Beaverton, Ore. - October 8, 2008 - 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.

* "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."

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