Construction has a habit of treating software like a tumble dryer. Switch it on, hope it is doing something useful in the background, and only think about it when it makes a strange noise. Most of the time nobody checks whether it is still doing the job it was bought for. They just keep paying for it every year, quietly assuming someone else is managing it.

The reality is that this mindset costs the UK around £32 billion a year. Recent figures from research show that nearly one fifth of software budgets vanish into unused tools, half-finished implementations and systems nobody has questioned in years. Not because the software is awful, but because people convince themselves that changing anything is more hassle than it is worth.

Most of the waste comes from simple complacency. A system gets implemented, everyone survives the onboarding, and from that moment on it becomes untouchable. Never reviewed. Never challenged. Just automatically renewed. Meanwhile newer options appear that are cheaper, easier to use and far better at solving the problems teams have today. They are ignored because the old system is already “there”.

The comfort blanket effect

People cling to the familiar. It feels safer, even when it is objectively worse. Renewing a licence takes seconds. Questioning one takes effort, and nobody wants that on a Friday afternoon. So the familiar wins, year after year, while value quietly leaks away.

Why construction feels this more than most

Construction is not a steady, predictable industry. Developments start, stall, accelerate or change shape for reasons nobody can fully control. Software contracts do not. They stay fixed regardless of what is actually happening on site.

So you end up paying for systems designed for peak activity during quieter periods. Tools for big teams stay active when the team is half the size. And nobody wants the admin of unpicking it.

That is how you accidentally join the £32 billion club.

The real cost of unused tools

Unused software is not just a waste of money. It creates clutter. More logins. More training. More places for information to hide. It gives organisations the appearance of being digitally equipped when in reality everything still ends up in WhatsApp chats and phone photos.

Why 2026 needs a different mindset

The next couple of years are not going to be gentle for house builders. Planning uncertainty, tighter margins, higher expectations from buyers and more pressure on compliance. A 2026 software budget built by copying last year’s numbers is not going to hold up.

A sensible approach for next year

Nothing complicated. Just a few quick checks:

  • Look at what actually gets used. Not what people say they use. What they click every day.
  • Ask what problem each system solves. If nobody can answer within ten seconds, that is already your answer.
  • Match your licences to your workload. Construction activity changes. Your software spend should too.
  • Treat renewals as decisions. Not background admin.
  • Leave space for better tools. Technology does not wait for your financial year.

And if you want a structured way to review your stack, try our online System Selection Blueprint. It guides you through scoring your current system, comparing alternatives and spotting gaps you may have missed.

The payoff

When a system is chosen deliberately, people actually use it. They understand why it is there. They get better results because it fits the way they work now, not the way the organisation worked five years ago.

Autopilot budgeting treats technology like a necessary evil. A more deliberate approach turns it into something that genuinely improves how you build and hand over homes.

So the question for 2026 is simple.
Do you want another year of inherited systems, or a tech stack that genuinely reflects the way you operate today?