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Foundation Software, Inc. — Foundation For Windows

800-246-0800www.foundationsoft.com

From the April/May 2006 Review of
Construction Accounting Software

Foundation for Windows construction accounting software is designed for labor-intensive
contractors, including heavy construction, specialty trades and general contractors.
Using SQL server, version 5.7 of Foundation for Windows is flexible enough to
be suitable for companies large and small.

Jane Bryant of Cary & Associates Builders, Inc. (www.carybuilders.com)
says: “Having Foundation has totally changed our office. It is extremely
efficient, and the support is wonderful!” Cary & Associates is a commercial
general contractor specializing in design/build projects. Bryant says they are
a fairly small firm with gross sales of about five million per year. “We
build a lot of wineries in Sonoma and Napa Counties (Northern California).”
Bryant notes that “Foundation has provided a stable functioning system
that is very efficient.”

She especially appreciates the ability to access information by date ranges.
“Our old system was based on fixed periods and hard closures at the end
of each fiscal year end and hard closure for payroll on calendar year. So with
foundation, when I am audited for liability insurance, which runs from February
3 to February 3, there is no problem accessing the information.” Bryant
says they also rely on the product’s Certified Payroll, AIA Billing and
Subcontractor tracking. “Year-end closure is very simple with Foundation;
it knows when you cross the year end and deals with payroll itself,” she
says. “Check a couple more boxes, and you are ready to start the new fiscal
year for the corporation!”

Bryant notes that Foundation was totally professional in its approach during
the time she was looking for a software solution. “They explained things
to me but did not try to push a product on me like other software companies
did,” she says. “Foundation took the approach that their software
was not necessarily the right package for everyone. They did not run down their
competition.” Bryant also pointed out that being a date sensitive system
is something their accountant had always wanted.

LEARNING CURVE — 4 Stars
Foundation Software assists each client with the installation of the software.
A technical specialist from Foundation schedules a convenient time for installation,
and will walk you through the entire process, making certain that everything
is configured properly. Once in the system, it is quite easy to navigate. The
main screen contains a menu bar with access to all installed modules. All modules
contain three options: Daily Transactions, where you would enter or edit system
data; Maintenance, where you add or edit your master files for customers, vendors,
clients, etc.; and the Reports option, which provides you with a series of detailed
options for producing system reports. Data-entry screens are easily navigated
and contain lookup options in many fields.

Foundation’s Help feature contains an overview of all modules, as well
as detailed Help on a variety of functions. A Help option is also provided in
various screens throughout the program, which provides instant access to targeted
functions. User-defined fields are found throughout the system, so you can easily
customize customer information, job data, vendors and even employee information.
And all data is easily exported to third-party software such as Microsoft Excel
or Crystal Reports. The Genie series allows customization of timecards, invoices
and reports.

MODULES & FUNCTIONALITY — 4.5 Stars
The base system comes with GL, AP, AR, Job Costing, Payroll, the patent-pending
CPA Audit/Review module, and the Genie Series, which are built-in custom designers
for reports, timecards and invoices. Add-on modules available include Equipment,
Inventory, Time and Material, Service Billing/Order Processing, Unit Price Billing,
Executive Management, Project Management, Consolidated General Ledger, Time
and Material Billing Genie, Third Party integration with a variety of applications,
Timecard Import, and ConversionQuick, which is a Data Integration Service.

The CPA Audit/Review module (patent pending) assists contractors who utilize
a CPA firm, and their CPAs, to streamline the audit and review processes making
it easier for all. In the Job Cost module, you can create custom budgets for each job and track
change orders by status or job progress. You can also track actual job costs
and compare them against estimated or budgeted costs. Foundation for Windows
will automatically allocate workers compensation, FICA expense and liability
insurance to the designated job. The program will also print AIA Billings, and
the Payroll module handles multi-state payroll and can apply multiple jobs to
each employee.

IMPORT/EXPORT/INTEGRATION — 4.5 Stars
Foundation for Windows is a fully integrated program and is also designed to
integrate with third-party estimating, pricing and project management applications.
System reports can be created using the Data Genie and exported to third-party
programs such as Excel, Word and Crystal Reports. The optional ConversionQuick
data integration service increases your integration options tremendously.

SUPPORT & TRAINING — 5 Stars
Foundation for Windows offers a variety of training options including online
training. You also have the option to have on-site training from a Foundation
field trainer. For general questions, or module overviews, you can utilize the
User’s Guide. Unlimited toll-free telephone support is included for the
first six months after purchase. Online support is also available, as is “client
only” web-based support. Software maintenance programs include all of
the above along with system updates, year-end updates, tax law changes and discounts
on classes, additional modules, conferences and consulting.

REPORTING — 5 Stars
Foundation for Windows comes with numerous standard reports that can be customized
to suit your needs. The report toolbar gives you a variety of options when processing
reports including the option to print, review, export to Word or Excel, or create
a *.PDF file. Date sensitivity means you can run historical reports and produce
accurate data. The DataGenie Report Designer lets you create an unlimited number
of user-defined reports, which includes a report wizard for even easier setup
and design.

RELATIVE VALUE — 4.5 Stars
Foundation for Windows is an excellent program that will fit a variety of construction-related
companies. An excellent report writing system, a terrific selection of add-on
modules, and SQL functionality means that you can get the system you need today,
and add on to get the system you need tomorrow. Typical price range varies from
$8,000 to $12,000, and includes training and six months of toll-free support
after purchase.

2006 Overall Rating — 4.5 Stars