Beyond Growth: How Smarter Systems Helped Strengthen Profit and Stability

Corsair selected BQE CORE because they needed a firm management platform that delivered real control and visibility without creating new complexity for the team. Their previous approach relied on spreadsheets and disconnected tools, which made it difficult to keep project information consistent, track budgets accurately, and invoice with confidence as the company scaled. They also learned firsthand that a “big ERP” does not automatically solve these problems. A large A/E ERP competitor proved too rigid and cumbersome, and even basic adjustments could become time-consuming and dependent on outside support. Corsair needed a system that matched how their firm actually works, not one that forced them into inflexible processes. BQE CORE stood out as a practical, all-in-one solution that could consolidate core workflows in one place: project setup, time and expense capture, budget and cost tracking, reporting, and invoicing. Just as important, CORE enabled Corsair to modernize operations while protecting the accounting foundation they already had in QuickBooks. The QuickBooks integration allowed them to keep their financial history intact and avoid the disruption and risk of starting over in a new accounting system. With CORE, the firm could standardize how project data is tracked, improve billing controls, and use dashboards to monitor utilization, backlog, burn rate, and project margins in real time. That combination of usability, flexibility, and connected reporting is why Corsair chose BQE CORE.

Spreadsheets and disconnected tools could not keep up as the firm scaled Implemented a large A/E ERP competitor but abandoned it after four months due to complexity, low flexibility, and rigid reporting Simple changes (invoice edits, project updates) were overly complex and required outside support Limited visibility because key information lived across multiple tools and spreadsheets

Spreadsheets and disconnected tools ClickTime (legacy tool) Attempted implementation of a large A/E ERP competitor to CORE (abandoned) QuickBooks (accounting system retained via integration)

BQE CORE created measurable business impact for Corsair Consulting by replacing fragmented tracking with a single source of truth for project financials and performance. Before CORE, key data lived across spreadsheets and disconnected tools, which increased the risk of missed entries, delayed billing, and limited visibility into project health. With CORE consolidating project setup, time and expense capture, budgets, reporting, and invoicing, Corsair improved the accuracy and speed of its billing cycle and reduced the administrative effort required to reconcile information across systems. That translates into ROI through faster cash flow, fewer write-offs, and less time spent correcting errors or chasing missing hours. A major efficiency gain came from real-time dashboards and tighter billing controls. Leadership can monitor utilization, backlog, burn rate, and project margins at any time, allowing them to identify issues earlier and make adjustments before small variances become major losses. This visibility also supports better staffing decisions and workload planning, reducing reactive overtime and helping the firm operate leaner. CORE’s improved tracking and pre-invoice review helped Corsair recover unbilled hours that would otherwise have been lost, directly increasing revenue without adding new work. Operationally, CORE supported a 50+ person firm with a small administrative team by streamlining reporting and invoicing processes. The QuickBooks integration protected their accounting history while modernizing day-to-day operations, reducing implementation risk and avoiding the cost of replatforming finance. Overall, BQE CORE improved profitability, strengthened operational stability, and enabled more consistent, data-driven management across every active project.

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