At a glance
Vendor descriptions below reflect publicly available positioning as of the date on this page and may change. Confirm current features, editions and pricing with the vendor before deciding.
| Foundation | Forge ERP | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Construction accounting software | ERP for project-based businesses, construction first |
| Typical buyer | Contractors from a few million to around $100M, often payroll-heavy trades | Contractors roughly $10M–$150M; first cohort on Procore |
| Architecture | Long-established product, offered on-premises and hosted | Cloud, multi-tenant, browser-based |
| Payroll | Native construction payroll: certified payroll, unions, multi-state; a core strength | Through your payroll provider; job-costed labor with burden lands in Forge |
| Job cost and billing | Mature job costing, AIA billing, WIP, equipment | Job cost with committed cost, AIA-style progress billing, WIP, subcontract pay applications |
| Controls | Role-based; workflow depth varies by module | Prepare/approve/post separation on every posting, governed ledger, audit history |
| Procore | Connector available | Planned |
| AI | Limited | Assistant that prepares reviewable drafts inside approval controls |
| Maturity | Established, large installed base | Beta; no published customer results yet |
Where Foundation is stronger
- In-house construction payroll with certified payroll reporting, union fringes and multi-state handling
- Decades of construction-specific reports and a large base of CPAs and bookkeepers who know it
- One vendor for accounting and payroll if that is a requirement
Where Forge is different
- Modern cloud architecture: no server, no hosted desktop, works in a browser on any device
- Controls built into every posting rather than layered on: nothing hits the ledger without the prepare, approve and post steps that your auditor expects
- Purchasing, subcontracts, pay applications and projects in the same system as the ledger, with committed cost on the job
- An assistant that drafts the schedule of values, the job budget or the accrual for review, inside your permissions
- Setup designed for a direct cutover in weeks, with import duplicate matching and full revert
Who should choose which
Choose Foundation if in-house certified payroll is the center of your accounting operation and you want the most established construction-specific system with the broadest CPA familiarity. Choose Forge if you already run, or are willing to run, payroll in a provider and want a cloud system with stronger controls, integrated purchasing and subcontract management, and a faster rollout, and you are comfortable being an early customer.
Forge ERP covers projects, purchasing, accounts payable, billing and receivables, job cost and WIP, reporting and close. Payroll runs in your payroll provider and lands in Forge as job-costed labor with burden. Forge is in beta with a 14-day free trial.
Frequently asked
- Does Forge do certified payroll?
- Certified payroll reports are produced by your payroll provider. Forge receives the job-costed hours and burden so job cost and the WIP schedule are complete.
- Can I move from Foundation to Forge?
- Yes, by exporting master records and opening balances by job and cost code and importing them in Forge’s setup, which matches duplicates and can revert an import. Historical transactions stay in Foundation for reference.