Your general contractor uses Procore. They love it. They keep suggesting you use it too.
Here’s what they’re not telling you: Procore is built for them, not for you.
It’s construction management software designed around the workflows, priorities, and business model of general contractors. And while it’s powerful for what it does, architecture firms end up paying for features they don’t need—and missing workflows they actually use.
CENTERLINE is different. It’s purpose-built for architects—designed around the way your firm manages projects from design through closeout.
Let’s be direct about the difference.
The Core Issue: Who the Platform Serves
Procore is construction management software. Its strengths center on what general contractors do: subcontractor coordination, job costing, field management, safety tracking, daily logs.
For GCs managing trades, budgets, and field labor, Procore is excellent.
For architects managing design coordination, submittals, RFIs, and closeout deliverables? It’s overkill in some areas and underpowered in others.
CENTERLINE is project information management built for architecture firms. It handles:
- Design coordination and early-phase planning
- Bidding and procurement workflows
- Construction administration (submittals, RFIs, punch lists, change orders)
- Closeout deliverables (as-builts, O&M manuals, warranties)
Not construction management. Project information management.
That difference matters.
Pricing: What You’re Actually Paying For
Let’s talk cost.
Procore charges based on your Annual Construction Volume (ACV)—the aggregate dollar value of construction work across your projects.
Pricing typically runs 0.1% to 0.2% of project hard costs. That means:
- A $15 million project: ~$20,000/year
- A $59 million project: ~$80,000/year
- Small to mid-size firms: $10,000–$25,000+ annually
You get unlimited users—which sounds great until you realize you’re paying for features designed for subcontractor coordination, job costing, and field safety tracking.
Features you don’t use. Complexity you don’t need.
CENTERLINE offers:
- CENTERLINE COMPLETE: Project-based pricing for single projects, unlimited users and data
- CENTERLINE PRO: Annual firm-wide subscription, unlimited users and data across all projects
You’re not subsidizing construction management features built for GCs. You’re paying for workflows that match how architects work.
What Architects Actually Need
Here’s where Procore falls short for architecture firms:
Limited Design-Phase Functionality
Procore is optimized for construction—not design. Early-phase coordination, design decision tracking, and consultant collaboration aren’t its strength.
CENTERLINE manages the entire lifecycle from design forward. Track decisions. Document coordination. Manage consultant workflows. All before construction starts.
Construction Administration—From a GC’s Perspective
Procore handles submittals and RFIs. But the workflows are built around what GCs need—not what architects need.
CENTERLINE structures CA around architectural workflows:
- Automated submittal logs that track review, comments, and approval status
- RFI management with routing, notifications, and decision documentation
- Punch list tracking from field notes through final sign-off
- Change order workflows tied to project records
Not adapted. Native.
Closeout Documentation
Procore treats closeout as the end of construction. For architects, it’s the final deliverable phase—as-builts, O&M manuals, warranties, final inspections.
CENTERLINE builds closeout documentation as you go. When the project ends, deliverables are already organized and ready to hand off.
Where Procore Wins (For General Contractors)
Let’s be honest: Procore isn’t a bad platform. It’s just optimized for different priorities.
If you were a general contractor, you’d want Procore for:
- Subcontractor management and trade coordination
- Job costing and budget tracking tied to labor and materials
- Field management with daily logs, safety tracking, and inspection tools
- Financial workflows built around draws, lien waivers, and progress billing
Those are GC problems. Not architect problems.
And when you’re an architecture firm paying for Procore, you’re funding infrastructure built to solve someone else’s workflow.
Where CENTERLINE Wins (For Architects)
CENTERLINE wins where it matters to architects:
1. Purpose-Built Workflows
Every feature is designed around architecture practice—not adapted from construction management.
Submittal tracking. RFI documentation. Punch list management. Closeout deliverables. These aren’t add-ons. They’re core.
2. Covers the Entire Lifecycle
Procore starts strong once construction begins. CENTERLINE works from design forward—because architects don’t just manage construction. They manage projects.
3. Eliminates Uncompensated Work
The biggest cost isn’t software fees. It’s the 20-30 hours per week your team spends on manual admin.
CENTERLINE automates submittal logs, RFI tracking, and punch list management. Your architects focus on decisions—not spreadsheets.
Procore offers project management. CENTERLINE offers workflow automation built for architects.
4. Bluebeam Integration
CENTERLINE integrates with Bluebeam for cloud-based blueprint markups and document approvals—critical for architectural workflows.
Procore doesn’t offer native Bluebeam integration. That gap forces workarounds.
5. Simpler, Faster, Cleaner
Procore is feature-rich—and complex. Onboarding takes time. Learning curves are steep.
CENTERLINE is intuitive. Your team can start using it immediately without weeks of training.
The Integration Question
Your GC uses Procore. Does that mean you have to?
Not necessarily.
CENTERLINE integrates with Procore for firms that need to coordinate across platforms. You manage your workflow in CENTERLINE. The GC manages theirs in Procore. Data syncs where necessary.
You’re not locked into their system. You’re using the platform built for your workflow.
The Real Question: Are You an Architect or a General Contractor?
Here’s the choice in plain terms:
Procore is construction management software built for general contractors. If you’re paying for it as an architecture firm, you’re subsidizing features you don’t use while working around workflows that don’t fit.
CENTERLINE is project information management built for architects. It handles exactly what you need—design through closeout—without the bloat or the GC-centric complexity.
Ask yourself:
- Are you managing subcontractor coordination and job costing?
- Or are you managing submittals, RFIs, and design deliverables?
If it’s the latter, you need a platform built for the latter.
A Note on “Free” Procore Access
Some GCs offer architects “free” access to their Procore projects.
Here’s what that actually means:
- You access their project structure—not yours
- You see what they set up—on their terms
- You don’t control the workflows, the organization, or the data structure
- You’re working inside someone else’s system
That’s not project management. That’s collaboration on their turf.
CENTERLINE gives you your own system—structured the way architects work, with full control over project information.
The Bottom Line
If your firm were a general contractor, Procore would make perfect sense.
But you’re not.
You’re an architecture firm. You need project information management built around design coordination, construction administration, and closeout deliverables—not subcontractor management and job costing.
CENTERLINE gives you that.
Procore gives you access to a GC’s world. CENTERLINE gives you control of your own.
Choose accordingly.
See the Difference
Ready to see how CENTERLINE handles architectural workflows without the complexity, the cost, or the GC-centric features you don’t need?
Schedule a demo and we’ll show you exactly how architecture firms are managing projects on their own terms.
It’s About Time.
CENTERLINE
Profits over Paperwork.