COMPUTEREASE - · PDF fileCOMPUTEREASE CONSTRUCTION 2SOFTWARE REVIEW • CTSGUIDES.COM • PAGE ... resource management, meeting minutes, ... field reporting, project management,

COMPUTEREASE CONSTRUCTION SOFTWARE REVIEW BY SHELDON NEEDLE

COMPUTEREASE CONSTRUCTION SOFTWARE REVIEW • CTSGUIDES.COM • PAGE 2

Overview ComputerEase is designed for the entire life cycle of a construction project. The fully integrated system follows a construction project through crucial areas of a contractor’s business. From estimating (including third party and Excel importing), project management (including scheduling, resource management, meeting minutes, punchlist, daily logs and document control), invoice routing & approval, payroll (including certified payroll reporting) and accounting to complete job cost and financial analysis, ComputerEase is a total construction software solution. ComputerEase can be customized for each user. Current offerings include:

• Job Costing with projected job cost • General Ledger • Accounts Payable • Accounts Receivable • Payroll (and a payroll service) • Management Centers • Project Management • FieldEase iSeries--remote time, field

reporting, project management, purchase orders, service work orders, job cost

• Subcontract Management • Equipment Control • Inventory • Purchasing / Purchase Orders • Service Management • Bid Day and Bid Invitation Control • Tool and Equipment Tracking & Rental • CRM • Comdata • Time Collection for fabrication shops • QTools report writer • Favorites, Quick Access and Task Menus

User Experience ComputerEase is a menu-based system that provides quick and easy access to each module. Data entry is consistent from module to module and can be done using a mouse or keyboard. Keyboard short cuts are standard throughout the system. Each module includes the ability to quickly add new records. Parameter settings ensure Job Cost and General Ledger stay in balance and all transactions offer real time posting to Job Cost. FieldEase iSeries is a field application that is web based or can work on a laptop or tablet PC, Android or iPad. Both products help to end the paper chase in a contractors office.

Value Sold through a network of dealerships across the country, ComputerEase is used by more than 7,000 contractors nationwide and is designed to meet the needs of General Contractors and Subcontractors. Product pricing is based upon the configuration of the software that is purchased (modules and number of users purchased). The base system starts at $4,995 for software only and includes Job Cost, General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Q Tools and ODBC for a single user.

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Strengths

• Management Centers • Fully-integrated Project Management • FieldEase iSeries for web access • Ability to enter percent complete, units

complete, revised estimates and dollars to complete

• User-defined menus • Unlimited user-defined fields in all

modules

Limitations

• Computerease Cloud is a hosted solution requiring Citrix for access, only FieldEase is Browser based

• Limited options for formatting financial statements,

• No intercompany transactions • Weak fixed assets module • Categories and cost codes must be entered

for each job or pulled from a template • Weak service management/dispatch

application

Ease of Deployment & Training ComputerEase is sold and supported through a national channel of dealer-consultants. Local dealer-consultants provide sales, support and training services directly to their customers, enabling each customer to receive support in their local time zone and helping to reduce the cost of onsite training for customers. Rather than directing all customer support through a central corporate office, customers receive more individualized, personal and cost effective services. In addition to telephone and e-mail support, ComputerEase has an online help manual built into the system.

Training and support pricing varies by dealer. Each new purchase includes training, a system manual and tutorial workbook. Training is available on-site, on-line or at ComputerEase’s local dealership offices at the customer’s discretion.

Further Reading Executive Summary ComputerEase Software has been serving the project management and accounting software needs of contractors since 1983. ComputerEase is known for innovative products that include project management, job costing and accounting that are comprehensive yet easy to use. ComputerEase has received nationally recognized awards for FieldEase iSeries and Electronic Invoice Routing and Approval. FieldEase iSeries, a field application that is web based or can work on a laptop or tablet PC, Android or iPad. Both products help to end the paper chase in a contractors office. In 1996, ComputerEase became one of the first construction software packages to adopt Microsoft Windows, proving itself as an innovator in construction management software. ComputerEase is written in Visual C++ and is fully Microsoft and ODBC compliant. ComputerEase requires Windows XP Professional operating system or later and makes full use of 32-bit and 64-bit technology. ComputerEase is compatible with most network environments, including Windows Sever 2003 or later and peer-to-peer. Built-in conversion tools allow for faster startup when converting from QuickBooks®, PeachTree® and other software systems.



Cloud Computing ComputerEase was one of the first technology providers to offer a hosted cloud solution. Cloud computing is starting to take off in the construction market due to contractors wanting to increase efficiencies and lower overhead costs associated with on premise network maintenance. With cloud computing, applications are hosted at a secure datacenter and accessed by the end user via a Web browser. ComputerEase has added new browser based solutions to its product lineup. ComputerEase Cloud— Anyone, Anywhere at Anytime ComputerEase Cloud is the company’s Web-based construction accounting, project management and service management software solution. With ComputerEase Cloud, companies enjoy the benefits of a hosted solution and have secure access to ComputerEase from any computer with an Internet connection and from Web-enabled mobile devices like the Apple iPad, iPhone, Android devices and many others. Project Management, Payroll, Accounting, FieldEase and More ComputerEase is designed for the entire life cycle of a construction project. The fully integrated system follows a construction project through crucial areas of a contractor’s business. From estimating (including third party and Excel importing), project management (including scheduling, resource management, meeting minutes, punchlist, daily logs and document control), invoice routing & approval, payroll (including certified payroll reporting) and accounting to complete job cost and financial analysis,

ComputerEase also provides you with all the crucial information and analysis you need for your company to be profitable, all in a concise and easily accessible format. Its powerful Management Centers provide quick and easy access to job and company information through a mix of reports and graphical formats. The ability to drill down into detailed information is available on most reports in the Management Centers. Critical information is available to owners, project managers and other key employees based on security access. Key trouble shooting reports are automatically generated through the Management Centers as well as snapshots on Cash Flow, Jobs, Payroll, Subcontractors, Equipment, Receivables and an overall Financial view. ComputerEase has a strong payroll module that includes Certified Payroll reports, union reporting, multi-state and municipality payroll. Attendance tracking is also available in the payroll module. ComputerEase’s FieldEase iSeries application is especially good for labor-intensive contractors. ComputerEase will integrate with most third party software systems including, but not limited to: Comdata, estimating systems, project management systems (including MS Project, Primavera and SureTrack, remote time keeping systems, scale systems, bar code readers, Create-A-Check (Piracle) and pricing services. Support and Maintenance ComputerEase is sold and supported through a national channel of dealer-consultants. Local dealer-consultants provide sales, support and training services directly to their customers, enabling each customer to receive support in their local time zone and helping to reduce the cost of onsite training for customers. Rather than directing all customer support through a central corporate office, customers receive more individualized, personal and cost effective services. In addition to



telephone and e-mail support, ComputerEase has an online help manual built into the system. ComputerEase’s maintenance program includes all software enhancements and updates. These updates are available on a monthly basis and include: year-end updates, tax updates, W-2 changes and tax law changes. All updates are available through the auto-update feature within the ComputerEase system. In addition, the maintenance program entitles the customer to all upgrades when a new version is released annually. Competitive Pricing Product pricing is based upon the configuration of the software that is purchased (modules and number of users purchased). The base system starts at $4,995 for software only and includes Job Cost, General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Q Tools and ODBC for a single user. Training and support pricing varies by dealer. Each new purchase includes training, a system manual and tutorial workbook. Training is available on-site, on-line or at ComputerEase’s local dealership offices at the customer’s discretion. System Features Pros

• Management Centers • Fully-integrated Project Management • FieldEase iSeries for web access • Ability to enter percent complete, units

complete, revised estimates and dollars to complete

• User-defined menus • Unlimited user-defined fields in all

modules • Web enabled ASP service available • Stand-alone project management available • Direct deposit capabilities

• Payroll service available • Ability to attach documents, digital

photos, scanned images, etc. in all modules

• Electronic work orders • Electronic Invoice Routing & Approval • Fully-integrated Tool & Equipment

Tracking • Templates powered by Microsoft Word • Supports equipment rental

Cons

• Computerease Cloud is a hosted solution requiring Citrix for access, only FieldEase is Browser based

• Limited options for formatting financial statements,

• No intercompany transactions • Weak fixed assets module • Categories and cost codes must be entered

for each job or pulled from a template • Bank rec. only gives bank balance but not

the book balance so system won't keep track of the unreconciled balance

• Cannot edit fields like invoice number before posting

• Cannot print subsidiary ledger like a purchase journal or sales journal

• Multiple steps to post transactions, once to subledger and then from subledgers to to GL

• Support is mostly by travelling consultants so timely on-site support is not always available

ComputerEase is a menu-based system that provides quick and easy access to each module. Data entry is consistent from module to module and can be done using a mouse or keyboard. Keyboard short cuts are standard throughout the system. Each module includes the ability to quickly add new records. Parameter settings ensure Job Cost and General Ledger stay in



balance and all transactions offer real time posting to Job Cost. ComputerEase can run on a single workstation, in a network environment or as a web-based application through the “Enterprise” solution. The system operates on a concurrent user license and can be installed on an unlimited number of computers. Full record locking is available in the system. Customizable and Secure ComputerEase offers an unlimited number of user-defined fields,that include drop-down selection boxes and an option to designate them as required fields, throughout each module as well as user defined system menu, and the end user has the ability to enter date sensitive notes throughout the system. From a vendor or customer file to collection notes on an invoice to documenting a delay on a job schedule, the ability to add notes plays an important role in ComputerEase. ComputerEase comes with hundreds of standard reports. Reports can be run by date range and period. A powerful report selector, built into each module, allows users to select the desired report parameters. These report selections can be set as defaults for each user. Reports can be exported or pasted into Excel and all reports are designed to be displayed, printed and e-mailed (reports can be attached automatically as PDFs to outgoing e-mails). In addition, the user has the ability to fax directly from the system with the integration of third-party fax software. QTools, a built in, user-friendly report writer, allows users to customize standard reports and create their own reports using their user defined fields. These reports can then be saved as new report templates and may also be exported to Excel and other databases.

Additional report writing capabilities are available using third party report writers such as Crystal Reports, Excel, Word and Access. Additionally, ComputerEase dealerships offer custom report services to create custom reports for their customers. System security can be assigned down to the menu item, giving the end user the power to decide which employees have access to which features. ComputerEase security includes executive payroll settings. The system administrator can quickly and easily assign and copy security settings from one user to another. There is no limit to the number of user logins and passwords that can be created. An unlimited number of companies can be run using ComputerEase. The name of the active company is displayed on all screens in the software. Background colors can be set for each company as well. All companies have their own data files and consolidated financial statements can be prepared in the General Ledger. ComputerEase’s “practice mode” creates a duplicate of the company data that looks and feels like the real company. This allows the user to practice a transaction without affecting the “live” data. Accounting Practices ComputerEase follows Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and provides detailed audit trails. Soft close procedures within each module allow the system administrator to determine, by user, how transactions are posted (to prior and future periods). Transaction postings are date driven, not period driven.



Job Cost

Pros

• Strong inquiry and reporting • Job Center • Separate billing and costing schedules

may be linked • Computation of percentage of completion • Drill down capability in reports • Troubleshooter reports • Unlimited user defined cost codes • Multiple input options for calculating

percentage complete and projected job cost

• In AIA invoicing and Unit billing, option to update original values and amounts completed directly from Job Costing Reports

Cons

• Two step process required to transfer costs between jobs

Integration between Job Cost and the other ComputerEase modules is strong. Vendor and subcontractor invoices are posted to Job Cost from Accounts Payable. Job billings are posted from Accounts Receivable. Change orders can be posted from Job Cost, Document Control or

Accounts Receivable (AIA and contract billings). Purchase orders update committed cost on job reports. Employee hours (regular and overtime), gross pay and labor burden are posted to the category level from information posted in payroll. Job notes, including files such as digital pictures, Excel and Word files, scanned images or any electronic file, can be attached to each job. The end user can create their own custom folders. These attachments can be transactional or merely informational. Job Cost interfaces with several tool tracking systems for costing and tracking tool usage on jobs. Job file Jobs are identified by a 10 character alphanumeric job code, a four-character alphanumeric phase code, a six-character alphanumeric category code, and up to 16 cost types. The system comes pre-defined with five cost types, and up to 11 user-defined cost types may be added, each linked with a General Ledger code. For each cost combination, users can enter estimated dollars, hours and quantities. User defined job fields are available in a date, text, number, yes/no or phone number format, and are available at the job, phase and category level. ComputerEase can track quantities, which are used to track production, in both units and dollars. Third-party estimating packages easily interface with the ComputerEase import function. This interface can be used to create job budgets, pull list and purchase orders in ComputerEase. ComputerEase allows you to see the true labor cost by posting actual labor burden, in addition to direct wages, to Job Cost. The burden is pre-defined to include all payroll taxes, workers compensation and general liability insurance and union fringes as well as other company paid benefits established in Payroll. In addition, the user also can choose a percent of burden to use, either by itself or in conjunction with the actual labor dollars. You may also post direct costs as a percent of one or more of the cost types - for



example, material, equipment, labor, subcontracts, etc. ComputerEase allows copying from one job to another, even if the jobs are in different formats. Billing line items for a schedule of values is defined at the phase level in the job setup. They can also be defined at the category level or customized at the AIA schedule of vales entry. ComputerEase handles time and material billings, AIA, Contract, Unit, and user formatted billing through the Accounts Receivable module. Jobs can be set as active or inactive, allowing the system to sort out the closed jobs, but maintaining the data for reporting purposes. Job Cost Transactions Job cost estimates can be entered for each cost distribution or can be duplicated from another job (or master job template). Users can duplicate the phases and/or categories from this template. Users will normally enter the transactions in a source module, but a number of different transactions can be entered directly into the Job Cost module. All transactions are posted to the General Ledger in either a detail or summary format. The user can either use a job cost summary or a balance screen to assist in reconciliation to the General Ledger. ComputerEase also provides features for tracking construction loan draws and associated information. Projected Job Cost A unique feature of ComputerEase is its ability to project a job’s profitability based upon information that has already been entered. This feature allows the end user to see where your job will end up, providing the job manager with the tools he needs to make effective changes. The ComputerEase Troubleshooter highlights the problem areas on a job in plain text so project managers can locate potential problems quickly

and easily in time to correct them before the job is completed. There are five different Troubleshooters in ComputerEase: Job, Field Manager, Payroll, Subcontractor and Receivables. These Troubleshooters include budget vs. actual, labor hours or rates, units complete, cost-to-date as a percentage of estimate, billed-to-date as a percentage of contract and many other comparative statistics. ComputerEase also provides a Profit Variance or “Fade/Gain” report. Now from week to week or period to period a project manager can easily see how much the revised estimate either increased or decreased. This feature saves the project manager a lot of time in analyzing changes to their jobs. Change Orders An integral part of a contractor’s success, change orders, can be managed from Job Cost or the Document Control modules. The change order module allows for detailed change order pricing for detailing pricing of labor, material, subcontracts etc, as well as multiple markups for overhead, profits, taxes, bonds etc. User definable fields and extensive note capabilities make the change order system flexible. Change order documents are created and tracked within ComputerEase. Pending, approved and denied change orders are tracked for both internal and customer levels. The current contract on a job is automatically updated once a change order is approved. Change orders are easily tracked and edited as the job demands and they can be printed for the approval process. Change orders are tracked as they progress through the approval stages and from delivery to the architect, customer, and subcontractor. The end user also gets a reminder in AIA billing that change orders have been entered on a job. Reports in ComputerEase show the pending, approved and denied status of each change order.



Inquiries and Reports ComputerEase offers many standard reports, most of which can be broken down by either a posting date, posting period, cost type, job number, phase or category number, or active/inactive. These sorting criteria are available on most standard reports and all summary reports have a drill down feature to the original entry. Job analysis provides the opportunity to view multiple selected reports for a single job rather than having to specify a job for each report you wish to print. Percentage of completion is calculated at the cost distribution level. The software compares the budget for each line item to actual costs, and figures the percent complete from there, including costs remaining, although this can be overridden. One of the strengths of ComputerEase is the ability to run reports for prior periods and have the data reflect just that information. This enables a user to re-run a report when needed and use it in reconciling to the General Ledger. The Troubleshooter is located on the Job Center and clearly points to areas that are over or under budget, detailing what may be causing the discrepancy. Accounts Payable Pros

• Warning if invoice distribution exceeds cost estimate or purchase order

• Flexibility in selecting invoices to pay • Workers Compensation expiration date

warning • General Liability expiration date warning • Subcontractor Center

Cons

• Cannot reuse the same check number if printer jams

The Accounts Payable module was significantly updated with the release of 7.0. A powerful new feature allows for invoices and other documents to be scanned into the system and routed to project managers for approval. The project manager can view the invoice with the purchase order or other important documentation side by side. The project manager can enter notes relating to the invoice status. This will cut down the paper chase for contractors. Posted entries of both costs and quantities can automatically update Job Cost, Inventory, Equipment, Purchase Orders/Subcontract and General Ledger. The payment process can be done manually or by selection criteria. The module offers standard vendor reports.

Vendor Master File Vendor payments, purchases and workers compensation deductions are tracked on a yearly basis. Default payment terms, General Ledger account numbers, discount and 1099 information can all be assigned to each vendor. The system also tracks whether the vendor is a supplier or subcontractor and notes can be attached to the vendor and accessed in the invoice entry screen. The system prompts the user for a Worker’s Compensation expiration date and General Liability insurance, and warns you when this date has expired.



For those companies that have an arrangement with their state to pay sales and use tax directly, ComputerEase provides Direct Pay features that will keep track of sales and use taxes by taxing authority. Invoice Entry Invoice entry has been enhanced to allow for an invoice to be scanned into the system and electronically routed for approval. Invoices can be entered in batches or individually. The posting period will default to be the month of the invoice, but can be overridden. Invoices can be posted to multiple posting periods in the same batch and each invoice can either be labeled as payable, on hold, or a credit memo. Each Purchase Order can be accessed in Accounts Payable. If receiving is not done through the Inventory Control module, it can be done in Accounts Payable. When applying a voucher to a Purchase Order, there is an option to receive and invoice all items. Each invoice can be sent to an unlimited number of jobs and cost distributions as well as General Ledger accounts. The system will default to the Purchase Order for job information, and the vendor master file for default General Ledger accounts. It verifies that the codes match the defaults set up however, you may always override the default. In addition, the system will not permit you to enter an invoice if the same invoice number exists in open payables or vendor history. The system will also warn you if you try to enter line items to be posted to a non“related-to” account (such as posting job transactions to the wrong cost type). Vendor information fills in the middle part of the screen with the purchase discount, retention percentage, and the workers compensation to be withheld.

The system will keep track of the different posting periods that the invoices are being sent to, and when the batch posting report is run, it will update all periods. If a temporary vendor is needed, you may type a one-character code to enter the needed information without setting up a “real” vendor. You can also setup a joint check in the entry process. Recurring invoices may be set up and posted on a period-by-period basis to the General Ledger and Job Cost. Payments ComputerEase provides a lot of flexibility in the selection of invoices for payment. Invoices may be selected by all vendors, range of vendors, specific vendor, jobs, subcontractors vs. suppliers, specific voucher, discount dates or due dates. You may force the system to take the discount even if the discount date has expired. You can also choose whether or not to pay retention or how much retention to pay. In the selection screen, you can choose to issue joint checks by invoice and still use temporary vendor information. The system also allows partial payment to vendors and prints lien waivers (partial and final) for suppliers and subcontractors. However, you can print a check with a signed off lien waiver. Once invoices are selected, the system indicates how many checks will be needed to pay the selected invoices. When the checks are printed, the system prompts for a posting period to be selected, defaulting to the current General Ledger period. A check register may be printed after the checks have been posted. You may set up an unlimited number of checking accounts, and can print from one account at a time. When checks are printed, they can be sorted by vendor name or vendor number.



History is maintained for all vendors and invoices until deleted by date. You can run paid invoice reports by job or vendor, and include unpaid invoices. When a check register is displayed, you can drill down to the original invoice entry. Inquiry and Reporting A variety of options are available for reporting open payables. You can run the reports by job or by vendor and then select other selection criteria. History is maintained on the system until the user decides to delete it. The open payable reports can be run with either a cutoff period or cutoff date to assist the user in reconciliations at month end. Aging periods are pre-defined in the system and reports are available in a detail, summary or totals only format. In addition to open payable reporting, Accounts Payable includes a cash flow report, showing open payables by vendor in one-week increments for the next three weeks and into the future. Cash flow reporting includes projections of inflows from Accounts Receivables and outflows from Accounts Payable, showing the projected cash balance for the week. You may override the ComputerEase calculations to reflect other items the system has not counted (e.g. special one time purchases or disbursements). General Ledger Pros

• Multiple custom financial report options • T-account for easy entry of journal entries • Post in summary or detail by account • Cash flow reporting • Financial Center • Integrates to job costing

Cons

• No standard cash flow statement, must be customized at the time of implementation

Transactions from each module update the General Ledger and Job Costing. One of the unique features is the ability to work in multiple periods. Payroll can be in one period and the General Ledger in another period. Using parameters, you can control the number of periods forward or backward which may be posted. You may also disallow postings to closed General Ledger periods. Reports can be sorted by posting date or source code. Chart of Accounts Account numbers may be up to nine characters. The size of the account number as well as the number of characters for the department codes are completely user definable. Each account is defined as a financial statement type, for example, asset, liability, equity, sales, cost of sales and expenses. Each account can be set up as either a summary or detail posting. Reports can be selected based on Active, Inactive or all accounts.



Budgets can be set up on either a monthly or yearly basis. If the yearly basis is used, the system will automatically allocate the budget equally over all of the periods. Chart of Accounts Inquiry Entries from all of the other modules update the General Ledger. The posting routines need to be run before financial statements are run for the sake of accuracy. The general journal entry screen is presented in a “Taccount” format, showing account number, account description, debit or credit amount and date and entry description. Each entry is posted to a user specific period and may be automatically reversed. In addition, these entries can be posted to any period or year. If the period is outside the defined open periods, a warning message is displayed and the entry is not posted. Month-end close is a menu option and is the only step needed after the other modules have been posted. The system will automatically open the accounts for a new year with no extra steps needed. Inquiry and Reporting For inquiry purposes, there is a report that will show all activity since the system was started, if desired, for all accounts, or for a specific account. In the General Ledger report, only the current year’s activity will be shown if a date range is selected. The beginning balance for the period will always print first. Pre-defined monthly and yearly statements for the Balance Sheet and the Income Statement are included in the system; however, users can format financial statements without having to use a special report writer. Users have control over report titles, line items and subtotals. The standard income statement will print by department(s), company or consolidated multiple companies. The

system can consolidate Charts of Account and you can print the P&L for a single period or a range of periods. There is also a journal import/export capability.

ComputerEase has a bank reconciliation module built into the General Ledger module but does not keep track of the unreconciled balance. All deposits for a single day are summarized. ComputerEase includes the ability to clear deposits and enter bank charges. However all deposits for a single day are summarized. Payroll Pros

• Confidential payroll • Ability to enter and post quantities from

time card entry to Job Cost and Equipment Costing

• Ability to track employee absences • Direct deposit transmission and reports • Ability to run termination checks in

middle of cycle • Ability to re-issue a lost payroll check

easily • Handles all local and state reciprocities • Creates Certified Payroll reports • Customizable payroll entry screen • Payroll Service available



Cons

• Does not easily handle third-party sick pay One of ComputerEase’s strongest features is a powerful multi state, multi local, multi union, prevailing wage payroll system. ComputerEase also has strong labor reporting for labor intensive subcontractors. ComputerEase has a confidential payroll capability included with this module. The confidential payroll is password controlled, and if the user does not have password authority, they cannot access any information about those employees.

Employee Master File The attachment and user defined field features allow for tracking and storage of all important and sensitive employee data. This provides a valuable tool for your human resource department. The master file allows setup of employee information, pay rates, taxes, unions, and non-union fringes and deductions. It supports pay rates based on skills and skill levels. 401(k) plans can be established to handle both the employee and employer contributions as a fixed amount, percent of gross or hourly rate. The system also handles Section 125 plans. User defined fields can be set up to

track any additional information that the user desires. Benefits and Deductions ComputerEase provides the ability to compute benefits and deductions for unions and Workers’ Compensation insurance based on a variety of different methods, such as a rate per hour, percent of gross, percent of net or fixed amount per pay period. Miscellaneous deduction and fringe amounts are entered at the employee level. ComputerEase tracks hours worked by risk category will calculate and report on Worker’s Compensation insurance premiums and also calculates General Liability insurance premiums. Both Workers’ Compensation and General Liability risk categories can be tied to either the job or the employee. Customizable Time Entry Screen You may custom design the entry screen to show which fields you want and the order in which to show them, greatly increasing ease and quickness when entering Payroll. The grid entry is designed to look like a time sheet and may be tailored to mimic your company’s format. Payroll Processing Timecards can be entered by the employee or by the job. There is a non-job entry screen available for non-job employees. Time can be entered as a variety of types including regular, overtime, double-time, sick, vacation, holiday, other and non-taxable. The non-taxable method allows the employer to reimburse an employee on his paycheck without affecting payroll tax computations. Time can be entered either as hours worked or by entering the start and end times. They system will also calculate daily overtime hours automatically if this option is desired.



Hours may be imported from the Service Management module or remote time entry may be imported using FieldEase iSeries. Once time entries are imported into Payroll, they can be edited before posting. Time card entry can include equipment and associated costs for the job, the operator’s gross pay and related burden. All information will update the job file. You can also select an hourly billing rate for a piece of equipment used to update time and material billing information. After the time has been entered, there are several reports available to proof the distribution of costs and hours to the employees and jobs. Once the proofing is complete, you may run the payroll register, which calculates the taxes for each employee, determines the tax deposit due and prints the checks. There are options to have employees’ social security number, payroll period dates and remaining sick and vacation time printed on the check stub. Once the checks are printed, the system will prompt you to post the checks and the General Ledger is then automatically updated. Since each deduction and fringe posts the expense to different accounts by payroll department, it does not require additional allocation of payroll taxes and fringes. Gross payroll, hours and quantities are posted to job cost files along with the labor burden after the payroll checks are processed. Earnings and taxes are updated for each employee during posting. Payroll checks can be voided in any past period and manual payroll check adjustments can be easily prepared. Employee Absences ComputerEase Payroll gives you the ability to enter absences for employees and track them throughout the year. Notes about the absence may be entered and a report may be run by employee or by date.

Inquiries and Reports ComputerEase has a broad selection of reports available. Most state and federal reports are available on a quarterly basis. Workers’ Compensation reports are available by date range and code selection, and Certified Payroll reports are available for any period provided that the job was set up as a Certified Payroll job. The system has the ability to report W-2 information both on the W-2 form and as a magnetic media file. A month-, quarter- or year-to-date report is available for each employee. Complete date sensitivity throughout the Payroll module provides for the ability to recall all prior pay periods. History of fringes and deductions are maintained for each employee and Union reports are available with a date selection in either detail or summary format. Accounts Receivable Pros

• Flexible billing methods • Multiple AIA billing formats • T&M billings integrated with Job Cost • Unit billing available • Invoices can be e-mailed • Quoting

Cons

• Does not support prepaid invoices with zero balance

• Does not support multiple billing rates for different individuals by job except by special template for that job

Accounts Receivable integrates with job costing and general ledger and provides for income recording and reporting. Six types of invoicing are available: Time & Material, AIA, Contract, Unit, Freeform and batch. Accounts Receivable also



accommodates payments, adjustments and retention. Sales and use tax files are set up in the Accounts Receivable module for use by the other modules. Customer Master File The system tracks month-to-date, year-to-date, previous year’s sales and last payment date in each customer’s master file. Statements can be printed and finance charges generated. The customer master file has two discount types available: trade and finance. A separate table is available to track sales representatives. Data Entry ComputerEase provides the option of manual invoice numbering or automatic invoice numbering in certain forms of billing. Prior to working on the AIA invoice, you can obtain an AIA worksheet, listing all of the amounts and percent complete by phases previously billed. Space is available on the worksheet for the project manager to enter the amount or percent that is to be billed for the current period. Even after an invoice is posted, you always have the option to undo, edit and reissue or just reprint Contract billing is done exactly like the AIA, but the schedule of values does not print. Information from the worksheet can easily be entered into the system via either a percentage complete or dollar amount of work done this period. Retention can easily be computed based upon a percentage established for each phase in Job Cost. Time & Material invoices can be used to bill a job for the dollar amount of labor and materials. Multiple line items can be billed per phase, but not by craft, and this billing can be pulled from Job Cost with edit capabilities. Once the billing is created, you can use the freeform invoice screen to

finish the bill. Markup percentages can be established at the job level and standard bill rates can be set up to expedite billing. Options to bill for all incurred costs (accounts payable, inventory, payroll- both posted and unposted, equipment costs, and committed costs) make it virtually impossible to miss billing for an item. Unit billing allows the user to bill based on quantities in place. This is especially helpful for the heavy highway contractor, whose job costing is based on units. This information will also update the percentage complete. Non-job billing is handled through the freeform invoice entry, and is very similar to Time & Material billing. In addition, non-job invoices can be used to bill for items sold out of inventory. When billing inventory items, the system will default to the description and unit price of the item and inventory is automatically relieved. Invoices can be printed an unlimited number of times prior to and after posting. AIA invoices are printed on preprinted forms and all other invoices can be printed on plain paper or pre-printed forms. Cash payments can be applied to a specific invoice or on account but you cannot prepay an invoice, print and show it with a zero balance. The apply payments screen shows the customer balance, name, phone number and address. Invoices may be adjusted from this screen as well. Quotes and Change Orders Included in Accounts Receivable is the ability to create and print quotes for current and future customers. To save time, you can copy items from a previously entered quote into a new quote. Once the quote is approved, you can quickly turn the quote into an invoice. Change Orders for AIA and Contract billing is entered through Accounts Receivable so that the invoice correctly reflects the Change Order. You can assign an RFC (Request for Change) number



and once the RFC is approved, a Change Order is issued. Inquiries and Reports On-screen inquiry of open receivables and paid customer history is available by customer. Aged trial balances are available by customer or by job, in detail, summary or totals only. Other reports include a Sales Register, which can be run several different ways and statements that can be printed by customer. History is maintained for all customers, however, you can choose to delete various types of data, invoices or payments. Project Management Pros

• Job organization automatically flows from Job Cost

• Instant breakout of two-week sub schedule for project meetings

• Schedule may be e-mailed or printed • Schedule crews, subs & equipment • Access all documents from a single list • Special tracking of submittals • Create and track Change Orders • Meeting Minutes • Punchlist • Daily Logs • Integrates with Project, SureTrack and

Primavera ComputerEase’s Project Management module offers contractors a fully integrated scheduling, resource management, document control and meeting minute solution. It comes with a complete site map to assist in creating schedules and managing documents. The site map will offer links to common tasks and some beginner hints and instructions. Built-in exports to Microsoft Project, SureTrack and Primavera Contract Manager make this a very capable project management system.

FieldEase i Series With the FieldEase i Series, entering payroll timesheets, creating daily job logs and generating documents like submittals, transmittals and requests for- information (RFIs) is much easier. The iSeries combines the power of FieldEase with the convenience of the Internet to deliver anyone, anywhere at any time access to critical functions. Enter employee hours from the iPhone, log project notes using a tablet PC, or generate an RFI from any device with an Internet connection. Browser-Based Benefits ComputerEase with the FieldEase iSeries applications deliver many benefits, including:

• Lower IT costs–Since these products are deployed via the Web, there is nothing to install or maintain, and software updates happen automatically. This eliminates the need for in-house hardware infrastructure and IT staff and gets the system up and running fast.

• Lower up-front costs–Instead of purchasing software, ComputerEase Cloud and FieldEase iSeries users pay a monthly subscription rate that includes software access, hosting, support and maintenance. This delivers a predictable monthly expenditure that improves budget management

• Greater mobility–For construction companies with multiple offices or jobsites, the ComputerEase cloud based applications offer Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime accessibility on a variety of platforms, including Mac computers, iPhone and Android mobile phones and tablet devices.

• Strong security–Construction companies that choose a ComputerEase browser-



based product can be assured that their data is safe. Hosting is provided in a secure, climate-controlled, SAS70 Type II -certified datacenter with redundant power systems, advanced fire alarm and VESDA systems, 24 x 7 x 365 network monitoring and daily backups.

Job and Resource Scheduling The ComputerEase schedule is now fully integrated with job costing. Estimates, labor hours and actual job costs along with percent complete information read in directly from the job cost module. You begin building your schedule by copying the project breakdown from Job Costing. You can build the time line by stretching and moving time bars or by entering detail. Sequential tasks can be connected with links and they will automatically position themselves on the time line. There is an option to highlight the critical path as well. As the job progresses, revised dates may be entered and the schedule will correct itself for rapid completion or delays. You can schedule an activity for five days and 40 hours, and the system will automatically calculate and show that you need eight man hours each day, allowing you to effectively schedule your resources. Resources scheduled can optionally be moved when the schedule changes, with a warning if there is a conflict created as a result (a resource assigned to more than one activity/job on the same day). The built in CrewBuilder allows for greater flexibility when creating and scheduling crews. You may specify a percentage complete on any activity and the bar graph will show the completed section in black and the uncompleted in green or red. The schedule is available for printing as well as emailing.

Document Control and Meeting Minutes Document Control allows you track submittals, transmittals, RFIs and RFCs. Documents may be sorted by due dates, description, contract amount, budget amount, status or change order code. Correspondence may easily be sent to multiple contacts at the same time. When working on a particular job in Document Control, you may directly access the schedule for that job. Job meeting minutes allow you to track open and closed issues from prior meetings, automatically generating the agenda for the next meeting. Meeting minutes may be printed to Microsoft Word for editing, e-mailing and printing. Subcontract Control Pros

• Create new Subcontracts or add Change Orders to existing Subcontracts

• Multiple subcontract templates available in Microsoft Word format

• Approved Subcontracts interface to Accounts Payable

Subcontract Control interfaces with Accounts Payable and Bid Day. The user can generate subcontract agreements by subcontractor type with all pertinent information. The agreement creates the purchase order for the project and allows the user to track approval status, retention amount, bond requirements, original start and finish dates, actual start and finish dates, Project Manager and Architect. Change orders to subcontract agreements can be created and tracked as well. Worker’s Compensation and General Liability insurance is tracked by vendor. The user is alerted when a venders’ certificate expires and the system will generate the renewal letter to forward to the expired vendors.



Bid Day Pros

• Generate Request for Bid documents • Track invitations to bid, bids received and

bids awarded • Compare bids from different vendors • Award bids and change contract amounts • Bid information is easily pulled into a

subcontract agreement Cons

• Multiple screens required for entering subcontractor bids

The Bid Day module interfaces with the Subcontract module and Job Cost. Bid Day allows the user to create and track bid invitations. The system tracks invitations by bid item, which vendors have responded, the low bid amount, awarded amount and who the bid item is awarded to. The user has access to reports, can breakdown bids by item, easily compare bids from different vendors and get historical bid information. Subcontract agreements are automatically generated for awarded bid items that pull pertinent information from the bid into the contract. Service Management Pros

• Integrates with payroll • Schedules warranty type work • Real time status updates from FieldEase

iSeries • User-defined Dispatch Boards • Allows for assignment of employee to

work orders • Allows for maintenance schedule for

customer’s equipment • Generates scheduled work orders

• Service Management is browser based for processing work orders in the field

Cons

• No automatic dispatch of work orders to field

Electronic Work Order Processing The service dispatch application is now part of FieldEase. Electronic work order processing now allows field techs now have the ability to receive and process work orders in the field. Parts from inventory, billing rates, flat rate pricing codes and customer information are accessed from the interfaced accounting system at the home office. When the work order is complete inventory is updated, accounts receivable is posted, site history is maintained and all accounting is updated through wireless connection. Best of all the customer can be asked to sign the work order right on the tablet PC, iPad or Android device for electronic storage and transfer back to the home office. The tech can also include electronic notes to accompany the work order or the invoice. These could be in the form of a diagram or special billing instructions for the home office. ComputerEase allows for the scheduling of repairs needed without forcing the user to create a job. The system enables tracking of scheduled maintenance for customer’s equipment as well as warranty tracking. Customers, jobs and sites can all be entered without moving in or out of the work order program. Addresses in the Service module are connected to MapQuest on the Internet, allowing for easy and quick directions to service sites.



Data Entry Work Orders are created and include pertinent information such as: customer, date requested, date required, purchase order number, who promised the work and a description of the work to be performed. Estimated time to complete the service call is requested per work order and the total time scheduled per tech is shown on the schedule board. The user then assigns the work order to a service employee and schedules the date to perform the work. After the work order is finished, an invoice is created to update Accounts Receivable. The system allows for a variety of invoice types including: contract billing for service contracts, work order, and Freeform invoices. During billing, warranty information and aging of customer’s Accounts Receivable is readily available. Multiple work tickets may be added to a single invoice. Work tickets are added individually, by customer, by site or by work order. Cash receipts may be recorded when entering work from a work ticket and time from work tickets may be imported directly into Payroll. ComputerEase also includes a warranty tracking system. Warranties are maintained by “type of warranty,” for example, parts only, labor only, etc. Warranties may have multiple user defined fields and special notes may be maintained for each warranty. These notes are accessible from the warranty report. Inquiries and Reports ComputerEase has a wide selection of reports available for the user. Reports include unscheduled work orders, customer histories, equipment histories, site histories, contract and equipment master reports, scheduled services, contract expiration report, and a work order report. Profitability reports are available by technician, site, customer and work order.

Equipment Costing Pros

• Preventive maintenance scheduling • Updated by time card entry • Can set billing and costing rates per piece

of equipment • Equipment Center

Cons

• Third-party depreciation schedule required Equipment Costing tracks the revenue generated by the piece of equipment as well as the costs. This allows the user to decide if the piece of equipment is costing more than the revenue it is generating.

These costs can be accumulated in the Accounts Payable module and posted to each individual piece of equipment. In payroll, the hours of usage are calculated and the appropriate revenue and costs for the use of the equipment is sent to the job. Certain types of inventory adjustments can also be posted to Equipment Costing. Service schedules are tracked by piece of equipment with inquiries available on service



history and future service scheduling. The service schedule can be established based on the miles of use, hours of use or date for service. For each piece of equipment, you can establish equipment codes which are the operations that are either done to or by the equipment. There are three types of equipment codes available: revenue, cost to own, and cost to operate. These codes determine how the equipment transactions are posted to the General Ledger and Job Cost. Revenue codes are used to post an equipment billing rate to the job and to customer invoicing for T&M billing. Cost to own codes capture actual equipment cost transactions from Accounts Payable, Payroll and Inventory. Inquiries and Reports Equipment Costing comes with four standard reports to track the costs for each piece of equipment. The Equipment List shows basic master file information relating to the equipment, the Equipment Usage report is used to print the detail postings to revenue codes, the Equipment Cost Report includes detail transactions to cost to own and cost to operate codes and an Equipment Cost Summary report is also available. A Scheduled Service Report is available in summary or detail and includes the next service, last service and current status of hours, miles and date by service code. Inventory Control Pros

• Multiple pricing levels • Flexibility in tracking to multiple

locations and warehouses • Ability to purchase and sell in different

units of measure • Added assemblies for easier billing

Cons

• Average costing is the only inventory valuation method available

Inventory Control is integrated with Job Cost, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Equipment Costing and Purchase Orders. Invoices entered in Accounts Payable can be posted directly into Inventory. Purchase Orders can be written to purchase inventory without a job. Billings entered into Accounts Receivable can also be posted to Inventory. The inventory database is available to the work order system. Item File Up to 15 alpha-numeric characters are available for defining item numbers. Items can be assigned a secondary item identifier, a class, unit of measure, minimum reorder point, unit cost, six resale prices and a primary vendor. Inventory can be bought in one unit of measure, and stored in another, for example, you can purchase 1 box of bolts but store 1000 bolts. Inventory provides the capability of storing items in multiple locations and multiple areas within locations. Data Entry A number of different transactions are possible within the Inventory module. You can receive items into inventory, transfer them to multiple locations, sell or adjust inventory or place inventory on a job site. You can also transfer material from a job site back to a truck or warehouse. Inquiries and Reports An on-screen inquiry allows you to view current data regarding each item, such as quantity on hand, average cost and total value. This same information is available for each location and area



for contractors that store inventory in multiple locations. Standard reports include Inventory History, a listing of all transactions for a single item, range of items and all items within a given class or by job. A Stock Status report provides a listing of quantities on hand. Other reports include a physical count worksheet and inventory valuation (using the average cost method). Purchasing/ Purchase Orders Pros

• Entry of receipts not required to process Purchase Orders

• Lot prices • Handles backorders • Multiple vendor pricing • Multiple purchase orders can be created from

a master pull list. • Shares database with inventory

Cons

• Purchase Orders cannot be made Inactive

The purchase order module enables users to create Purchase Orders from a material list which can be shopped between multiple vendors for the lowest pricing. Pull lists can contain non-inventory items as well. Invoice entry transactions entered in the Purchasing module can be automatically transferred to Accounts

Payable. Information from Inventory allows the user to purchase in one unit of measurement and maintain the inventory in another unit. Inventory does not have to be active to use the Purchase Order module. The Purchasing module allows for lot prices, which enable users to enter a group of items that is quoted in a lump sum price. Data Entry Header information, such as Purchase Order description, category, shipping terms and address and Purchase Order number is entered in this module while vendor address and other related information is automatically transferred from the Accounts Payable vendor file. The ship-to address defaults to the job address for job purchases and to the company address for all others. Inquiries and Reports Reports available include an Under Stock report which indicates when items need to be ordered based on minimum quantities specified. Other reports include an On Order Report, Status Report, Expediting Report and a Purchase Order Balance Report. Outstanding purchase orders are listed as committed costs. Outstanding subcontract orders are listed as committed subcontracts. Tool & Equipment Tracking & Rental The Tool & Equipment module is designed to provide you with the ability to invoice, track, and evaluate the performance of all your tools and equipment- from the smallest hand tool to the largest piece of equipment.. You can charge jobs directly for the usage and cost or generate invoices for rentals to your customers.You can track your usage cost and the associated revenue for any period with the history reports available in the software. This



module offers special customer pricing and grouped quantity discounts. Multiple location and tool and equipment alert reminders allow you to track where and what shape your inventory is in at all times, to allow for more accurate and efficient scheduling of your assets. Invoicing or charging to the job for tools and equipment is easy. Everything is driven right from the original order number. Exchanges, returns, recurring and final invoices generate with just a few clicks of the mouse. Pull tickets, ticket lock-out features and purchasing of damaged or lost equipment are just a few of the built-in features of this module. Electronic Timesheets One of the more important new applications are electronic timesheets that can be prepared in the field daily and emailed back to the home office payroll accounting system. This eliminates dual entry in the accounting system and insures timely job costing and payroll preparation. The supervisor uses either drop down boxes containing employee and job information from the home office, or entry can be made simply writing in the job and the employee. Hours worked are simply written in under each day by employee and cost code. Units and per cent complete can also be handwritten onto the PC screen and sent to the integrated home office accounting system for job costing and billing preparation. Electronic Work Order Processing Field techs can receive and process work orders in the field. Parts from inventory, billing rates, flat rate pricing codes and customer information are accessed from the interfaced accounting system at the home office. When the work order is complete inventory is updated, accounts receivable is

posted, site history is maintained and all accounting is updated through wireless connection. Best of all the customer can be asked to sign the work order right on the tablet PC for electronic storage and transfer back to the home office. The tech can also include electronic notes to accompany the work order or the invoice. These could be in the form of a diagram or special billing instructions for the home office.

About Sheldon Needle A former CFO, consultant and software designer, Sheldon Needle has authored or co-authored more than 20 books on software selection and has contributed articles to

major publications, including the Journal of Accountancy and Nation’s Business. CTSGuides.com has the distinction of being the very first company to do hands-on, independent evaluations of software for the middle market. Sheldon speaks with business owners and managers every day about software selection and makes personalized recommendations based on their needs and budget. He is widely known and respected throughout the business software community for his independence, integrity and expertise. As part of registering for our free software selection kit, you receive a 15-minute consult with Sheldon. Sheldon understands financial and business issues and speaks your language. He knows the leading software companies—how they compare, their strengths and weaknesses, where they fit into the market and which ones would be suitable for your business.
