Software should reduce friction, surface better information sooner, and free people up to do higher-value work.
Many architecture and engineering firms spend a lot of time thinking about design software. But in many ways, the needle of firm performance can be moved more rapidly through firm management software. Firms can drive additional points of growth and margin through the successful application of the right systems. Candidly, firm management software in the A/E space has been staid for some time. However, we’re seeing more demand for better software from A/E firms, which bodes well for the technological pace of change. Here are the few themes we’re hearing from A/E firms most often at the onset of 2026 and how to think about them.
AI or just automation?
The other day, I received a series of “use cases” for AI in firm management software:
- Time and expense entries should integrate directly with payroll, and then journal entries should be created without manual entry after the payroll run
- Projects trending over budget should be flagged as at-risk
- Invoices should be generated based on project data
None of these use cases requires AI, but rather templates and automation. There are plenty of existing solutions that, when applied appropriately, would substantially help project and firm performance.
We’re still in the early days of AI. For the time being, we see firms deriving substantial benefit in content creation (see below) and meeting summaries. (Note: this is where we at BQE see the most benefit, too.)
But in general, we see firms burning a lot of calories trying to figure out “AI.” We encourage firms to start with the problem statement. Rather than asking, “What can AI solve for our firm?” ask, “What are the three biggest challenges we’re facing?” then figure out the right solution from there. It may be that an AI tool is the best solution, but often it is simply the better use of the tools you have, and building automations and integrations with your tech stack.
Best in class versus best of breed
A 10-employee firm came to us recently with a diagram for their firm management tech stack. They hoped to integrate Netsuite for accounting, BQE CORE for projects, Salesforce for CRM, Proposify for proposals, and more. Unfortunately, this tech stack would have likely cost them $50K per year in software fees, let alone the full-time IT resource to manage everything.
What they described was a “best-of-breed” tech stack. Effectively, they wanted to select the absolute best product for each specific function. The alternative is “best-in-class,” where one software vendor provides a platform with broader functionality. Best in class tends to be lower-cost and easier to manage, but there might be limits to the depth of functionality.
We tend to see firms start shifting from a best-in-class setup to a best-of-breed one somewhere between 20 and 100 employees, but this depends on the complexity of the firm’s needs and their comfort with technology. There’s not usually a big jump; usually firms will start by integrating one “best-of-breed” solution into their platform and build from there.
Fortunately, with a trend to more open platforms (see below), the barrier to adding solutions to the underlying platform is being lowered.
Get to know your acronyms: APIs
Perhaps more valuable to firms than even AI right now are APIs. Open APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are becoming one of the most important enablers for modern A/E firm management, even if most firm leaders never engage with them directly.
At a basic level, an open API allows one software system to securely share data with another in a structured, automated way. Instead of exporting spreadsheets, re-entering data, or relying on manual workarounds, APIs let systems “talk” to each other in real time.
This matters because it allows firms to connect more solutions together. Rather than operating in silos, project management, data visualization, CRM, accounting, etc. can be connected to operate in concert. The result is less rework, fewer errors, better data, and faster decision-making.
Tools like Zapier make this even easier. Open APIs generally require more robust programming knowledge and ongoing IT management. However, Zapier acts as a bridge between systems, letting firms create automated workflows without the inherent complexity.
For firm leaders, the key question isn’t how APIs work technically, but whether your core systems support them well. In a data-driven, fast-moving market, openness is quickly becoming a competitive advantage.
Better business development
When it comes to software to help run the business, most firms tend to focus their attention on the “project to paid” process. However, there can be substantial value focusing more attention during the proposal phase before the project has been won in the first place.
There are increasingly A/E-specific CRM and proposal creation/management tools in the market that can likely help increase efficiencies and win-rates for firms. We see some of the most productive applications of AI in these areas.
Especially in a market where firms are looking for ways to drive revenue and expand their client bases, better tooling for marketing/business development can be useful.
Looking ahead
As we move into 2026, the conversation around firm management software is maturing. The focus is shifting away from chasing the newest buzzwords and toward building systems that actually support how firms operate, decide, and grow. That means starting with real problems, being thoughtful about platform choices, and valuing openness and integration over novelty.
For firm leaders, the opportunity is not to build the most complex tech stack, but the most coherent one. Software should reduce friction, surface better information sooner, and free people up to do higher-value work. When it does that well, it becomes a quiet but powerful contributor to performance.
For those who want a deeper, practical look at how to evaluate firm management software, we recently published a buyer’s guide that outlines key considerations, tradeoffs, and questions worth asking as you plan for the years ahead. It is intended as a framework, not a prescription, and can be found here: A/E Firm Management Software Buyers Guide.
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Matt Cooper is CEO of BQE Software, Inc. Connect with him on LinkedIn. |