Built for architecture, engineering & construction firms · Phase-gate work + change orders

Time tracking
for architecture, engineering & construction firms.

Phase-gated project tracking, change-order workflows, and discipline-level reporting — without the AEC-specific software cost.

AEC firms run projects with formal phase gates (Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Construction Administration, etc.), frequent change orders, multi-discipline team coordination, and utilization tracking that drives partner draws. Dedicated AEC tools (Deltek Ajera, BST, Newforma) handle this well but cost $50-100/seat. Tempough handles the time + project + billing + utilization layer at $11-13/seat with phases, milestones, and change orders as first-class concepts. It doesn't do BIM, CAD integration, or AEC-specific cost estimation — those stay in your existing tools.

Why Tempough fits architecture, engineering & construction firms

AIA-style phases out of the box

Each project breaks into phases (SD, DD, CD, CA, or your firm's naming convention) with their own dates, hours budget, and status. Time rolls up per phase. Maps to AIA contract phase percentages naturally — you can bill 15% on SD, 20% on DD, etc.

Change orders as first-class objects

Every AEC project gets scope changes. Log them as change orders on the project with scope, hours, and budget delta. Margin reports include change-order revenue so you see whether a year of "small" change orders covered their cost. Change-order audit log records who approved what.

Multi-discipline rate cards on a single project

Principal at $250/hr, project architect at $175/hr, structural engineer at $200/hr, designer at $115/hr — all logging time on the same project. Tempough's per-member rate model handles this. Per-phase rate overrides if your SD rates differ from CA rates.

Utilization tracking for partner draws

Per-person billable %, with configurable annual targets. Practice-area splits on Team Pro (so structural utilization is visible separately from architecture). The data partner meetings actually run on.

Margin reports for fixed-fee + percentage-fee work

AEC fees are often percentage-of-construction-cost or fixed-by-phase. Tempough tracks internal cost (hours × rate) regardless of billing model, so the margin report tells you whether a 6.5% fee actually covered the team's delivery cost. Important data for next-project fee proposals.

Subconsultant tracking + pass-through expenses

Subconsultants (mechanical, electrical, civil, landscape) bill the prime, which gets invoiced through to the client. Track sub costs as expenses on the project, flag for client rebill, and they appear on the invoice with markup. Standard AEC pass-through workflow without a separate tool.

The features that matter for architecture, engineering & construction firms

Not the full feature list — the ones that map directly onto how architecture, engineering & construction firms actually work.

Project phases (AIA-style)

SD, DD, CD, CA — or your firm's convention. Time rolls up per phase.

Change orders

First-class objects. Scope + hours + budget delta. Audit-logged.

Multi-discipline rate cards

Per-member + per-phase rates. Resolves automatically per attorney/engineer on each project.

Utilization with annual targets

Per-person billable %. Practice-area splits (Team Pro).

Margin reports

Per project, per phase. OT-aware. Reveals fixed-fee underbids.

Expense tracking + client rebill

Subconsultant costs flagged for pass-through. Appear on client invoice.

Recommended plan

Team Pro

$13/seat/mo billed annually

Team covers cost rates, margin reports, approvals, phases, and change orders. Team Pro adds team groupings for discipline splits (architecture vs. structural vs. interiors) + branded invoices + document distribution (handbooks, policies, MSA acknowledgment). AEC firms over 8 staff typically land on Team Pro.

Common questions

Yes. Phase names are free-form per project. Most AEC firms use AIA convention (SD, DD, CD, CA, BD) and create a template project that the team duplicates for new engagements. Phase percentages for AIA billing are configurable per phase.
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