Labour and Plant Allocation Tracker Template: Free Excel Download
A ready to use Excel tracker for recording where every gang and plant item worked each day, so you can see exactly where cost went instead of reconstructing it at valuation time. Built by quantity surveyors.
Will Doyle
Founder and CEO, Gather · Chartered QS · Last reviewed 22 July 2026
A labour and plant allocation tracker is the daily record of which gang and which plant item worked on which activity, and for how long, including any idle or standing time. It exists so cost can be traced to an activity on the day it was incurred, not reconstructed weeks later from memory.
Standing time and disruption to labour or plant are common grounds for a compensation event under NEC4 clause 60, but only if the time and cause were recorded on the day.
What a good allocation tracker covers
Most allocation records fail because they get filled in at the end of the week from whatever the supervisor remembers, or because idle time gets folded silently into an activity code instead of flagged as disruption. Either way, by the time the QS needs to explain a cost overrun, the trail's gone cold.
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Gang or plant reference and activity code | Ties every hour worked to a specific programme activity, not a general shift |
| Hours worked vs hours idle or standing | Separates productive time from disruption, which is the difference between a cost and a claim |
| Cause of idle time | Gives the reason (weather, access, instruction) needed to substantiate a compensation event |
| Cost rate and daily cost | Rolls hours into an actual daily cost per activity, feeding CVR |
| Evidence reference | Points at the diary entry or timesheet that backs the entry up |
How to track labour and plant allocation from site diary records
Five steps, every shift. The discipline that matters is the second and third: splitting idle time out and naming its cause on the day, rather than absorbing it into a productive activity code.
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Record gang and plant per activity
Log which gang and plant item worked on which activity code each day.
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Split hours worked from idle time
Separate productive hours from idle or standing time in the same row.
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Flag the cause of idle time
Select a cause (weather, access, instruction) for any idle or standing time recorded.
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Apply cost rates
Roll hours into a daily cost per activity using the gang or plant cost rate.
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Link the evidence
Reference the diary entry or timesheet that substantiates each row.
The template, field by field
| Ref | Gang / plant | Activity | Hours | Idle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G-04 | Groundworks gang, 6 no. | 2.14 Substructure | 8.0 | 0.0 |
| P-11 | 25t excavator | 2.19 M&E first fix | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| G-07 | Cladding gang, 4 no. | 2.21 East elevation | 6.0 | 2.0 |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
The idle column carries a dropdown cause list and links to a companion notes field, so a standing time entry is never just a number with no explanation.
Download the free template
The Excel file with daily gang and plant allocation, an idle/standing time flag with cause dropdown, and an automatic daily cost roll up.
Download the free template (.xlsx) Free download. No email needed. Yours to use and share with your team.How Gather automates this
An allocation tracker's only as good as the daily entry behind it. If idle time gets absorbed quietly into a productive activity code because nobody wanted to write down the real reason, the tracker will show a clean week that never happened, and the entitlement behind it disappears with it.
Gather's AI QS reads every daily record as it comes in and flags the events, delays and instructions that turn into money later, so the entitlement is captured while the evidence is still fresh.
See how the AI QS reads your site diaries A 30 minute call. No commitment. See if it fits how your team already works.Frequently asked questions
What should a labour and plant allocation tracker include?
At minimum: gang or plant reference, the activity code worked, hours worked versus hours idle or standing, the cause of any idle time, the cost rate and daily cost, and a pointer to the diary entry or timesheet that evidences it.
How is this different from the allocation sheet template?
The allocation sheet template records daily site activity at a summary level. This tracker goes one level deeper on cost, splitting productive hours from idle or standing time by cause, which is the detail a disallowed cost or compensation event argument needs.
Why does idle time matter so much?
Standing time caused by weather, access restrictions or a late instruction can be a compensation event under NEC4 clause 60, but only if it was recorded with a cause on the day. Folded silently into an activity code, it becomes an unexplained cost overrun instead of a claim.
Can this feed a CVR?
Yes. The daily cost roll up per activity is the input a cost value reconciliation needs; it is not a full CVR model on its own.
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