BQE CORE Suite Reviews

Great way to track time, projects, expenses, and time off.

Pros:

This is a all in one suite, which is fantastic for tracking everything time and monetarily to a project. It also is great for keeping track of employees billable hours for internal office review.

Cons:

Currently the contacts list is only available to administrators, so we can not use it to have a database of client contact information. Additionally, the way it requests to list someone as client or supplier is a bit odd when we sometimes have them as both.

As seen from the perspective of Administration.

Comments: The entire team is more accountable for a wider list of aspects of the job. Time, expense are now relatable to the team, not just to management due to the analytics being on everybody's screens, not just management. Awareness is the first step toward making the effort to make changes.

Pros:

The time tracking is the first and most impactful of the features. As the team grew more comfortable, they found it easier to get more specific with the breakdown...not being so vague. After six months most of the team seems very comfortable with the use of the product.

Cons:

I am HR Admin, and we do not yet have the HR module, so it is likely having the smallest affect on me. The time and expense features that I use the most is not always accurate due to some of the automatic features, but we have/had not stipulated our needs. It is customizable to make this work more in our favor, but we had to know of the effects first. I like least that we had to wait and experience the detriments to see what it would do first, so that we could then make those changes

BQE Review

Comments: our experience has not been a good one . many frustrating efforts from our team and bqe team to get this underway

Pros:

easy to navigate. there are some great features in this software

Cons:

this software is more of a US product . i believe if this is to be sold to the Canadian market they need to make sure there are canadian taxes, for the most part. there are quite a few features that just dont compare to Deltek Vision....

A helpful tool, once you get used to it.

Comments: When we compared different software options (Quickbooks, Monograph, Deltek Ajera, Smartsheet) BQE offered the most options we needed (project management, invoicing and time tracking) at the best price.

Pros:

I like having so much data at my fingertips to get a sense of finances for the company, tracking accounting (invoices, vendor bills, etc.). Customer service is AMAZING, you can call right from the app on your computer and they are available pretty much anytime, even when I'm working late. The workflow to be able to send things internally. The dashboard view is really helpful to see what's important to you. If you are already set up as a company, onboarding can be really quick as they have a team that can enter your data.

Cons:

Data entries are sluggish, you have to wait for the line to be created before you can add information to additional cells. Invoices are not as tidy as I would like (activity & description, really duplicate the information). Individual training needs improvement, the consequences of choosing option A or B to enter information has consequences down the line that were not clearly explained and only discovered after months of entering in a way that was not what we really needed.

BQE Core Review Dec 2022

Comments: This software does take some time and effort to learn, but as with everything you get out of it what you put into it. You need to take the time to both learn and enter data so that you get accurate results.

Pros:

The customer service is outstanding and available 24-7. The software itself is easy to use as long as you put the time in to learn what it can do. Reports are great and very customizable and if you cannot find what you need there is an option to reach out for a custom report for a fee. Time entry is extremely easy to do whether you are in the office or on the go.

Cons:

Invoices when in draft mode cannot only have some changes made to them, whereas other PM software I have used lets you update more whilst in this mode. Also we started using the accounting feature and the bank feed updates are still not working

Alternatives Considered: Deltek Ajera

Reasons for Choosing BQE CORE Suite: We made the switch so that we have more insight into our projects.

Reasons for Switching to BQE CORE Suite: We were already using ArchiOffice and where happy with this project, so we decided to stay with BQE.

BQE Core key to Business Operations

Comments: CORE allows us to operate efficiently as a business. Overall, the CORE product I would recommend to any business who relies on billable hours as their core business. The ability to invoice directly from the platform and customize project fields are nice features.

Pros:

BQE Core is critical to the overall operation of our business. CORE allows us to charge time and expenses to different projects, in which we utilize CORE's invoicing suite to invoice customers in a timely manner. CORE's suite helps us manage cashflow and WIP better than we ever have before.

Cons:

CORE has moments where the platform loads very slowly. Invoices can be customized, but that comes at a cost. We would like for CORE to have the ability to allow it's customers to customize their own invoice templates. When a project has many phases, invoicing by master project is not possible.

Alternatives Considered: BigTime and Replicon

Reasons for Switching to BQE CORE Suite: BQE Core met our business needs better. The ability to customize project fields, bill multiple classifications for one individual on the same project, and the ability to invoice directly from the project time and expenses were the main factors in our decision.

Best in Class Architecture Management

Comments: Overall, CORE has exceeded our expectations other than some basic simplicity in the user interface similar to Monograph, but with far more added flexibility meeting the daily needs of an architectural practice.

Pros:

CORE has by far proven to be the most suitable fit for small architecture practices and firms as compared to many others out there cost hundreds of dollars more for each seat. The application serves our daily needs to keep our projects and staff on account, efficient and profitable.

Cons:

Sometimes there's too much of a good thing, being that there's more than 1 way to get what you need and therefore it can get a bit complicated and confusing to navigate.

Alternatives Considered: Monograph

Reasons for Switching to BQE CORE Suite: We came over from ArchiOffice and CORE offers flexible pricing tiers and discounts for long term subscription, as well as a full compliment of modules included.

If you can spend the time to implement it, it’s beyond worth it.

Comments: We have really enjoyed the experience, it has since become a bit more expensive and potentially out of our price range.

Pros:

I love all the reports that we can create, track progress of our projects financially, and use it to teach our team about management.

Cons:

The price to add users is a bit high. The ability to work through custom KPIs is tough.

Alternatives Considered: Deltek Vision

Reasons for Switching to BQE CORE Suite: Easiest to understand at the beginning. Seemed to be right in the middle.

BQE - We rely it!

Comments: No issues to write about, just as mentioned it is a bit to maneuver, but overall experience is positive.

Pros:

Honestly, the support from the support team if there is a problem, has been key to rating the software.

Cons:

Sometimes the software is a bit tricky to maneuver, but as mentioned the support team is great.

Alternatives Considered: Quickbooks Online

Reasons for Switching to BQE CORE Suite: I didn't choose it, but everyone seemed to think this was best for the architects and accounting.

Perfect for small professional services company that has lots of projects

Comments: amazing customer support and a great product. Glad to not be shopping for a new product for sure!

Pros:

Custom project setup and full integration with Quickbooks online

Cons:

There are a few features we would like regarding locking down timesheets and making the invoice approval without needing excessive licensing...but we manage

Existing User

Comments: We've had our ups and downs. After a couple of days on the phone with customer support, things have been clarified and settled. I understand some of my problems now and how to fix them. It is really the first time I have felt comfortable with my choice in software. As I learn new things, play with it more and talk with customer support things that I thought might be deal burners, are really not. We all need to accept change, and for me as a former development programmer, I am used to it. I was not that into our existing software that we are replacing as I only had to deal with it for a year as I am kind of the new employee. Yes, I looked at several different software options. Yes, some had more features than others, some less. It is going to be pretty difficult to find a replacement software that is exactly like the one you are replacing. My original review stated there were a lot of bugs. I'm not so sure about that statement any longer. For me, it works better through Crome than Edge. I did have quite a few issues when running in Edge. This may be a problem that has since been fixed, but I'm okay in chrome.

Pros:

I have had more time with the software since my last review. As I slowly convert the firms old data to this new software, things are falling into place quickly. I'm becoming attuned to the software. Learning little things I didn't know where there, both by playing around and talking with customer support. This software is easy to learn. Not a real big learning curve, assuming you are familiar with project management, accounting, project setup or you have people familiar with those areas. I do it all, and basically maintain everything for everyone else.

Cons:

I don't have many, but if I had to pick... they are not really cons, as I hope they will expand to these later on. API with Office 365/Outlook would be a nice added bonus. For me, especially Outlook. Also API with Quickbooks desktop version. This isn't a big issue, as I hope to also phase out QB and only use that software for payroll. Which I will then have an API if I go with QB Online/payroll. I will always use QB for payroll, so I am use to doing journal entries into systems to reflect the payroll numbers. This is not a hardship for me.

Alternatives Considered: Deltek Vantagepoint, Kantata, Wrike and Zoho Analytics

Reasons for Switching to BQE CORE Suite: Zoho- (would have to interface with too many other software products) Mavenlink and Wrike, although awesome PM related software did not handle the AEC community as well as I would have liked. I currently have QB Enterprise Contractors edition, but it is for payroll only and duplicating invoices/checks from the old system at a high level for accounting purposes. This software did not, nor ever will do what I was told it could handle when I was looking to upgrade from PRO to an AEC community software. A total waste of high dollar money. Will go back to PRO or on-line for payroll only as soon as I am up and running 100% in CORE. Deltek, while they bought out WIND2, which is what I am replacing, and they covered pretty much everything in their new software options, I will not and cannot purchase a software where the company does not allow me some free demo months. If I couldn't demo and do one on one sessions with the software I was looking at and talk to techs, I wasn't interested. Deltek does not give you a free trial version and they are overpriced. Totally turned off by this company. They think they own the market in the AEC industry, and they really don't, but charge you like they do. Every software has a work around most of the time. I was determined to find one. Total Synergy...Never really gave this software a fair chance. With a walk thru demo, I was told something couldn't be done and just started looking elsewhere.

We are particularly impressed with CORE’s user-friendly, “all in one” design

Comments: Our small but rapidly-growing architectural firm was looking for a project management and billing solution. We were particularly impressed with CORE’s user-friendly, “all in one” design.

Pros:

It provides us with a single source to record employee time, manage project tasks, budget, invoice and track project performance. We took advantage of the various training packages and technical assistance BQE offers to help us get up-to-speed with CORE in a matter of months. BQE also worked with us to develop a custom invoice that provides our clients with current and past billing information in a clean and easy-to-read format. With the mobile app, our partners access CORE data anytime, anywhere, and can record travel expenses directly from their smartphones. BQE has demonstrated to us that they listen and responds to suggestions on how to make CORE an even better program for its users by providing regular updates and enhancements that incorporate our suggestions. We are very pleased with CORE and BQE.”

Cons:

Everything is working for us and if it does not then that is what support is for. Like any other new software implementation there is a learning curve. We took advantage of the various training packages.

Alternatives Considered: WorkflowMax

Reasons for Choosing BQE CORE Suite: We were using 4 applications to run our business We are Sharefile, Timefox, Quickbooks and MSExcel to track our projects and handle time/billing/productivity and forecasting. It was getting cumbersome

Switched From: Citrix ShareFile

Reasons for Switching to BQE CORE Suite: For its simple to use interface and definitely Mobil apps are far superior

BQE provides strong support for customizations

Comments: Overall experience has been nothing short of great. The strong support BQE offers for customization has resulted in effective time billing management but also leaves us with satisfied clients seeing their contracts clearly on a custom invoice based on their requirements.

Pros:

Our company transitioned many years ago to BQE from a different software which was not as detail oriented as we needed for project budgets as well as client satisfaction on invoicing. Offering services to many different types of agencies - from federal to local government agencies to the private sector, each client requires a different level of detail on invoicing. In the past, we have found it very difficult to track time and transition those hours into a contract based invoice.

Cons:

Would like to see more streamlined and simplified process of client credits. Right now the only way is to have it has a retainer.

Invoices have been easier to process compared to previous software

Comments: Overall experience is great. As mentioned we experiencing error free time tracking, billing and the presentation of invoices is far better.

Pros:

We use the time, billing and accounting functions frequently and it has made my job a lot easier and smoother compared to tracking down expenses and time for the team members. Processing reports are simple as well. Less error of tracking time/expenses as compared to our previous software. Invoices are more accurate. Invoices look professional and clean.

Cons:

Cannot think of anything at this time. We are really enjoying the software

it’s truly changed how we operate as a business

Comments: We have only been using the software since September 1st. Previously we were using Excel for project management, timesheets, and AR invoicing. In addition, we were using Word and Excel to generate manual invoices (then converting to PDF). Not only has the billing process been improved, but we have been able to implement Internal Financial Controls. We purchased the HR and Accounting modules a couple of months ago and are in the process of implementing our own HR templates. We are looking forward to automating the HR process. It’s truly changed how we operate as a business and made us ten times more efficient in so many different ways.

Pros:

The call-in support is always available. The billing module & templates. It is easy to generate invoices. The batch update feature. Uploading documents in various modules. View of information projects are restricted to authorized personnel. Ability to sort and filter various screens. How CORE will remember where you left off if you leave a screen or log-out (same filters, etc.).

Cons:

Core can use these improvements: 3. What improvements would you like to see in Core • An Accounts Payable Widget that shows open invoices that are due within a customized time frame. • A tracking method for professional continuing education requirements. • Enabling dependency between phases (not just within phase). • Download GANNT chart into Excel that looks like the chart (not just a list). • Being able to modify draft invoices without having to delete and start over. • Vendors – tracking COI’s w/60-day advance reminders. • AP checks to include invoice number (not the bill number). • In the project structure, a separate tool to move a phase up or down (rather than the grab and drop). • The AR invoices to automatically sort to open status only (not all invoices). • The ability to hide or delete built-in accounts in the Chart of Accounts. • Custom HR forms that can be sent to employees and electronically signed. • In billing, projects that are in complete or cancelled status, it will not show up in the drop-down menu when creating batch invoice.

Great tool for the Architect's office

Comments: Overall, this is a good office management tool for the architect. We have used it for the past 10 years and find it invaluable in all we do in managing projects and running the business.

Pros:

The product is great for the management of a project from time and expense reports to document management. It also manages the office contacts and calendar of events for all the employees. It will give you in real time if you are making or losing money on a project. It tracks and creates invoicing for all project clients. If you use QuickBooks, it is integrated directly with that software for complete accounting management. It is a great tool for Architects in that it is formatted for what we do (tasks and phasing of projects). If you have internet connection, you can get access to this program while on the road,

Cons:

When opening up project file, it takes 2 or 3 clicks to open up a file, such as Word, PDF and AutoCAD. Very, Very frustrating. Many of my employees do not use is function and simply use Window file manager to open and move files. We should not have to do this. It uses Java in the background for some of its operations, and I am not a fan of Java... it is always updating. Updating of the software is somewhat difficult for the person not a computer nerd.

Great product! Practical, customizable, and good value for the money.

Comments: This product saves me time and keeps all my cases organized so I never miss important deadlines or follow-up tasks. Well worth the money.

Pros:

1) It has a nice look and it's easy to use because it is organized in an intuitive manner. 2) It is also incredibly customizable. There are so many ways to filter reports and adjust who sees which reports and when, it kind of blows my mind. I have done so many things to customize this software to my firm's needs and I still feel like I've just scratched the surface. This also means it will continue to be useful as my firm grows, which is incredibly valuable. 3) It's a cloud-based software, which means I never have to worry about installing the latest updates. It's also an extra bonus layer of data security because the data is not housed on my local in-office server. 4) Tracking time is easy, and once hours have been billed to the client they are marked in the system (this may seem like a pretty basic feature, but it was surprisingly difficult to find in a case management software). 5) It talks to QuickBooks online, and it's easy to transfer data. It saves a lot of time to transfer invoice and other data from the project management software directly into my accounting system. 6) The customer service and follow-up support is great. I was walked through the initial implementation, which got me up and running almost immediately - very little work time invested in the implementation. After using the software for a few weeks, I scheduled a one-on-one training session with a BQE trainer to get all my firm-specific questions answered which was great.

Cons:

My only (minor) complaint is that it does not yet also function as a CRM. I hope they add this feature because I'm looking forward to incorporating that data and function into the same system as my case management.

The logic/use process seems to flow very well

Comments: The logic/use process seems to flow very well. The QuickBooks integration is very stable and makes sense once you understand it. The user interface looks nice, is operationally smooth and is very responsive both in design and speed.

Pros:

Overall, very good. There was a learning curve, as with all software, but it makes sense once you figure it out. There are lots of connectors/features so knowing what you need is a big part of this. Support has been very good. They methodically think through processes and help with issues, configuration settings, or bugs (which I recently filed and it will already be fixed by the weekend). The software appears to do what I need it do (Project/Time/Expense Management) and may also be our replacement for QuickBooks once we get the processes figured out. The cost seems to be fair and it’s Tiered Usage based on user needs was great and something competitors didn’t offer very well. We look forward to continue to use the product

Cons:

Its big and complicated. I would spend time investing in documentation on what things really do for the back-end. For example: The QuickBooks integration is great, but finding out what actually happens is confusing. I had to set up small tests to figure out that “activities” really mean “services” in QuickBooks and you can have select what records have to sync… documentation (very technical) is very good for people like me!

Our experience with BQE Core has been incredibly great!

Comments: Overall our experience with the product and people supporting it has been incredibly great. All along our journey of selection process and then on-boarding and finally day to day support we need has been a wonderful experience. The easy setup of projects using templates and option to assign bill rates by projects using fee schedules has finally reduced the steps and workload.

Pros:

We were struggling with using many software applications to run our business. With Core we everything is in one software from tracking time, expense reporting, billing and project tracking. Our project managers have real-time project progress on a wide variety of reports and the best part is they can customize dashboards to fit their needs. Rest of the management team has easy access to the information using the scheduled reports without even logging into Core. We really love the automation.

Cons:

Early on we had a difficult time understanding the vendor bill workflow.

Core has been a huge time saving for us..

Comments: It is such a user-friendly software program and the customer service is definitely great.

Pros:

Core has been a huge time savings for us. The ease of creating invoices, making and customizing reports, and entering time has improved our ability to get more done overall. We have been very pleased with all aspects of customer service, the integration team, custom reports team, trainers, and call center for the one off type questions and issues. We would recommend Core to anyone on the fence about the service. It is such a user-friendly software program

Cons:

There was a bit of a learning curve in the beginning and training coordination was somewhat challenging but nothing extraordinary.

Slowly getting there

Pros:

What we like the most about Core is the way everything is integrated in one application instead of using standalone apps that do not talk to each other. The ease of pulling up the needed date is definitely helpful. I have liked how some of my suggestions to Core ideas have been implemented. If more of these could be fixed and added to the software, the use of the software would be more efficient and effective.

Cons:

Although, BQE is working on a payroll module and i have to use a a separate payroll software to process payroll. On projects when you assign a group it doesn't let you assign to all phases and this feature addition would be great.

Core has been a gamechanger

Comments: We use the Time, Billing and Project Management modules; with this, I've been able to reduce time spent on billing (and have much better analysis tools) even as our company has grown.

Pros:

Logical organization of procedures, ability to customize reports, outstanding live help service. Having staff manage time entries (rather than having to manually input from timesheets) has been a gamechanger. The reports are also hugely useful and help project managers keep track of budgets in real time. We're still learning and finding new ones that are useful to us.

Cons:

Sometimes loading of project lists is a little slow/temperamental, but nothing major.

The automation with the cloud feed is great for accounting

Comments: I just love it. Your support, training, sales people are all really helpful.

Pros:

All of it - we came from a paper, Excel, Filemaker Pro, Timeslips, Quickbooks mess. The automation with the cloud feed is great for accounting. The ePayment option is something I just set up for our company and am looking forward to having clients take advantage of, the project management module helps us track our time and expenses in the project in ways that we could not before. For the first time in our 45 year company history we have a company budget for this year. While I am still learning and looking at how our company can best utilize CORE in all areas, we are definitely benefitting from using it. It has made tracking unpaid invoices much easier, thus making it easier to follow up with clients who we need to receive payment from. We now have a payables system to use, instead of a paper file. I could go on..

Cons:

For a small business, where many approval steps aren't really as necessary, some of these steps become a bit cumbersome. That being said, it does force me to look at the data people are entering and perhaps correct it before things get out of hand too far down the line.

Core comes with powerful features

Comments: Here are some of the features that we like the most in Core and these features have made us a better firm: We definitely like; Reports, especially project analysis and performances. The ability to activate / deactivate phases on a project. We have been invoicing out of Core and recently I am appreciating ePayments and stripe integration and project management dashboard.

Pros:

After testing many other products in the market when we were deciding to make a switch, I can confidently say Core by far was right at the top of the list. The features and power are so vast that I believe BQE should offer certification courses for Core. We still are in early stages of exploiting all the amazing features of Core, but there is no question as a firm we have become more disciplined in managing client expectation on budget and project performance as a whole. Customer service is great and your ongoing feature videos are the best learning tools.

Cons:

We would like to see improvements in Gantt chart area.

We like invoicing in Core

Comments: Time is good and so is billing

Pros:

I like using the invoicing and payments process, quick and easy to follow through with CEO and clients. Reports are also great, just trying to figure out the best reports to use takes time and experience. We also use the Retainer aspect which is helpful for our clients, much better than trying to keep track of in manually in excel or quickbooks. My monthly financial meetings with the CEO and Principal have become extremely efficient when using the AR Aging report with retainage by easily showing what is outstanding including the retainage portion is important for them to understand. The Account Transactions report have been helpful when reconciling with clients or even project managers the balances owing by phase.

Cons:

Most times I have to hit enter twice for CORE to respond...not sure if I am keying too fast? Being Canadian I would like to see the verbiage of "Retainage" changed to Holdback. Having Retainer and Retainage on the same report can cause confusion here up North! LOL! We don't use the work retainage; we just call it holdback.