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Survey Shows Sage Offers the Most Widely Used Estimating, Job Costing/Accounting/Payroll and Project Management Applications

Construction Financial Management Association Survey Included General, Heavy-Highway and Specialty Contractors

Sage Timberline Office is the most widely used application for construction estimating, job costing, accounting, payroll and project management, according to the Construction Financial Management Association's (CFMA) 2008 Information Technology Survey for the Construction Industry, seventh edition. This survey included responses from general, heavy and highway and specialty trades.

The CFMA Information Technology Survey for the Construction Industry has been conducted biennially since 1996 and represents the most comprehensive, regularly updated IT survey in the construction industry. CFMA is a non-profit designed to educate the construction industry on financial issues. *

"Since many construction companies have limited technical expertise on staff -- only 14 percent have CIOs and only 49 percent have a dedicated IT staff -- the survey results help contractors determine the technology they should be considering," said John Shackleton, Co-Chair of the CFMA 2008 Information Technology Survey. "Among general contractors, heavy and highway and specialty contractors, the dominant trend shows that Sage Timberline Office was the default choice for estimating, job costing/accounting/payroll and project management."

"This survey shows that Sage Timberline Office is helping contractors in their everyday business lives," said John Geffel, Sage Software senior vice president and general manager for Construction and Real Estate solutions. "With the current economy, contractors have to compete fiercely for work. Sage Timberline Office provides the right tools to help contractors be successful and profitable."

Estimating Applications

According to the survey 91 percent of contractors are using estimating software. Among general contractors, heavy and highway and specialty contractors, the survey results show that Sage's estimating solution was the choice of many companies with reported market share of 16 percent.

--  Thirty-two percent of general contractors consistently chose Sage's
    estimating software; making it the most widely used estimating application.
--  Among general contractors with volumes greater than $250 million, Sage
    had the highest share of estimating users at 25 percent.
    

Job Costing/Accounting/Payroll Applications

Almost all (99 percent) construction companies are using some type of job costing/accounting/payroll software.

--  Sage's job costing & accounting software was the most widely used
    product for this category, being used by 29 percent of all respondents.
--  When broken down by type of respondent, 42 percent of general
    contractors, 24 percent of heavy and highway and 20 percent specialty
    contractors all turned to Sage Timberline Office.
--  The use of Sage's job costing & accounting software as the primary Job
    Costing/Accounting/Payroll Application was consistent across company type
    and size.
    

Project Management Applications

The number of construction companies using project management software has decreased since 2006. Eighty-three percent of respondents reported using project management applications today, compared to 95 percent of respondents in 2006.

--  For general and specialty contractors, Sage's project management
    solution was the primary choice.
--  Twenty-four percent of general contractors and 12 percent of specialty
    contractors chose Sage's project management solution.
    

About Construction Financial Management Association

CFMA began as an informal gathering of construction financial executives over 26 years ago and has since grown into a vital industry participant. Currently, CFMA has more than 7,000 members and 89 chapters in major cities across the US. CFMA chapters from Maine to Hawaii provide local workshops, seminars, and programs that complement the extensive member services offered by CFMA Headquarters.

Sage Software has a growing portfolio of business management solutions specifically tailored for the construction and real estate industries. The portfolio is designed to provide support through the growth cycle of a business and includes: Peachtree by Sage Premium Accounting for Construction and Sage Master Builder. For medium to large companies, Sage Timberline Office offers integrated financial, operations and estimating software and provides the most sophisticated level of functionality in the Sage Software portfolio of construction solutions.

About Sage Software

Sage Software supports the needs, challenges and dreams of nearly 2.9 million small and medium-sized business customers in North America through easy-to-use, scalable and customizable software and services. Our products support accounting, operations, customer relationship management, human resources, time tracking, merchant services and the specialized needs of the construction, distribution, healthcare, manufacturing, nonprofit and real estate industries. Sage Software is the North America business of The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and services to small and medium-sized businesses. Formed in 1981, Sage was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989. Sage Group now has 5.7 million customers and employs over 14,800 people worldwide. For more information, please visit the web site at www.sagesoftware.com or call (866) 308-2378.

* "Statistics excerpted from CFMA's 2008 Information Technology Survey for the Construction Industry, seventh edition with the permission of the Construction Financial Management Association, Princeton, NJ, 609-452-8000. CFMA neither evaluated nor ranked software in terms of performance. The survey should not be construed as the advice or opinion of CFMA."