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Customer Stories
Spaceframe Reduces Progress Claim Admin and Supports Compliance with Queensland Trust Legislation
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With Payapps, Spaceframe’s finance team has streamlined progress claim management, supporting compliance and efficiency without adding headcount.
Significant time savings for the finance team – up to 30 hours per week.
Enhanced compliance and accuracy in subcontractor payments.
Transparent and simplified progress claim process for subcontractors.
About Our Customer
- Family-owned design and construct builder based in Brisbane, Australia
- Specialises in industrial construction with projects in commercial and mining sectors
- Employs over 250 staff across multiple entities
- Known for quality, innovation, and a commitment to streamlined operations and compliance
- Uses Jobpac ERP to manage financial processes and project data
The Challenge
- Manual data entry and inconsistent progress claim formats created significant time inefficiencies for the finance team.
- The team needed a solution to meet new legislative demands without hiring additional staff.
- Subcontractors lacked real-time insights into claim status, leading to frequent inquiries and increased admin workload.
The refinement of the Building Industry Fairness (BIF) Act 2017 and the introduction of Project Trust Accounts (PTAs) and Retention Trust Accounts (RTAs) prompted Spaceframe to review their internal processes. To comply with this legislation without adding headcount, the team examined what was working well and identified areas for improvement. The biggest inefficiencies emerged in the early stages of receiving and processing progress claims from subcontractors. Mark Lanfranchi, Group Accountant at Spaceframe, explained the scale of the challenge
“We receive 120-200+ claims a month, depending on project sizes. Claims could come in so many different formats—spreadsheet, PDF, or invoice—each needing manual entry into our ERP, Jobpac, and reconciliation against previous records.”
Mark Lanfranchi Group Accountant, Spaceframe
The manual nature of the process and the frequent back-and-forth on approvals took up to 25-30 hours per person monthly. With the new legislation taking effect, Spaceframe aimed to resolve these inefficiencies, improve compliance, and refocus team efforts on higher-value tasks, without expanding the team.
The Payapps Advantage
- Payapps provided an automated claims processing system to streamline workflows and reduce manual data entry for the finance team.
- Integrated Payapps with Spaceframe’s Jobpac ERP to create a solution that supported Queensland’s PTA requirements.
- Enabled subcontractors to track claim status directly in Payapps, improving visibility and reducing the need for constant updates from the finance team.
To address these challenges, Spaceframe evaluated solutions that could streamline their subcontractor claims process while supporting compliance with Queensland’s PTA requirements.
With experience using Payapps as a subcontractor in one of Spaceframe’s sister entities, Lanfranchi was already familiar with the platform’s benefits, including its integration with their ERP, Jobpac.
This compatibility made Payapps the clear choice, as it eliminated duplicate data entry and streamlined the entire claims process.
Spaceframe’s approach to rolling out Payapps was also carefully planned to ensure smooth adoption. They opted for a phased rollout, allowing subcontractors and internal teams time to adapt without mandating immediate use on existing projects. “We wanted to do it right the first time, so we took a bit more time to communicate with our subbies, answer questions, and let them know what to expect,” Mark shared. This approach paid off, as approximately 60% of regular subcontractors were already familiar with Payapps and eager to use it. By the end of the first month, over 80% of subcontractors had transitioned smoothly to the new process.
“Once we saw how the integration with Jobpac worked, there wasn’t really a need to look at any other system”
Mark Lanfranchi
The Results
- Reduced the finance team’s claims processing workload by up to 25-30 hours per month, allowing them to focus on higher-value tasks.
- Supported compliance with PTA requirements, helping ensure accurate and timely payments without additional staffing costs.
- Improved subcontractor satisfaction by providing real-time visibility into claim status, significantly reducing inquiries and admin workload.
The adoption of Payapps also brought improvements in document management. While Spaceframe continued to use their existing document management system for general project communication, Payapps allowed them to request specific claim-related compliance documents, such as statutory declarations and subcontractor certificates, directly through the platform. This feature centralised compliance tracking, reducing the need for separate requests and helping streamline approvals.
With Payapps in place, Spaceframe’s finance team could now handle claims efficiently and accurately, keeping up with legislative demands and internal standards without expanding their team.
Since implementing Payapps nearly two years ago, Spaceframe has seen substantial improvements across their finance operations.
The automation of claims processing has reduced the finance team’s workload by 25-30 hours per person per month, allowing them to reallocate time toward higher-priority tasks like compliance and financial oversight.
“We now have more time to focus on timely payments to our subcontractors, ensuring accuracy and compliance with PTA legislation.”
Mark Lanfranchi
The integration with Jobpac has been particularly valuable, ensuring that claims data is accurately entered and reconciled without the need for double handling. This efficiency means that claims are processed faster, enabling Spaceframe to meet PTA requirements with confidence. “We now have more time to focus on timely payments to our subcontractors, ensuring accuracy and compliance with PTA legislation,” Mark explained.
Payapps has also improved subcontractor relationships by providing real-time visibility into claim status. Previously, the finance team received frequent calls from subcontractors checking on claims, retention amounts, and documentation.
With Payapps, subcontractors now have direct access to the status of their claims, which has significantly reduced inquiries and allowed the finance team to work more efficiently. “It’s the visibility that our subbies have now,” Mark shared. “They can see exactly where their claim is in the process and when they can expect retention, which has cut down on phone calls and streamlined communication.”
Overall, Payapps has provided Spaceframe’s finance team with a sustainable solution that enhances productivity, compliance, and transparency, without the need for additional staff.
Transform Your Progress Claims
We’re committed to helping you save time and money by simplifying the progress claims process. Get in touch to find out the difference Payapps can make to your business.
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