AEC-Tech for Firm Management: Why BQE CORE stands out
Introduction
Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time looking at how AEC firms operate—the tools they adopt, the ones they abandon, and the reasons behind those decisions. Too often, software marketed to the AEC industry is repurposed from other sectors, forcing teams to adapt their processes to fit the tool instead of the other way around. In my current work, I evaluate countless platforms that promise to transform firm operations, yet many either fail to address the specific needs of AEC, are too complex to gain traction across an entire team, or are too simple and rigid for firms to build an integrated, “fits‑like‑we‑work” toolset.
Managing an AEC project can feel like solving a puzzle that’s constantly changing shape. The coordination required across disciplines, shifting timelines, evolving budgets, and fragmented communication channels can turn even the most carefully planned projects into logistical challenges. Having worked in architecture myself, I know this struggle well. Our tools have often felt like compromises rather than real solutions, and it’s worth asking whether this level of fragmentation is truly inevitable, or if we’ve simply grown accustomed to operating this way.
That’s why BQE CORE stood out to me. Founded by an architect and an engineer who understand the realities of balancing design, deadlines, and budgets, it’s built specifically for AEC workflows. Rather than forcing firms to adapt to a generic system, it streamlines project, financial, and resource management in ways that feel natural to how our industry works. It’s not about doing everything—it’s about doing the right things well, and reducing the friction at every stage of the project lifecycle.
Fig. 1) BQE CORE project dashboard overview (projects, budgets, time, and utilization at a glance).
We have highlighted many of the features of BQE CORE in our previous article, and their response to solving real user pain points in project management and firm financial management. The team continues to add capabilities to address the needs of Architecture and Engineering firms. CORE is already one of the leading software options for A/E firm management, and the team is dedicated to building a significantly better‑performing platform than many incumbents still used across AEC.
Let’s dive deep into how exactly CORE makes the lives of project managers and firm operations easier. Read on to find out more!
Built for AEC from the ground up
One thing that stands out to me about CORE is that it feels like it was designed by people who’ve actually lived our workflows. BQE CORE has been conceived, shaped, and fine-tuned by people who have worked for years in Architecture and Engineering. And naturally, the tool doesn’t just support AEC workflows, it mirrors how firms typically work, making an intuitive system that works for all roles in a firm, from finance and operations to design and project management. Unlike so many platforms I’ve seen over the years that are simply adapted from enterprise or consulting software, CORE’s modules are natively aligned with project lifecycles typical in AEC firms.Fig. 2) AEC project phases represented in BQE CORE (from pursuit to closeout).
While many tools offer basic project tracking and timesheets, BQE CORE directly addresses the business side as well, including proposals, forecasting, resource management, and cash flow, all integrated within the same platform.
"Where some software either serves the design team or the financial team, but not both, CORE bridges that gap with tools that speak both languages."
The result? Better adoption across your entire team and better integrated data that allows you to make better business decisions.
The learning curve feels more like an onboarding ramp than a climb, and each role has a tool belt built specifically for their tasks. This makes it easier to see the value and immediate impact, especially compared to the tools out there that were originally built for non A/E companies or are focused on corporate firms ten times the size!
Fig. 3) Cashflows and Forecasting all on the same Dashboard
BQE CORE’s AEC-specific dashboards, templates, and reporting structures eliminate the need to “hack” the software into fitting how your firm already works. You don’t have to build custom workarounds or export data to manually manipulate in spreadsheets, saving a lot of time and effort on the management side that could simply be solved by a tool.
Designed for Firm-wide Adoption
More often than not, when a generic project tracking and firm management tool is adopted into an AEC practice, there arise differences across departments in how the tool is mainstreamed into everyday use. For example, the admin and finance departments can make do and feel comfortable with tools that the architects and engineers have no intuition for. Point solutions like dedicated time tracking apps may be easy for the design team to use, but don’t integrate or seamlessly share data with the software your financial team relies on. In my view, BQE CORE addresses this problem better than most tools I’ve tested.
“The interface strikes a rare balance: it’s approachable for first-time users and also is deep enough to handle complex projects and tasks, reducing the training burden seen with complex enterprise platforms.”
This leads to faster implementation and improves the operations of all areas of a firm quickly. Features are streamlined and not scattered across multiple disconnected modules, which helps prevent the tool fatigue common in systems with steep navigation hierarchies.
Moreover, dashboards aren’t locked behind technical barriers, with all staff being able to personalize their own views of the data they need to perform their jobs, without needing support from IT or a system integrator.
Fig. 4) Financial reporting in BQE CORE (contrast with typical accounting exports).
Rather than requiring firms to overhaul their workflows to “fit” the software, BQE CORE fits into how most AEC teams already prefer to work, intuitively and collaboratively. Firms moving from more rigid systems often report that CORE gets adopted more broadly and faster, because users don’t feel like they’re being forced to learn another accounting tool.
Financial Clarity that goes beyond the Basics
Project and firm leaders need up-to-date information to make informed decisions about the business as a whole or individual projects. What I appreciate here is that CORE gives live visibility into margins, budget burn, and cash flow, without needing to request custom reports from the accounting team or rely on end-of-month exports, offering real-time awareness of project finances. While many platforms stop at time and expense tracking, CORE includes native accounting tools, giving teams a unified view of operations and finance.
Fig. 5) Financial Reporting in BQE CORE, compared with a Competitor’s product
Reports are configurable at every level (be it project, client, or department), allowing firms to drill down into performance without relying on clunky exports or rigid dashboards. In addition, invoice customization in CORE extends beyond design: organizing numbers with a very apparent structure and logic, firms can easily adapt to the varied billing styles clients often require.
Where other platforms lean on external accounting software to fill the gaps, CORE handles billing, payments, and ledgers natively, thereby resulting in fewer sync issues and delays.
Scales with you, not against you
People who thrive on scaling up businesses (and by extension the services their companies offer) can tell you the difficulties they’ve endured in identifying processes and systems that work for a larger organization, compared to smaller firm sizes. True, what works for a company of 20 people needs serious rethinking when it becomes, say ,a firm of 100 people. Management practices need to be reviewed, and new systems must be put in place to keep the organization running like a well-oiled machine. Yet, well-designed software is built to scale with businesses as they grow.
While smaller firms appreciate CORE’s ease of use, as they grow, the platform grows with them: no need to replace it when operations become more complex. CORE’s customizable workflows and automation features allow firms to evolve their processes gradually, without migrating to a whole new system. For firms I’ve spoken with, that continuity has been a huge relief—no more retraining entire teams every time you grow. Advanced functionality is already built in, including project and resource planning tools, a CRM with proposal tools, HR tracking, full firm accounting, and even integrated payroll, ready to be activated when needed. It’s a true all-in-one platform for A/E firms of all sizes, and a rare marketing-to-paid solution.
Fig. 6) In-depth Project Monitoring in BQE CORE, compared with a Competitor’s product
Resource planning is integrated with time tracking and project budgets, so as teams scale, they don’t need separate systems to manage staffing. At the same time, leadership gets a bird’s-eye view of performance across multiple offices or service lines, while teams can maintain their own focused workflows underneath.
While some platforms break down under the weight of larger teams, CORE remains consistent, with users staying in the same environment even as roles multiply and structures become much more layered.
Everything in One Place
I’ve seen many firms struggle with subscription fatigue, juggling a half-dozen disconnected tools. That’s why CORE’s all-in-one approach stands out to me. Many firms are experiencing “subscription fatigue” with a large stack of software tools that only solve specific challenges. With BQE CORE, teams don’t have to string together half a dozen different platforms to manage proposals, budgets, time, invoicing, and CRM. It’s all there, and it’s all interconnected. Instead of relying on third-party accounting integrations, CORE offers full financial capabilities natively, thereby reducing sync errors and reporting delays.
This is a sharp contrast when compared to conventional firm management practices, where bits and pieces of data are dispersed across multiple channels and spreadsheets that don’t necessarily get updated as promptly. The proposal-to-invoice pipeline flows seamlessly, where firms don’t need to re-enter data across tools to bridge gaps between modules.
Fig. 7) All the Numbers of your Project in one place.
Plus, integrations with Google, Office 365, Zapier, and DocuSign are available, with an open API that allows for custom integrations and workflows. These enhance the system rather than complete it, a key distinction when compared to tools that depend on external apps to even be fundamentally usable. In short, this cohesion makes CORE a true operating system for the firm, and not just one tool among many, in an ever-growing stack!
To Sum It Up
Who This Is For
Small and mid‑size A/E firms standardizing PM + accounting
Multi‑office firms needing rollups, resource planning, and consistent reporting
Teams replacing spreadsheets and disconnected time/expense tools
Practices seeking vendor‑neutral financial clarity without heavy IT overhead
What to Watch
Centralized data requires clear role‑based permissions and governance
Adoption benefits from internal champions and lightweight training
Map existing billing styles to CORE’s invoice templates early
FAQ (Quick Answers)
Does CORE replace QuickBooks or Xero? Often yes; some firms run in parallel during transition.
Can we start small? Yes—begin with projects/time, then add accounting, CRM, payroll.
How hard is migration? Plan for COA mapping, historical AR/AP, active budgets.
Conclusion
As someone who’s spent years watching firms wrestle with technology adoption, I’ve learned that the best tools are rarely the ones with the most features—they’re the ones that integrate seamlessly into the daily life of a practice. CORE is far from the only firm management platform out there, but it’s one of the few I’ve seen that can meet a small firm where it is and then scale with it as the business grows. That shows that the BQE team has balanced clever design with a real understanding of the AEC industry’s rhythms and challenges.
I don’t believe in “perfect” software. Every tool has trade-offs. But when something consistently bridges the gap between design and finance teams, reduces friction in operations, and actually earns adoption across departments, it’s worth paying attention to. CORE has done that for a number of firms I’ve spoken with, and that’s why I wanted to share my perspective.
My work through aec+tech has given me a front-row seat to the innovations shaping our industry. I see my role as connecting AEC professionals with tools that don’t just add to their tech stack but actually make their work easier, more efficient, and more rewarding. BQE CORE fits that mission. If you’re still piecing together multiple apps to keep your projects on track, maybe it’s time to explore a platform that feels less like “software you have to use” and more like a team member who’s always one step ahead.
— Niknaz Aftahi, Founder & CEO of aec+tech
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