Fabcon pride themselves on delivering the most challenging structural steel and architectural metalwork projects in the industry, from high-end architectural staircases and cantilevered entrance canopies, to precision surgical operating theatres where a cotton gloves approach to structural steel is required.

Fabcon stands out from the crowd in providing not just a product, but an unrivalled service to match.

We caught up with Hamish Christie, Managing Director for Fabcon, to understand why he is rolling out Payapps across all his jobs.

LIFE BEFORE PAYAPPS

Hamish describes his claims process prior to using Payapps as being pretty old school.

He prepared progress claims in Microsoft Word, then recorded financials in Xero once approved values were confirmed and kept a separate spreadsheet for tracking all his outstanding retention monies.

GETTING STARTED

Hamish’s first introduction to Payapps was when he was invited to use it for a contract with Buildcorp Group. As someone that is constantly on the lookout for ways technology can improve his business, he was immediately impressed.

“My initial reaction was, ‘Wow. Easy.’ It is ridiculously easy to use.
Hamish Christie, Managing Director, Fabcon Structural

EASE OF USE

“I really like that as soon as you submit a claim it is emailed to all the relevant people and is instantly visible within the system. It isn’t just sitting in someone’s email inbox. It is really clearly laid out and you know the format of your claim is consistent with every other subcontractor on the job, so you know the builder knows what they are looking at.

From a subcontractor’s perspective, you can get your PMs to use it for preparing claims without having to give them access to your financial system. It is easy to invite people to and lets me monitor and control all our jobs. And because it automatically creates invoices in Xero, you don’t have to allocate the work to a bookkeeper.

MORE PROJECTS, MORE BENEFITS

Hamish has also started using Payapps even for those contracts with builders that are not yet Payapps users. Managing contracts through Payapps makes it easier to see where each job is at in terms of completion and reduces the administrative tasks. I’m keen to use it for all our contracts. It keeps the process really fluid and simple and it is easier for tracking retentions.

I’d happily refer other subcontractors to use it, it’s great. I’ve already suggested to some of the other builders I work with that they should use it. It makes life easier for both the builder and subbies.

ABOUT PAYAPPS + XERO

Payapps creates invoices automatically on claim submission or approval, with the PDF document attached to the Xero invoice. Each line item claimed against is listed on the Xero invoice, as well as retention and tax, with claim values and retention tracked in the relevant account codes. This keeps your contractual claims correspondence consistent with your accounting records, reducing data entry, eliminating mistakes and giving you the confidence that your cashflow will match your bookkeeping.

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Mainbrace is a relatively new Payapps customer, but has already seen impressive uptake from their subcontractors. Beginning with just 10 subcontractors on an initial project in 2020, they’re now sitting at over 44 subcontractors per project actively using and benefitting from the platform, with numbers steadily increasing as new projects are added.

The challenge

Prior to implementing Payapps, the Mainbrace teams ran manual processes for managing progress claims. While they were using digital solutions to store insurances or other documentation and making notes in their finance system, they lacked the automated capabilities that a dedicated solution like Payapps brings to the process.

E-invoicing was used to email payment schedules to their subcontractors, but in some cases, clients still preferred to submit their claims via good old-fashioned snail mail, significantly delaying the payment process.

The risk of human error in monitoring incoming emails from their subcontractors was significant – they were occasionally missed – and payment schedules had to be manually checked. In some instances, progress claims were submitted with expired insurances, posing significant risks to compliance operations. The team also found the burden of duplicate data entry and reconciliation of claims to be a time-consuming and laborious process.

Managing the entire progress claim process between different departments meant it could take around an hour to process and assess each claim, which really adds up every month. The extra time ultimately meant paying subcontractors could be delayed and put Mainbrace at risk of not meeting their requirements under security of payment legislation.

Implementation

The team decided to explore the use of Payapps after their CFO, Jaco Steyn, heard about it at a networking event. Mainbrace has a strong culture of business improvement, so the implementation of Payapps became a business goal, with support from senior management.

Mainbrace started using Payapps on a single project in New South Wales and had initial uptake from 10 subcontractors. Through their Payapps Implementation Review team, they evaluated the use of Payapps, saw it had been a success, and decided to roll it out more broadly. It’s being used on a current project and they’ve seen more than 44 subcontractors come on board. Over 200 claims are being submitted through the platform each month.

According to Contracts Manager Nick Pratt, involving the subcontractors as early as possible is critical for success.

“We made a business rule that [subcontractors] had to use it. We mention it at the first tender meeting we have with them; it’s the most important time to discuss Payapps for getting engagement really early on.”

“If I’ve ever had a subbie say they won’t use it, it’s because it wasn’t brought up in the tender meeting. It’s not about the money (paying for a Payapps subscription). The reluctance is more about a sense of pride that they haven’t been told about something.”

Training & Onboarding

Getting the Mainbrace team, and their subcontractors, up and running with Payapps was a relatively pain-free experience. They worked closely with the Payapps onboarding team for the initial set-up and integration into their finance system, and took advantage of that knowledge to build their own induction packs for new starters.

Rowena Galsim, Head of Accounts Payable, says the onboarding experience is excellent.
“We run our own finance induction for new employees, but it’s such a simple platform that learning to use

Payapps is a pretty straightforward exercise; it’s not hard to explain at all. If team members do need additional help, your Customer Service team are great. We’ve had experiences with other service providers where it could take weeks to get an answer from their support team, but with Payapps, we jump on the in-app chat and get a response in 30 seconds.”

Nick agrees: “the help function and chat are just brilliant. It saves me a lot of time as I don’t have to go around and train everyone. If I can’t answer a question or am not around, the team know they can use the chat or online help centre to really self-serve, get the answer they need, and get on with their work.”

Nick takes the same approach with their subcontractors. Particularly in Victoria, they’re finding a lot of their subcontractors have previously used Payapps, so are comfortable using it. But for new users, the Mainbrace team will set them up in Payapps, and provide them with a quick start guide to learn the system. They’ll also encourage subs to contact the Payapps Customer Support team for any queries. “We know their questions will be answered really fast and saves them coming to our team for help. It streamlines that whole process so we can all focus on the job itself.”

Improved communication and faster processing time

For Nick and his team of contract administrators, and Rowena’s accounts team, using Payapps has been a positive experience.

Through the Implementation Review team, feedback from their users has found a 50% reduction in the time it takes them to assess and approve subcontractor progress claims. Having standardised information in the system means everyone (including subcontractors) are working from the same set of numbers, even when it comes to reconciling contract variations and retention.

For the accounts team, using Payapps saves a lot of time for processing payments and sending out payment schedules. They also have confidence in knowing they’re only processing compliant claims – subcontractors can’t submit a claim if they have expired compliance documentation, such as insurances, sitting in the system.

Previously, the Mainbrace team had to input subcontractor claims into their finance system. But now, that step is done straight into Payapps by the subcontractor, reducing the need for duplicate date entry or reconciling data between the two systems. Payapps pushes the data across automatically, and enhances the way they use their finance system to manage the overall payment process.

There’s also the added benefit of improved communication between the accounts and contract administration teams, and more streamlined workflows with subcontractors.

“We need to be on our toes, be agile, and Payapps really lets us do that. We expect to see more subcontractors start using the system, especially as more subcontractor-focused features like compliance reports are added. Having Payapps in place will make it even easier to work more collaboratively with them,” says Rowena. “Having standardised information within Payapps also makes it really easy for us to follow up with the CAs if we need, to make sure they’ve reviewed and approved a claim.”

Seconding Rowena’s comments, one of the clear benefits Nick has found is the visibility he has over outstanding claims.

“For me, the real benefit is the client insights. From a single screen I can see where an active claim is at in the approval process. If it’s red, I know we need to take immediate action as it means we’re not meeting the security of payment timeframes and payment to the subcontractor could be delayed.”

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Systematic Plumbing offer a comprehensive package of plumbing services for domestic and commercial clients. They guarantee outstanding customer service, exceptional workmanship and genuine value for money. This commitment is based on the core principle that honesty and integrity is essential to success.

Shane Samwell, Managing Director for Systematic Plumbing, gave his views on how Payapps has changed his claims management processes.

LIFE BEFORE PAYAPPS

Prior to using Payapps, progress claims were prepared as invoices in their Xero accounting system. This involved manually entering details for the various line items that had been worked on during the claim period. Retention was then tracked on paper for follow up in 12 months.

GETTING STARTED

Shane was first introduced to Payapps through a number of projects with Schiavello Systems. He says his initial reservations about adopting a new system were quickly put to rest.

“I’ve used it on a few jobs now and it definitely helps the process. You can see everything laid out and it’s clearer. It’s a lot easier for managing variations, as everyone is on the same page with what has been claimed and what the approval status is. If part of a claim is rejected it is clear as to which item it relates to and for how much. It is also a lot more efficient for tracking retentions than keeping notes on paper in a file”, Shane told us.

“IT IS A LOT EASIER FOR VARIATIONS – EVERYONE IS ON THE SAME PAGE WITH WHAT HAS BEEN CLAIMED AND WHAT THE APPROVAL STATUS IS.”
‍Shane Samwell – Managing Director – Systematic Plumbing

GREATER EFFICIENCY

In addition to better visibility of claim amounts, there have also been time savings. The breakdown of works is set out from the beginning and preparing claims is as simple as entering percentages or dollar values. The previously certified values are automatically brought forward when preparing a new claim, so there is confidence that the starting position for the claim is accurate. The integration between Payapps and Xero is also a real-time saver.

“I love that it goes through to Xero automatically. It was really simple to set up and now invoices are automatically created upon claim approval, with all the information that used to have to be manually typed in.”

“There is a lot less hassle and it makes it easier to keep track of everything. You know your invoice matches what you are expecting to get paid by the builder.”

STREAMLINED PROCESS

“It saves a ton of time and streamlines the process. The more aspects you can streamline and simplify, the better. We are spending less man-hours on paperwork and all the triple-checking and reconciling. Having it automatically create invoices in Xero is great.”

THE FINAL WORD

We asked Shane if he would recommend Payapps to other subcontractors.

“I would. If a builder invited them to use Payapps I’d encourage them to have a go. They will definitely see benefits.”

ABOUT PAYAPPS + XERO

Payapps creates invoices automatically on claim submission or approval, with the PDF document attached to the Xero invoice. Each line item claimed against is listed on the Xero invoice, as well as retention and tax, with claim values and retention tracked in the relevant account codes. This keeps your contractual claims correspondence consistent with your accounting records, reducing data entry, eliminating mistakes and giving you the confidence that your cashflow will match your bookkeeping.

The post Systematic Plumbing appeared first on Payapps.

Over their 22-year history, Parkview Constructions has grown to become one of the most awarded builders in the sector. The 290-strong Parkview team successfully manages projects across the complete property value chain, from strategic planning, through to concept design, construction, and post-completion services.

WHAT USED TO TAKE US AN HOUR NOW TAKES FIVE OR TEN MINUTES.  WE’VE SEEN AN AMAZING RETURN ON OUR INVESTMENT AND THE GUYS IN THE FIELD LOVE IT

Vlad Baltovski, Commercial Manager, Parkview

Watch the video to hear Vladimir Baltovski, the Commercial Manager of Parkview discuss their implementation and the benefits of using the system.

HOW MUCH TIME IS WASTED ON PAYMENT APPLICATIONS?

At Payapps, we know contractors are processing thousands of payment applications every month, and whilst organisations will tell you their processes are just fine, the reality is that hours of our precious time are wasted on this issue at sites across Australia and New Zealand.

What if you could stop the back and forth emails and other communications fixing invoice mistakes and chasing outstanding paperwork?

The post Parkview Constructions appeared first on Payapps.

• Significant time saving – up to one day per week for accounts and project team members
• Streamlined process and improved compliance with payment regulations
• Seamless integration with Jobpac ERP software
• Fast implementation with minimal training required
• 100% adoption of Payapps by subcontractors

About Sarah Constructions

Sarah Constructions is a highly-awarded, multi-faceted South Australian building company. This third-generation family-owned business undertakes large-scale building projects in a variety of sectors including education, residential, retail, aged care, health, commercial, hospitality, recreation, and industrial.

Organic growth and acquisition have created a diversified construction company that includes a modular building division focused on innovative and cost-effective building methods and a development arm.

A new payment claims process embraced by the accounts team, project managers and all subcontractors

Sarah Constructions is focused on building great relationships, and the business is always looking to improve processes and create efficiencies.

The company adopted Payapps to manage their payment claims and found significant time savings for accounts payable and project managers, improved compliance and reduced risk, and a 100% take-up of Payapps by their subcontractors.

There has been a significant improvement in the payment claims process since we introduced Payapps. As well as increased visibility, time saved by our finance team and project managers has allowed them to focus on more productive tasks.

Lewis Skittrall | Commercial Manager, Sarah Constructions

A complex, manual payment claims process lacked visibility and demanded a lot of staff time and attention

Sarah Constructions is a diversified construction business with a large number of active projects underway at any moment in time. To ensure payment accuracy and compliance with regulations, the accounts payable team and project managers spent excessive time each month deciphering and consolidating payment claims that were submitted in various formats by their large base of subcontractors.

Each payment claim required a number of manual steps and updates of spreadsheets and the Jobpac system, involving numerous team members across different departments. With 50-60 monthly claims per project, and around 30 active projects, payment claims were taking an inordinate amount of time to process.

Not only was the process time-consuming, but using email made it difficult to keep track of compliance documentation supplied by subcontractors, as well as deadlines to review and approve payment claims.

The company was concerned with managing risk exposure, ensuring payment deadlines were met and creating a more reliable process for the ever-changing regulatory environment.

A new solution was sought to streamline the payment claims process, reduce the time and resources spent on administrative tasks, and increase visibility between the company and its subcontractors.

Of critical importance to the Sarah Constructions team was how their large base of subcontractors, of which a number had many years of experience working with the company, would embrace the new process. For a business built on relationships, Sarah understood that the new process had to work for all stakeholders to be widely accepted and adopted.

A successful trial and a smooth transition to a more efficient way of managing payment claims

Sarah Constructions Commercial Manager Lewis Skittrall had prior experience working with Payapps in another construction business, and understood the benefits it might bring to the company.

With a remit of process improvement to help the accounts payable team and project managers save time and money, and a desire to find a way to increase transparency with subcontractors in the payment claims process, Lewis planned a limited trial to put Payapps to the test on a single project.

Payapps appealed to the team as it seamlessly integrated with their JobPac system, and it could be adopted quickly without major implementation and training challenges that are often associated with new software and systems.

The trial was successful, with accounts payable staff and project managers each reporting a saving of between half a day and a full day every week in time spent on administration.

Before rolling out Payapps, the project team took a close look at their subcontractors. Working with Payapps, they discovered that nearly half of their subcontractors were already using Payapps. They then designed a program of communication and consultation with the remainder of their subcontractor base to introduce Payapps and help them start using it in their businesses.

With their entire base of subcontractors on board, Sarah Constructions adopted Payapps across the business and all new projects.

Our business is built on great relationships, so it was important to us that our subcontractors embraced the move to Payapps – we’re pleased to say they all came along and are enjoying the benefits of using Payapps as much as our team.

Lewis Skittrall | Commercial Manager, Sarah Constructions

A streamlined payment claims process that provides total visibility for all stakeholders

After a full year of using Payapps, Sarah Constructions’ internal stakeholders have reported significant time savings, as well as simplifying the payment claims process for project managers.

There is increased visibility for all parties of the status of payment claims, and improved compliance is provided by ready access to important documents in one place. Payapps has proven to be easy to use and easy to adopt for both Sarah Constructions and their subcontractors. 

With the payment claims process streamlined, the commercial team can now turn its attention to further improving business processes.

Payapps is saving us a lot of time every month, but just as important is the reduction of risk exposure and improved compliance. Our subcontractors are enjoying much more visibility of where their claims are at without the need to email or call our accounts team. Overall, the move to Payapps was seamless and a complete success for our business.

Lewis Skittrall | Commercial Manager, Sarah Constructions

The post Sarah Constructions appeared first on Payapps.

• No training needed and easy to adopt across the entire team
• Standardised format and process for payment claims
• Creates a streamlined and efficient month-end process
• Improves visibility, trust and working relationships
• Centralised repository for important compliance documents required for payment approvals 

New Era is a leading electrical and telecommunications contractor that specialises in the rail, infrastructure and transport sectors. The business works as a subcontractor to large general and specialist construction companies, and is engaged on a number of major projects including the Sydney Metro.

New Era has attained the status of Authorised Engineering Organisation (AEO #127) as certified by the Asset Standards Authority (ASA), recognising their experience, capabilities and competencies.

How streamlining a slow, manual process led to a new era of efficiency
Like many subcontractors in the construction industry, New Era Group relied on their project managers to prepare monthly payment claims using spreadsheets which was a very time-consuming process.

Once they started using Payapps, New Era Group benefitted from a significant improvement in the efficiency of their payment claims process, with a significant reduction in the time to prepare and submit payment claims every month across a number of projects. 

When you use Payapps you will get paid faster. It helps streamline the preparation of your paperwork ensuring you submit it in an orderly and timely manner.

Scott Darke  |  Director, New Era Group

A paperwork nightmare every month that caused payment delays 

As an experienced subcontractor running multiple projects of different sizes at any moment in time, New Era had long dealt with the issue of submitting progress claims on their numerous projects and having them approved by clients.

Adopting their own methods of preparing and submitting claim paperwork, mainly in the form of spreadsheets, New Era project managers did a lot of work each month to prepare their claims and submit them to clients.

While all clients had a similar method of receiving and entering the claims, inevitable differences in spreadsheet and paperwork formats led to errors of data entry. Time was often wasted while client confirmations of New Era claims in a given month were reviewed, sent back and corrected, with new amounts then being submitted.

New Era estimates that at least 25% of all claims, every single month, needed to be laboriously followed up, corrected and re-submitted. If New Era issued invoices before the client requested changes to claimed amounts, then often those invoices would be sent back to be reissued, or required a credit to be raised.

All this meant that a large number of invoices were not paid on time every month. And that had serious implications for business cashflow. On top of that, the valuable time of project managers was being wasted on chasing paper trails, and they were side-tracked talking to their clients about payment issues, rather than their projects. 

At that time, the team at New Era thought there was no alternative to the way they and many other subcontractors were submitting progress claims, and they were unaware that a solution to all their issues was close at hand.

The only system that provides a single, trusted view for builders and subcontractors 

New Era was introduced to Payapps by a long-standing client who requested they use the tool to submit their payment claims on a new project. They were open to adopting it to ensure a smooth working relationship with their client, but quickly understood the power of Payapps to streamline their payment claims process across the entire business. The New Era team were able to start using Payapps quickly with no dedicated training, finding it an intuitive and easy-to-use online tool.
Using Payapps, a single view of project payment claims and approval status is presented to both client and subcontractor.

Just try it once – you’ll love Payapps! It will streamline your business, just as it has done for ours.
Scott Darke  |  Director, New Era Group

This replaced disjointed, inconsistent spreadsheets prepared separately by each party. And as a project progresses, New Era project managers are each able to prepare their monthly payment claims in Payapps without needing additional assistance from other team members. 

Given that New Era works on large projects, they estimated two to four hours per month were spent preparing payment claims before adopting Payapps. Now, each project payment claim is prepared and submitted in minutes. And because their client doesn’t need to wrangle figures into a new spreadsheet, Payapps removes errors because both parties are looking at exactly the same numbers.

Built-in alerts and status updates allow New Era to see exactly where each payment claim is in terms of approval, or if their client has a question that needs to be answered before approval can be granted.

In Payapps, New Era has found a tool that makes the payment claims process much simpler and faster and provides complete transparency between builder and subcontractor. 

A streamlined payment claims process that works for everybody
Since adopting Payapps, New Era Group is experiencing a new level of transparency on projects where builders are also using the tool. Projects start simply with everyone seeing the same numbers. And as projects progress, monthly payment claims are easy to prepare and submit, helping save a significant amount of time.

New Era is actively encouraging their other clients to adopt Payapps, and is planning on integrating Payapps with Xero to further simplify invoicing and align project payment information with their financial management system.

The post New Era Group appeared first on Payapps.

Westplex is a commercial tiling contractor specialising in commercial developments and refurbishments. Their team of 40 employees work with some of the largest and most respected builders in Australia.

Radi Pelemis, Managing Director for Westplex, was kind enough to talk to us recently about how Payapps has added value to his business.

LIFE BEFORE PAYAPPS

Radi had initially used Payapps a few years ago when working for a builder in NSW and knew the benefits of the system from a builder’s perspective. It wasn’t until Radi started his own subcontracting business in WA that he fully appreciated the benefits of Payapps for subcontractors.

Like many subcontractors, Westplex were preparing progress claims in Excel, then saving them to PDF format and emailing them through to their builder for approval. Whilst this worked, as Radi says, it doesn’t take much to make an error in Excel. And sometimes builders get it wrong, too. This could sometimes take hours of poring through figures and formulas to reconcile different spreadsheets.

GETTING STARTED

Using Payapps has simplified Radi claims processing and saved considerable time. Preparing claims is fast and simple, with no more Excel discrepancies. It gives us a real sense of security that we are claiming the correct values and that everything is accurate, and we are not missing anything. It enables us to track everything.

“IT SAVES A TON OF TIME AND STREAMLINES THE PROCESS. IT GIVES US A REAL SENSE OF SECURITY THAT WE ARE CLAIMING THE CORRECT VALUES AND THAT EVERYTHING IS ACCURATE. IT ENABLES US TO TRACK EVERYTHING.”

Radi Pelemis, Managing Director, Westplex

EASE OF USE

Using Payapps simplified the claim process straight away with builders using Payapps, but there was still the hassle of using his old Excel process for some of his other clients. That changed after a conversation on site with a fellow subcontractor. They were comparing notes on how they manage their respective businesses when the other subcontractor mentioned Payapps standalone, or self-assess mode. This enables a subcontractor to set up a contract in Payapps and manage progress claims even when the builder is not a Payapps user. Using this feature and the integration between Payapps and Xero has simplified and standardised Westplex’s claims processing across the entire business.

STREAMLINED PROCESS

It saves a ton of time and streamlines the process. The more aspects you can streamline and simplify, the better. We are spending less man hours on paperwork and all the triple-checking and reconciling. Having it automatically create invoices in Xero is great.

THE FINAL WORD

We asked Radi if he would be willing to share Westplex’s success in streamlining their claims processes.

I would be more than happy to recommend you guys; it contributes a lot to our business. There are a lot of programs out there that do a lot of stuff, but it is hard to find one that really hits the nail on the head, and Payapps certainly does.

ABOUT PAYAPPS + XERO

Payapps creates invoices automatically on claim submission or approval, with the PDF document attached to the Xero invoice. Each line item claimed against is listed on the Xero invoice, as well as retention and tax, with claim values and retention tracked in the relevant account codes. This keeps your contractual claims correspondence consistent with your accounting records, reducing data entry, eliminating mistakes and giving you the confidence that your cashflow will match your bookkeeping.

The post Westplex and Payapps appeared first on Payapps.

Over their 22-year history, Parkview Constructions has grown to become one of the most awarded builders in the sector. The 290-strong Parkview team successfully manages projects across the complete property value chain, from strategic planning, through to concept design, construction, and post-completion services.

WHAT USED TO TAKE US AN HOUR NOW TAKES FIVE OR TEN MINUTES.  WE’VE SEEN AN AMAZING RETURN ON OUR INVESTMENT AND THE GUYS IN THE FIELD LOVE IT

Vlad Baltovski, Commercial Manager, Parkview

Watch the video to hear Vladimir Baltovski, the Commercial Manager of Parkview discuss their implementation and the benefits of using the system.

HOW MUCH TIME IS WASTED ON PAYMENT APPLICATIONS?

At Payapps, we know contractors are processing thousands of payment applications every month, and whilst organisations will tell you their processes are just fine, the reality is that hours of our precious time are wasted on this issue at sites across Australia and New Zealand.

What if you could stop the back and forth emails and other communications fixing invoice mistakes and chasing outstanding paperwork?

The post Parkview Constructions appeared first on Payapps.