AP automation tools for Unanet should sync invoices bidirectionally and map costs to project phases without manual entry. Vergo's native Unanet integration handles subcontractor invoice approvals and phase-level cost coding built around AEC project accounting structures.
Unanet is widely used by architecture and engineering firms because it ties project management, time tracking, and financials together in one system. But AP — particularly invoice intake, coding, and approval — often still runs through email chains, shared drives, and manual data entry into Unanet. That gap creates real problems for controllers and AP clerks.
Architecture firms deal with a high volume of consultant and subconsultant invoices, each of which must be coded to specific projects, phases, and tasks within Unanet's project accounting structure. When AP is handled outside the system, that coding gets done manually — and it gets done wrong often enough to cause downstream budget variance and billing errors.
Common pain points for architecture firm controllers using Unanet without AP automation:
Not every AP automation platform understands how architecture firms structure projects in Unanet. Before evaluating vendors, define your requirements against these criteria:
Vergo is a card-agnostic expense management platform built for construction. Connect any corporate or project credit card and get full visibility and control over field spending.
Unanet includes project accounting and accounts payable modules, but its native AP functionality is limited to recording and paying invoices rather than automating intake, OCR capture, and multi-step approval routing. Most architecture firms supplement Unanet with a dedicated AP automation tool to handle invoice processing before posting to Unanet's ledger.
Consultant invoices in Unanet should be coded to the specific project, phase, and task that reflects the scope of work delivered. Architecture firms typically structure Unanet projects by phase — Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, and Construction Administration — and invoice coding must match that structure for accurate budget tracking and client billing.
The most effective workflow routes subconsultant invoices to the project manager who manages that consultant relationship, followed by a controller or accounting review before payment. This two-step model ensures project-level budget awareness and financial control. The AP tool should enforce this routing automatically based on vendor or project assignment, not rely on manual email forwarding.
Yes. Vergo has a native Unanet integration that syncs invoice data, vendor records, and project-phase coding bidirectionally. Architecture firm controllers can configure approval workflows in Vergo and have approved invoices post directly to Unanet without manual re-entry. Vergo also integrates with Sage, Viewpoint, Procore, Deltek, and other major AEC ERPs.
The primary risks are duplicate payments, miscoded project phases that distort profitability reports, and late payments to consultants due to approval bottlenecks. Without an automated audit trail, firms also face difficulty during financial audits or client billing disputes, since approval history exists only in scattered email threads rather than attached to the invoice record.
Yes. Vergo manages a concurrent queue of invoices across multiple projects and routes each to the correct project manager based on project and vendor assignment. Controllers see a unified dashboard showing invoice status across all active projects, with aging alerts for invoices approaching due dates — without needing to manually track individual emails or spreadsheets.