ECI Bolt by ECI Software Solutions is a cloud-based construction management software built to help subcontractors schedule, manage, and track their jobs. Users can create and send estimates to clients and sync them with QuickBooks Online for invoicing and payroll processing (if you have QuickBooks Payroll). Our ECI Bolt review covers the program’s most notable features, pricing, and more to help you decide if it’s right for your construction business.
ECI Bolt Alternatives
Best for: Contractors seeking transparent and flexible pricing | Best for: Companies wanting an all-in-one construction management solution | Best for: Companies seeking material and inventory management tools |
Cost: From $399 monthly | Cost: Custom priced | Cost: From $9,995 (one-time) or $833 monthly |
Are you looking for something else? If you don’t need an integration with QuickBooks, you can explore our list of the best construction accounting software. Additionally, if you think that you can benefit from a general bookkeeping solution, check out our top-recommended small business accounting software.
ECI Software Solutions does not disclose the ECI Bolt pricing details on its website, which is why I docked it in our pricing criterion upon evaluation. This can be an issue for businesses needing to see pricing information upfront so that they can budget their expenses properly.
To request a customized quote, contact ECI Software Solutions’ sales team directly. You may also request a free live demo so that you can explore its features before purchasing the software.
ECI Bolt achieved an above-average score because of its direct integration with QuickBooks Online, including the ability to sync customer and invoice data bi-directionally between the two systems. This means any changes you make to either platform will automatically be reflected in the other system.
You can create and send invoices from within ECI Bolt itself, but you can also push your estimates and invoices to QuickBooks for enhanced invoicing and accounts receivable (A/R) tracking. Additionally, if you use QuickBooks Online along with QuickBooks Payroll (read our review of QuickBooks Payroll), you can transfer time entries in ECI Bolt to QuickBooks for payroll calculation and processing.
However, ECI Bolt took a hit in our rubric because there are some data that doesn’t sync bi-directionally, including estimates and time entries. Also, we wish that there were sufficient resources about the QuickBooks Online integration so that those interested can easily understand how it works before setting it up.
I awarded ECI Bolt a perfect score in this category because the app is readily available from the QuickBooks App Store. This means you can set it up directly from your QuickBooks Online dashboard, without having to switch back and forth between QuickBooks and ECI Bolt. From the Find Apps page under Apps in QuickBooks, simply select Bolt Subcontractor Software and follow the prompts to set up the ECI Bolt integration.
In contrast, some other third-party apps use complicated configurations and mapping options before you can set up the QuickBooks Online integration.
While ECI Bolt is popularly known as a scheduling software, it offers essential construction features, such as time tracking, estimating, and employee location tracking through GPS. I didn’t award it perfect marks due to the lack of equipment management and budgeting features, which are important for modern subcontractors.
Click on each heading below to learn more about each of ECI Bolt’s best features.
ECI Bolt is primarily designed to help contractors plan, manage, and optimize their construction projects’ schedules. The most popular scheduling tool is the calendar view, which allows you to schedule tasks, appointments, and assignments directly on the calendar interface. You can assign jobs to specific crews, teams, or individuals—helping you better manage your workload distribution.
To better track schedules on the calendar, you can apply various filters to customize the information displayed. This way, you can easily focus on specific tasks or crew members you want to track. You can also use colors for a specific status of a work order for easy tracking.
Team members can only see the work assigned to them, while supervisors only see the schedule of their teams. Meanwhile, managers can reschedule jobs easily and specify reasons why the job needs to be rescheduled.
Contractors often work with multiple builders, forcing them to log into multiple builder portals to retrieve and print POs from various sources. However, using ECI Bolt’s Builder Communication feature, contractors won’t have to spend countless hours compiling POs from different portals.
The Builder Communication feature automates the creation of POs in ECI Bolt. When you receive a PO from your builder through ECI Bolt, the software automatically creates a PO document populated with all the information sourced from the builder.
Once the PO is created and your team is ready to provide the designated jobs or services, you can easily accept the PO with the click of a button from within ECI Bolt. Additionally, you will receive job-ready confirmations from the builder so that you won’t have to physically travel to the job site just to find out if it is ready to begin work.
ECI Bolt has built-in project management tools that allow you to manage and track various aspects of your projects—from project planning and installation tracking to reporting. The software allows you to set up projects with clear descriptions, timelines, and assigned team members.
You can track the progress of installations within projects, whether they are based on ship dates or install dates. This way, you can ensure that installations are executed as planned—helping your team prevent delays and ensure that project milestones are met.
For warranty-related tasks and projects that require adjustments, ECI Bolt lets you create open-ended work orders. Project managers and supervisors can monitor the progress of all the tasks specified in the open-ended work order and mark the work order as complete once finished.
ECI Bolt allows you to store and manage various project-related documents, including architectural drawings, engineering plans, specifications, contracts, permits, and reports. Your team members and clients can access the documents, leave comments or annotations, and download the files if needed.
The contract management module in ECI Bolt allows you to create new contracts that you can send to your project managers or clients for approval. From the Contracts tab, you’ll see a list of all your contracts, along with their status, such as pending or approved. This allows you to see easily whether you have outstanding contracts that are not yet approved by the builder.
The best part about contracts in ECI Bolt is that they are tied to your team’s work orders. This means whenever you access a work order, the system will notify you if there is a contract associated with that specific work order that is pending or requires your attention.
Estimates in ECI Bolt can easily be created using pre-built templates. If none of the templates fits your needs, you can modify them or simply create a new one from scratch. Once the estimate is approved and a project is awarded, managers can create material pull sheets for a detailed breakdown of the actual quantities and material types needed for the specific tasks involved in the project.
If your project requires a significant amount of manual labor and workforce, you can create labor pay estimates so that you can better disseminate to the client how the compensation will be disbursed to the workforce. If you need to revise bids, ECI Bolt provides a detailed history of revisions, and project managers can decide when the revisions should be applied to projects currently in production.
Time Tracking
Trade contractors can use ECI Bolt’s built-in time tracking feature to log the hours their members spend on individual tasks and jobs within a project. They can track time either through the web interface or the mobile app.
When integrated with QuickBooks Online, time entries can be easily pushed into QuickBooks Online for invoicing and payroll processing.
ECI Bolt did well in this category because it provides plenty of essential construction reports, including invoicing, workload, and revenue-related reports. Also, you can run general status reports to view work orders for materials to be prepared for upcoming jobs. Productivity reports can also be used to determine why there have been multiple visits to job sites, including the costs associated with errors.
However, ECI missed a few points, which is expected as it doesn’t cover all the aspects of construction management. For instance, you can’t create equipment reports which could have been useful for tracking the condition of your equipment and machinery.
ECI Bolt has a fully functional mobile application for iOS and Android users. It offers all of the features available in the web interface, including project scheduling, estimating, and project tracking.
I didn’t find any recent reviews online, but based on the feedback on popular review websites, users like that its dashboard is easy to navigate and use. As of this writing, the software is rated 4.2 out of 5 based on over 60 reviews on Capterra[1].
One who left an ECI Bolt review commented that the scheduling feature is very streamlined, adding that the platform allows them to archive old jobs to provide accurate information and photos to builders. Some negative reviews are about the solution’s hefty cost and the frequent glitches causing the app to slow down from time to time.
ECI Bolt Ease of Use & Customer Service
ECI Bolt has a clean and simple user interface that makes it easy to navigate, even for beginners. The entry forms can be easily located because they are readily available from the dashboard menu. For instance, you can enter a new job by simply clicking New job on the left navigation menu.
One feature that may require a slight learning curve is the calendar view. The calendar view can be customized in various ways, such as color coding tasks and project statuses. It may take a while to fully master these customization options, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll appreciate its comprehensive calendar tool.
Meanwhile, if you need assistance or have questions about ECI Bolt, you may get in touch with its support team by phone or through a web form. To help you better understand how to use the platform, ECI Bolt offers training courses (called ECI Bolt WebClasses), which you can take at your own pace. You can also check out some self-help resources, such as blogs and tutorial videos.
How We Evaluated ECI Bolt
We used an internal scoring rubric to evaluate ECI Bolt. Our evaluation is formed using the following criteria:
25% of Overall Score
A good QuickBooks construction integration should be able to sync various types of data, such as invoices, job items, service codes, vendors, and payment details.
20% of Overall Score
Most of the software on this list is available directly on the QuickBooks App Store and can be set up directly from within your QuickBooks Online account. However, other providers also have a built-in connector that makes the integration process easier.
10% of Overall Score
The best QuickBooks construction software should be reasonably priced and scalable. Some software charges a hefty one-time fee while some offer flexible monthly plans for companies that anticipate growth.
15% of Overall Score
15% of Overall Score
QuickBooks Online has no construction-specific reports, so we determined what reports can be integrated through the software and how customizable the reports and the dashboards are.
10% of Overall Score
The ability to manage projects, create estimates, and coordinate with field members is important for construction companies.
5% of Overall Score
We checked out online reviews from users on popular review websites, such as Software Advice and G2.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
ECI Bolt is a construction management software that helps subcontractors schedule and track jobs, create and send estimates, receive builder POs, and more.
Yes, it offers a one-way integration with QuickBooks Online—meaning data can be transferred to QuickBooks, but not the other way around.
No, but you can sign up for a free demo to see how it works before buying the software.
.
Bottom Line
If you work with multiple builders and general contractors and often need to schedule jobs and receive builder POs, ECI Bolt is an excellent choice. It offers many useful features, such as the ability to schedule jobs from your mobile devices, even when offline, and integrate with QuickBooks to enable invoicing and syncing of important data, like customers and estimates.
1Capterra