With the release of Acumatica 2020 R2, the powerful construction functionality for contractors, home builders, and land developers is now part of the core Acumatica ERP product. Here’s a closer look at some of the top new features that were rolled out in the most recent release.
In This Article:
- AIA process and report improvements
- Pro-forma workflow enhancements
- Construction payroll updates
- Other notable new features
NEW! See what’s in the latest Acumatica 2021 R2 Release Notes
AIA Process and Report Improvements
If you’re in construction, you already know that preparing and printing American Institute of Architects (AIA) reports are important. That’s why Acumatica Construction Edition has streamlined the process so it’s faster, easier, and avoids billing cycle delays with the following improved features.
AIA Reports for Released Retainage
You can now can create separate AIA reports for the released retainage on the AIA Report and AIA Report with Quantity forms.
Grouping of Continuation Sheet Lines in AIA Reports
On the Summary tab of the Projects form, an AIA Level box has been added. If Summary is selected in the box for the project, the continuation sheet lines in the prepared AIA reports will be grouped by project tasks. If AIA Level Detail is selected in the box for the project, the continuation sheet lines in the AIA report will be specified as they are presented in the corresponding pro forma invoice.
Application Number for Progress Billing
In Acumatica ERP Construction Edition 2020 R2, pro forma invoices that include progress billing lines now have automatically-generated application numbers. The system specifies these numbers on the prepared AIA reports. Application numbers are unique within the project and each project has its own numbering sequence.
Pro Forma Workflow Enhancements
The correction workflow of pro forma invoices has been enhanced to improve billing cycle efficiency without having to delete subsequent pro forma or AR invoices or manually reverse prior billings.
You can correct a pro forma invoice with the Closed status for which the corresponding accounts receivable document has already been released. To assign the pro forma invoice the ‘On Hold’ status so that it can be edited, follow these steps from the Acumatica form toolbar of the Pro Forma Invoices form:
Click Actions > Correct Pro Forma Invoice
The system changes the status of the pro forma invoice and adds a line with the previous revision of the pro forma invoice to the Previous Revisions table on the Financial Details tab.
Construction Payroll Updates
In construction, workers often perform in teams that work similar hours. To help streamline payroll processing in Acumatica, you can now group employees by crew so that their activity time can be reported, reviewed, and approved at one time for the entire workgroup.
A new Weekly Crew Time Entry form has been introduced so that after you’ve setup a crew, you can create a time entry for the selected group and, if needed, associate this entry with a project and project task. Each time entry created on this form spans a particular week. You can click Add Row to enter time for a specific member of the crew or click Enter Bulk Time to create multiple identical time activities for members of the crew.
In addition, certified payroll reporting enhancements improve your ability to track employees for certified or prevailing wage projects which can boost your ability to bid for government projects.
Other Notable Construction Edition Enhancements
Here are some other notable enhancements to Acumatica Construction Edition 2020 R2:
Joint Payees in AP – add new joint payees to any open accounts payable bill with a positive balance.
Substantiated Billing Reports – the ability to attach images in file formats other than PDF (i.e. JPG, PNG, BMP, others) has been added to the Substantiated Billing – Consolidated report. In addition, both substantiated billing reports have a new visual style.
Calculation of Contract Cap Retainage – the system now uses improved calculation logic to generate the Allocated Retained Amount in pro forma invoices (that is, the amount of retainage that is considered to be held for the related revenue budget line in the pro forma invoice).
Upgrade Notes
Because the Acumatica construction functionality has been moved to the core product, the following customization packages have been eliminated and must be unpublished before you upgrade to Acumatica 2020 R2:
- Construction Features
- Construction Reporting
- Construction Dashboards
In addition, other sequential processes are necessary BEFORE you start the upgrade to 2020 R2. For full details, system requirements, or personalized assistance, click below to find a qualified Acumatica Construction partner in your area for support.
