| Tue, 05/31/2011 - 12:15pm | |
| Peter DeGennaro | We are a specialty contractor that provides commercial service and heating installations. We currently use Maxwell for our accouting software and FieldCentrics for our service software. We are considering a software change and are currently looking at Sage software and C/F Data systems. Can someone provide me with some insight on software that would work well for a company like ours? Thanks Peter DeGennaro |
| Wed, 01/18/2012 - 10:21am | #1 |
| William Garrison | We are currently evaluating Maxell Systems, and I also am curious as to why someone would be changing. We currently use Foundation, but are considering the Maxwell management suite for its integration with Maxwell estimating (which we use) and field data collection capabilities. I would be interested in other user's experience with Maxell and/ or Foundation.We have a variety of specialty trades, including mechanical, heavy equipment-site work, and steel building erection. |
| Mon, 06/20/2011 - 3:49pm | #2 |
| William Petro | Hi Peter: My name is Bill Petro and I'm the CFO of an industrial coatings contractor. We have been using Maxwell's American Contractor Accounting for several years and are looking to change. We have also met with Sage Timberline and starting to look at others. Have you had any success finding a new package? |
| Thu, 06/02/2011 - 10:37am | #3 |
| Michael Moorhouse | On a positive note, Bob Stewart's compilation of software systems is a very solid list of software providers for small to medium size companies and is a good startng point for your research. Our group of companies spoke with and/or revceived quotes from nearly all the companies on his list prior to making a decision. I have NEVER bad mouthed any software company....but our construction company acquires other construction companies and I can say from my personal experience that Sage/Timberline is not a good solution. It is the only software I have personally seen (there are many I have not seen) where the user can post entries directly into a module (e.g. Job Cost) that will create an out of balance condition with the General Ledger. It is not accounting intuitive in that reports such as a trial balance will reflect negative numbers in the "debit" column that represent "credit" entries! Addionally, (from what I have seen) it is very weak in COGS departmental financial reporting (warehouse, yards, estimating, take-off, indirect, engineering etc.). The system set-ups I have seen use jobs for departmental financial reporting which from the reports I have seen and the responses from users to my inquiries regarding YTD financial information the answer is always the same, there is no capability within the system to extract YTD financial information. (Note: There is an absence of YTD reporting for jobs as well). All YTD reporting is/was done on spreadsheets or by the auditors! It is possible I have seen consistently poor set-up/training but I have witnessed three systems using Sage/Timberline Gold and all three were set-up in a similar manner as described above and all three were located in different parts of the country....beware. |
| Wed, 06/01/2011 - 5:18pm | #4 |
| Mark Raper | Peter, We are a specialty contractor for Drywall, Masonry, and Restoration services. We have been conducting a search for ERP solutions for a while now. I have found that there are a lot of differences among the various software solutions. I wanted to do this right, not wanting to go through any more implementations than are necessary. I discovered that using an independent impartial consulting company to guide us in our selection to be crucial to getting to the correct decision for our company. I have found that Aurie, LLC has the intellectual knowledge base and the integrity to properly assist us in the process. Remember that every company is unique in its approach and culture so finding the right fit is not so easy as getting a few different points of view. I would be happy to discuss this further if you desire. Mark Raper Manganaro Midatlantic, LLC |
| Wed, 06/01/2011 - 3:30pm | #5 |
| Scott Stanger | I've used GEAC Libra, Sage Contractor Anywhere, Sage Timberline Enterprise, and Sage Master Builder at two different mechanical contractors with 24/7 service departments. None of these products are adequate for the unique needs of a specialty contractor with a service department (and the software developers readily admit this). We are in the process of migrating to Sage's newest product Timberline Enterprise which is a SQL product designed from the ground up for specialty contractors with service departments. The software has been out less than a year and has some early release problems, but all early adopters I've talked with agree this is the accounting software we've all been looking for but never could find on the market. It will own the market as soon as the word gets out. |
| Wed, 06/01/2011 - 10:13am | #6 |
| Bob Stewart | Initially, like Darcie, I have to ask, why are you looking to make a switch? There are other applications out there that can work well for specialty contractors, but finding the ones that will meet your needs would require additional information. In addition to those that you mentioned others you might consider are Dexter+Chaney, Penta, Explorer, Viewpoint, etc. Wennsoft also has an offering that might be a good fit. But again, it would be helpful to get more information about your situation and what is driving the this potential move. |
| Wed, 06/01/2011 - 9:50am | #7 |
| Jack Biven | We have used SI-Systems software since 1998. It is now updated and has a new name, Bravepoint, ProfitZoom. We are very satisfied with it. I think it would be worth your while to investigate this option. www.bravepoint.com. Sounds like your company is service oriented. That is primary target client for this software. Please feel free to let me know if I can provide any more info. Jack |
| Wed, 06/01/2011 - 9:44am | #8 |
| Eric Hammersmark | Peter: Whichever accounting and job cost system you settle on, you might also consider mobile data collection and project management from AboutTime Technologies. We're a development partner of Sage (as well as Maxwell Systems and others) and provide a solution to collect employee time, equipment time, production units, etc. on all the popular mobile devices (smart phones, iPads, etc.). Eric Hammersmark, AboutTime Technologies, Denver Office, 303-221-1976 direct |
| Wed, 06/01/2011 - 7:53am | #9 |
| Darcie Rivard | I supported Maxwell for several years and think it is a great package. I really wish the company I worked for now was using it. Why the switch? |