Building the Future of Construction: Acumatica’s CFMA 2026 Takeaways

The Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) draws thousands of construction professionals, CPAs, and industry vendors together once a year, providing them with unparalleled education, mission-critical technology exhibits, and unlimited networking opportunities at its annual conference and exhibition event.

Representatives from Acumatica ERP, along with valued partners from Aktion Associates, Anton Systems, Revive ERP, and Strategies Group, were on site from May 30 to June 3, 2026, at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa, to share the sizzling benefits brought by our Acumatica Construction Management software and its native financial management features.

According to Samuel Nair, Senior Strategic Sales Development Specialist at Acumatica, attendees of this event were talking about two things: automation and AI. They were excited to hear how our AI-powered, full lifecycle construction ERP can help their businesses become intelligent, connected, and, ultimately, successful in today’s digital world.

“They keep hearing good things about Acumatica, including our intuitive platform, ease of use, and integration capabilities. They want to bring their processes under one roof or integrate where needed on a more connected solution,” he says. “Acumatica resonates so strongly with construction companies because of our flexibility and roadmap. Acumatica does everything they need it to do but gives them the capabilities to integrate with best-of-breed products.”

As a newly minted CMFA Strategic Partner, and with Acumatica’s AI-powered extensibility on full display, CFMA 2026 was an electric event. Here’s what went down.

CFMA 2026: Acumatica Answers Attendees AI and Automation Needs

CFMA, a non-profit organization with over 11,000 members and 90+ chapters throughout the U.S. and Canada, helps construction financial professionals achieve growth, success, and industry excellence. It provides its members with specialized tools and resources, education and certification courses, and much more.

Acumatica is proud to partner with an organization that actively champions the success of our shared Community. As Neil Shah, CFMA’s President and CEO, says, “Together, we will help firms elevate decision-making, streamline operations, and embrace the future of construction financial management.”

That’s our goal, and during CMFA 2026, we exhibited Acumatica’s award-winning ERP software for construction  as well as participated in the mini-conferences, general sessions, breakout sessions, construction technology forums, and roundtable discussions.

In fact, our own Joel Hoffman, Director of Product Management (Construction, Field Service, and Property Management), led an Acumatica ERP lunch forum. Acumatica: One Vision Through Data: Unlocking the Power of Analytics in Construction Finance, which focused on how businesses can harness the power of Acumatica ERP to improve forecasting, budgeting, and overall financial performance. According to Joel, who says that AI readiness, the pressure to do more with leaner back-office teams, and a real appetite for integrated platforms that replace fragmented point solutions were the three themes he saw at CFMA 2026, the session helped answer attendees’ specific AI questions.

“A year ago, AI conversations at events like this were largely speculative. This year, attendees are asking: Can it read my subcontractor invoices? Can it flag budget anomalies? Can it help my team answer questions about project data without running a report?”

With Acumatica’s AI capabilities (e.g., AP document recognition, anomaly detection, and the AI Assistant for querying live project data), the answer was a resounding “yes.” “The session landed well precisely because these capabilities are tied to real workflows, not just a feature checklist,” Joel says.

AI was definitely the dominant theme. Nadine Rynknowski, Technical Product Manager at Acumatica, says she spoke with attendees who were on a mission to replace their legacy software with a solution that could help them navigate rising project complexity, tighter margins, and a workforce that expects smarter tools.

“What excited me most was how the conversation has matured. Some people were admittedly not utilizing AI at all, where others are using drones to look at quarries, drones to help with materials on-site and different types of telemetry tools,” she says. “I feel as though individuals wanted to hear how fellow CFMA members are utilizing AI and how Acumatica fits into their business to expedite time consuming tasks.

Joel seconds Nadine’s assessment of what attendees were looking for. “Construction finance leaders are no longer asking, “Should we modernize?” They’re asking, “How fast can we get there?” The energy on the floor reflected a sector that’s past the tipping point on digital transformation.”

He adds: “The conversations are noticeably more sophisticated. A few years ago, the discussion was often about convincing firms to move off spreadsheets or legacy on-premise systems. Today, most attendees already understand the value of cloud ERP, the questions have shifted to which platform, why, and what does implementation actually look like?”

Acumatica Construction at CMFA 2026: Getting the Word Out There

With CFMA 2026 in the books, we’re now focusing our attention on helping the construction professionals we met during the event realize the benefits that come with implementing Acumatica’s all-in-one, adaptable, and AI-powered construction solution—benefits like data visibility, real-time financial insights, automated and optimized project workflows, and so much more.

“Companies are looking at how AI is affecting the construction space and how software is implementing it in their roadmap,” Samuel says. “Many companies want to see our stance on AI and how we will be developing the solution.”

Thanks to events like CFMA 2026 and other construction-centered events we’ve participated in, such as the annual World of Concrete event and the once-every-three-years CONEXPO-CON/AGG trade show, we’re getting the word out there: Acumatica’s modern construction ERP, with its intelligent features that support the complete project lifestyle, can deliver simplified operations, increased profitability, and growing success for today’s construction businesses.

Interested in learning more? Connect with our team today!