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Finance systems guide
BuildOps + FOUNDATION: cost codes and payroll evidence
Use BuildOps job records with FOUNDATION accounting records to track labor, materials and project costs. Each cost needs the right company, job and cost category. Test one source document through the configured connection or approved export before relying on the full job-cost report.
How these systems fit together
BuildOps
Field Service Management for commercial mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire/sprinkler contractors
Foundation
Construction accounting for general contractors and specialty subcontractors
Choose the records you need to compare, such as invoices, payments or job costs. A supported connector transfers the records its vendors allow. An API is a direct software connection; an export is a file you download. Check the same jobs and dates in both systems before trusting the result.
The problem
FOUNDATION documents construction job costing and a job/cost-code/cost-class structure. These sources establish the accounting model, not a standard direct BuildOps connector or its installed coverage. Confirm the installed edition, mapping and effective settings before applying these checks to your records.
Why this integration matters
Matching the job number is not enough if the cost code or cost class is wrong.
Match one BuildOps source line to the FOUNDATION company, job, cost code and cost class. Retain both the proposed mapping and the actual posted record.
A job match without the intended code/class does not establish the required cost breakdown.
Plain meanings of the finance terms below
- Retainage
- Part of a customer bill held back until contract conditions are met.
- Work in progress (WIP)
- A review of work earned, billed and still to finish on unfinished projects.
- Days sales outstanding (DSO)
- Unpaid customer balances divided by credit sales, multiplied by the days in that period. This is a collections indicator, not a promised payment date.
- Entity and dimension
- An entity is a company or business unit. A dimension is a reporting category, such as a job, department or location.
- Reporting cutoff
- The date that separates records included in this period from those belonging to another period.
- Sandbox
- A test environment. A successful test there still needs checking against the real account.
Product capability and finance-control checklist
Each row identifies vendor documentation or a Level validation check. The installed connector, edition and configuration determine the actual transfer scope. Source links establish the stated product facts; the checks help test your own records.
| Capability | Status | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Product reference; pair route unverifiedVendor documentation | Verify installation | FOUNDATION documents construction job costing and a job/cost-code/cost-class structure. These sources establish the accounting model, not a standard direct BuildOps connector or its installed coverage.Read the primary source |
| Installed transfer and correction scopeLevel validation check | Verify installation | Confirm the actual connector or export, licensed edition, record types, direction, historical coverage, update/void behavior and permissions. The public references do not certify this company's complete set of transferred records. |
| Test the full job-cost keyLevel validation check | Finance check | Match one BuildOps source line to the FOUNDATION company, job, cost code and cost class. Retain both the proposed mapping and the actual posted record. A job match without the intended code/class does not establish the required cost breakdown. |
Where the connection needs finance-side validation
Each check tells you which records to compare and what to review. These are things to check, rather than problems we have found in your setup. Save the supporting records and name the person responsible for resolving any issue.
Check and next decision
Test the full job-cost key
Match one BuildOps source line to the FOUNDATION company, job, cost code and cost class. Retain both the proposed mapping and the actual posted record.
Why it matters: A job match without the intended code/class does not establish the required cost breakdown.
Check and next decision
Reconcile field hours to certified-payroll support
Compare approved source hours, payroll register and the applicable project wage/fringe requirements. Retain worker classification and payroll-period support with the responsible payroll professional.
Why it matters: Escalate unresolved classifications or rates; a data join is not certified-payroll compliance.
Check and next decision
Keep cumulative payroll and current period separate
Reconcile the current payroll run and cumulative project totals independently at the same cutoff (the date through which records are included). Identify corrections that affect an earlier run.
Why it matters: Review the specific difference rather than reposting an entire cumulative balance as new job cost.
Check and next decision
Assign the authority for progress billing and retainage
Match contract, approved changes, application number, current billing and retained amount between systems.
Why it matters: Use one originating billing route and reconcile retained balances separately from current collections.
When the connection works but the numbers do not
Compare same-period detailed records before assuming a software defect. Check record IDs, counterparty, amount, payment or write-off treatment, status, dates, dimensions, and report filters. A mismatch can come from a connection, mapping, timing, workflow, migration, or accounting treatment.
Level's approach
How Level would scope the finance workflow
Matching the job number is not enough if the cost code or cost class is wrong. The first comparison should follow the same records in BuildOps and the accounting system, including dates, amounts and status.
Use the supported API when it exposes the required records and status. Keep an approved export when you need the exact reports used at month-end. Use permitted browser automation for authorized reports or documents that the other routes do not supply. Check coverage on the actual company setup before choosing a route.
Keep the original records and a list of unresolved differences. For an approved correction, reopen the resulting accounting record and verify the amount, posting status and period. Finance decides accounting treatment and payment approval; implementation and commercial scope are agreed for the engagement.
Step 1
Choose the records and dates
Match one BuildOps source line to the FOUNDATION company, job, cost code and cost class. Retain both the proposed mapping and the actual posted record.
Step 2
Review the difference
A job match without the intended code/class does not establish the required cost breakdown.
Step 3
Verify the approved result
Keep the approval and both systems' record IDs. Reopen any corrected record to check its amount, status and accounting period; keep unresolved items assigned to an owner.
AI-assisted workflows a reconciled data layer can support
When BuildOps and Foundation records reconcile, AI can help classify, compare, and route exceptions. Humans retain policy, approval, posting authority, and responsibility for the financial result.
Prepare a source-linked comparison
AI can assemble the records for this check: Test the full job-cost key. Keep original record IDs, report dates and filters with the comparison. Mark missing evidence separately from a confirmed error, and verify the documents behind a suggested match.
Draft the next-action queue
For the same comparison, AI can list unresolved records, supporting documents and a proposed owner. A job match without the intended code/class does not establish the required cost breakdown. A human approves accounting corrections and payments; verify the resulting record after an approved action.
Evidence needed before close sign-off
Work through the record checks in order. Sign-off depends on supported results and approved exceptions, rather than a promised number of days. Keep the cutoff, source documents, comparison and decision together.
| Close step | Evidence to retain | Sign-off question |
|---|---|---|
| Choose the records and reporting date | Match one BuildOps source line to the FOUNDATION company, job, cost code and cost class. Retain both the proposed mapping and the actual posted record. | Are the source records, dates and filters saved so another reviewer can repeat this comparison? |
| Resolve this comparison | Matching the job number is not enough if the cost code or cost class is wrong. Keep matched records, specific differences and the original documents. | A job match without the intended code/class does not establish the required cost breakdown. |
| Verify the approved action | Keep the named approval, the permitted action and the resulting record ID, amount and status. Preserve the original record and correction history. | Does the reopened record show the approved result in the intended accounting period? A queued action or successful request alone does not establish posting or payment. |
| Save the month-end review | Save the reporting-date comparison, approved corrections and remaining exceptions, each with an owner and supporting documents. | Can finance explain any unresolved difference and its effect on the report? Verify the accounting period status separately. |
Finance questions the combined evidence can answer
Questions you can answer once both systems consistently carry the same customers, jobs, dates, amounts, and statuses. Level only compares your result with a benchmark when the calculation and business group are truly comparable.
What must survive a BuildOps-to-FOUNDATION cost handoff?
The company/job/cost-code/cost-class key, source document and posting period must survive, with a clear owner for payroll and compliance inputs. Test the configured transfer or approved export using one real permitted record. A product feature description does not confirm that the installation carries every required field.
Job profitability by cost code × cost type × phase, fully-burdened
Test the mapped company/job/cost-code/cost-class key against approved budget revisions and posted payroll, material and subcontract cost. State the labor burden/allocation basis. Where an additional phase key is required, confirm its configured location rather than assume the connector supplies it.
Which certified-payroll evidence is ready for qualified review?
Retain approved field hours, worker classifications, payroll register and the applicable project wage/fringe support by payroll period. Identify unresolved source differences. The responsible payroll/compliance professional determines required certified forms and readiness; a data join is not certification.
Sub-by-sub performance, which subs reliably hit cost code targets vs. blow through?
For each subcontractor/job, compare agreed PO (purchase order)/subcontract scope and approved changes with received work and supplier bill lines. Reconcile actual coded cost against the approved budget. Separate authorized change, timing and coding differences from a measured overrun.
Which approvals are supported before subcontractor assignment and payment?
Document any required review before subcontractor assignment and payment, with effective documents, named approvers and approved exceptions. Test whether the actual configured workflow enforces those approvals. This guide does not claim a deployed two-gate control or compliance outcome.
Multi-entity consolidated view + per-entity profitability
Reconcile detailed company/job records at the same cutoff (the date through which records are included) before combining entities. Retain approved allocations and intercompany/elimination support separately. Disclose unmatched mappings or incomplete cost sets of records in each entity view.
Prevailing-wage rate change impact on active projects
Have the qualified payroll professional identify applicable wage/fringe changes, classifications and effective dates. Compare those approved rates with bid assumptions and actual hours by project. Show a supported forecast effect separately from corrected payroll and any compliance determination.
How to start
We first scope your specific BuildOps and Foundation setup, the records that matter, the responsible owners, and the finance decisions the workflow must support. Any implementation work, timing, and commercial scope are confirmed for that engagement. See the pricing page for Level's service tiers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Foundation vs. Spectrum, which is right for me?
Compare the configured job-cost, payroll, billing, reporting and access requirements in each product with the responsible implementation partners. A shared construction ERP label does not establish identical connector behavior.
Do you handle certified payroll directly?
This guide does not offer payroll certification or compliance filing. Level can scope reconciliation of approved field hours to payroll and job-cost support with the responsible payroll professional. Worker classifications, wage/fringe requirements, certified forms and approvals need qualified review and explicit engagement scope.
Is integration work charged separately?
The implementation scope, acceptance checks and commercial terms are confirmed for the engagement. See /pricing for Level's service tiers; the presence of this guide does not promise a prebuilt connector or included vendor licensing.
How long does setup take?
Timing depends on the installed route, access, history, mapping and unresolved records. First complete a representative record trace and define the acceptance criteria. This page does not report a measured customer close-time result or guarantee an implementation duration.
Official product sources
Pair-specific references support the vendor behavior explicitly cited above. Product-context references explain the other system and their scope is stated below; they do not establish a direct connector or this tenant's record coverage. Level's setup, reconciliation, and control recommendations are finance-side interpretations, not instructions from either software provider.
- FOUNDATION job costing ↗
- FOUNDATION job-costing structure, 2023 reference ↗
- BuildOps integration directory, product context ↗
Lists BuildOps integration options. A directory entry does not establish this pair's licensed record scope or installed mapping.
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Get BuildOps and Foundation on the same page
Get a finance-side assessment of your BuildOps + Foundation setup, including the mappings, controls, and ownership behind the numbers.
No commitment. Finance-side guidance, not vendor support.