Have you graduated from Sage 100 Contractor?

Sage 100 Contractor is a fantastic product.  Many clients who speak to us don't actually need to move off of Sage 100 Contractor, they're just frustrated from the hassle of managing servers and not being able to access the system in a normal web browser.
Other clients, genuinely have moved / expanded past the capabilities of Sage 100 Contractor and need the horsepower that only a product like Sage Intacct can provide.

We'll walk you through all the different scenarios Audra Speth, Troy Guevara, and Mohammed Ali see when talking to clients.

You can move to the cloud and keep Sage 100 Contractor

Many contractors start considering a change because they are frustrated with their technology. They no longer want to maintain a server or manage licensing and updates. They simply want to access the software over the web.

Hosting solves that problem without requiring a move to Sage Intacct Construction. We move the company’s existing Sage 100 Contractor system to a hosted environment, where users access the same software and familiar workflows over the web instead of through an on-premises server.

Troy is talking about access rather than changing products.

For people who have spent their careers accessing software through a server in the office, working through the web is a meaningful improvement. Their daily processes stay the same, and they can become comfortable with cloud access while using software they already know.

Once the team is working this way, it becomes easier to decide whether Sage Intacct Construction is the right long-term system. The company does not have to replace its server and its accounting software in the same year.

Signs you are ready for Sage Intacct Construction

If employees spend hours every week combining reports and checking the results for mistakes, the system is no longer keeping up with the business. Reporting is the most common sign that the accounting process has become too complex to manage reliably with manual workarounds.

The number of entities is another useful test. With two entities, teams can usually manage intercompany activity by hand. At three entities, mistakes tend to accumulate. A bill may be posted to the wrong entity, or someone may have to track down an elimination during the close. At that point, consolidated reporting and company-wide dashboards become much more valuable.

Business complexity matters, but the company also needs enough accounting staff to support the new system. Revenue alone does not determine whether a contractor is ready. A company can generate substantial revenue and still lack the accounting resources needed to use a more capable system effectively. Sage Intacct Construction should not depend on one person doing everything.

Another important sign is where the project team works.

On a small gas station project, someone may only need to visit the job trailer once a week. On a large project, the team may work on-site all day and need continuous access to the same information as the office. There is no single project size that determines when to change systems because the need grows gradually as the company takes on larger and more complex work.

The main issue is how quickly and accurately information moves between the field and the office. Troy makes an important distinction between bridging that gap and closing it.

Consider Sage Intacct Construction if:

• You want to work without maintaining a server.
• You manage three or more entities.
• Intercompany transactions are a regular part of the month, and mistakes are becoming more common.
• Preparing reports for the owner requires too much manual work.
• You have enough people in accounting to manage the system properly.
• Your project teams need reliable access to accounting and project information from the field.

When researching this option, make sure you are evaluating Sage Intacct Construction rather than standard Sage Intacct.

Do not move to Sage 300 CRE first

Contractors once assumed that the next step after Sage 100 Contractor was Sage 300 CRE, followed by Sage Intacct Construction later. We no longer recommend that path.

Sage Intacct Construction provides live data that authorized users can enter and access from anywhere. It manages intercompany transactions at the parent level, while Sage 300 CRE requires users to work in each entity separately. Its reporting capabilities are also much stronger.

Sage 300 CRE handles consolidations better than Sage 100 Contractor, but it remains behind Sage Intacct Construction in these areas. Moving from Sage 100 Contractor to Sage 300 CRE costs a full migration and leaves the long-term need unsolved.

The cost difference between Sage 300 CRE and Sage Intacct Construction is also smaller than many contractors expect. Pricing varies based on the number of entities, users, and modules, so ask an account executive to compare the costs for your business.

Sage 300 CRE remains a separate product that fits certain companies, but we do not treat it as a required step between Sage 100 Contractor and Sage Intacct Construction.

Sage 100 Contractor is still the right system for some firms

Sage 100 Contractor remains the right choice for some contractors. Smaller contractors often rely on a bookkeeper rather than an experienced construction accountant. The system can help those users learn and follow sound construction accounting practices.

Some companies also prefer their current server and do not expect the business to change significantly. That is not a problem that needs to be solved. If Sage 100 Contractor continues to meet the company’s needs, staying with it is a reasonable choice, and we continue to support customers who do.

A sales conversation cannot make a company ready for a new system. The owner and accounting team need to understand why the change would benefit the business.

The more difficult situation is a contractor that has outgrown Sage 100 Contractor but does not realize it. Employees may have created so many workarounds that they now see those extra steps as part of the normal job.

In that situation, a workflow review is usually more useful than a software demonstration. Spend an hour reviewing how the team processes invoices, transfers field labor information to the office, and prepares reports for the owner. This often makes the limitations of the current system clear. The remaining concern is usually the disruption involved in changing systems.

When hosting or staying is the better choice

If a company is ready for web access but not for Sage Intacct Construction, hosting Sage 100 Contractor is the next step. Hosting is a practical solution in its own right, without requiring a product migration. If the team is not large enough or the timing is not right, the best choice may be to keep Sage 100 Contractor exactly as it is. When waiting is the better option, we say so.

Taking the time to choose the right next step often creates a stronger long-term relationship than pushing for the fastest change.