BQE CORE vs. PDS Vista

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
BQE CORE
Score 8.5 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
BQE CORE is a business management solution built specifically for professional service firms. BQE CORE is a combination of a billing assistant, project management, and accounting solution. CORE is designed to do the hard work of delivering actionable insights directly to the user's dashboards or inbox. BQE CORE replaces the products Engineeroffice, Archioffice, and BillQuick; the functionality of these applications is now found in BQE CORE.N/A
PDS Vista
Score 5.0 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Vista® is a human resource, benefits, payroll, recruiting, and self-service software. Functional elements include recruitment, staffing, position and training management, compliance, and performance and compensation.N/A
Pricing
BQE COREPDS Vista
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BQE COREPDS Vista
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsLicense pricing is based on the number of full and part-time active employees within bands (e.g. 751-1,000). SaaS pricing is based on PEPM.
More Pricing Information
Features
BQE COREPDS Vista
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
BQE CORE
8.1
49 Ratings
7% above category average
PDS Vista
-
Ratings
Task Management8.831 Ratings00 Ratings
Resource Management9.232 Ratings00 Ratings
Gantt Charts6.613 Ratings00 Ratings
Scheduling8.321 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow Automation7.722 Ratings00 Ratings
Team Collaboration8.026 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for Agile Methodology9.310 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for Waterfall Methodology6.610 Ratings00 Ratings
Document Management6.824 Ratings00 Ratings
Email integration7.021 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Access9.027 Ratings00 Ratings
Timesheet Tracking9.449 Ratings00 Ratings
Change request and Case Management8.717 Ratings00 Ratings
Budget and Expense Management7.537 Ratings00 Ratings
Professional Services Automation
Comparison of Professional Services Automation features of Product A and Product B
BQE CORE
8.4
34 Ratings
12% above category average
PDS Vista
-
Ratings
Quotes/estimates7.817 Ratings00 Ratings
Invoicing8.829 Ratings00 Ratings
Project & financial reporting8.733 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with accounting software8.420 Ratings00 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
BQE CORE
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
7.7
18 Ratings
2% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings9.017 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings9.018 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings9.014 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.012 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings7.013 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings7.016 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings6.011 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
BQE CORE
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
8.0
18 Ratings
0% below category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings8.216 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings7.39 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings8.216 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings8.217 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings8.213 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings8.25 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
BQE CORE
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
8.2
13 Ratings
2% above category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings8.27 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings8.213 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings8.212 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
BQE CORE
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
7.1
17 Ratings
13% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings8.216 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings7.314 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings7.38 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings7.25 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings5.84 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
BQE CORE
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
7.3
7 Ratings
6% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings7.37 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
BQE CORE
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
8.0
16 Ratings
5% above category average
Report builder00 Ratings8.014 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings8.016 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings8.013 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
BQE CORE
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
7.3
1 Ratings
9% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
BQE CORE
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
5.8
2 Ratings
34% below category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings5.52 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings5.52 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings6.42 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
BQE CORE
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
7.3
4 Ratings
8% below category average
Performance plans00 Ratings7.32 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings7.32 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings7.23 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings7.32 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
BQE CORE
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
3.6
1 Ratings
75% below category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings3.61 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings3.61 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings3.61 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings3.61 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
BQE CORE
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
2.5
3 Ratings
102% below category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings3.13 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings3.13 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings1.92 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings2.33 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings2.02 Ratings
Best Alternatives
BQE COREPDS Vista
Small Businesses
FunctionFox
FunctionFox
Score 8.3 out of 10
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
SAP Ruum
SAP Ruum
Score 9.0 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Quickbase
Quickbase
Score 9.2 out of 10
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
BQE COREPDS Vista
Likelihood to Recommend
8.7
(142 ratings)
8.0
(23 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.2
(8 ratings)
9.1
(7 ratings)
Usability
8.2
(100 ratings)
8.2
(2 ratings)
Availability
8.2
(1 ratings)
9.5
(2 ratings)
Performance
7.3
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(89 ratings)
8.2
(3 ratings)
Online Training
6.4
(1 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
Implementation Rating
3.0
(6 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
4.5
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
BQE COREPDS Vista
Likelihood to Recommend
BQE Software Inc.
BQE CORE is well suited for a firm trying to get a better understanding of their project performance as a whole as well as better manage time and project resources. It is not the greatest for client management through a project or through invoicing, but it is do-able within the system.
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Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
As Vista HRMS is fully customizable to suit your needs, a company should determine if they have a current employee who can do the work themselves otherwise they will need to consider the additional cost of asking PDS to do the customizations for them. There are additional modules that we aren't currently making use of, but each company should learn about the functionality of each of them as some may be more beneficial than others. When gathering your questions, ask all potential users of the system what they would want to see in an HRMS. We did so before selecting Vista HRMS and we got pages and pages of questions and comments and made sure that each item was addressed beforehand and was something that we would be able to incorporate into the system. You have the option of taking the system in house or being a hosted client. Make sure you figure out what resources your IT department has available. If you have a dedicated administrator who will do all the upgrades and enhancements great, otherwise you may need PDS to help out and having PDS host may be a better option
Read full review
Pros
BQE Software Inc.
  • Invoice Collections within Billing is a great tool because of the ability to take notes and track contact.
  • Invoices are professional looking and easy for our clients to understand the overall progress within each phase of their project.
  • Dashboards are the best tool EVER!
  • The Contact List feature within Clients setup is the perfect way to track multiple project managers within a large company that also has multiple contracts with us.
Read full review
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
  • Vista HRMS is very flexible, it does everything we need for HR, benefits and payroll. It’s user-friendly and intuitive to use, when we roll out new self-service items our employees have no problems and require minimal training or documentation.
  • PDS has excellent customer service and support. We get answers to the majority of our questions and problems quickly, within the day that we call. More complex issues that may require PDS’ technical support are usually addressed within a few days. We were upgrading our production servers to Windows 2012 over a weekend and a key person in our organization was on leave. When we checked with PDS to see what cost would be involved if we needed their help, they said it was included in our regular maintenance, no extra cost.
  • The PDS User’s Conference is an excellent learning opportunity for training on everything Vista does, including using Crystal Reports for custom reporting. You also get to meet and talk to the executive and development staff and have direct input into the future product development.
Read full review
Cons
BQE Software Inc.
  • Customizable Reporting
  • Linking Project to Payment all together
  • Assigning contacts to particular roles - such as Invoicing, Contracts, etc.
  • Accounting Functionality - they are basically a project management accounting software, so in my opinion, they could learn some things from other accounting software such as QuickBooks etc.
Read full review
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
  • Typical of any system built for the unknown requirements of hundreds or thousands of customers with varying needs, PDS sometimes doesn't fit our processes precisely out of the box. However, this con is far outweighed by the ability to configure and customize the system.
  • The most significant pet peeve of our users is the necessity for so many clicks to navigate between different areas or the system or to review applicants. These items are being addressed based on feedback from the user community in an upcoming release.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
BQE Software Inc.
We have been using Core for a few years now, and honestly started to look at other software systems to see what was out there. What we chose was a nightmare for migration so we never left Core. Now we have added invoicing and payments from Core instead of double entry with QBO. Still only a few cycles in but looks like it will be up to speed soon and working smoothly.
Read full review
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
I feel so invested in Vista HRMS that I don't really want to try other options. I know we as an organization are not using this product to it's full potential and that is just due to us lacking the resources to be able to invest the time into breaking it apart and making it work to the best ability for us. The system works great as is, but there are a lot of implementations we can put into place to help us out even more. For example, we would love to start using Workflow to create more efficiencies. I personally have a very good relationship with our hosted vendor who supports Vista HRMS and can help me with any issues and concerns, this is a big part of the reason that I would renew with this product and continue to be an advocate for Vista HRMS.
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Usability
BQE Software Inc.
The foundation is awesome, like I have said before, however the house being built on it, the educational resources being provided to us (more of sales pitches that don't work), and flexible workflow opportunities, is making us look elsewhere for how much we will be spending on per user. It's crazy to think how flexible they are not when it comes to user settings. Lack of integration with other sources is awful.
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Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
The interface is intuitive, even if it does require some extra clicks to get to where you are going. The screens are consistently designed and formatted. There is a logical flow and organization to the application layout and menuing systems.
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Reliability and Availability
BQE Software Inc.
I can only remember a couple of times in 4 years that Core has been unavailable.
Read full review
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
No answers on this topic
Performance
BQE Software Inc.
This is one area that does need some improvement. It can be slow at time, so we had our IT look at it from our side and we had no issues, so it has to be some slowness on their side.
Read full review
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
BQE Software Inc.
As a new employee and CORE user, I talk to support on a weekly basis. I have never had to wait for more than 3 min to get connect with a support rep, and all my questions have been answered. The support representatives are polite and eager to help no matter how simple your question is.
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Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
PDS has excellent customer service and support. We get answers to the
majority of our questions and problems quickly, within the day that we
call. More complex issues that may require PDS’ technical support are
usually addressed within a few days
Read full review
Online Training
BQE Software Inc.
Make sure you have someone training you that fits your style of learning.
Read full review
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
The resources and online tools that PDS provide are extremely thorough and helpful in our training and learning.
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Implementation Rating
BQE Software Inc.
It does take some time to understand the options and to find the best invoice template.
Read full review
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
Ask lots of questions, ensure you fully understand the functionality (particularly history records) and train, train, train the users for correct and complete utilization of the system.
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Alternatives Considered
BQE Software Inc.
Deltek Vision is far more advanced, more encompassing and offers more flexibility with what you want to do. However, it's also quite difficult to use, whereas BQE CORE is intuitive and user friendly. The trade off is worth it in some arenas but overall it's not suited for a larger fast paced company. Great for smaller companies.
Read full review
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
I've used Peoplesoft HCM in the past. The products have some similarities, but they are marketed to different sized companies, so it's a bit of apples to oranges. Peoplesoft was very complex and challenging to manage and support. Vista HRMS should require fewer technical resources and still provide robust features for HR and Payroll. We selected Vista HRMS because it met the majority of our requirements and was priced to enable us to purchase and implement it within our budget. Also, it's an integrated system (although not truly one system when you count Vista Time) which is an improvement over our current state.
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Scalability
BQE Software Inc.
This software works on a small and large scale.
Read full review
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
BQE Software Inc.
  • Quick setup of new tasks under a parent project, with immediate hourly billing to it.
  • Monitoring of details of non-chargeable efforts in appropriate detail
  • Validation of hourly cost, billing cost, benefit cost, profitability by person and role
  • Company tracking of write-off's included in corporate and project reporting, no data is "lost"
  • Can track excessive work time as +PTO in lieu of pay for use as future vacation
Read full review
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
  • Positive impact would definitely be self-service for both employees and managers to view and update selected data.
  • Through some analytics our managers are able to track turnover for their site/department by many criteria (length of service, reason, etc) and can view a number of other analytical reports such as headcount and demographics which help them to make informed decisions about their department.
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ScreenShots

BQE CORE Screenshots

Screenshot of Core powered by BQE SoftwareScreenshot of BQE CORE Project Dashboard ViewScreenshot of BQE CORE 360* Firm Performance ViewScreenshot of BQE CORE Reporting & AnalyticsScreenshot of BQE CORE Project Time EntryScreenshot of BQE CORE Project Expense Tracking