AIA Billing With FOUNDATION®: Stop Wrestling with Spreadsheets

AIA billing with FOUNDATION transforms how construction professionals handle progress billing. The construction accounting software eliminates headaches caused by manual spreadsheet updates and mismatched numbers.

If you’re tired of chasing down project managers for percentage updates, manually creating customer forms and dealing with numbers that never seem to add up right, you’re not alone.

Many contractors spend countless hours each month updating spreadsheets to track project progress. After spending all this time, only then do they discover errors that are nearly impossible to fix without starting over.

The frustration of editing past work feels like trying to unscramble an egg. Once it’s mixed up, there’s no going back.

This manual approach doesn’t just waste time. It creates stress, delays payments and can damage client relationships when billing documents contain errors.

Related: How to successfully manage construction project billing

Key Takeaways for Contractors

• FOUNDATION automates AIA billing calculations, removing spreadsheet formula errors and mismatched totals that plague manual systems
• The rollback feature allows contractors to undo billing mistakes without reconstructing entire spreadsheets or affecting other data
• ProjectHQ® integration lets project managers input completion percentages directly, eliminating coordination delays between field and office staff
• Automatically generates multiple AIA billing forms and manages retainage tracking according to contract terms

How Manual Progress Billing Creates Chaos on Construction Projects

Most construction companies still rely on outdated methods for handling progress billing. Because of this, the problems pile up faster than concrete trucks at a jobsite.

You know the drill – every month, someone has to dig into spreadsheets and manually update project progress percentages. This tedious process eats up valuable time that could be spent on actual construction work.

The Spreadsheet Nightmare Every Contractor Knows

Manual spreadsheet updates create a domino effect of problems.

First, you’re constantly hunting down project managers to get percentage completions for each line item. They’re busy running jobs, so getting timely responses becomes a monthly game of email tag. Once you finally collect the data, you’re manually entering percentages and hoping your formulas are correct.

But here’s where things get messy – those numbers rarely line up the first time. You’ll spend hours trying to figure out why the totals don’t match your estimates or previous billing cycles.

Was it a formula error? Did someone update the wrong cell? The detective work begins, and productivity grinds to a halt.

When Editing Past Work Becomes Mission Impossible

The worst part about manual systems is dealing with changes to previous billing periods.

Maybe a client disputes a percentage, or you discover an error from two months ago.

In a spreadsheet world, making these corrections feels like performing surgery with a sledgehammer. You have to trace through multiple linked cells, update formulas and pray you don’t break something else in the process.

There’s no real “undo” button when you’re working across multiple interconnected spreadsheets. One wrong move can corrupt data that took hours to compile.

This lack of flexibility means many contractors just live with small errors rather than risk making bigger problems.

How FOUNDATION Handles AIA Billing

FOUNDATION changes the entire game by automating what used to be manual, error-prone processes.

Instead of wrestling with spreadsheets, you simply provide completion percentages. The software handles all the complex calculations automatically.

Automated Calculations That Actually Work

When you input a percentage completion in FOUNDATION, the software instantly populates all related numbers across your billing documents. This alleviates problems like:

• Formula errors
• Mismatched totals
• Late nights trying to make the math work

The system pulls data directly from your estimate line items and auto-populates everything for progress billing.

This automation extends beyond basic calculations. FOUNDATION creates what’s called “compartmentalized accounting,” where each aspect of your billing process connects seamlessly without manual intervention.

The days of double-checking every calculation are over.

Multiple AIA Forms

FOUNDATION produces AIA-like forms and multiple other customer documents automatically. You’re not limited to one billing format. FOUNDATION adapts to different client requirements without manual document creation.

This flexibility saves time and ensures you’re always presenting professional, accurate billing documents.

Whether your client prefers traditional AIA billing formats or custom documentation, FOUNDATION handles the formatting and calculations automatically. This eliminates the need to maintain multiple templates or worry about version control issues.

The Game-Changing Rollback Feature

Remember that “undo” button we mentioned was missing from spreadsheets?

FOUNDATION includes a rollback feature that acts like an undo button for your entire billing process. Made an error in last month’s billing? No problem — roll back to the previous state and make corrections without affecting other data.

This feature alone saves contractors countless hours of reconstruction work when changes are needed. You can confidently make adjustments knowing you can always return to a previous state if something goes wrong.

Retainage Management Made Simple

FOUNDATION handles both partial and final retainage releases automatically. The system tracks retainage amounts across multiple billing cycles and calculates releases according to your contract terms.

This eliminates manual tracking and ensures you never miss opportunities to collect retained funds.

Key Benefits of Progress Billing Automation

FOUNDATION provides contractors with key AIA billing benefits, including:

• Eliminates manual spreadsheet updates and formula errors
• Instantly populates all billing calculations from percentage inputs
• Generates multiple AIA-compliant billing document formats automatically
• Provides rollback capabilities for error-free corrections
• Automates retainage tracking and release calculations
• Saves countless hours of manual data entry and verification
• Reduces billing disputes through consistent, accurate documentation
• Streamlines communication between field and office teams

With FOUNDATION’s automated progress billing, contractors can finally focus on building great projects instead of battling spreadsheets.

Faster Invoicing With PM Integration

Here’s where FOUNDATION really shines for busy construction teams.

Project managers can log into ProjectHQ (another Foundation Software product) to input completion percentages directly, without needing to coordinate with accounting staff. No more playing phone tag or waiting for email responses.

This integration means your PMs stay focused on their jobsites while accounting gets the data they need automatically.

The information flows from ProjectHQ straight into the accounting system through seamless automation. This eliminates communication delays and data entry errors.

Transforming Your Billing Process

Manual progress billing creates unnecessary stress and eats up time that could be spent growing your construction business. FOUNDATION eliminates spreadsheet errors, automates complex calculations and gives you the flexibility to make changes without starting over.

The integration between FOUNDATION and ProjectHQ streamlines communication between field and office staff. Meanwhile, advanced features like rollback capabilities and automated AIA billing software ensures accuracy and professionalism.

Ready to eliminate manual spreadsheet updates and automate your AIA billing with FOUNDATION? 

Book a demo with our experts to see how FOUNDATION can streamline your progress billing process and get you back to what you do best – building great projects.