FOUNDATION review

FOUNDATION is a construction-only general ledger, so job costing, payables, receivables, payroll and financial statements share one set of job and cost codes. Its payroll module is the reason it tops this list: the vendor says one timecard can carry multiple jobs, rates and trades, and that dozens of included reports cover certified payroll, EEO and new hires, with support for prevailing wage laws and union rules. On the billing side, Foundation lists AIA billing, WIP reports across all jobs and automated reports that flag over and under billing, which is what sureties and lenders ask to see. Real-time job costing sends alerts before a budget is exceeded. The product is sold in modules, with mobile time tracking, service dispatch, equipment and project management as add-ons, and prices come only through a quote. That makes it heavier to buy and set up than a QuickBooks add-on, but contractors on public work get payroll compliance in the same system as the books.

Who it is for

Commercial and public-works contractors that run certified or union payroll

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Certified payroll, EEO and new hire reports included with payroll processing
• Multiple jobs, rates and trades on a single timecard
• WIP reports and automated over and under billing reports across all jobs
• AIA billing, job costing and built-in project management
• Add-on modules for mobile time tracking, service dispatch and equipment management

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Prevailing wage, union and certified payroll rules handled in the core payroll module
• Strength: Real-time job cost alerts flag budget overruns
• Strength: Hosted option and mobile apps for field time entry
• Weakness: No published prices; the pricing page is a quote form
• Weakness: Module-based setup takes longer than an add-on to QuickBooks
• Weakness: Project management and dispatch are extra modules

Key facts

• Pricing: Quote based on the modules you choose
• Payroll reports: Certified payroll, EEO and new hire
• Deployment: Hosted, with mobile time tracking apps

Where it ranks

FOUNDATION is No. 1 in our Best Accounting Software for Construction verdict.