ApideckTape
← Embedded Finance Index 2026

BQE

“Can a 30-year-old A&E vertical SaaS become the financial operating system (payments, payroll, accounting) for architecture and engineering firms?”

Founded1995
HQWest Hollywood, CA, United States
FoundersShafat Qazi
Latest roundSerent Capital growth investment (2021)
IndustryVertical SaaS / Architecture & Engineering
The story

BQE evolved from a time-billing tool (BillQuick, 1995) into a vertical SaaS firm-management platform for architecture and engineering firms, especially after acquiring ArchiOffice and EngineerOffice in 2009. Under Serent Capital ownership since 2021, it has layered embedded finance products — BQE ePayments (ACH + card acceptance via a PayFac model) and Gusto-powered embedded Payroll — into its CORE platform to deepen wallet share with A&E firms.

Last 12 months
2026-01
2026-04
Product timeline
1995
Founded by Shafat Qazi, launched BillQuick for time billing and project management for professional services firms.· founding
2009
Acquired ArchiOffice and EngineerOffice, cementing focus on architecture & engineering firms.· acquisition
2021
Secured significant growth investment from Serent Capital.· funding
2022
Launched BQE ePayments as a PayFac-model embedded payments offering within CORE.· payments
2025
Launched embedded Payroll in CORE powered by Gusto.· payroll
Acquisitions
ArchiOffice2009
Practice management software for architecture firms, extended BQE's vertical reach.
EngineerOffice2009
Practice management software for engineering firms, extended BQE's vertical reach.
Same company
BQE was analysed under more than one name on the same domain, so its stack is split across these dossiers. Each was analysed independently and may name providers the others do not.
BQE Software2 layers →
The stack
5 layers disclosed in BQE’s embedded-finance stack
Payments / PSP
BQE ePayments (self-operated)
Money movement
in the full report
Payroll
in the full report
Open banking
in the full report
Accounting
in the full report
Accounting gap: none
6 more providers across 4 layers, with confidence-scored evidence and source URLs, are in the Embedded Finance Index report.

BQE — frequently asked

Who is BQE's payment processor?

BQE processes payments through BQE ePayments (self-operated). Disclosed money-movement rails: ACH.

Which open banking provider does BQE use?

BQE connects to bank accounts through Plaid.

Which payroll provider does BQE use?

BQE's payroll is powered by Gusto Embedded.

Which accounting software does BQE integrate with?

BQE integrates with QuickBooks, Xero and MYOB.

What is BQE's embedded finance stack?

The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 5 layers in BQE's stack: Payments / PSP (BQE ePayments (self-operated)); Money movement (ACH); Payroll (Gusto Embedded); Open banking (Plaid); Accounting (QuickBooks, Xero and MYOB).

Who founded BQE?

BQE was founded by Shafat Qazi and is founded in 1995, headquartered in West Hollywood, CA, United States.

What companies has BQE acquired?

BQE's acquisitions include ArchiOffice (2009) and EngineerOffice (2009).

Benchmark your own stack

Request an embedded finance strategy assessment

Get a read on where your own stack stands against BQE and the rest of its category — what they built versus bought, which providers they use, and where the gaps in your own strategy and competitive set actually are.

  • Your category, mappedHow your stack compares to BQE and the other companies in its category.
  • Build vs. buyWhere a provider relationship would close a gap faster than building it.
  • A named analyst, not a form replyA short call to scope what's actually worth assessing for you.

No newsletter, no sharing your address. We use this to reach out about the assessment and nothing else.