Foundation Software Review
User Review
JaneBryant
Review Summary
Working on holidays was one of the unfortunate facts of Jane Bryant's professional life before Cary & Associates Builders Inc. purchased Foundation Software's construction accounting software to streamline business operations, improve efficiency and enhance customer satisfaction. Since installing the software, Cary & Associates estimates it has saved $30,000 in support fees alone, not to mention "huge amounts of time," Bryant said.
About five years ago, the Sebastopol, California-based general contractor began researching a replacement for its Sage Master Builder implementation, which had been prone to system crashes and inefficient work-arounds, said Bryant. But many prospective software providers did a poor job of exhibiting their wares, she said. "Some products actually failed during the demo. The programs also used a patch to run on Windows," Bryant said.
Foundation Software representatives, on the other hand, set up a successful remote demonstration of their product. "The Foundation team answered all my questions and showed how the system could perform all the tasks I required," she added.
Foundation provides regular upgrades to its construction accounting software; this, Bryant said, allows Cary & Associates to meet the changing needs of its clients. The program's power, coupled with exceptional technical support and ease-of-use, has made Foundation software an invaluable resource for the firm, she added.
Overall, Bryant rated Foundation Software a perfect 10 out of 10.
Full Review
We've been using Foundation for about five years.
Cary & Associates Builders Inc. is a full-service general contractor specializing in negotiated projects for the design and construction of commercial, industrial and agricultural buildings. We have been involved in large commercial projects such as wineries, offices, fire stations, industrial buildings and agricultural buildings.
We bought it directly from Foundation Software, which is in Cleveland, Ohio.
We spent approximately $12,000.
We use Foundation as a full-scale accounting and job costing system. In fact, we use it for all accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, contract control and scheduling.
When we investigated our options, we found that the people behind Foundation software were very professional and helpful. They did a demo of the program by remotely telecommuting into our network. The Foundation team answered all my questions and showed how the system could perform all the tasks I required.
Yes. It is written in SQL Server.
Yes, we looked at some other products, but the vendors' demos were unprofessional. In fact, some products actually failed during the demo. Their programs also used a patch to run on Windows, whereas Foundation was written in SQL Server, ensuring complete compatibility.
We were using Sage Master Builder.
There are only three people who use it -- the bookkeeper, the project manager and the administrative assistant, who handles accounts payable. They are able to use this construction accounting software in the office or by telecommuting from home or from the field.
Using Foundation software, our system no longer crashes, so we have no down-time and our efficiency has increased. Telecommuting is simple, allowing users to work from home with ease.
A winery we are building suddenly decided it wanted to switch to AIA billing. (This is a standardized method of construction percentage of completion contract billing developed by the American Institute of Architects, by which the contractor can apply for payment due and the architect can certify that the payment is due.) Since AIA billing typically consists of two forms, we had to recreate the AIA forms for prior billings and cross-back over our fiscal year ending. Foundation software worked flawlessly in recreating the billing and, since it is date-specific, there were no problems.
Also, because it is date-specific, year-end closures are simple. Thanks to Foundation software, I no longer have to work on holidays in order to get our books through hard closure. Foundation knows when you cross the end of the year and automatically adjusts for the new payroll. The software gives me control of the dates and is able to set them at the end of the year and wait for my CPA's adjustment of journal entries -- which could be six months later -- before closing the books. There is absolutely no lost time and no more work on holidays.
In addition, Foundation software has Fixed Assets with Depreciation, meaning book and tax depreciation is calculated and posted every month -- another time-saver and efficiency booster.
In five years, we have saved approximately $30,000 in support fees alone. We have also saved huge quantities of time, which also equals money.
The reporting capabilities and the ease to customize to the product to each project or job are outstanding.The ease of paying bills, the ease of AIA billing, time and materials billing, certified payroll, asset-tracking, sub-contract control, work-in-progress reports and scheduling are all handled exceptionally well.
Absolutely! Our $12,000 investment paid for itself very quickly.
I cannot think of anything Foundation needs to change. The software company is always introducing more advanced features.
We do not use the equipment or inventory tracking features of the system since we do not have inventory and we sold our larger pieces of equipment. We now subcontract our steel work, rather than having 40 men in the field.
Foundation software would be a good choice for contractors, subcontractors and anyone else who needs track costing.
I don't think you need any computer experience. However, I recommend that a full-charge bookkeeper be the manager of the system.
I spent four days in class in Cleveland, but I had been running a highly complex system, so it was easier for me to assimilate. However, I am still learning!
I call support whenever one of us makes a mistake that I don't know how to correct. Foundation's call turnaround time is 20 minutes. They walk you through the error and the correction, and are always courteous and encouraging. If it is a really difficult problem, then they remotely access our system and watch me make the correction. Either way, the problem gets fixed, and we are back in business very quickly.
The online help is very good. I would, however, prefer a simpler manual.
Definitely!
10-plus!
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