Custom enterprise solution

Laravel enterprise solution for a leading construction services provider

Effective management of contractor workflow

The challenge

A leading pre-construction support and resource support provider required a specialist system to manage their contractor administrative workflow on construction projects. The system was needed to support project planning.

Project planning is a complex process that includes steps such as gathering multiple contractor estimates for all aspects of a construction project, awarding a contractor bid, and handling all ongoing invoicing based for successful contractors.

The original brief called for a design to suit the needs of a single high profile client and construction project. However, on working with us, our client saw the benefit of expanding the scope of the system as a future-proofing measure. A scalable system could be re-deployed on future projects, helping their team improve their workflow process and improve communications with clients and/or project managers.

Our solutions:

Custom Laravel enterprise solution
System accessible as a website
Project database, client, project manager and contractor database functionality
Budget management functionality within projects
Capable of supporting package adjustments
Supports uploading of multiple administrative documents

Enterprise-level custom cloud software

The solution

We designed and developed a custom Laravel enterprise solution, meeting the exacting standards of the client's requested workflow. The requirements, which were very specific to the construction industry (and may have seemed counterintuitive to a layperson), were a central build driver. Strict industry standards needed to be adhered to

As a result, the development of the system was an ongoing collaborative process with the client. There was no existing system in place, and having access to the system in development allowed their team to understand the benefits and what could be achieved. The high level of collaboration between both teams changed the project’s scope, resulting in a more flexible system for the future.

Laravel PHP Framework

A custom solution for the construction sector

We utilised Laravel, an open-source web framework, to develop the web applications required for the project. The Laravel framework, which demands a much higher standard of coding practice and development process, was chosen for its ability to contribute to a robust cloud-based system.

Laravel is one of the few frameworks with the flexibility and rich features to make it a perfect platform for creating websites. Our team made the solution accessible as a website to be accessed on any device without the need to download an app or have the latest technology (requires user authentication to access the system).

Advanced database and interface

User-friendly functionality

The database and user interface was designed directly around the workflow for ease of use. Our custom solution featured database segmentation relating to projects, clients, project managers and contractors. Within each project, users could manage budgets for individual aspects or 'packages' of a project, e.g. plumbing, demolitions etc.

Users could also collect estimates from multiple contractors per package, award a contractor on each package and then handle the ongoing administrative process for works completed. The system was developed to include numerous approval steps to satisfy industry standards.

Flexible solution to support user needs

Supports future business growth

The overall solution was carefully designed to ensure that the user experience was streamlined and future business growth was accounted for. The flexible system supported package adjustments, such as unforeseen additional costs which have their own approval process. Segmentation of different tasks created clear signposting for users throughout the system.

The result

The collaborative development process between our teams led to scope changes in the project. The initial development was completed on time and within budget, despite alterations to the overall scope. The benefit to the client of such close collaboration was a flexible, scalable system that accounted for future growth. Our team continues to work with the client, providing hosting and maintenance of the system. Regular maintenance includes consistent backups of the system data and quarterly framework reviews for updates (a much more involved process than WordPress plugin updates).

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