How Montefusco HVAC Cut Payroll Processing Time by 85% with ProForge ERP

Executive Summary

Montefusco HVAC, a union-based HVAC contractor serving commercial and residential clients, struggled with fragmented systems that made AIA billing and union payroll management a time-consuming challenge. After implementing ProForge ERP, they reduced daily payroll processing from 6-8 hours to less than 1 hour, achieved full compliance with certified payroll requirements, and significantly streamlined their operations while eliminating costly data duplication errors across their 400+ active projects.

Company Snapshot

Montefusco HVAC, Inc. is a mid-sized HVAC contractor with 25-35 employees specializing in commercial and residential HVAC services. Their project portfolio spans new construction, remodels, equipment installation, and ongoing maintenance contracts. As a union-based workforce, they face unique payroll and compliance requirements that generic business solutions often fail to address.

Challenges

Prior to implementing ProForge, Montefusco HVAC faced several operational challenges that impacted efficiency and compliance:

System Fragmentation: The company relied on 2-3 disconnected platforms to manage payroll, billing, and project tracking.
Excessive Administrative Burden: Payroll processing alone consumed 6-8 hours daily due to manual data entry and reconciliation.
Data Duplication Risk: Moving information between systems required manual re-entry, increasing the potential for costly errors.
Compliance Complexity: As a union contractor working on both private and government projects, Montefusco needed to maintain Davis-Bacon Act compliance and proper AIA billing protocols.
Inefficient Workflow: Staff constantly switched between applications, creating productivity bottlenecks and workflow disruptions.

"Before ProForge, we were essentially running multiple businesses from a systems perspective. Our accounting team was spending entire days just processing payroll because of the manual steps involved in managing union rates and certified payroll requirements."

— Wes Edwards, Montefusco HVAC

The Solution

After evaluating several ERP options, Montefusco HVAC selected ProForge for its construction-specific capabilities, particularly its integrated AIA billing and union payroll functionalities. Key features that influenced their decision included:

Fully integrated AIA billing system compliant with industry standards
Comprehensive union and non-union payroll processing capabilities
Real-time job costing and WIP (Work-in-Progress) reporting
Certified payroll management for Davis-Bacon Act compliance
QuickBooks integration for simplified accounting
Secure document management with 100GB storage per user
Custom reporting for wage determination and compliance verification

Implementation Process

The implementation process required collaboration between Montefusco's team and ProForge developers to address company-specific requirements and workflow adjustments.

"We primarily communicated with the development team via email when we encountered issues. What impressed us was how quickly they responded with solutions. We expected some bumps along the way with any new system, but their team's flexibility and responsiveness made the transition much smoother than anticipated."

— Wes Edwards, Montefusco HVAC

The implementation focused on configuring the system to match Montefusco's union payroll requirements while ensuring proper integration with their existing accounting procedures and billing practices.

Results & ROI

Since implementing ProForge ERP, Montefusco HVAC has experienced significant improvements across their business operations:

Dramatic Time Savings

Payroll processing time reduced from 6-8 hours daily to usually less than 1 hour
68-108 hours saved per $1 million project
With over 400 active projects, the cumulative time savings are substantial

Operational Improvements

Error Reduction: Elimination of manual data duplication has significantly decreased billing and payroll errors
Compliance Confidence: Full adherence to certified payroll requirements and AIA billing standards
Improved Team Satisfaction: Simplified workflows have reduced administrative frustration
Enhanced Project Visibility: Real-time job costing has improved project profitability tracking
Streamlined Documentation: Centralized document management has improved information accessibility

Client Testimonial

"ProForge has transformed how we handle our administrative operations. The integrated approach to union payroll and AIA billing has eliminated hours of duplicate work while giving us confidence that we're fully compliant with all requirements. The system paid for itself within months just in time savings alone, not counting the error reduction and improved project visibility we've gained."

— Wes Edwards, Montefusco HVAC

Key Wins

Time Efficiency
- Payroll processing time reduced from 6-8 hours to less than 1 hour daily
- 68-108 hours saved per $1 million project across 400+ active projects
Process Improvements
- Complete elimination of duplicate data entry
- Full compliance with union and certified payroll requirements
- Simplified AIA billing process
Business Impact
- Improved project profitability tracking through integrated job costing
- Centralized document management with secure 100GB storage per user

Conclusion

This case study demonstrates how construction and specialty trade contractors like Montefusco HVAC can overcome complex operational challenges by implementing a purpose-built HVAC ERP system like ProForge. By centralizing critical functions including construction ERP with AIA billing capabilities, union payroll software, and robust job costing tools, contractors can achieve significant efficiency gains while maintaining compliance with industry requirements.

For companies seeking Davis-Bacon Act compliance ERP or certified payroll ERP for subcontractors, Montefusco's experience highlights the value of selecting an industry-specific solution designed to address the unique challenges of specialty contractors.