The verdict in three sentences
A drilling and earthmoving mining contractor running 85 machines and tracking machine hours, fuel and shift reports on paper almost always finds 10 to 12 % of unjustified fuel in the first weeks of digital tracking. Operations software with offline tablet entry, fuel use per machine and per-metre drilling invoicing costs 38,000 to 69,000 EUR (25 to 45 million FCFA) when built by a West African team, and deploys in 16 weeks. On a fleet of that size, recovering part of the lost fuel alone pays back the project in under a year.
What paper costs on a mine site
On gold mine sites in Burkina Faso, as in the Pilbara for contractors based in Perth, shift reports reach head office three to ten days late. Hour meter readings are copied by hand, fuel dockets get lost between the bowser and the office, and the invoice sent to the mining company relies on drilled metres reconstructed after the fact. Every gap between the shift report and the client's records becomes a disputed invoice.
| Indicator (85 machines) | Paper tracking | Software with offline tablets |
|---|---|---|
| Shift report delay | 3 to 10 days | sync whenever network returns |
| Unjustified fuel | 10 to 12 % | 2 to 4 % |
| Unbilled machine hours | 4 to 6 % | under 1 % |
| Monthly invoice turnaround | 12 to 15 days | 3 days |
| Breakdowns caught before failure (preventive maintenance) | rare | alert at hour threshold |
| Drilled metre disputes with the mining client | 2 to 3 per month | rare, photos and geolocation |
These are 2026 orders of magnitude for a mixed fleet of drill rigs, excavators, loaders and dump trucks.
Functional scope and 2026 budget
The decisive technical point is offline mode: on most sites, mobile coverage is intermittent. Rugged tablets record everything locally and sync as soon as the network or camp Wi-Fi is available.
| Module | Content | Indicative budget |
|---|---|---|
| Machine and site library | fleet, client contracts, hourly and per-metre rates | 3,810 to 6,860 EUR |
| Offline tablet entry | shift reports, photos, supervisor signatures | 7,620 to 13,720 EUR |
| Machine hours and meters | readings per shift, variances, downtime | 4,575 to 8,385 EUR |
| Fuel | issue dockets, tank stock, litres per hour | 6,860 to 12,195 EUR |
| Per-metre and per-m3 invoicing | approved metres, progress statements, accounting export | 6,100 to 10,670 EUR |
| Preventive maintenance | hour thresholds, parts, history per machine | 4,575 to 7,620 EUR |
| Dashboards, testing, training | pilot on one site, supervisor training | 4,575 to 9,145 EUR |
| Total | 38,115 to 68,595 EUR (25 to 45 million FCFA) |
Add rugged tablets at roughly 535 to 840 EUR each (350,000 to 550,000 FCFA), and evolutive maintenance with hosting of about 610 to 1,070 EUR per month. A Perth-based integrator would typically quote two to three times more for the same scope, as an estimate.
The typical plan fits in 16 weeks: scoping and reference data in weeks 1 to 3, offline entry and machine hours in weeks 4 to 9, fuel and invoicing in weeks 10 to 13, pilot on one site and rollout in weeks 14 to 16. The fuel module shows results during the pilot: comparing litres issued to hour meters flags outlier machines within days.
Mini case study
Issouf, managing director of a drilling and earthmoving contractor in Ouagadougou, runs 85 machines burning an average of 80 litres a day over 280 days, so 1,904,000 litres a year. At 800 FCFA (1.22 EUR) per litre of diesel, the annual fuel bill reaches 1.52 billion FCFA (2.32 million EUR), 12 % of it unjustified, so about 279,000 EUR. Recovering 40 % of that gap through per-machine tracking saves 111,600 EUR a year. Machine hours now billed, 3 % of 3.66 million EUR revenue, add 110,000 EUR. For a 58,000 EUR project plus 30 tablets at 686 EUR, so about 78,600 EUR, payback comes in roughly 4 months.
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FAQ
What does mining contractor operations software cost in 2026?
Plan on 38,000 to 69,000 EUR (25 to 45 million FCFA) depending on modules and sites. A first version limited to fuel and machine hours starts around 18,000 EUR.
Does the software work without network on site?
Yes, all entries are stored on the tablet and synced automatically when the network returns. A tablet can hold several weeks of shift reports offline.
How does it detect unjustified fuel?
For each machine, it compares litres issued with hour meter readings and the model's reference consumption. A variance above 15 % triggers an alert to the site manager.
Can the mining client be invoiced automatically?
Yes, drilled metres and earthmoving volumes approved by the shift supervisor feed the monthly progress statements. The invoice goes out in 3 days instead of 12 to 15.
How long does supervisor training take?
Half a day is usually enough, as the interface is designed for entries under 5 minutes per shift. The one-site pilot also trains the next teams.
Let's scope your project. Share your fleet size, sites and client contracts: we will price a scope between 38,000 and 69,000 EUR with a 16-week rollout. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.