Architecture firm software, built around E&O and AIA phase billing schedule

Arkathos gives a architecture firm a workspace tailored to how the work actually runs — This workspace is built around billing licensed architectural work by AIA project phase, from signed proposal through construction administration. Arkathos tailors a architecture firm workspace around 5 agents: Treasury, Sentinel, Scribe, Watchtower, Herald.

Compliance a architecture firm can't afford to miss

Watchtower tracks every license, bond, insurance policy, and continuing-education requirement for a architecture firm, with renewal cadences and staged reminders so nothing lapses.

• A architecture firm must maintain a Architect license (individual, state), through the State Board of Architecture / Architectural Examiners, which renews every two years.
• A architecture firm must maintain a Architect License (individual state registration), through the State Board of Architecture / Architectural Examiners, which renews every two years.
• The Architect license (individual, state) carries a continuing-education requirement of 24 hours every two years (24h Health, Safety & Welfare (HSW)).
• The Architect License (individual state registration) carries a continuing-education requirement of 24 hours every two years (24h Health, Safety & Welfare (HSW)).
• A architecture firm must maintain a NCARB Certificate, through the NCARB (National Council of Architectural Registration Boards), which renews every year.
• A architecture firm must maintain a NCARB Certificate (reciprocity / comity record), through the NCARB, which renews every year.
• A architecture firm must maintain a Firm Certificate of Authorization (COA) / firm registration, through the State Board of Architecture / Architectural Examiners, which renews every two years.
• A architecture firm must maintain a Firm Registration / Certificate of Authorization to practice architecture, through the State Board of Architecture, which renews every two years.
• A architecture firm must maintain a LEED AP with specialty (e.g., BD+C), through the GBCI (Green Business Certification Inc.) / USGBC, which renews every two years.
• A architecture firm must maintain a Local Business License, which renews every year.
• The LEED AP with specialty (e.g., BD+C) carries a continuing-education requirement of 30 hours every two years (6h LEED-specific (rating system of specialty), 24h General green building education).
• A architecture firm must maintain a DBA / Fictitious Business Name Registration, through the County Clerk, which renews every 5 years.
• A architecture firm must maintain a Professional Liability (Errors & Omissions) Insurance, which renews every year.
• A architecture firm must maintain a Professional liability insurance (Errors & Omissions / E&O), through the Commercial insurance carrier, which renews every year.
• A architecture firm must maintain a General liability insurance, through the Commercial insurance carrier, which renews every year.
• A architecture firm must maintain a Cyber liability insurance, through the Commercial insurance carrier, which renews every year.
• A architecture firm must maintain a Certificate of Occupancy (firm office), through the Local Building Dept, which has no fixed renewal cycle.
• A architecture firm must maintain a Workers' compensation insurance, through the State-regulated workers' compensation carrier / state fund, which renews every year.
• A architecture firm must maintain a Commercial property insurance / Business Owner's Policy (BOP), through the Commercial insurance carrier, which renews every year.

Everything Arkathos runs for a architecture firm

These are the agents set up first for a architecture firm — and because it's one platform, every plan includes all 16 Arkathos agents. Also included whenever you need them: Guardhouse, Quartermaster, Courier, War Room, Armory, Marshall, Mint Warden, Vault Keeper, Bulletin Board, Client Portal.

• Treasury — Invoicing & payment collection, Expense tracking, Accounting & bookkeeping, Business tax prep & filing, Recurring billing & subscriptions, Financial dashboards & reports.
• Sentinel — Contact & lead management, Deal / estimate pipeline, Task & follow-up tracking, SMS & email outreach, Pipeline reporting.
• Scribe — Document & contract templates, E-signature, Proposal & form builder, PDF / Word export.
• Watchtower — License & permit tracking, Certification & continuing-education (CE) tracking, Renewal reminders & alerts, Compliance document vault.
• Herald — SEO & get-found content, Social media scheduling, Email & newsletter campaigns, Brand voice & content studio, Review & reputation growth, AI-overview & directory visibility.

Your tailored architecture firm workspace

These are net-new, architecture firm-specific capabilities — not a generic CRM bolted onto your industry.

• AIA phase billing schedule (Treasury): A project-fee object that allocates the total contract fee across the five AIA phases (Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Bidding/Negotiation, Construction Administration) by percentage, tracks % complete per phase, draws down the retainer, and auto-drafts the phase invoice (earned-to-date minus prior billings) when a phase is marked complete.
• Reimbursable pass-through tracker with contractual markup (Treasury): Tag project expenses (reprographics, renderings, models, travel, permit/agency fees) to a project, apply the contract's reimbursable multiplier (e.g. 1.10x), and roll them as separate billable lines onto the next phase invoice — kept out of the fee-percentage math so the basic-services fee and reimbursables stay distinct.
• Architect license + HSW continuing-ed ledger (Watchtower): Per-architect records holding the NCARB record number and each state registration, with an HSW/continuing-education hour ledger accumulating toward each state's renewal, reciprocity/comity status, and linked E&O + firm-registration renewals surfaced as dated compliance items with lead-time alerts.
• Design-professional lien deadline tracker (Watchtower): For unpaid project fees, compute and alert on each state's design-professional / mechanic's lien window (notice-of-intent and filing deadlines keyed to the last date of service) so the firm preserves lien rights on aging receivables instead of writing them off.
• Sub-consultant coordination & pay-when-paid ledger (Treasury): Track structural/MEP/civil sub-consultant agreements and fees against the prime contract, hold their invoices in a pay-when-paid state tied to the owner's payment of the matching phase, and net them onto the project P&L so prime-vs-sub margin is always visible.

The agents and tabs you get

Treasury for a architecture firm surfaces Financial sheet, Invoices, Draft estimate, Transactions, Chat. Sentinel for a architecture firm surfaces Overview, Contacts, Tasks, Chat. Scribe for a architecture firm surfaces Documents, Templates, Chat. Watchtower for a architecture firm surfaces Compliance items, Calendar, Chat. Herald for a architecture firm surfaces ✦Studio, Compose, Get found, Directories, Schedule, Chat, Brand voice.

Frequently asked questions

best project management software for architecture firms

Architecture-specific platforms like Monograph, BQE CORE, Factor, and Deltek Ajera lead, offering phase-based projects, resource planning, and AIA billing. Arkathos bundles projects, CRM, invoicing, and scheduling into one flat-priced platform.

how much does architecture firm software cost per user per month

Most tools run $10-$60 per user/month: Monograph starts around $25, Factor around $30, ArchiCAD $200+. Per-seat fees add up fast. Arkathos charges one flat rate with no per-seat pricing.

how do architects track time by project and phase

Firms track time by project first, then by phase (schematic design, design development, construction documents, construction admin) with role-based rates, so they can spot overruns and protect fixed-fee margins.

what is aia billing and how do i invoice percent complete

AIA billing uses G702/G703 forms to bill each project phase by percentage of completion, auto-calculating retainage and balance-to-finish. Purpose-built tools generate these; Arkathos handles phased invoicing and progress billing.

do i need a crm for my architecture firm

Yes if you're losing leads, proposals, or follow-ups across scattered emails. A CRM tracks inquiries, proposals, and client history in one place. Arkathos includes CRM plus proposals and scheduling.

best accounting software for architects

Architects often pair QuickBooks or Xero with a practice tool like BQE CORE or Monograph for time, billing, and job costing. Arkathos combines bookkeeping, invoicing, and payroll natively.

how to improve billable utilization at an architecture firm

Track time by phase, target 75-85% billable utilization, and monitor fees versus hours per project to catch scope creep early. Systematic time tracking measurably lifts revenue.

all in one software to run a small architecture firm

Small firms usually juggle separate design, PM, accounting, and CRM tools. All-in-one A&E platforms consolidate projects, time, and billing. Arkathos adds payroll, marketing, and compliance under one flat price.

What licenses and insurance does a architecture firm need?

Arkathos tracks 16 items for a architecture firm, including Architect license (individual, state), Architect License (individual state registration), NCARB Certificate, NCARB Certificate (reciprocity / comity record). Each renewal and expiration is monitored in Watchtower with staged reminders.

What continuing education is required for a architecture firm?

The Architect license (individual, state) carries a continuing-education requirement of 24 hours every two years (24h Health, Safety & Welfare (HSW)). The Architect License (individual state registration) carries a continuing-education requirement of 24 hours every two years (24h Health, Safety & Welfare (HSW)). The LEED AP with specialty (e.g., BD+C) carries a continuing-education requirement of 30 hours every two years (6h LEED-specific (rating system of specialty), 24h General green building education). Watchtower logs hours by category and flags shortfalls before the deadline.

Which Arkathos agents does a architecture firm get?

Arkathos tailors a architecture firm workspace around 5 agents: Treasury, Sentinel, Scribe, Watchtower, Herald.

How is the Arkathos workspace tailored for a architecture firm?

Beyond the standard tools, Arkathos builds architecture firm-specific features: AIA phase billing schedule; Reimbursable pass-through tracker with contractual markup; Architect license + HSW continuing-ed ledger.

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