Professional Services Firms Embrace Best Software’s MAS 500 Project Accounting
Integrated Business Management Solution Streamlines Project Management, Lowers Overhead Expense, Enhances Profitability

Irvine, Calif. - September 23, 2002 - Best Software announced today that dozens of professional services customers have embraced MAS 500 Project Accounting, the company ’s complete project accounting solution, since purchasing the product earlier this year.

Offered as an integrated module for MAS 500, Project Accounting is used by mid-sized professional services firms – including IT consultants, design and engineering firms and advertising agencies – that need a complete solution that connects project data with their accounting and business management systems. MAS 500 provides business management applications to mid-market enterprises with 20 to 1,000 employees.

The more than 60 customers that have purchased the product since its introduction in December 2001 represent a broad range of industries, from metal fabrication and healthcare services to IT consulting and creative design.

The Hurwitz Group, a Framingham, Mass.-based technology industry research firm, uses MAS 500 Project Accounting to recognize revenues based upon percentage of completion, a capability they could not find in competing products. MAS 500 also lets the firm merge percentage-of-completion income with retainer income, giving a comprehensive, accurate view of revenues quarterly and at year end.

“[MAS 500] Project Accounting does everything we need it to do,” says Wendy Hinckley, Hurwitz’s controller. “We can get an accurate view of our revenues quickly, without redundant key stroking or importing from another program. As soon as we saw the demo, we knew this was just what we were looking for and couldn’t wait to get the program installed.”

Other recent Project Accounting customers are enjoying similar benefits:

• Creative Media Development, a graphic design shop that creates multi-media tools and applications, selected MAS 500 Project Accounting for its billing and analysis capabilities, and eTimesheets for time tracking. The firm was looking for a solution that would provide automated fixed fee billing, track time for 200 consultants and analyze actuals for future bids.

"We believe [MAS 500] Project Accounting will keep us competitive in the marketplace while improving profitability," says Dave Eakin, the company ’s CFO.

• Trican Wells, a Calgary-based oil field services company, uses MAS 500 Project Accounting to track the construction of individual equipment units as projects, allocating time and material expenses accordingly.

“Building one piece of equipment can take up to six months,” says Mike Baldwin, Trican’s manager of finance. “MAS 500 Project Accounting allows us to track units as the assembly project progresses. We create a budget for each unit, then charge invoices against it – easy to do because the module is integrated with AP. In addition, Project Accounting tells our managers exactly how far along a new unit is, and when we can expect to put it into operation. I can’t stress enough how valuable this information is to us.”

• Waco International, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of scaffolding and shoring equipment, chose MAS 500 Project Accounting for its ability to deploy a remote access-compatible system on a robust technology platform, control and manage inventory effectively and standardize operations for all sites. They also noted the product’s ease of use and drill-down capabilities as other factors leading to their Best Software decision.

According to David Butler, president and chief operating officer of Best Software ’s Mid-Market Division, the recent customer wins demonstrate how MAS 500 Project Accounting enables professional services organizations to better streamline the management of complex projects.

“By integrating with other MAS 500 modules, Project Accounting enables managers to be in sync with their accounting counterparts where costs and profits are concerned,” Butler notes. “The solution provides ample flexibility to structure projects to meet specific customer criteria, while effectively tracking time, labor and costs.”

Designed for projects requiring teams of all sizes, MAS 500 Project Accounting gives deep, up-to-the-minute updates on actuals vs. estimates and forecasts in addition to a complete audit trail of all labor, expense and material costs for any given project. Empowered with such information, managers can identify and prevent cost overruns before they occur, helping to better ensure bottom-line savings.

Project Accounting’s tight integration with MAS 500 Purchase Order, Inventory Management, Inventory Replenishment and MRP modules lets users quickly access information on material purchases, transfers and demands through one turn-key application.

The solution also provides remote time and expense entry, as well as project status inquiry and approval, from anywhere in the world via the Internet. With this knowledge-management capability, project managers and supervisors can obtain timely information about project profitability, while remote workers are assured that their time and expenses are accurately tracked and entered.

MAS 500 modules include financials, manufacturing, distribution, customer relationship management (CRM), project accounting, human resources, payroll, enterprise reporting and electronic commerce. MAS 500 has won three consecutive Microsoft Best Technology Integration Awards and three consecutive Software Technical Assistance Recognition (STAR) awards for outstanding customer service.

About Best Software
Best Software offers leading business management products and services that give over 1.7 million small and mid-sized customers in North America the insight for success throughout the life of their business. Its parent company, The Sage Group plc (London: SGE.L), supports three million customers worldwide and has revenue of $815 million. For more than 25 years, Best Software has delivered easy-to-use, scalable and customizable applications through its portfolio of leading brands, including Abra, ACT!, CPASoftware, FAS, MAS 90, MIP, Peachtree and SalesLogix, among many others. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.bestsoftware.com/moreinfo or call (866) 308-BEST.

Products Offered

MAS 90 & 200 MAS 90 is an industry-leading accounting, distribution, manufacturing and e-business management software solution for small to medium-sized companies with 10 to 500 employees. Recommended by more CPAs than any other application in its class, this product suite offers a broad selection of feature-rich modules that empower customers with the ability to manage and grow their businesses more effectively. A more powerful addition to the product line is MAS 200. This client/server application incorporates thin-client technology, resulting in more efficiently distributed processing, high performance, enhanced data integrity and reliability, remote access support, and scalability. MAS 200 is also available on the Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 database management platform.

MAS 500 MAS 500 (formerly Best Enterprise Suite) is a highly reliable, robust and integrated series of applications covering all areas of business for the enterprise of 20 to 1,000 employees. These areas include customer relationship management (CRM), accounting and financials, project accounting, distribution, manufacturing, human resources, payroll, enterprise reporting, and electronic commerce. Built from the ground up for the needs of an integrated enterprise, MAS 500 is flexible, scalable and full-featured to deliver a total business management solution.

HR & Timekeeping Best Software is an industry leader in delivering powerful, easy-to-use human resource and payroll management solutions. HR & Payroll solutions from Best Software offer a wide variety of affordable solutions to meet your organization's changing business needs and daily operations. With solutions that include comprehensive payroll processing; recruiting; training and benefits administration, Best Software can help you get the best results from these elements of your operations.

CRM Products Business begins and ends with your customers, and your ability to follow through on requests and communicate in a timely, consistent manner can make or break your chances for success. To that end, software industry analysts are predicting that customer contact and relationship management will become the largest growth segment in the software market, and will have a lasting impact on how companies conduct business in the future. Best Software understands that the way you connect with your customers is one of the most important aspects of your business. That's why Birdwell & Associates has made it our business to integrate customer relationship management (CRM) systems that are designed to help you keep your customers satisfied.

Services Offered

Client Support Services Birdwell & Associates and Best Software offer support solutions that ensures that you can be secure in your investment, and in running your business. The cooperation between vendor and partner offers you a collaborative support solution - balancing the service of Birdwell & Associates and Best Software.

Training Training is essential to realizing the value of your solution, increasing its productivity benefits and speeding a return on your investment. We make it easy for you to develop the skills you need to become productive as quickly as possible by including basic training features within your implementation plan. Once you've learned how to use your solution, you can boost productivity through continuing education opportunities from classroom, to CD-ROM, to the Internet, to highly personalized on-site training. With Birdwell & Associates, you'll find training where and when you need it.

Web Design We know from our extensive experience and expertise, the key to success in any web project is in the planning phase. Your web development process will begin with a complete analysis and detailed design proposal prior to the actual production and implementation of your site. Our experts can seamlessly integrate the web shopping cart with the back office distribution system to eliminate the double-entry of transaction data.

Management Consulting Services Consultants can give many complicated answers when asked what they do. Our answer is simple - We look at business through our clients’ eyes, and we do whatever it takes to help them achieve their business goals and overcome their daily challenges. For detailed information on our service areas, click here. (For industry-specific information, use the "Solutions" link on the main menu.)