and the owner without watching the bill climb.
Cancel, Pause & Data Retention
Cancel or pause from Settings → Billing. Your data is retained and exportable during any pause, and you can reactivate right where you left off.
Account & Security
5 articlesPasswords, two-factor, biometric sign-in, notifications, and data protection.
Reset My Password
On the login screen, click Forgot Password and enter your email to get a secure reset link. If it does not arrive, check spam or contact support to verify your identity.
Set Up Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Enable 2FA under Settings → Security to require a one-time code at login. It is the single best way to keep a job’s financials and documents locked down.
Face ID / Biometric Sign-In
Turn on Face ID or fingerprint sign-in in the field app for fast, secure access without typing a password on a dusty job site.
Manage Notification Preferences
Choose which events email or push you — RFIs, approvals, pay apps, daily logs — per project, so you get what matters and mute what does not.
Data Security & Your Copies
Your data is encrypted in transit and at rest and isolated per company. Keeping copies of your company's data is your responsibility: we don't keep backups for individual companies or export, recover or restore a company's data on request. After a platform outage we restore the service to its last known good copy.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions.
How do I move my data over from Procore or Buildertrend?
Set up your company and first project using the getting-started guide. Review supported file formats before importing and verify the results. Managed migration and a completion deadline are not included.
What is Sage, the AI assistant?
Sage is the built-in AI assistant inside Saguaro. Ask it to draft an RFI, summarize a long submittal, find which lien-waiver type a state requires, or pull the cost-to-complete on a job. Sage reads your project context so answers are specific to your data — never generic.
How accurate is AI Takeoff and how do I run one?
Upload a PDF plan set under a project, draw a scale reference, and AI Takeoff measures linear feet, square footage, and counts automatically. Every measurement is editable, so you stay in control. Starter includes 10 AI takeoffs a month; Professional and Enterprise are unlimited.
Which states are supported for lien waivers?
Any state. Arizona, California and Texas waivers use each state's statutory language; every other state uses a standard conditional or unconditional form. All four waiver types (conditional/unconditional, progress/final) are available on Professional and Enterprise.
Does the field app work without cell signal?
Yes. Log daily reports, punch-list items, photos, and time entries with no connection — everything queues locally on your phone and syncs automatically the moment you regain signal. Open the app once with a connection before heading into a dead-zone job site so it is loaded and ready.
How do I invite my team and set permissions?
Go to Settings → Team, enter email addresses, and assign a role (Admin, PM, Field, Accounting, or Read-Only). Every plan includes unlimited users at no extra cost, so there is never a per-seat charge for adding your whole crew, your estimators, or the owner.
Can owners and subcontractors get their own login?
Yes. The Owner Portal and Sub Portal (included on Professional and Enterprise) give external parties a scoped, sandboxed view — owners approve pay apps and change orders, subs submit invoices, COIs, and lien waivers. They only see what you share with them.
I forgot my password — how do I reset it?
On the login screen, click Forgot Password and enter your email. You will get a secure reset link. If it does not arrive, check spam, verify the email address and try the password-reset flow again.
Talk to a real human on our support team.
Find answers in the help center and follow the getting-started guide to set up your own workspace.
Email support included on every plan · Setup guides · Self-serve setup guides from any platform