Goldstream Engineering Inc. Finds Remote Work Success and Improved Employee Accessibility with BQE CORE

GEI selected BQE CORE because they needed a single platform that could replace an unstable, high-maintenance mix of tools and keep the team productive no matter where they were working. Their previous setup relied on QuickBooks for bookkeeping and a separate custom-built website, with employees using email to manage project tasks and track time. In practice, that meant constant switching between systems, manual transfers of information, and recurring problems when the website went down or data was lost. The firm also carried an ongoing IT maintenance burden just to keep the custom platform operational, which is a poor use of time for a small engineering team. GEI spent several months evaluating firm management software and testing trials, but most options fell short because they did not combine the features GEI needed in one place. CORE stood out because it unified project management, time and expense tracking, billing, reporting, and access to client information. The mobile app was also a key factor, since GEI needed the ability to pull up information and keep work moving from the field or home office, not just from a desk. In addition to meeting their functional requirements, CORE was more affordable than competitor solutions, which made adoption realistic for a 6–20 person firm. The end goal was simple: fewer moving parts, fewer failures, and a system the team could actually access and rely on every day.

Frequent website crashes and ongoing data loss High IT maintenance burden to keep the custom system running Time, expenses, and project data had to be transferred between platforms QuickBooks plus a separate website and email created a fragmented workflow

QuickBooks for bookkeeping and payroll/accounting Custom-built website database and email for project tasks and time entry

BQE CORE delivered ROI for Goldstream Engineering Inc. by reducing operational friction, cutting reporting time, and improving reliability for a team that needs to work across offices, job sites, and remote locations in Alaska. Before CORE, GEI relied on QuickBooks plus a custom-built website and email workflows to manage projects, enter time, and support billing. That approach created hidden costs: ongoing IT maintenance, frequent outages, and repeated data loss. Each failure forced staff to stop work, recreate information, and chase down missing details across platforms, slowing project delivery and increasing the risk of billing delays. With CORE, GEI consolidated timekeeping, project tracking, billing, and reporting into one system. The firm specifically noted that gathering information for billing and reporting became significantly easier because everything lives in a single platform, rather than being split between QuickBooks and a separate website database. Reporting performance improved as well. What previously took weeks became faster and more manageable, and GEI reported that CORE cut report processing time in half. CORE also enabled client-specific reporting and automated scheduled delivery, which reduces repetitive monthly work and supports more consistent communication. The mobile app improved access to critical information while working in the field, helping the team avoid delays caused by having key details “stuck” back in the office. From a management standpoint, CORE improved control over project time and expenses, and it allowed project managers to correct entries directly rather than routing changes through a bookkeeper. The combined outcome is fewer interruptions, fewer manual handoffs, faster reporting and billing support, and more time available for billable engineering work.

“BQE makes it easy to gather information for billing or reporting, as everything is in one place.” – Russell Buckholz, Enginee

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