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Financial management software
Finance Software for UK Architecture and Engineering Firms
54% of midmarket finance leaders report their current software isn't designed for organisations like theirs. Architecture and engineering practices need project accounting that tracks multiphase billing, equipment depreciation, and WIP, not generic tools retrofitted with basic job costing.
Accounting software trusted by professional service providers across the UK
Financial Challenges Facing Architecture and Engineering Firms
- Long Project Lifecycles: Projects span months or years, with multiple billing phases and retention requirements.
- Complex Cost Tracking: Equipment, subcontractors and variations need accurate allocation and approval workflows.
- Work in Progress (WIP) Complexity: Percentage fee, milestone and time-based billing often run concurrently, making WIP hard to manage.
- Disconnected Systems: Finance teams waste time reconciling data across project, time tracking and accounting tools.
- UK Compliance Pressure: Firms must meet Making Tax Digital, VAT, CIS and UK GAAP requirements, without adding admin burden.
Ready to solve these challenges?
Features Built for Architecture and Engineering Firms
Realtime project profitability tracking
- Monitor spend across phases, tasks and cost codes
- Track WIP and accrued income
- Calculate cost to complete and flag overruns early
Time tracking and resource scheduling
- Log time via mobile or web apps
- Autopopulate timesheets with correct project codes
- View capacity and utilisation across teams
Staff Expenses
- Submit expenses via mobile or web apps
- Allocate expenses to projects and cost codes
- Automated approval workflows for managers
Multiphase billing
- Bill by milestone, percentage fee or time based methods
- Mix billing types within a single project
- Attach budgets to work breakdown structures
Purchase order management
- Track committed costs at project level
- Automate invoice matching and approval workflows
- See spent, committed and remaining budget in real time
Benefits of Integrated Project Accounting
The difference between profitability and underperformance often comes down to visibility. Consultancies with real-time project financial data make better decisions about resource allocation, pricing, and client selection.
One Source of Truth
- Eliminate manual reconciliation between disconnected tools
- All project, financial and asset data in one system
Faster decisions
- Spot budget issues and opportunities as they happen
- Drill down from dashboards to transaction level detail
Strategic Insights
- Hundreds of ready-made reports
- Custom dashboards for finance, project managers and directors
- Two way Excel integration for analysis
Strategic Decisions
- See which clients and service lines are most profitable
- Use real-time data to guide pricing and resourcing
Improved Profitability
- Track all costs including equipment, time and materials
- Calculate accurate WIP and revenue recognition
- Identify unprofitable projects early
Efficient Billing
- Generate phase-specific invoices automatically
- Speed up invoicing with automated workflows
- Reduce billing errors and revenue leakage
Flexible Pricing for Architecture and Engineering Firms
- Modular design: Start with core accounting and project modules. Add purchasing, fixed assets or reporting as needed.
- Pay Only for What You Use: No forced upgrades or unnecessary complexity. Scale functionality as your practice grows.
- Built for UK Compliance: Multi-currency, VAT, CIS and Making Tax Digital — all supported out of the box.
Purpose-Built for Your Discipline
Architecture Firms
- Track costs from concept design through construction administration
- Bill by percentage-fee or milestone across phases
- Manage consultant and subcontractor costs
- Schedule architects and technicians against projects
- Support accurate fee proposals and retention tracking
Engineering Practices
- Track costs by discipline, phase and task
- Manage equipment hire and specialist tool costs
- Handle complex subcontractor arrangements
- Calculate cost-to-complete and monitor asset locations
- Support feasibility, supervision and commissioning phases
Expand Beyond Finance with Access Evolve
When your practice needs more than finance, Access Evolve connects:
- HR & Talent: Manage recruitment, performance and learning
- Payroll: One-click payroll integrated with finance
- Expenses: AI-powered approvals and policy compliance
- CRM: Track client relationships and project profitability
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Access Financials handle multiphase projects?
Track costs, budgets, and billing at phase, task, and cost code level within a single project structure. Apply different billing methods to different phases—milestone billing for design, percentage fee for supervision, time and materials for extras. Complete visibility across all phases with phase specific invoices.
Can our teams easily record their travel expenses?
Yes. Staff can quickly upload their receipts creating expenses via their smartphones allocating costs directly to projects and cost codes. Expenses flow through automated approval workflows for managers, then integrate seamlessly with Access Financials for processing and project cost tracking. This eliminates manual expense claims and ensures accurate project costing.
Does it support multiple billing arrangements per project?
Yes. Use milestone billing, percentage fee billing, and WIP billing within a single project. Accommodates varying requirements across project stages. All billing transactions integrate with the accounting system for accurate revenue recognition.
How does time tracking work for technical staff?
Staff use online or mobile apps to record time against projects. Integration with Access Absence feeds holiday data into timesheets automatically. Interactive scheduling tool books resources against projects. Time entries detailed to task level for accurate costing whilst remaining straightforward to complete.
Can we consolidate across multiple offices?
Yes. Multi entity accounting handles intercompany transactions and consolidation. Generate single entity and consolidated financial statements instantly. Report by cost centre, office, company, or cost type whilst maintaining accurate records for each entity.
What UK compliance features are included?
VAT handling for EU and non EU transactions, multicurrency accounting with automated conversion, CIS for construction industry schemes, GDPR compliant data storage in UK data centres, and digital tax submission recognised by HMRC.
How does Access Financials integrate with other systems?
Connects with CRM and project management tools, HR and absence management systems, banking platforms for automated reconciliation, and sector specific applications through API access.
Explore Finance Solutions for Your Industry
Whether you’re in professional services, marketing agencies, or management consulting, our solutions help streamline operations, improve financial visibility, and drive growth. Compare our offerings with other providers to make the best choice for your business.
