Track and manage retained money with precision.

Retention is a common mechanism in construction and service contracts. The customer withholds a percentage of the total project value to secure performance and compliance. Until now, tracking and reclaiming those funds has often been done manually or handled outside of Archdesk.

Now, with Retention Release linked to your Quote Valuations, you can record, adjust, release, and track retention amounts directly in Archdesk.

What problem does it solve?

Many Archdesk users work on contracts where 3%–5% of the project’s total value is kept back until the project is completed or a warranty period ends. This withheld amount can be hard to monitor, especially when dealing with multiple valuations or split releases.

This feature lets you:

• See clearly how much is still held by the customer
• Record retention releases at appropriate project stages
• Show retention values in your PDF reports and payment documents
• Ensure internal visibility over frozen vs. collectable cash

Example:

Imagine your project has a value of $1,000,000, and a 3% retention applies. That’s $30,000 held back.

You deliver the whole project, and the customer approves the final progress. Now:

• You can release 1.5% ($15,000) upon project completion
• Then release the remaining 1.5% ($15,000) after the warranty period ends

Both these actions can now be recorded in Archdesk, and the updated figures are reflected in reports and tracked for future audits.

How it works:

1. Go to Quote → Payments, click Options → Set Adjusted Retention
2. Enter the new retention % (it must be lower than or equal to the original) 
   
3. The adjusted retention value is automatically calculated and locked, and the change will be tracked in the Quote Notification Log.
4. This updated value will appear in:
   • Archdesk interface 
     
   • PDF reports 
     
5. For clarity, you can also display the Last Valuation Reference on the PDF report (Setting & Preferences → Projects → Quote Settings → Enable Show Last Valuation Reference in Valuations PDF Report).

Need help? You can now send a support request directly from inside Archdesk!

After selecting Support Query, an in-app widget will pop up - you can fill it out, collapse it, continue your work, and send it whenever you’re ready.

It’s a faster, easier way to get assistance without interrupting your workflow.

To view all your past requests, just navigate to All Support Queries.

Now, comparing offers in different currencies is easier!

Archdesk automatically converts tender participant offers to tender base currency from their original offer currency. This ensures consistent comparisons and accurate calculations.

When uploading the offer in Excel, change the Currency field using the appropriate currency code (e.g., GBP, USD, EUR, PLN, NGN, AED, SAR, CAD).

• You can view all converted values on the Tender Offer Analysis screen, allowing you to compare offers consistently and accurately regardless of currency.
• If needed, toggle to see values in the original offer currency to verify the initial amounts submitted.

ℹ️ By default, the system uses flexible exchange rates, which automatically sync daily based on market rates. If you want to set up fixed-exchange rates instead, please contact the Archdesk Support Team.

We’re excited to introduce Archdesk Lite, our brand-new mobile app designed to make submitting and managing Forms easier than ever! Now, on-site teams can:

• Quickly find the right project
• Open and submit Forms on the go
• Review past submissions

Where can you find it?

- App Store: ‎https://apps.apple.com/us/app/archdesk-lite/id6692620278

- Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.archdesk.mobile&pcampaignid=web_share&pli=1

- Web-version: https://mobile.archdesk.com/

It works exclusively with the New Forms Builder, so it’s a great time to switch! Learn more about the New Forms Builder - https://announcekit.app/archdesk/changelog/new-capabilities-for-forms-48R3LW 

No more adjusting date formats manually! Archdesk now automatically adapts dates and times based on your selected language, ensuring they match regional standards across the platform.

• Works seamlessly in the UI, exports (PDF, Excel), imports, and email templates
• Eliminates formatting issues and reduces errors
• Set your locale once, and Archdesk handles the rest!

Why it matters?

• The system applies the appropriate locale settings based on the company's country.
• Supported locales: English (Canada, UK, US), French, German, Polish, Slovak.
• For regions not yet supported, the UK date format will be used as the default to maintain consistency.

This improvement ensures that users see dates in their familiar format (e.g., MM/DD/YYYY for the US, DD/MM/YYYY for the UK) without manually adjusting settings.

We’re excited to introduce the new Forms Builder in Archdesk, designed to make forms more powerful, intuitive, and adaptable. This revamped tool unlocks new possibilities for creating, managing, and using forms across all your projects.

What’s New?

• Widget Types:

  • Checkbox inputs for quick true/false or yes/no responses.
  • Conditional Inputs: Dynamically display additional fields based on the values of other inputs. All widgets are initially visible, but you can customize their visibility logic for smarter, more tailored forms.
  • Rich content fields with labels to organize and present information clearly.
  • Customize text with font options, including styles, sizes, and alignment, for a polished look.

• Responsive Layouts:

  • Forms now automatically resize to fit desktop and mobile screens, eliminating the need for separate configurations.

• Forms Versioning:

  • Keep a complete history of form versions while introducing updates, ensuring all previous submissions remain intact.
  • Maintain consistent input IDs to simplify workflow and template configurations for admins.

ℹ️ Transition to the New Forms Builder

Forms created with the previous builder will not be updated automatically. To take advantage of these new capabilities, you’ll need to transition your existing forms to the new builder. While this requires some initial effort, the enhanced features and improved performance make it a worthwhile upgrade.

If you’re ready to upgrade your forms, please contact the Archdesk Support Team for assistance.

Incoming payment data from Xero can now sync to Archdesk, improving financial tracking and integration.

• Payments for Purchase and Sales Invoices are now synchronized.
• Project-related invoices can be project references to Xero for better allocation.

Note: We are also working on a similar integration for payments from QuickBooks and will keep you updated on our progress.

ℹ️ To enable Xero Payments integration, please get in touch with the Archdesk Support Team.

Managing stock just got simpler. Archdesk can now update Product Stock Details like Unit Costs and Supplier information directly from Purchase Orders. This eliminates manual updates, ensuring stock records stay accurate and aligned with real-world procurement.

What’s New?

1. Automatic Stock Updates:

   • Unit Costs and Supplier details for Stock Products are updated automatically based on the linked Purchase Order.

2. Location-Based Stock Adjustments:

   • Stock changes, such as checking, reserving, or deducting quantities, are now tied to the location listed in the Purchase Order.
   • This ensures adjustments are made from the correct location every time.

Why It Matters:

• Automation saves time and reduces manual errors.
• Location-specific adjustments give you precise control over inventory management.

ℹ️ These updates can be configured with the help of the Archdesk Support Team.

You can now create and manage Purchase Order Valuations directly in Archdesk without needing Excel files. This makes it faster and easier to track delivered quantities and manage valuations for your Purchase Orders.

How to Use It:

1. Go to the Purchase Order Valuations list.
2. Select File → Create New Valuation or Create Valuation → Create New Valuation.
3. Enter details like Start Date, End Date, and Purchaser Assessment or Purchaser Note.
4. Archdesk will calculate values like Delivered Value and Completion automatically.
5. To edit valuations, use inline editing or Excel import/export.

You can now define budget codes for stock products. When adding products from stock to a quote, Archdesk automatically matches the stock’s budget code with the closest available code in the project.

How to Use It:

1. Add a Project Budget Code to stock product details.
2. Add items to a quote using Add Item → Add Items from Catalogue.
3. The system will match and assign budget codes automatically, so you can track this item on Project Budget.