2012 Review of C-U-C Software — Contractor Essentials

C-U-C Software — Contractor Essentials
800-272-9908
www.cucsoft.com

From the March 2012 Review of Construction & Contractor Accounting Systems.

Best Fit: Contractor Essentials from CUC Software is an excellent fit for small to mid-sized construction-related businesses of any size, but its abundance of specialty modules makes it a terrific choice for service-related contractors.

Strengths:

• The “My Appointments” function allows users to easily manage appointments and workload
• An extensive array of add-on modules makes it suitable for just about any type of construction related business
• Top-notch service and dispatch module provides dispatchers with both excellent scheduling capability and customer/equipment/warranty history at a glance
• Offers built-in estimating capability

Potential Limitations:

• Report customization options could be improved
• Better product and support detail on website would be helpful

In business for over 30 years, CUC Software has been offering construction specific software designed for both the construction and the trade industry. Contractor Essentials contains solid accounting functionality along with an impressive selection of modules that handle everything from job costing to service dispatch.

BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS - 4.25 Stars

Contractor Essentials offers users an easily navigated user interface screen. A drop down menu at the top provides access to system functions, and a user-defined vertical menu located at the left of the main screen provides quick access to designated user functions and common tasks. Users can also choose to utilize organizational tools such as the ‘My Tasks’ area, or simply hide it if not used. Contractor Essentials data entry screens are well-designed, and contain an abundance of drop-down menus, although the search function is somewhat awkward. All data entry screens offer an extensive array of tabs for quick access to related screens. For quick access to vital company information, the Critical Performance Measures module provides categorized reports that look at both company and industry targets, and measures current company performance against both. Remote employees can easily access the system from their location. Contractor Essentials works on a Windows platform, and will work with Windows Vista, Windows XP and Windows 7. Server users will need Windows 2000+. Contractor Essential’s data entry screens are easily navigated and contain good look up options as well as tabs to related module options.

CORE ACCOUNTING CAPABILITIES - 4.75 Stars

Contractor Essentials is a modular product, with users able to choose the modules needed. The core financial modules include GL, AP, AR, and Payroll, with additional functions such as asset management and budgeting found in the GL module. The AP module offers users the ability to pay invoices traditionally via check, by credit card, or by direct deposit. Enter recurring invoices for future payment, and easily integrate with the Contractor Essentials Purchase Order module for easy tracking of system expenses. The AR module provides easy customer tracking and maintenance, and also contains the ability to manage all bank deposits, as well as handling recurrent invoicing for customers. The Payroll module is construction/contractor specific, offering options such as productivity reporting and union reports. It can also handle multiple pay rates for each employee, and is multi-state friendly, with Certified Payroll available. There are numerous accounting and financial modules available as well, including Estimating, Point of Sale, Progress/AIA Billing, and Inventory & Inventory Kit Assemblies. Contractor Essentials contains solid audit trail functionality, with all system transactions tracked by user. Multi-level security provides managers with the ability to determine system level usage based on both primary and secondary level menus, with the option to assign system passwords as needed.