Actuals in the ERP
Pulled after the period closes, matched to budgets by hand.
Financial control & forecasting
Capex forecasting you can report on.Financial control you can prove.
Budget, commitment, forecast and actual against the same investment, across every site, entity and currency. Always up to date.
We use the solution heavily for budget tracking and follow-up. It’s been essential in presenting approved budgets to the board, making it much easier to show what’s been signed off on.
Group Controller at a major European power company
Definition
What is capex financial control?
Capex financial control is the practice of holding approved budget, committed amounts, forecast to complete and actual spend against the same investment record, so the available budget, the expected outcome and the deviation are answerable at any point in the year.
How capex forecasting differs from reporting actuals
Reporting actuals explains money that has already moved. Capex forecasting projects what the investment will still consume and when, recalculated as the project runs. Because every forecast that stood at a period close is preserved, forecast accuracy becomes a tracked metric rather than an assertion.
The problem
Three sources. One figure.Every quarter.
In most groups, capex reporting relies on three disconnected sources that are reconciled by hand after the period has already closed.
Forecasts in spreadsheets
Collected quarterly from project owners, overwriting the previous version.
Budgets as approved
Rarely updated, often misaligned with the forecast they are compared against.
With Weissr, all three sit against one investment record
Budget, commitment and actual visible in one view
Each held as a distinct value, so available budget is always answerable.
Forecast recalculated at every period close
Previous forecasts are kept, so you can measure how accurate they were.
Deviation surfaced before the quarter ends
Variance alerts during execution, not a report after the close.
Every completed investment sharpens the next estimate
Close-out data feeds back into the system, so new estimates start from real outcomes.
What changes with Weissr
What your finance teamwill get.
Portfolio status is current
Actuals land against the investment they belong to, instead of being exported, matched and keyed in.
One figure everywhere
Budget, forecast and actual sit in one structure across group, division and site. The figure in the board pack, in the ERP and on the site manager's screen is the same figure.
Deviation in real time
It reaches the people who can act on it while the period is still open.
Forecast accuracy is measurable
The forecasts that preceded each close are still there to measure against.
Every forecast gets sharper
Close-out data from completed investments feeds back, so each new estimate builds on what actually happened.
Every figure carries its history
Who approved what, when, against which budget version and on what authority. All of it can be searched and exported.
Capabilities
Track what was approved.Measure what was forecast.
Financial control
Budget, commitment and actual held apart
A raised purchase order is an obligation; the cash leaves later. Approved amount, commitment and actual outflow are held as three separate values, so remaining available budget is answerable at any point in the year.
Cash flow month by month
Every cost line carries its own month-by-month profile across as many years as the investment runs, so the group cash forecast reflects when capital actually leaves.
Plan vs actual, per period
Behind schedule and over budget are different problems with different responses. The period comparison separates them.
Deviation surfaced while the period is open
Variance alerts fire against approved amounts during execution, before the overrun becomes a closed fact in the ledger. Weissr AI surfaces anomalies automatically, so deviations reach the right people without waiting for a scheduled review.
Cumulative spend against approved budget
Consumed budget and remaining forecast against budget on every investment, the figure an approver needs before releasing the next request on the same asset.
Full audit trail
Who approved what, when, against which version of the budget and on what authority. Every figure carries its history, searchable and exportable.
Forecasting & reporting
Forecast updated as the project runs
Forecasts move with the project, and every version that stood at a period close stays available to compare against. Ask in plain language (all open requests over €500K not yet approved, or budget status on a named project) and get the answer with the source rows cited.
Forecast accuracy measured over time
Every forecast that stood at a period close is preserved, and the difference between forecast and actual is recorded, building a history that turns forecast accuracy from an impression into a tracked metric.
Read: why capex forecasts are inaccurateCurrency rates locked at approval
The exchange rates in force when a capital budget is approved are stored with it. Variance then separates operational movement from currency movement, so a site that delivered on plan is judged on delivery rather than on a rate it does not control.
One structure, every level
Group, division, business area and site, each viewed in local currency, in the user's currency, or rolled into group currency.
Depreciation calculated per investment
Straight-line depreciation is calculated for each investment, annually or monthly, with an optional salvage value, so the depreciation impact of approved and planned capex is visible before the spend happens.
Post-completion review
Planned costs, timelines and expected benefits are compared against actual outcomes in a structured close-out, and historical project data stays searchable, so future estimates start from evidence rather than assumption.
The difference
From quarterly reconciliationto continuous control.
The change is not more reporting effort. It is holding the investment as one record, so budget, commitment, forecast and actual update on the same clock.
Spreadsheet-based capex reporting compared with Weissr
| Dimension | Three disconnected sources | One investment record |
|---|---|---|
| Available budget | Derived by hand after the close | Answerable at any point in the year |
| Commitment | Blended into actuals or tracked separately | Held as a distinct value against the budget |
| Forecast | Overwritten each quarter | Recalculated at close, with every version preserved |
| Deviation | Visible in a report after the period | Flagged while the period is still open |
| Currency | Restated at today's rate | Compared against the rate locked at approval |
| Learning | Close-out ends the project | Close-out data sharpens the next estimate |
Built on real capex experience
Developed for complex,capital-intensive businesses.
- Value of assets analysed in Weissr
- $700B+
- Capex expertise
- 25+ years
- Production sites globally
- 1,000+
Explore
Capex Management
Requests, approvals and execution from first idea to close-out.
Explore
Capital Budgeting
Budgets, targets and forecasts across the group structure.
Capability
Capex tracking
Control cost, commitment and forecast after approval.
Capability
Capex reporting
Live portfolio dashboards for budget, actuals and forecast.
By role
CFO & Finance Leaders
Financial control and forecasting accuracy across the portfolio.
By role
Group Business Controllers
Follow up budget, commitment and actual without rebuilding the pack.
Guides and reports
Go deeper onfinancial control.
Report
Maximising Cash Flow from Capital
How capital-intensive companies free up cash by tightening the link between strategy, budgets and project execution.
Download the report →
Report
5 Levels of Capex Maturity
Where your capex reporting and forecasting sit today, and what it takes to move from manual reconciliation to one reliable figure.
Download the report →Capex Maturity Assessment
What's yourCapex maturity level?
Answer a short set of questions on process, data, visibility and cash flow, and get a report showing your level in each area.
Take the assessmentCapex forecasting FAQ
Questions financeteams ask.
The actuals are already in our ERP. Why is that not enough for capex reporting?
The ERP is the system of record for money that has moved: invoices, payments and postings against cost centres and accounts. What it does not hold is the decision behind the spend: the approved investment, the budget version it was sanctioned against, the forecast that preceded each payment and the authority under which it was released. Capex reporting needs the project as an object with a history, so most groups keep both: the ERP stays the financial record, Weissr holds the investment from first request to close-out, and actuals flow between them automatically.
We already use an EPM or planning tool. Does it cover capex?
Enterprise planning tools treat a capital project as a line item: total cost, monthly spread, depreciation schedule. That works for departmental budgeting, but it is a different job from managing an investment with dozens of cost lines, a multi-year payment profile, a scope change that triggers re-approval and a close-out review that sharpens the next estimate. Most groups run both and keep capex where the capex detail lives.
We have accurate data. Why is the capex forecast still off?
Correct entries and an accurate forecast are different things. Figures collected at different times, against different budget versions and in different currencies produce a defensible total that still misses. The fix is one record where budget, forecast and actual sit against the same investment and update on the same clock.
How do you track capex budget vs actual?
Every approved investment carries its approved budget, committed amounts and actual spend as separate values that update continuously, with actuals imported from the ERP automatically. The comparison is available at investment, site and group level at any time, with variance calculated per period.
Can we report capex in group currency without rebuilding it in a spreadsheet?
Yes. Budget, forecast and actuals convert into group currency using the rates in force, with the local position preserved underneath.
How do we separate a genuine overrun from a currency movement?
By comparing against the rate that applied when the budget was approved rather than restating history at today's rate. Variance then splits into what the project did and what the currency did.
What is capex forecast accuracy?
Capex forecast accuracy is the measured difference between what was forecast for a period and what was actually spent in it. Because every forecast that stood at a period close is preserved, the difference is recorded over time, turning forecast accuracy from an impression into a tracked metric.
See how your capex number holds togetheracross every site and currency.
A walkthrough of budget, commitment, forecast and actual on live data, set up for your group structure, currencies and approval hierarchy.
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