Intended audience: accountant or project manager. This page walks through the recurring monthly workflow between Foundation and Siteline.
If you have not yet set up a Foundation API integration and the sync option is not available on your pay apps, see the file-based export instructions below for how to export your invoice data and import it into Foundation. Please reach out to [email protected] if you'd like to set up the API integration.
Importing projects from Foundation
Linking a project
When creating a new project in Siteline:
Select + New Project, choose Project Type, and select Foundation as the ERP.
Search for an existing Foundation job.
Click Import project(s). Siteline pulls in available project data automatically.
Imported project data includes
Job number → Internal Project #
Job description → Project name
Customer → General contractor
Job address → Project address
Payment terms → Net terms
Contract retention %
Bulk import
You can also import projects in bulk by choosing the Bulk import option while importing a project.
To use the bulk import option, the project must have an address associated with it in Foundation. The address must appear in the A/R tab on the Job record:
SOVs & change orders: how they're handled
SOV import (supported, with caveats)
If a Foundation job is set up for AIA billing, Siteline can import the SOV during project onboarding.
Important caveats to understand:
SOV import is supported
API invoice sync does not write back to Foundation's AIA billing module
Because of this, many customers prefer to:
Build or refine their SOV directly in Siteline
Use Siteline as the source of truth for ongoing billing
Bottom line: SOV import works and can be useful for onboarding, but Siteline is designed to own the billing structure going forward.
Change orders
Change orders can be imported from Foundation
Imported change orders appear as SOV line items in Siteline
Ongoing billing and changes should be managed in Siteline after import
Syncing invoices from Siteline to Foundation (API)
Once billing is complete in Siteline, invoices can be synced directly to Foundation using the API-based integration.
How invoice sync works
Open the project in Siteline.
Open the pay app you want to sync and head to the Invoice tab.
Click Sync invoice to Foundation (or the Sync button if there are multiple integrations on this project).
A window will open confirming the amount to be sent to Foundation, the dates you want to post the invoice for, and the GL account and Income type you want to use for this invoice. The options you choose will automatically be available the next time you sync.
By default, Siteline will generate an invoice number based on the project number and the number of the pay app. If you'd like to use the latest invoice number from Foundation, click the Generate from Foundation button.
Click Sync to send this to Foundation. The invoice will be associated with the job in Foundation.
Invoice details you'll confirm during sync
During the sync dialog, Siteline prompts you to confirm or select:
Invoice date
Due date
Defaults based on the payment terms imported from Foundation
Can be adjusted before syncing
Invoice number
Default: generated by Siteline using project number + pay app number
Optional: click Generate from Foundation to use the next available Foundation invoice number
GL account
Income type (e.g., Commercial, T&M)
Once selected, the GL account and income type are remembered for future pay apps on the same project, reducing repeat setup.
Summary-level sync (by design)
Invoice syncing via API is summary-first by design:
SOV line items are collapsed
Foundation receives invoice totals grouped by ledger and cost type
This ensures reliable posting while keeping Siteline as the billing system of record
Customers who require full AIA-style line detail in Foundation should use the file-based export options described later in this guide.
Retention handling
Retention behavior is important to understand:
Siteline calculates and displays retention accurately
Retention-held amounts are included directly on invoices synced to Foundation
Retention percent and amount are written to the Foundation invoice during sync
What to know about limitations:
Retention values cannot be adjusted programmatically after syncing
Retention-only invoices cannot be synced via API due to Foundation limitations
All retention must be billed as part of a standard invoice, not separately
Editing or re-syncing an invoice
If an invoice needs to be changed after syncing:
Void the invoice in Foundation.
Revert the pay app to Draft in Siteline.
Make updates.
Sync again.
If you want to reuse the same invoice number, the original invoice must be voided first in Foundation before re-syncing.
File-based invoice exports (optional)
Some customers require more granular invoice detail in Foundation, especially when continuing to rely on Foundation's AIA Billing module. For these cases — and for customers who do not have the API integration set up — Siteline supports file-based exports.
You can export your billing data from Siteline and import it into Foundation in two ways:
Importing just the invoice total amounts via the FSI Importer tool
Importing a single detailed invoice via Import Genies (also known as AIA billings)
If you simply create A/R invoices off of the total amount of the pay app, use the FSI Importer tool. If you enter the value for each and every line item that is billed on the pay app, use Import Genies.
When to use file-based exports
Use file-based exports if you:
Need AIA-style line-item detail in Foundation
Rely on Foundation's A/R AIA Billing module
Want a fallback or transitional workflow
Option 1: FSI Importer (total-only invoices)
Best for customers who post invoices in Foundation using totals only and do not maintain detailed SOVs in Foundation.
Installing the FSI Importer tool
Foundation has provided the following two downloads, which we have hosted on Google Drive for you to download:
💾 FSI Import Setup.exe: This is the import program itself and can be installed on any Windows-based computer.
📄 Hosted Queries.pdf: These are instructions for setting up the ODBC Driver.
If you have any other questions for how this works, please reach out to your contact at Foundation and ask them for instructions/support on setting up the FSI Importer tool.
Importing an A/R entry — step-by-step
Go to the Siteline pay app that you wish to export.
Click Invoice ⇒ Export ↗️ ⇒ Export to Foundation Software.
Select FSI Importer, then click Download.
Open the FSI Importer tool, choose AR Invoice, and connect to your database. It should look like the following screen:
Click Select next to Invoice Source File and choose the file downloaded from Siteline. Click Preview and Validate Source > at the bottom when you are ready to import. Note: if you receive error messages about defaults being set, please go ahead and set those.
Choose Invoice as the Record Type and you should see the invoice populate. You will be able to click on any individual cell and type in additional information, should it be required. At minimum, you will need to also include an
Invoice NoandCustomer Nofor each invoice that you are importing.When finished, click Validate, correct any errors, and then finally Import.
If all looks good, you will get a success message that says AR invoice record(s) imported:
You will see the invoice now show up in Foundation:
Option 2: Import Genies (A/R AIA billings)
Best for customers who use Foundation's Add/Edit AIA Billings and need line-item detail per SOV line.
If this is your first time going through this process, please start with the Setting up our Import Genie instructions below. If you have already imported the Siteline Genie into Foundation, skip to the Importing an AIA entry instructions further down the page.
Setting up our Import Genie (AIA billings)
To import billing values into Foundation, you must first import our Genie to specify what information Foundation should expect from Siteline. You only need to import the Genie once and it will be applicable to all your jobs.
🪄 Siteline magic: You only need to do this once. This will be valid for all Foundation jobs going forward.
Download the 💾 Import Genie template (FGF file).
From the Foundation main menu, in the Tools / Genies section, click Import.
In the New tab, double-click A/R AIA Item ImportGenie.
Click Import at the bottom of the Columns dialog, then select
siteline-foundation-genie.FGFfrom your computer.
Click Import, then Next.
Rename the design to
Siteline AIA Import Genie, then click Finish to save the Genie to Foundation.
Importing an AIA entry (pay app)
Go to the Siteline pay app that you wish to export.
Click Invoice ⇒ Export ↗️ ⇒ Export to Foundation Software.
Select Genie import, then click Download.
From the Foundation main menu, in the Base Modules section, click Accounts Receivable.
Go to Add/Edit AIA Billings.
Select the job that you'd like to bill for, then click on the Billing tab.
Fill out the following fields:
Application Number
Application Date
Due Date
Billing date range (start and end)
Click Import, then select the following in the relevant fields:
Import Name: "Siteline AIA Import Genie"
Import Path and Filename: Click the ... button to the right and select the CSV file that was just downloaded from Siteline
Import File Type: Double Quotes - Comma Delimited (this is the default option)
Click Import, then Close.
Make sure the billing values are correct, then click OK at the top of the page. That's it! You've now imported your Siteline pay app into Foundation 🎉
Appendix: screenshot field mapping
This section walks through how project and billing data flows between Foundation and Siteline in practice.
This is what a job looks like in Foundation before importing into Siteline:
These screenshots show what the above project looks like when imported from Foundation into Siteline:
This is where the SOV is imported from in Foundation (if applicable — some customers do not track their SOVs in Foundation at all):
This is what the imported SOV looks like in Siteline:
This screenshot shows what an invoice looks like after updating billing in Siteline and before syncing over to Foundation:
These screenshots show what newly generated invoices look like in Foundation after syncing from Siteline:
This screenshot shows what a Vendor would look like after importing from Foundation to Siteline:
The following screenshots show how Siteline can import posted AP invoices from Foundation for your associated vendors. The screenshots show what a posted invoice looks like in Foundation, and the flow for importing that invoice into Siteline:
