SubAssist Case Study

Company Profile

SubAssist is a software platform designed to streamline purchase order reconciliation and supply ordering for tradespeople. It automates data entry, checks pricing in real-time, and integrates with accounting systems to reduce errors and ensure pricing accuracy. By converting hours of manual work into a few minutes, SubAssist helps businesses avoid profit loss due to pricing discrepancies, while simplifying the management of purchase orders and supplier invoices to improve overall workflow efficiency.

Business Challenges

Solution Street designed and developed the SubAssist platform as a multi-tenant, web-based SaaS application hosted on AWS infrastructure, built on the .NET Core framework for scalability and reliability. The frontend is developed as a Single Page Application (SPA) using Angular, ensuring a responsive and user-friendly interface. Data is stored in managed RDS SQL Server databases and Amazon S3. The solution leverages several AWS services, including EC2 for compute, S3 for storage, RDS for databases, Lambda for serverless functions, Elastic Beanstalk for application deployment, and Application Load Balancer for traffic management. Additionally, AWS security services and CloudWatch are used for monitoring and security. AI and machine learning are integrated into the platform to help interpret and learn from different invoice formats, streamlining data import processes. The Solution Street development team follows agile methodologies with bi-weekly releases, enabling iterative improvements and quick responses to evolving needs.

Recognizing the need for a better solution, the owner sought a way to automate this process but wasn’t sure how to move forward.

Technical Challenges

Although there were many products available for production home builders and service-oriented subcontractors, none were specifically tailored to the needs of new home production-oriented subcontractors, such as plumbers, electricians, roofers, and framers. Additionally, no product in the market offered intelligent integration with the various systems these subcontractors use daily—builder portals, supplier websites, and accounting systems.

Solution

The owner of SubAssist partnered with Solution Street to turn his vision of a streamlined, automated purchase order and invoicing platform into reality. Solution Street's expertise in developing custom software solutions was instrumental in designing and building the SubAssist platform from the ground up. Their team worked closely with the SubAssist founder to thoroughly understand the unique challenges faced by new home production subcontractors, such as plumbers, electricians, and roofers. Solution Street then crafted a tailored online SaaS platform that integrates seamlessly with builder portals, supplier websites, and accounting systems. This comprehensive system manages builder contracts, processes purchase orders, automates supply ordering, and generates sales orders while tracking invoices and accounts receivable. Solution Street's technical expertise and collaborative approach ensured that SubAssist was designed to meet the complex needs of the construction industry, providing subcontractors with a powerful tool to save time, reduce errors, and optimize financial processes.

Benefits

SubAssist automates manual back-office tasks for residential construction subcontractors, leading to significant labor cost savings. It reduces hours of manual work each week and helps catch pricing discrepancies in purchase orders and invoices, saving thousands of dollars monthly. The platform automates the process of importing purchase orders from builder portals, automatically reconciles purchase orders against builder contracts and flagging any discrepancies for immediate action. Additionally, it simplifies the process of importing, managing, and checking supplier invoice pricing directly within the subcontractor’s accounting system. Finally, SubAssist integrates with many popular accounting systems, such as Quickbooks and Sage Intacct, to automate the creation of accounts receivable invoices and accounts payable bills for the subcontractor.

Technologies, Products and Services Used

Solution Street designed and developed the SubAssist platform as a multi-tenant, web-based SaaS application hosted on AWS infrastructure, built on the .NET Core framework for scalability and reliability. The frontend is developed as a Single Page Application (SPA) using Angular, ensuring a responsive and user-friendly interface. Data is stored in managed RDS SQL Server databases and Amazon S3. The solution leverages several AWS services, including EC2 for compute, S3 for storage, RDS for databases, Lambda for serverless functions, Elastic Beanstalk for application deployment, and Application Load Balancer for traffic management. Additionally, AWS security services and CloudWatch are used for monitoring and security. AI and machine learning are integrated into the platform to help interpret and learn from different invoice formats, streamlining data import processes. The Solution Street development team follows agile methodologies with bi-weekly releases, enabling iterative improvements and quick responses to evolving needs.