Our Verdict…

If you’re running a project-based company and want to boost profitability, BQE CORE is the way to go! It’s perfect for small to midsize businesses that want to keep a close eye on billing and time tracking to see how their employees are performing.

However, if you’re a big enterprise-level firm, BQE CORE might not be your best bet. It’s made for smaller and mid-level companies, so while it can still be helpful for larger firms, especially with some cool extra features, the pricing per user might not be the most budget-friendly if you already have over 100 employees.

9.7
Our Rating
based on our expert editorial analysis
9.8
User Rating
based on 57 user reviews
Pros:
  • Billing, time and expenses tracking by project phase
  • Employees can input time entry from anywhere
  • Great for project management
  • Lets project managers send weekly cost reports
  • Modular pricing
Cons:
  • Can't save edited standard reports for future use
  • Forecasting reports
  • Separate invoice per phase to QBO
Price Range Learn More
   $     $     $     $     $   
   $     $     $     $     $   
  • Developer BQE Software Inc
  • Client OS Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web
  • Deployment Cloud Hosted

What is BQE CORE?

BQE CORE is a flexible and powerful business management solution with a full range of time and expense tracking, billing, project management, and accounting capabilities. This software is designed for use by:

  • Consulting firms
  • Architecture
  • Engineering
  • Professional services
Pros Cons
  • Entirely cloud-based and has regular updates.
  • Very user-friendly interface with intuitive navigation.
  • Free native mobile apps for Android and iPhone devices.
  • Additional modules offer more Accounting, HR, and CRM functionality.
  • Per user pricing for some modules can make costs add up for larger businesses.
  • Larger midsize firms might outgrow this solution.
  • Global search lacks the ability to check user-defined custom fields.

Target Market

Designed specifically for professional services firms by industry experts, BQE CORE automates repetitive tasks, allows for streamlined collaboration, centralizes information, and offers incredible insights. It consequently helps you stop billable time from slipping through the cracks, greatly increase productivity, and better plan for the future.

BQE CORE is cloud-based, so you can access it from anywhere and you never need to worry about updates. Its revolutionary à la carte pricing model means that you don’t need to pay for features you won’t use, and monthly, quarterly, and annual plans make it cost-effective for firms with seasonal employees or shifting demand.

Our Ratings

Usability - 9.9 Has a modern and very visual user interface; navigating between different tasks is highly intuitive.
Support - 10 Support is available by phone or email; BQE University offers webinars, e-books, and learning guides for improving performance; live and on-demand customer training available; average wait time is 90 seconds.
Features - 9.9 Simple but effective work order feature; upload photos and assign procedures (tasks) to employees; the mobile app offers the same features as the browser option; less expensive plans lack a request feature.
Security - 10 Fully cloud-based system is accessible from any internet browser and through mobile apps; open API allows for customizable integrations.
Value - 9.0 Offers per user pricing, which can add up for larger companies; optional modules which cover additional accounting, CRM, and HR functionality are charged per year.
Performance - 9.5 Functionality was fast and responsive; no slowness or performance issues; changes made in the app were reflected on the browser version in real-time.
Scalability - 9.5 Pricing is based on the total number of users so growth can get expensive for smaller companies during growth periods; optional modules can increase functionality to meet new business needs.

Features

During this evaluation of BQE CORE, these features stood out:

Real-time Updates on KPIs

BQE CORE is designed to provide actionable insights at a glance, so all KPI updates happen in real-time. In general, the dashboard offers the first clear overview of projects based on:

  • Budget
  • Profitability
  • Status

Project managers can look at performance based on the Client, Employee, or Project level. The exact view is customizable for each user thanks to a variety of user permissions. Users can filter out projects to focus on a specific project or client.

Gantt Chart

One unique feature offered by BQE CORE is the ability to organize projects by Gantt charts. While there are traditional list views of projects available, this is one way to increase visibility into a project’s timeline and required tasks. This feature is a great way for project managers to see if there might be any scheduling conflicts or opportunities for taking on new work.

Changes are easy to make thanks to drag-and-drop functionality. BQE CORE also offers some protection to anyone editing a project as a Gantt chart. For example, if an adjustment will cause a scheduling conflict, the system will automatically recognize the potential issue and will ask users to confirm they want to make the changes. Those changes are then reflected in the list views as well.

Batch Invoices

This is another standout feature. Batch invoicing makes it possible to send out multiple invoices at the same time, saving valuable time. Invoices can be filtered by several different ways, such as selecting the client or project manager in time. Project managers can make invoice adjustments all in one place thanks to this feature.

Additionally, BQE CORE shows if items are pending to be billed so project managers know instantly what needs to be reviewed before a batch goes out.

What Features Are Missing?

Some extra features which would make using BQE CORE even better include:

  • Added Payroll: The Accounting module offered by BQE CORE covers a lot, but it’s currently missing payroll functionality. Businesses which were hoping for an all-in-one solution will need a separate solution for payroll.
  • Additional integrations: BQE CORE does have integrations with accounting programs like QuickBooks, Xero, and AccountRight, but you’ll have to check with BQE CORE to see if it’s possible to integrate any other solutions. Of course, users could simply add-on the official Accounting module instead to keep all their accounting functionality in the same platform.

Pricing Plans

Plan Pricing Features
Foundations Priced per user Includes:
  • Time and expense with DCAA compliance
  • Flexible billing and invoicing
  • Project management with real-time visibility
  • Reporting and analytics on customizable dashboards
  • Support and dedicated account manager
  • Custom integrations from open API (optional)
Accounting Module Charged per year Includes everything in Foundation plus:
  • Auto-reconciliation for bank fees and credit card
  • Seamless cloud feed integration and reconciliation
  • Integrated deposits and fund transfers
  • Flexible and customizable chart of accounts
  • Project, department, and company-level budgeting
  • Extensive financial reports for profit and loss, balance sheet, trial balance, and more
CRM Module Charged per year Includes everything in Foundation plus:
  • Goal-focused campaign and budget management
  • Multi-stage prospect tracking
  • Industry-tailored project proposal builder
  • Conversion-minded win-loss tracking
  • Multi-stage prospect tracking
  • Engaging sales enablement tools
HR Module Priced per user Includes everything in Foundation plus:
  • Centralized employee benefits and reviews
  • Extensive library of HR forms for admin support
  • Employee-focused journal achievement and performance measurement
  • Automated PTO and salary history tracking

Total costs are based on the number of users and whether any modules are included. The three modules are entirely optional. Customers can opt for only the ones they need, if they need any at all.

Training courses, both live and on-demand, are free for BQE CORE customers. One-on-one onboarding can be purchased on an as-needed basis.

Since pricing is user-based, you’ll need to contact BQE CORE to request a free quote in order to get accurate pricing information. Free demos are available.

FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions about BQE CORE software:

What does BQE CORE do?

BQE CORE software automates repetitive tasks related to project management, time and expense tracking, and general accounting. Optional modules add HR, CRM, and accounting functionality.

How do I contact BQE CORE support?

BQE CORE has several support methods available. Email and phone support are both available 24/7 365 days a year. Email support is the same for all users. There are international support phone lines for:

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Hong Kong
  • India
  • Ireland
  • Malaysia
  • Mexico
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Singapore
  • UAE
  • United Kingdom

Alternatives

Smartsheet
Smartsheet Screenshot
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Client OS
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Deployment
Cloud Hosted
What We Like
Configure, adapt, and improve work processes
Individual, Standard, and Enterprise packages available
Real-time visibility
What We Don’t Like
Client based pricing
No bulk invoice creation
Project Insight
Project Insight Screenshot
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Deployment
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What We Like
$3 per add-on or $35 for Enterprise
Aggregates work from CRM, Finance, Dev, and HR software
Starts free for unlimited users
What We Don’t Like
Additional features for higher costs
Wrike
Wrike Screenshot
Price Range
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Client OS
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Deployment
Cloud Hosted
What We Like
Cloud-hosted
Includes custom workflows, dashboards, and collaboration tools
Multiple pricing plans
What We Don’t Like
Not ideal for large teams
Advanced features mainly in Enterprise plan

Summary

Based on our experience, we recommend BQE CORE to businesses wanting to increase project simplicity while improving project profitability. This comprehensive solution is aimed at firms in the architectural and engineering sectors, although it is also popular with consultants and legal professionals. Any small to mid-size firm can benefit from this software to improve project management practices.

BQE CORE might not work for non-firm businesses, although this software can fit all types of companies. And it is not designed for large-scale enterprises, so mid-level companies which are on the threshold of 100 or more employees might want to consider another solution. However, it is an ideal alternative for firms which are using complicated project management systems and want to simplify.

BQE CORE
★★★★★
★★★★★
(57)
BQE CORE is a flexible and powerful business management solution with a full range of time and expense tracking, billing, project management, and accounting capabilities.
Price Range
   $     $     $     $     $   
   $     $     $     $     $   
Client OS
Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web
Deployment
Cloud Hosted

User Reviews of BQE CORE

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on June 29th, 2021 by Anonymous

We are benefiting from Scheduled reports, epayments, batch updates, batch everything!, ease of workflows and the tap to talk app for exceptional support. Coming from BQ, CORE is amazing!

The Good…

It’s a steady process but all aspects are saving our company time and money. AR is easy to see and clients have fewer questions about projects.

The Bad…

Statements can get glitchy but CORE is working on that.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on June 22nd, 2021 by Anonymous

We have been using it primarily for billing and it has streamlined and improved the process immensely. Work in Hand report makes it much easier for Principals to review all their projects at once, not miss any billing, know exactly where projects stand.

The Good…

Invoicing process is a huge improvement from AA, creating/editing drafts, the ability to change invoice date & number, emailing directly through Core has saved me a huge amount of time.

The Bad…

There should be a feature to have Digital signatures on timesheets. Report specifically by client showing their average days to pay.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on April 26th, 2021 by Heather Phillips

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…

The Good…

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

The Bad…

or 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.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on April 26th, 2021 by Anonymous

In my capacity as an Accounts Manager, I feel liberated to access critical client data in real time. Ability to update the Core database remotely from multiple devices has increased efficiency and productivity for the Finance & Accounting Dept.

The Good…

Seamless integration across one interface has been a game changer for project management. Collaboration, time and expense entries and accessing overall health of projects is readily available. Key performance indicators and customizable dashboards offers the foodies who eat with their eyes an appetizing experience using Core.

The Bad…

Select a Core group of users, incentivize and march to the finish line fielding their hands on user experience , constraints and limitations. Polishing and adding new features are the key to user satisfaction.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on March 25th, 2021 by Cecilia Turner

With Core the management team has become 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 Good…

The invoicing and payment process in Core is quick and easy. Our client billing involves retainers and this feature is very helpful in Core and has eliminated the need for manual tracking in Excel.

The Bad…

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. Also, some reports could have a little more info on it, such as descriptions and subtotals.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on March 25th, 2021 by Anonymous

Prior to switching to Core we were using BillQuick for 17 years and about time to switch to a cloud based software with a beautiful look and feel. Overall experience is great.

The Good…

The best our staff likes about Core is the detail oriented mobile phone app. It is very easy to work in the app and keeps our staff connected. All the documents related to our projects are in one place which makes it easy to track

The Bad…

The global search needs to be extended to user defined custom fields.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on March 25th, 2021 by Anonymous

While we were looking for a software it was important for us to make sure whichever software we switch to should be user friendly. With Core, it was easy for our staff to learn how to use Core because of its intuitiveness. Most of our staff is in the field and expense tracking was kind of a pain. With Core mobile phone our staff find it easy to capture expense receipts which makes job costing and reporting easier.

The Good…

User friendliness, easy time and expenses tracking using phone apps, particularly for our field staff.

The Bad…

Some areas of report filters need improvement

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on March 17th, 2021 by Anonymous

Our firm enjoys time and billing and reporting features of Core

The Good…

The best about Core that we right away started benefiting from is how it has eliminated the need for excel to keep track of retainer and retainage balance on projects. This has resulted in extremely efficient financial meetings with the CEO and the principals of the firm. Also, Time tracking is easy and pretty straightforward

The Bad…

A little bit of confusion with the terminology of holdback and the retainage. Occasional lag in response after I hit the enter key.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on March 11th, 2021 by Anonymous

Our overall experience with Core is great. We have been a BQE customer for many years. Before Core we were using BillQuick for 17 years and we decided to upgrade to Core because it is more user friendly, modern and has dashboards that give us real-time picture of our business. The reporting is powerful too and our staff finds mobile app very useful.

The Good…

Mobile phone apps, reporting and the easy way for us to track proposals and project purchase orders.

The Bad…

So far liking everything and BQE is continuously making improvements to Core. We have made them aware of making improvements in the global search area.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on March 4th, 2021 by Anonymous

Core is easy to use

The Good…

BQE Core has helped us overcome the challenge of fixed milestone billing and time tracking which our staff finds very easy to use time cards. The customer service is great and we do take advantage of free monthly webinars, a great resource for us to learn Core and company behind it.

The Bad…

The due date on the invoice should be at top in bold. Currently, it is listed at the bottom of the invoice and in our opinion it is difficult to read.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on March 2nd, 2021 by Joelle Fox

We are active BQE Core users for almost 2 years now. Its easy project setup is allowing us schedule billing, tracking time spent on projects for accurate job cost analysis. BQE customer service team has exceeded our expectations as we continue to receive outstanding customer service

The Good…

Billing, time and expenses tracking by project phase and accounts payable.

The Bad…

We would like to see some improvements in the area of forecasting reports.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on February 16th, 2021 by Brian V

Core allowed us to streamline our invoicing process from start to finish processing time of a day or two in our old system to a handful of hours. Custom reporting tailored to our company’s processes also allows us deeper insight to tracking time against a project and gives us accurate data to easily keep our clients informed about the financial detail and progress of their projects (while simultaneously monitoring employee realization rates and productivity). Technical support is top notch, the phone is answered quickly and the people on the other end of the line are excellent at solving issues or questions that pop up.

The Good…

Overall our experience is quite positive. Our company uses the time management and billing features and staff was quick to adapt. The main thing Core has done is save countless hours in the billing process as well as the ability to generate useful reporting that is helpful to staff at the ownership and management levels

The Bad…

Core sends out one separate invoice per phase to QBO rather than one invoice that includes all phases.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on October 29th, 2020 by Anonymous

Overall experience has been good. Tech support people very knowledgeable, professional and patient. Some bumps in the road in the very beginning but well past that now. The reporting is Core is far superior than what we had in our previous software.

The Good…

Reporting and easy time and expense tracking

The Bad…

We use Core in a limited fashion. We are reluctant to integrate QuickBooks with Core because that then links our banking info to Core as well. So for what we use, I can’t really think of any improvements.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on October 29th, 2020 by Sandra Simpson

We have been with BQE for almost 17 years now. We started out with BillQuick and then in 2018 we switched to Core. Core is so much better because we can enter time, do reports and do everything we need to do from any place that we are, on any mobile phone, laptop, iPad or computer. We especially like how we can set up scheduled reports that will be emailed directly to our managers as often as they want them and we do not have to remember to send the reports ourselves which saves a lot of time. Core is the way to go.

The Good…

Love that the employees can input their time entry no matter where they are.

The Bad…

t hasn’t happened recently but about a year ago every time you all did upgrades to Core it would mess up our custom reports or invoices and that was quite frustrating. You all must have resolved that because it hasn’t happened recently.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on October 5th, 2020 by Anonymous

It easy to track time, process invoices and track customer payments in BQE. I do not have to worry about in terms of developing or maintaining the software as it is all done by BQE. Customer support is always great.

The Good…

My overall experience has been excellent. I am a single person business but do have contracts and contractors at times. I feel BQE provides me with reliable, yet flexible, support to do what I need to do to be successful.

The Bad…

It is true no software is perfect. At this point BQE delivers what our needs are.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on September 27th, 2020 by Cleet Snyder

We have been using BQE software for many years to track our time for payroll and billing our clients for the projects we do for our clients. Our clients need detailed invoices and BQE allows us to provide the details for reference in client billing

The Good…

Time and expense tracking and billing.

The Bad…

It would be nice to make changes to standard reports and save as customized reports

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on September 15th, 2020 by Anonymous

My experience has been incredibly positive. Every step from the evaluation phase through our renewal for three years. Everyone that I have engaged has been very knowledgeable and are clearly well educated in the use of the software. The account management team has consistently informed us of new developments and tools. So that we can evaluate them for implementation into our suite of licenses. The partnership with sales team has been a large part of the reason that we committed to a 3 year renewal. Core has really reduced the workload to create projects and project information and allowed me, as the Operations Manager, to focus more on helping to run the business and mentor our project manager.

The Good…

BQE Core has allowed us to put time and expense tracking, project management, and billing all in one application. We no longer have to use three applications to perform those functions. Because we use Core, our Project Managers have clear and concise access to project information through the dashboards and reports. The ability to memorize and schedule reports allows PMs to be sent weekly cost reports so that they are more aware of the charges on their projects without even having to open Core. Because of the ability to download data from reports and screens, we have been able to create project status sheets which put a variety of information that is pertinent to a project in one place. Template projects have been set up and now we can have a new project setup, including activity items, rules, and fee schedules within minimal time.

The Bad…

The workflow for dealing with vendor bills and other project expended that are directly charged to projects is not clear. It appears to be a two step approval process.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on September 4th, 2020 by Anonymous

Overall we are very satisfied with BQE. The price is right for the functionality you receive. We use BQE Core for time and expense entry and Invoicing only. It is a useful tool to track time, run reports, and generate invoices

The Good…

Rather than having to keep track of time and expense in excel, we use BQE and it saves time, keeps records, and allows for reports

The Bad…

We need to ability to download invoices in PDF on our hard drive directly

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on August 30th, 2020 by Kathy Mayle

It’s how we bill our clients and pay our professionals. Now we’ve learned additional functionality for performance and reporting. Plus we’re looking forward to seeing how the CRM may add value with a single tool on our phones and PCs. Love the ability to charge out our jobs. Ease of use of the application. CORE is user friendly and for when working on the fly. Tech support is fabulous, friendly, and they know their product. Also, CORE is user friendly for back end administration. Reporting is very versatile, and I can pull up what I need quickly.

The Good…

I had been in legal for years. Although I’ve always had a hand in software selection, IT dept handled the application, etc. I was able to set up the back end for our firm, which started in July. My users have learned the software quickly including those that have not previously billed their time. Short training. Simply - user friendly which is how I always select an application for a specific unit.

The Bad…

Can’t think of any off the top of my head.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on August 30th, 2020 by Anonymous

The best feature is obtaining all the data that is inputted into the software and providing the reports that is required for time and/or expenses on each Project. Inputting our time and expenses in is so much faster - one does not have to do it manually and then trying to established what the billing and or expenses are for each client… as we have many projects on the go. Manually would be time-consuming vs. inputting into BQE.

The Good…

Time and expenses, billing and reports

The Bad…

we have been pleased… as long as the person inputting the information is correct. The only issue is - if the internet is down - we do not have access.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on August 27th, 2020 by Ed Buchwalter

It has the essential features we need to manage project time and budgets. In general, it is a solid and reliable product. We have not had any significant problems over the course of using it. Support is very timely and accurate. Technical support team knows the product well and has always helped in a timely and accurate manner.

The Good…

We have used it for quite a few years now and it has given us good insight into the firms overall performance on projects. We have used those results to fine tune or pricing.

The Bad…

We have not had any significant problems over the course of using it. The interface does require quite a few clicks to get things done

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on August 24th, 2020 by Cindy Shaw

I love the “real time” time and expense additions so that I can bill time and then invoice in the very next step. Invoicing quickly has helped me get my new business off the ground and some cash flow coming in. Color coding of the status on jobs is a wonderful addition and makes a quick glance to get info very easy. I’m getting better with the accounting side of things, and am still learning. BQE Core is doing what I need it to do to track jobs and invoicing. I feel it can grow along with my business.

The Good…

Easy to jump right in get things set up and start working. Progressive customization allows for constant improvement of tracking and workflows. There is a LOT of bang for your buck here.

The Bad…

Having multiple tabs open would be helpful from a workflow standpoint. It would be nice if when I make changes in the Global settings that I could tell it to apply those to older jobs&I’m thinking invoicing here. Two of my overall big requests would be: 1) the ability to add some of the custom fields to an invoice. I have to populate this manually&I have to switch between jobs and the invoice to grab the info&therein comes the multiple tabs option. 2) The other would be to auto-populate the basic job information in a standard/form letter. I send out engagement letters on every job and would like the letter creation to be auto-populated.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on August 14th, 2020 by Anonymous

BQE has made it easy for us to track time, see profits and the productivity in the staff. The staff! Everyone I have interacted with over the years has been amazing!! They are always tremendously helpful in setting up the software for my new firm! Even doing this for another company once before… I had IT last time and BQE support team was patient and walked me through the process with such patience and they truly love what they do!!!

The Good…

Tracking time, profits and overall productivity of the firm.

The Bad…

would like to have pull down options for tasks so not inventing wheel every time.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on August 12th, 2020 by Anonymous

Reporting in Core is easy to use. Our staff is liking the Core interface better as it is user friendly. We are very happy that we switched from BillQuick to Core. In our engineering firm we use Core for managing timesheets, expense reporting, billing, accounting and project management.

The Good…

Reports and interface

The Bad…

I don’t like that I can’t move employee expenses around after they have been paid. They have been several times when I need to move expense to a different phase of a project but can’t

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on August 4th, 2020 by Anonymous

Using CORE has expedited our entire AR process which is good for cash flow. I like having everything in one place. Our entire billing process is much simpler now. Easy to create and send invoices to our clients and they look very professional Tracking everyone’s time provides additional insight into our productivity.

The Good…

Overall choosing CORE was a timely solution which provided the integrated systems we need for increased overall productivity in all areas. We can see how long the work takes, this helps us both manage our time and give precise quotes for work. We can track our progress and bill efficiently.

The Bad…

The system can be a bit inconsistent sometimes, a little glitchy and support and regular updates help resolve issues in a timely manner. Would also like to see more report options.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on August 4th, 2020 by Anonymous

The ability to call and quickly connect with customer support is very helpful. We have been using Core for more than one year for time tracking, billing, project manager and accounting features. The technical support team is pleasure to speak with and very informative. They are able to help me understand and utilize Core better.

The Good…

We love the customer service and Core has helped us track time and do billing in one software

The Bad…

We suggest there should be a access level to users at the matter level

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on July 28th, 2020 by Ryan Roch

Billing process is easy and intuitive as we can provide clients with a detailed invoicing if required. Core is really helping us manage time and expense tracking. On the project management side we can easily forecast capacity in hours and can create detailed estimates with minimal efforts. Ability to manage subcontractors pretty much like our employees is very helpful. Last but not the least we are enjoying excellent customer service and support.

The Good…

Time and expense, project management and billing features in Core have definitely helped us solve problems. Most importantly providing detailed work instructions and budgets to our team.

The Bad…

Improving intelligence for notification features.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on July 28th, 2020 by Debra Woodward

Core has allowed us to keep all eggs in the same basket. Billing team using the same program as timesheets has saved hours. Setup of Core was easy. Training has been very supportive and useful. Support has been very helpful and quick to respond and follow-up. BQE Core has allowed us more time to focus on the completion of a project rather than collecting information and scheduling from different sources

The Good…

Definitely billing and time tracking. Having one integrated platform is saving us time.

The Bad…

Providing more details in help within the program, a pop up link to a detailed explanation of what the field is will be helpful.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on July 21st, 2020 by Douglas Teiger

The real time performance metrics of projects on beautiful dashboards keep our management team informed about the project management aspects of our projects. Invoicing is very flexible and easily supports different invoice formats. I am very pleased with what I am experiencing with CORE. It’s simplicity in Time and Expense tracking and the way it handles all types of invoicing needs of design professional services is excellent.

The Good…

The fact that we do not have to deal with multiple apps to run our firm is in itself a huge deal. Time and expense reporting, invoicing, accounting and project management are the areas of our business that are solved by Core

The Bad…

Cannot think of anything specifically. However, more industry specific chart of accounts will be helpful to users from different industries

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on July 20th, 2020 by Majdi Ataya

The flexibility of Core is exceptional, and their technical support is top notch. Core has helped us manage our projects and streamline our billing process, which includes 3-tier structure. Prior to Core we use to use excel to manage our multiple database.

The Good…

Easy time tracking, expense reports and billing are some of the best features we like in Core

The Bad…

As soon as Core includes Payroll we will have everything in Core

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on July 20th, 2020 by Cathy Flamenco

CORE has given our principals and project managers more access to real time data reducing the potential for errors in reporting and data transfer in multiple areas to better service our valued clients. CORE has eliminated need for complicated spreadsheets and various other methods of housing project data. Coming from QuickBooks desktop accounting which we have used for almost 19 years, CORE accounting subscription has given us access to company financial data anywhere.

The Good…

Project management and accounting real time data metrics anytime and almost anywhere through cloud based hosted subscriptions allowing quick response time to our valued clients.

The Bad…

Online Payment: sometimes Client have complained that payment functionality does not work. Would like to also see ACH payment option available which is promised to be in Core in August.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on July 1st, 2020 by Tracie Giles

We use Core in all roles of our business - Time Tracking, Invoicing, Project Management and Accounting and I am increasingly impressed at the capacity of BQE Core and it’s abilities. There are many ways we see Core streamlining our business processes.

The Good…

First and foremost is the technical support team! Each call I have made to them has increased my operational knowledge of Core and provided needed assistance with resolving issues

The Bad…

We would like to see more information/description links

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on June 30th, 2020 by Anonymous

All aspects of project management and keeping track of accounting records all in one place. When I began working at RBM, invoices were being generated through excel and snail mailed which took almost a week to complete especially when having to retrieve weekly timesheets. With BQE, this process takes less than 1 day to complete.

The Good…

BQE keeps all project management and keeping track of accounting records all in one place. BQE support is genius. After explaining a situation for a project our firm will be performing in the next month, he was able to assist me with not only the setup but had some suggestions with regard to report filtering to reduce time spent on what I think would have been a monumental and time consuming task. Support team is an asset to your organization.

The Bad…

I’ve encountered issues in the past that have affected prior year’s data and researching is extremely time consuming. However, I haven’t encountered these issues in the past 2 years - yeah!

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on June 25th, 2020 by Anonymous

BQE Core is very user friendly. We have been using the software for little over a year and it has definitely helped us get efficient. The time entry process is extremely easy and it has improved the way we process invoices and make payments.

The Good…

Ease of use because of user friendly interface, time tracking and invoicing are the other two areas that has solved our pain points

The Bad…

Some of the reports needs better explanation

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on June 22nd, 2020 by Teresa Harmon

It took me many years working in a very outdated software until I felt I found the right program (Core) to switch to for time and billing. It has met all of my needs so far! Love it. I have not had to call in for customer service often but when I do everyone has been helpful and I have not encountered any issues what so ever. I have not worked in the Project Management or Accounting modules of the program. The flexibility for invoicing. The ability to email the invoices right from the program.

The Good…

Being able to use the program from anywhere a browser is available although I personally have not had to log in anywhere other than the office but some of my staff has. Core has also solved Time and Billing and reporting pain points and these are the areas what we mostly use Core for. It has met all of our needs so far.

The Bad…

The downside is the refresh rate. At times there is lag due to internet connection which is obviously not an issue with Core itself but the internet connection.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on June 10th, 2020 by Claudia Ramirez

After switching to Core it has definitely helped us get more organized. BQE Core has a easy and intuitive user interface which makes our day to day processes easier. With Core being a cloud software close to 200 employees are using it on a daily basis for time and expense tracking, billing and engagement management. All the processes are faster and better with Core. It is is our main business management software and before BQE Core we had a local system installed on our servers

The Good…

The easy and intuitive user interface allows our staff capture time and expenses in time and helps our team of 50 plus billing managers invoice accurately and on time.

The Bad…

More options to customize invoices and reports by ourselves will be greatly appreciated.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on June 2nd, 2020 by Carmen Florek

We are getting more and more use out of Core in a little over 1 year of using the software. So far we are just diving in, but it has helped our time tracking and expenses and keep our documents in one place. We are using our custom report for allocations and it is working well for us.

The Good…

Allocation and forecasting, project management and time and expense setup are all helpful features in Core to run the business

The Bad…

Any changes, we pass through ideas and so hopefully they are updated as new features - we would like to know the status of our requests just so we can discuss in our meetings.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on June 2nd, 2020 by Junaid Qurashi

We have been using Core for more than year and a half. After testing many other products in the market when we were deciding to switch, I can now say for Architects Core is by far the best product. And your ongoing feature videos are the best learning tools. The features and power are so vast that I believe BQE should offer certification courses for Core. We still are in early stages of exploring 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.

The Good…

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.

The Bad…

We are not utilizing the allocation and forecasting feature to its full extent till all our scheduling needs are met. We have submitted our feedback and overall BQE is doing a fantastic job listening to user feedback

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on May 28th, 2020 by Anonymous

Love the customer service. Recently, I needed a help with resolving a report issue I was having the support engineer came straight to my aide. I really enjoy BQE software it really makes our report process much cleaner and quicker.

The Good…

Time entry, reports and of course the customer service.

The Bad…

It would be nice to have a chat box in the bottom of the screen for tech support.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on May 27th, 2020 by Susan Wilson

That it is available online is a big plus for us. So far most of our employees have transitioned from the old software to Core fairly easily.

The Good…

We use Core for time and expense entry, project management and project tracking, and we are very satisfied with the results.

The Bad…

I’d like easier access for at least one other employee to enter vendor bill expenses without subscribing to a billing subscription.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on May 26th, 2020 by Anonymous

The centralized time keeping and invoicing works great for us. The invoicing platform is particularly neat as all our employees track the project time and expenses in Core.

The Good…

Invoicing and time tracking are the features we enjoy the most.

The Bad…

Gant chart feature needs improvement before we can fully use it.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on May 11th, 2020 by Laura Stedenfeld

As a startup, I was researching for the best integrated accounting, time and expense tracking and billing software. I selected BQE Core because it had an intuitive interface, easy reporting and it was on cloud. For any startup business the cost is always a big factor, the fact that BQE Core was a fraction of other similar software packages was an added bonus! We use BQE for our integrated accounting, time/expenses, and invoices, and it has been integral in helping us to understand and grow our business in the first year. At every moment, I have the info available to understand my cash flow, liabilities and A/R all in one interface, which never would have been possible if I used other accounting software.

The Good…

We use Core for our integrated accounting, time/expenses, and invoices, and it has been integral in helping us to understand and grow our business in the first year. I was really happy with the initial experience of Core. If you have a base-level understanding of accounting, just watching the instructional videos will give enough information to set up your full account. Having staff available 24/7 for questions has also been very helpful when you’re stuck and figuring something out during late-night invoicing!

The Bad…

At this point it serves our needs but I am pretty sure we will have suggestions for improvement.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on May 4th, 2020 by Jessica Ramirez

Moving to Core has definitely helped us eliminate the manual data entry process. Prior to using Core the time entry process was not that easy and we had to enter time manually for all the employees in our old software. Another area that so far we like in Core is the powerful invoicing.

The Good…

Easy time entry and invoicing feature are the best so far that we enjoy in Core. We also appreciate the excellent customer service support team. They always go above and beyond to help out.

The Bad…

Needs to be more user friendly. At time we did experience glitches which were rectified in a timely manner.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on April 28th, 2020 by Kim Prewitt

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.

The Good…

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."

The Bad…

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

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on April 14th, 2020 by Anonymous

We are an architecture firm and it is clear Core is geared to us. We are new to Core, so it’s hard for me to name features i like most. Definitely like it. Time management and auto reports have helped us a lot. What I love so far is the 24 hour support. The agent I usually speak with has been especially helpful. He is patient and a great teacher. He points out issues/features that I had no idea about. He has been extremely helpful.

The Good…

Software is has features for our industry. As mentioned support is great and so far we have benefited from time management and report automation

The Bad…

I would like to see more free webinars about new features, or tips.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on April 9th, 2020 by Christina Ballarino

After using BillQuick for more than 10 years we switched over to Core. The transition was extremely smooth. Core is an excellent product which my staff transitioned to with ease. The online tutorials were so good that staff just dove right in to working with Core with almost no support needed.

Any questions that I have as I was setting things up were quickly answered but staff who are always quick to respond, extremely knowledgeable and always friendly. I would definitely recommend Core to anyone!

The Good…

User friendliness and definitely excellent customer service

The Bad…

Would like to see incomplete time card monitoring soon in Core. I was told it is already on the road map.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on April 3rd, 2020 by John Mercer

Prior to using BQE software I used Wind-2 and SEMA4 which are costly programs. I was not a newbie to using project management software when implementing BQE. My greatest frustration in using those legacy programs was that they did not have any flexibility in them that allowed me to update or “correct” erroneous entries into the system database without having the data reprogrammed in some way by the vendor. Support for BQE can assist making changes on the fly if need be and hopefully will continue to support the services industry in the future. I have witnessed the mission of BQE to continue to improve the software and support for its users. I am happy to say that I took a leap of faith in upgrading my office to BQE and have not been disappointed.

The Good…

SIMPLICITY—it is an easy transition from paper time sheets in a format that employees can easily understand. Employee time entries can add memos that are invaluable to explain charges to clients or counsel employees on their activities. FLEXIBILITY—Some projects require slightly different reporting/invoicing formats to fit the client;s needs. BQE support assists with accomplishing just that at a reasonable cost. SUPPORT—With a gold support subscription, issues in understanding inputs or reporting have been addressed in real-time, on-line, to help maintain operation schedules for billing and reporting. REPORTS—Both summary and detailed reports are available that can include memos to help clarify time and expenses. One can look at a project from different facets based on a manager’s needs.

The Bad…

Some of the labor reporting modules need to be reviewed that use an integer formatted numbers that round off and be updated to use an accounting formatted number with 2 decimal places. My accounting department uses two report for payroll that use incorrect time (rounding up) instead of an exact job time/cost figure

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on March 24th, 2020 by Anonymous

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.

The Good…

it is such a user-friendly software program and the customer service is definitely great.

The Bad…

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

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on February 19th, 2020 by Sandy Jauregui

Having project assignments, time tracking using the multiple timers and of course recurring billing for automating our invoicing process are the most productive features of Core. We are done with entering data, so far, i am liking everything I see and I am looking forward to seeing the reports. Employees enter their own time. Recurring bills negate entering the same info each month.

The Good…

On the Dashboard, it’d be nice if you had the option to click on a widget, and it takes you to the report.

The Bad…

On the Dashboard, it’d be nice if you had the option to click on a widget, and it takes you to the report.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on February 13th, 2020 by Anonymous

The time card entry process seems to be better than our old system. Lot less steps for our staff to get their time sheets in. We are still in the learning process, I can say one thing about BQE support personnel…they are helpful and very patient and understanding. I appreciate them very much

The Good…

Definitely technical support and better time entry

The Bad…

For vendor ID, you have to choose either a tax ID number or a SSN. Vendor’s can be either, so you should be able to have both.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on February 6th, 2020 by Anonymous

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 data 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.

The Good…

The way everything is integrated. The ease of pulling up needed data

The Bad…

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.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on January 29th, 2020 by Anonymous

I liked the flexibility and design once I gone through the learning curve. The reports are straight forward and serve my purpose without customizing.

The Good…

I have used BQE products for years and the software is simple to use and pretty straight forward. Today was the first time I needed customer support. The response was as always excellent and the problem that I was experiencing was fixed.

The Bad…

I find the billing process steps a bit awkward but I am used to them now. It is annoying to have to look for the most recent invoice under Invoice Review once the invoice is processed as final.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on January 26th, 2020 by David Price

We transferred 12 years of “Project History” to bqe-CORE effective January 1, 2019. I am the Business Manager and I report directly to the owner of the Company. I keep current the clients we work with&…and all project-phase information for the company, billing-invoicing, using the CORE operating system. As a former Marine Corps officer&. then commercial banker (15 years) I believe that People make the difference&… not machines. The people at bqe CORE, particularly the HELP DESK, are all professionals they know what they are talking about and they care. I highly recommend bqe CORE!

I value honesty, and I value those that take ownership. I recommend bqe-CORE. I just designed a ‘custom report’ for our company utilizing the CORE ‘Custom Report’ section. They were great to work with. We are now using “my” Company report starting January 2020. This “custom report” pulls in all our client “project data” real time. It shows what’s important to us&. our project team. We have many concurrent project-phases (hourly or not to exceed contract phases) under the parent project, that start one year and end the next. This custom report is a great tool for us& color-coded “RED”, showing when over budget (time or “not to exceed” contract fee).

The Good…

The flexibility of customizing features to meet our growing business needs. he people at bqe CORE, particularly the HELP DESK, are all professionals

The Bad…

It would be nice to see more built in invoice/report customization features.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on January 24th, 2020 by Felice Geoghegan

Time entries are easy for the project managers. When everything is entered correctly Core does give a good view as to where we are with invoicing, budgets, contract etc. For most part calling customer service is easy and the staff is knowledgeable and patient when we are asking for help.

The Good…

We love the customer service and of course ease of use with robust features is a plus.

The Bad…

I am not a fan of write up/down feature and wish we could turn it off as our firm does not use it. There is room for improvement in reporting area as find some reports do not show totals at the bottom and more invoice customization options would definitely help.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on January 24th, 2020 by Mark Halvorson

I have to say it has succeeded with flying colors after being bombarded with all kinds of unusual circumstances with hundreds of our architecture projects! Well done! I’m constantly amazed how well thought-out the original approach was in Core’s basic design allowing it to handle all of our client’s weird situations, and we’re just one of the zillions of other companies using Core who do things so differently than we do. I say this with a little authority, as well, because I wrote my first program at age 15 in 1968 and I have seen (and suffered) everything in all the eras of computing since. Core is badass. Every system has issues, but it’s important we all stop and appreciate the unimaginable amount of work that went into making Core really effective. No one paid me to say this and I’m not getting any brownie points. I’m saying this because I know intimately what the developers have gone through to make today’s Core possible. Whew!

The Good…

Core’s powerful time and expense tracking, simple but yet powerful invoicing and amazing project management features makes it a power house.

I’m constantly amazed how well thought-out the original approach was in Core’s basic design allowing it to handle all of our client’s weird situations, and we’re just one of the zillions of other companies using Core who do things so differently than we do.

The Bad…

Core has an amazing catalog of built-in reports. One thing we find ourselves often wishing for was a kind of Quick List report that would output a list of something, one item per line, single-spaced and nothing else but a clear statement of the search and filtering criteria at the top.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on May 28th, 2019 by Robert

BQE Core was at the top of our list when our company was researching a replacement for our current accounting software. The cloud-based software was a great solution, but ultimately we decided to go with another software because our CEO decided that a local server-based system was a better fit for our company.

The Good…

I was impressed with how much thought was put into the creation of this software and how many steps we would have been able to cut out of our daily routine by using this software.

The Bad…

I think if they offered a local server-based version that worked exactly like their cloud-based software, we might have made a different decision.

★★★★★
★★★★★
Submitted on May 1st, 2019 by Tim Schoellerman

By far one of the most beautiful and powerful software for engineers and architects. We switched from a very expensive software. Everyone at the office fell in love with Core immediately. Highly recommend.

The Good…

The business intelligence and the entire BQE support team.

The Bad…

I wish it had payroll. I have to export the payroll report every two weeks. No big deal though.