Construcciones Yamaro: How Buildcorp reduces project risk with Payapps
Buildcorp has long been at the forefront of systems innovation, leveraging cutting‐edge software from key technology providers like Payapps to streamline its operations.
As a prominent commercial Tier 2 builder with a robust presence in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, Buildcorp boasts an impressive track record, having successfully delivered over $8 billion worth of projects across diverse sectors, including education, health, commercial and sports.
One standout project in Buildcorp’s portfolio is the Bondi Pavilion restoration and conservation in Sydney, NSW, which clinched the ‘Restoration/Adaptive Re‐use of a Historic Building: $50‐$100 million’ category at the Master Builders Association of NSW’s 2023 Excellence in State Awards. In Victoria, Buildcorp delivered the fit‐out for the MinterEllison building, earning accolades at both the 2021 Master Builders Victoria Excellence in Construction Awards and Master Builders Australia’s 2021 National Excellence in Building and Construction Awards. Other notable projects include the National Rugby Training Centre at Ballymore Stadium in QLD and the recently awarded Loreto Normanhurst boarding school in NSW.
With over 34 years of experience, Buildcorp has built a stellar reputation for delivering successful projects. Integral to this success is the company’s commitment to innovation and excellence in system adoption, including the integration of industry technologies like Payapps. This award‐winning construction software solution simplifies and standardises progress payment claims, significantly reducing project risk and improving project collaboration.
Buildcorp also highly values the strategic partnerships it shares with its subcontractors. By investing in Payapps, the company demonstrates the importance of having an efficient contract administration and treasury function to support its subcontractors.
Toni Hall, group commercial business systems manager at Buildcorp, oversees the company’s commercial systems, processes and procedures. She explains that Payapps has been a cornerstone of Buildcorp’s operations since its adoption.
“After reviewing our subcontractor payment system, Buildcorp adopted Payapps in 2016,” says Hall. “Reflecting on my time working for another builder in that same year, we were still using cheque payments, so it was an early adoption for Buildcorp.”
“We aimed to reduce project risk and the amount of time spent on payment claims, which impacts our subcontractors, project teams, accounts payable and even senior management.
“Now, with Payapps, Buildcorp faces less risk from security of payment claims, and subcontractors benefit from improved visibility of cash flow and a clear understanding of how, when and what they need for their payment claims, preventing them from slipping through the cracks.”
Buildcorp’s commitment to robust systems and procedures was a significant factor in attracting Hall to the company. Its internally built systems, particularly those focused on health, safety, environment and quality, have earned several industry awards for innovation and excellence. Buildcorp’s systems are ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified, and its work health and safety (WHS) management system is accredited by the Federal Safety Commissioner. Hall underscores the importance of integrating new technologies with these established systems, leveraging platforms like Payapps to enhance efficiency and collaboration across the business.
“It makes more sense to build on what we’ve already established and integrate with external providers such as Payapps,” says Hall. “We have long utilised Jobpac as our financial management platform and Procore for project management – the seamless integration of Payapps with Jobpac is crucial for Buildcorp’s operations.”
Hall recalls that in the past, manually completing subcontractor payment claims could take hours due to the need to chase down information and approvals. She remembers spending countless hours in previous roles trying to obtain missing details from subcontractors. With multiple claims to handle, an entire month could easily be consumed by this process.
“With Payapps, setting up a claim at the start of a project takes only about 10 minutes,” says Hall. “After that, you just wait for the claims to come in.”
“You still need to do the physical assessment onsite, which involves the project manager or estimator, depending on who’s assessing the claim. But Payapps removes a huge pain point – administration.
“Depending on what is being claimed, it can take just two minutes to physically process it with Payapps.”
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Streamlining Buildcorp’s operations and project delivery, the company integrates the actual number of outstanding, approved and submitted claims from Payapps into its project dashboard, one of its internal systems. Team members, whether onsite or in the office, can open the dashboard to view not only their latest safety scores and current quality data but also current and pending Payapps claims, along with high‐level project information. This dashboard serves as Buildcorp’s first point of information for all projects.
Further boosting efficiency, Hall notes that any outstanding claims are easily highlighted and can be quickly addressed in Payapps. “We can also reassign an approver promptly if someone, for instance, goes on leave,” she explains. “A project doesn’t halt if the project manager is called away on a family emergency or needs to take scheduled leave.”
“Projects are tough, so we need to ensure our systems are as seamless as possible. Payapps helps ensure projects don’t stop, subcontractors get paid, and all risks associated with progress payment claims are captured and mitigated.”
According to Hall, Payapps has garnered positive feedback from both team members and clients. During job interviews, candidates often enquire about the systems used, and Buildcorp proudly highlights its use of the latest technologies, including Payapps. Future team members appreciate knowing these systems will simplify their work.
“Our subcontractors are also very keen on Payapps because it allows them to submit claims easily without having to chase project managers or contracts administrators for approval,” explains Hall. “Our accounts payable team loves it because they no longer have to chase for extra information from teams or subcontractors.”
“Our clients think it’s great too, because they can have confidence in Buildcorp’s ability to deliver the project financially, both upstream and downstream.”
Payapps and other technology solutions have been crucial in maintaining Buildcorp’s competitiveness in an increasingly challenging market. The company’s robust safety and quality systems have been further enhanced by integrating platforms like Payapps and Procore. These technologies allow the Buildcorp team to focus on high‐value project tasks rather than spending extensive time on manual administration. Buildcorp also leverages data from Payapps and its other systems for its estimating team, enabling the company to effectively track expenditures and manage subcontractors.
“As a result, we are competitive not just in the tendering phase but also in the delivery phase,” says Hall. “Clients appreciate this efficiency because we can respond quickly.”
“The Payapps claims we receive help us swiftly build up our payment claims for our clients, reducing potential disputes and improving project outcomes.”
Buildcorp’s head of systems and technology collaborates closely with the company’s group services to integrate advancements like Payapps into existing systems. According to Hall, extensive internal collaboration ensures that any new implementation works seamlessly across the board.
“We don’t have siloed systems for safety, quality, financial and commercial functions – you can’t implement a system in isolation from the rest of the business,” says Hall. “For Buildcorp, there’s a lot of teamwork and collaboration involved.”
As for the future, Hall believes that the next five years will be significant for technological evolution, particularly with the rapid escalation of artificial intelligence technologies. She notes that all departments at Buildcorp are actively staying up‐to‐date with current developments, with many department heads regularly communicating with their contemporaries to share insights.
“Our technology providers are keen to keep working with Buildcorp and are therefore eager to develop alongside us,” says Hall. “For instance, I participated in a webinar held by Payapps on the proposed changes to the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 in Victoria, which was really helpful.”
As technology continues to evolve, Buildcorp remains committed to staying ahead of the curve and leveraging its long‐standing relationship with Payapps. With a blend of experienced professionals and fresh talent, the company is well‐positioned to embrace future advancements and maintain its competitive edge in the construction industry.
The post How Buildcorp reduces project risk with Payapps appeared first on Inside Construction.
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