Foundation Software Users: How Do You Add Field Software That Isn't on Foundation's Integration List?#

You have three paths. Foundation's own add-ons (Mobile Time Tracking and WorkMax) sync time straight into FOUNDATION. Thirty-five other products are on Foundation's third-party integration list, including field apps like Raken, Rhumbix, Workyard and exakTime. For any other app, approved hours go in as an import file (Foundation's payroll page says it imports from timekeeping apps) or through Foundation's published API. Appello takes the third and fourth paths: it exports approved hours in the Payroll4Construction format or as a CSV, and it has an API of its own, so the two can be connected.

Does Foundation Software have an API?#

Yes. Foundation's integration pages say it connects FOUNDATION to its other products "using a secure API", and it hosts a public API reference called FSI Foundation Access. That reference lists endpoints for jobs, cost codes, employees, percent complete and a pending-timecards import.

What Foundation doesn't publish is who can use that API or how to get access. If a field vendor tells you it "can't connect to Foundation", ask whether it has asked Foundation. And ask Foundation directly what it takes for your field app to use the API.

What are your options?#

Every Foundation fact comes from Foundation's own website, checked October 14, 2026. Links are in the sources at the end.

Path	Examples	How hours reach FOUNDATION	What else it covers in the field	Who keeps the link working
Foundation's own add-ons	Mobile Time Tracking, WorkMax	Synced; built to pair with FOUNDATION and Payroll4Construction	Time: face-match and GPS clock-in, crew clock-in, offline clock-in, timecard approvals	Foundation
A listed integration partner	35 listed on October 14, 2026, including Procore, Raken, Rhumbix, Workyard, exakTime and eSub	Depends on the partner; ask what syncs and which way	Depends on the product	The partner and Foundation
Any other field app, by file	Appello; any app with a timesheet export	Approved hours exported, then imported into FOUNDATION or Payroll4Construction	Depends on the product	Your office, once per pay period
Any other field app, by API	Appello; any app with an API	Hours and job data moved between the two APIs	Depends on the product	The vendors, set up with you
Paper or spreadsheets	Foreman's timesheet in the truck	Re-typed by the office	Nothing	The office, every week

Who should calculate union pay: Foundation or the field app?#

Decide this first, because it decides what the file has to carry.

Foundation's payroll handles "multi-state, multi-union and multi-trade timecards", prevailing wage, Davis-Bacon and certified payroll. If FOUNDATION runs payroll, it applies the rates. The field app's job is to deliver clean hours: who, which day, which job, which cost code, which class or trade, and which pay code (straight, time-and-a-half, double).

That doesn't make rates in the field app pointless. A foreman approving a timesheet should see that an apprentice worked at two levels on Wednesday, or that a travel zone applies, before the hours go anywhere. Just make sure both systems use the same agreement, and check one pay period line by line before you trust it.

How does a file import actually work, week to week?#

1. Match the lists once. Employee numbers, job numbers, cost codes and pay codes must match between the field app and FOUNDATION. A worker with no employee number on one side is a row that can't be matched.
2. Approve in the field app. The foreman submits, the supervisor approves, and only approved hours leave.
3. Lock the week. Once it's exported, nobody should change it in the field app without the office knowing.
4. Export and import. The office downloads the pay period and imports it on the payroll side. Ask Foundation support for the import layout, and run one parallel pay period before you stop entering time by hand.
5. Fix it at the source. If a row is wrong, fix it in the field app and re-export, so both systems agree.

That's one export and one import a week, instead of re-typing every hour.

When is an API worth it over a file?#

When the weekly file becomes the bottleneck, or when you want more than hours moving. With an API, jobs and cost codes set up in FOUNDATION can appear in the field app without anyone re-entering them, and hours can flow on a schedule. It takes more setup, so most contractors start with the file and move to the API once the process is proven.

What should you ask in a demo?#

• "Show me approved hours for one week leaving your system as a file, and the columns in it. What happens to a worker with no employee number?"
• "Show me an apprentice at two trade levels in one day, and the pay codes that come out."
• "Show me how a new job and its cost codes get from FOUNDATION into your app."
• "What else does the foreman do in your app besides time: schedule, safety forms, tickets, T&M?"

Where is Appello not the right fit?#

Appello is built for ICI trade contractors, often union, with about 20 to 400 field staff. It isn't built for:

• General contractors who need document control and submittals for the whole building.
• Residential builders and renovators.
• A one-person shop with no field crew.

Where does Appello fit?#

Appello runs the field for ICI trade contractors who keep their accounting and payroll where they are. With Foundation, that looks like this.

• Hours. Workers clock in on the phone inside a geofence, or the foreman enters the whole crew. Each row carries the job, cost code and trade level, and the rate comes from the agreement, including prevailing wage by region, overtime, travel, board and parking. Approval runs supervisor, then admin, and the payroll week locks. Hours and safety forms entered with no signal are saved on the phone and sync when it's back.
• Getting hours to Foundation. Approved hours export in the Payroll4Construction format (Foundation's own payroll service) or as a CSV with employee, job, cost code and hours by pay code. Before you download, the export shows how many rows are ready and flags any that aren't, such as a worker with no employee number.
• Connecting to Foundation. No direct connector. Appello has an API, and so does Foundation, so the two can be connected. Ask us about it.
• The rest of the field week. A crew schedule that flags missing or expired tickets, safety forms required on the job, work orders with T&M lines on a dispatch board, and job notes with photos.
• Job cost while the job runs. Labor lands on the cost code as timesheets are approved, so budget vs actual is current on Friday, before the hours have even been imported into FOUNDATION.

Bring one pay period to a demo, and we'll show you the export your payroll team would import.

FAQ#

Can I keep Foundation and use different software in the field?
Yes. That's common. Keep FOUNDATION as the books and payroll, and decide whether hours move by file or API.

Does Foundation have its own time tracking app?
Yes. Foundation sells Mobile Time Tracking as an add-on module, and WorkMax, with face-match clock-in, GPS and offline clock-in.

Why isn't my field app on Foundation's integration list?
Foundation's partners page lists the integrations it has built with other vendors. An app not on the list can still get hours in by import file, or through both companies' APIs.

What's Payroll4Construction?
Foundation's construction payroll service. Foundation says it's built directly into FOUNDATION and that labor hours can be entered, imported or synced.

Does Appello replace Foundation?
No. Appello calculates and approves hours and runs the field and the job. FOUNDATION stays your general ledger and payroll.

Sources#

All accessed October 14, 2026.

• Foundation Software, integrations, Payroll4Construction integrations, third-party partners, payroll, WorkMax, mobile and pricing
• Foundation Software, FSI Foundation Access API reference
• Appello documentation, Timesheet Export & Payroll

Related reading#

• What Are the Best Jonas Alternatives for Mechanical and Insulation Contractors?
• How Do You Stop Re-Typing Timesheets into QuickBooks?
• Integrating Field Operations with Back-Office Systems
• Understanding Union Payroll Complexity: A Primer for ICI Contractors
• Appello Timesheets