1. Does the system include an integrated Job Costing module? Your construction accounting software should allow you to assign your labor and employer burden (FICA, FUTA, SUTA, workers’ compensation, etc.) costs to your jobs. You should also be able to easily allocate overhead –(i.e. health insurance you provide, vacation time, etc.) to your jobs.

2. Can the system handle different jobs in different localities? – Do you have employees who work on a number of jobs in different states and localities? Make sure your new system will be able to handle the necessary trade classifications, pay rates, rates and deductions from a single timecard. Also, make sure you will have the ability to assign an employee’s time to multiple jobs and phases as needed.

3. Do I need Certified Payroll Reports? – The inability to produce certified payroll reports, is one of the main reasons we see contractors moving from a generic accounting solution to a contractor specific accounting package. Not being able to produce the required reports can prevent you from competing for government funded projects. There are many things to consider when selecting a system that supports certified payroll – feel free to give us a call with any questions you may have.

4. Is Direct deposit supported? Direct deposit is a “must have” feature these days; however, not all contractor payroll software packages have this feature built in. Be sure to ask is your system supports Automated Clearing House (ACH) direct deposit capabilities and whether or not this is an add-on module requiring extra cost to purchase, configure, and support.

5. How does the system handle Direct vs. Indirect Payroll Costs? – Most construction companies have employee who not only work at the job site(s), but also spend part of their day in the office. Make sure your accounting construction payroll system can handle recording payroll related direct costs, indirect costs (i.e. shop time) and office labor costs without having to implement “system workarounds”.

Selecting the right construction payroll accounting system may seem like a daunting task but it is important to do your homework. If you have any questions or need help defining the requirements for your business, feel free to give us a call at (800) 209 – 6927.

Today’s successful home builder knows that job costing (and controlling costs) is the key to making money in the construction business.

Yes, estimating is also important, but an accurate estimate is only the first step towards bigger profits. You need to know how your actual costs compare to the estimate all the way through construction.

Whether you are researching your first accounting software solution or looking to upgrade the system you have, here are some things to consider before you buy your next system.

Take An Integrated Approach
In order for the job costing module to track the labor, materials and overhead costs associated with a project, it must receive data about your accounts payable, payroll, inventory, and equipment. For this reason, it is important to have a job costing module that is fully integrated with your accounting software. Without an integrated job cost module, your staff will have duplicate data entry work, the system will be prone to errors, and you will have a difficult time getting the information you need in a timely manner.

And if change orders and purchase orders are not integrated into the accounting software, you will lose control and lose money.

Getting The Information You Need To Make Business Decisions
When evaluating accounting software for job costing capabilities, pay attention to the type and variety of reports that are available. The ability to create reports and queries that will give you the answers to your business  questions in a timely fashion is key to increasing your profitability. At a minimum, you should be able to quickly access reports that show you:

• initial and revised budgets by cost code
• actual costs to date
• committed costs
• expected costs to complete the project
• billings and cash collected to date

Don’t Forget The People
Like any system, the information you get out of your accounting software is only as good as what you put into it. In order to capture the necessary details it is important your people in field as well as your people in the office can easily capture costs and get access to the reports they need to do their jobs.

CBSNW was recently named to the Sage North America President’s Circle. We would like to thank all of our customers for helping us achieve this award. More details about the award can be found in the press release copied below.

Contractor Business Solutions Northwest Wins President’s Club Honor

Attention members of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties: the Fall General Membership Dinner & Tradeshow is Thursday, September 15th, 2011 at the Hilton in Bellevue, and both Gerry Byrnes and Jon Newsom of CBSNW will be there just waiting to talk to you! If you are interested in construction accounting software, project management or estimating, or would like to discuss how Sage Master Builder, or Sage Timberline could help your company, this is a great time to ask your questions.  If you can’t make it to this event, feel free to contact us at Contractor Business Solutions NW for more information.

Meet Mike Boyle of FatBoy Construction and learn why he switched from QuickBooks to Sage Master Builder. Mike recognized that his company’s success depends on his ability to accurately estimate, bid, track, and bill for his jobs—for this reason he selected Sage Master Builder as his construction management software.

What if you could do your Sage Master Builder reporting, data analysis, comparisons and more without leaving Excel?

What if up-to-the-minute projected profit or WIP data was just a mouse click away?

What if project managers could quickly see the current job status numbers, enter the estimated cost to complete on the same template and, with one click, send it all back to your office?

What if you could see last year’s numbers and current numbers in the same report?

You can. Attend our 40 minute, complimentary webinar today and learn how you can use Liberty Reports to run reports directly inside of Excel, apply your knowledge of Excel to interact with your data, and extend the functionality of reports through Excel features.

2 PM PST, August 24th
Click here to register now.

Sage Master Builder Version 17 is on its way and you should be receiving it in the next week! This upgrade includes enhancements and new features to take reporting, business analysis and service management to the next level. You’ll gain easier access to information you need to make better decisions, make administrative and accounting tasks more efficient and less risky, and improve your bottom line!

Join us for a live webinar to learn about:

• NEW Alerts Manager – Automatically receive important alerts about critical information via email, dashboard, or both, such as when a job goes over budget or a change order is still pending
• Dashboard Enhancements – Customizable by user with preset panels and ability to view Alerts
• NEW Human Resources Forms – Over 70 customizable forms to handle a variety of common HR tasks
• NEW Department of Labor WH-347 Certified Payroll Report
• Service Dispatch Board Enhancements – Multi-day views, dispatch board personalization, and work order emailing
• NEW Year-end Close Wizard – Step-by-step wizard to guide you through the process
• Improved Company List Window – Ability to view active companies versus archive companies
  And Much More!

This is NOT just a review of the new version; we will be providing in-depth training on all of the new features and enhancements so that you’ll be able to use them immediately in your company.

Cost: $75; $125 for multiple employees from same company (each attendee will need to complete a registration form). After registering, you will be redirected to a payment page.

You have four opportunities to choose from for this training. Space is limited, so register today!

NOTE; Times below are listed in PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME.

Select “Show Time in My Time Zone” under the registration link for presentation time in your area.

Questions? Please contact

Contractor Business Solutions NW – (800) 209-6927, Ext. 5

Wright Office Solutions – (734) 591-9313

We look forward to “seeing” you at the webinar!

Register for a session now by clicking a date below:

Fri, Aug 19, 2011 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM PDT
Wed, Sep 7, 2011 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM PDT

Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration with information you need to join the Webinar.

Click here to download a brochure.

The latest version focuses on three key areas, including: improving service operations, enhancing decision-making and streamlining administrative tasks.

The newly enhanced multi-day Dispatch Board enables more effective and efficient management and communication with field technicians.  Incoming calls, work orders and bills can all be accessed from a central location and can be personalized for a company’s specific needs and processes.

Customizable User Dashboards provide the specific business metrics owners need for a holistic view of their company’s operations, while new Custom Alerts keep them on top of key business milestones and events. The new Year-End Wizard guides users through easier year-end closing, and more than 70 built-in human resources forms save construction businesses time and help reduce their liability.

“Sage Master Builder gives smaller construction companies a way to manage their businesses in a more productive way without having to invest in a larger, higher priced and more complex software suite,” said Jon Witty, general manager of Sage Construction and Real Estate.  “With Version 17, Sage Master Builder includes new”mailt enhancements that companies need to take service management, reporting, and business analysis to the next level.”

Sage Master Builder integrates estimating, production, scheduling, accounting, service management and analysis in one convenient and easy-to-access system.  For construction companies and service/specialty contractors outgrowing off-the-shelf accounting software, it is the ideal solution to get the information they need, when they need it and in the right format.