What are the alternatives to Concur for mid-sized construction companies?

Navan, TravelPerk, and Engine are the three strongest Concur alternatives for construction companies managing 50-200 employees. 

• Navan offers mobile-first booking with offline capabilities and customizable fields for project-based accounting, though expense management costs $15 per user monthly and complex itinerary changes require agent support.
• TravelPerk provides native integration with Sage, QuickBooks, and Xero with flat-rate pricing, but lacks construction-specific workflows and weather-responsive cancellation policies.
• Egencia includes job number tagging and crew location tracking, but requires custom quotes with no transparent pricing and needs third-party services for construction accounting integration.
• Engine delivers zero-fee travel booking with features for job code tagging, consolidated billing, cancellation protection, and integration with QuickBooks, Sage, Jonas, and Procore.

These platforms address specific construction needs: Engine is the only platform built specifically for crew-based construction travel.

What's better than Concur for ease of use?

Concur's mobile app exhibits intermittent "offline" status even when connected to WiFi, according to SAP's own community forum. Verified user reviews report receipt uploads taking over 10 minutes and photos of receipts not appearing after capture in the app, making real-time expense documentation impossible for crews moving between job sites. For field operations, this isn't just inconvenient: it's operationally unworkable.

Navan takes a mobile-first approach with offline capabilities that cache pricing information and allow expense calculations without connectivity. The platform handles both full-time field employees and temporary contractors through Guest Invite functionality, critical when crew sizes fluctuate with project demands.

Navan's expense management costs $15 per user per month after the first 5 users. For a 250-person construction company with 30 field workers submitting expenses, that's $375 monthly or $4,500 annually just for expense features.

Engine goes further with construction-specific design. Custom fields enforce mandatory job code tagging at booking, ensuring every reservation automatically exports to your accounting software with project codes attached, eliminating the month-end reconciliation chaos that plagues construction companies. And, once you set up Direct Bill and incidental coverage, crews only show ID at check-in with no credit cards required.

For unexpected delays, add a FlexPro subscription. This allows any booking to be cancelled up to noon on the check-in day, providing either a refund if within hotel policy or Engine travel credits if outside, ensuring flexibility regardless of hotel cancellation policies.

Is Navan worth the cost?

Navan offers a compelling "free" tier for travel booking, but the expense management tier carries monthly costs that add up quickly for mid-sized construction companies.

The platform provides project-based accounting through customizable fields and delivers verified results. Complex itinerary changes still require agent support rather than self-service, problematic when weather delays demand rapid rebooking across multiple crew rotations. According to Navan's own assessment, "handling complex itinerary changes (e.g., multi-city flights, last-minute accommodation switches) still often requires agent-assisted support rather than full self-service."

Engine takes a different approach: zero-fee booking with project code tagging at checkout. Your finance team gets consolidated billing instead of individual expense reports, with project-level visibility for accurate job costing.

What about Egencia or TravelPerk?

Neither platform specifically targets construction workflows, though both can be adapted—with limitations.

Egencia provides job number tagging for basic project expense allocation and Traveler Tracker technology for crew location visibility. It requires custom quotes with no transparent pricing, and integration with construction accounting software requires third-party services rather than native connections.

TravelPerk offers native integration with Sage, QuickBooks, and Xero. Pricing is based on a flat-rate, tier-based model.

Both platforms provide standard group travel capabilities but lack crew-specific workflows, weather-responsive cancellation policies, or construction project management integration. Additionally, neither Navan nor TravelPerk offers direct integrations with construction ERP systems like Procore, Viewpoint, or Foundation. Engine has Procore integration through the official marketplace.

What do construction companies need that Concur doesn't offer?

Crew booking capability. Concur treats each hotel room as individual transactions. When booking crews, all rooms appear under one employee's name with no clear record of which contractors occupy which rooms. This creates problems during emergencies.

Project-based cost tracking. According to a SAP Community discussion, users report expenses "often are not allocated properly, defaulting to the associate department/cost center" instead of specific project codes. This requires after-the-fact correction rather than system-level prevention.

Weather flexibility. Construction schedules shift due to weather, equipment failures, and inspector delays. Concur's rigid change processes don't accommodate unpredictable construction work. Companies require flexible platforms that allow easy date adjustments due to weather delays and timeline shifts.

Offline functionality. According to SAP documentation, Concur has "severe offline restrictions." Remote job sites lack reliable connectivity, creating operational delays when crews need expense submission without internet access.

How does Engine solve construction travel challenges?

Engine is purpose-built for crew-based travel. Instead of forcing construction workflows into enterprise templates, the platform addresses specific operational needs.

• Project costing at booking: Custom fields for job codes can be configured at checkout. SAP Concur frequently encounters allocation errors where expenses default to department codes rather than specific project codes, requiring manual correction.
• Group booking simplicity: Book crews with consolidated cost tracking using project codes for accurate project-level cost reporting.
• Weather protection: Engine allows flexible adjustments for weather-related delays, helping avoid accumulating change fees when weather impacts timelines.
• Zero transaction fees: $2,000 annually for Engine's optional FlexPro subscription versus substantial first-year costs with enterprise alternatives.
• Procore integration: Engine is the only platform with Procore integration through the official marketplace, enabling project-based travel booking within your existing workflow.

Engine offers transparent pricing with zero transaction fees and Procore integration for construction-focused project management.