For Builders
Construction payment software for builders
Never pay out of your own pocket again. BuildFair runs the project off project funds, so you can build instead of bankroll.
The current system
Builders aren't the villains. The system is.
Construction was set up so the builder fronts the cost: pay materials on COD, pay subcontractors on 14- or 30-day terms, then claim it back from the owner on a progress schedule that drags. Even a healthy job has a cashflow gap measured in tens of thousands.
The result is a builder permanently financing other people's projects out of their own savings or facility. The second a claim slips, the personal financial stress is acute. Subcontractors don't get paid because the builder isn't paid. The chain breaks where the system put pressure on.
BuildFair changes the structure. Owner funds land in a regulated project account. Subcontractors and suppliers are paid out of project funds. The cashflow gap stops being yours.
Never pay out of your own pocket
Wages, materials, supplier invoices, and subcontractor payments all come out of the project account. Your savings, overdraft, and personal credit are no longer the float for someone else's build. Each project funds itself end to end.
Weekly running costs, paid weekly
Site costs, fuel, small purchases. Set them up once and they're drawn from project funds each week, automatically. The end-of-month overhead pile-up stops being a personal cashflow problem.
Win owner trust, win the project
Owners are increasingly nervous about handing over deposits, especially after watching builders go under. Showing them their funds sit in regulated custody with our banking partner Kobble, under verified release rules, not in your operating account, turns a hard conversation into a competitive edge. Builders on BuildFair convert prospects who would otherwise walk.
Pay subcontractors and suppliers by card, earn the points
Pay your suppliers by credit card through BuildFair and earn points on top of whatever your existing card already pays. Subcontractors too, not just suppliers. Same spend, more reward. Card payments are powered by ZenPay.
One app for the whole project
Contracts, progress claims, variations, defects, invoices, payments, reconciliation, subcontractor onboarding, all in one place. You stop tabbing between your project management tool, the bank app, and a thread of texts with subcontractors. One login, one source of truth. Tax exports drop out of the same ledger that tracks every payment, ready to send straight to your bookkeeper at quarter- or year-end.
Get your reputation back
Builders have been painted with the same brush as the few who collapsed and left subcontractors and owners hanging. Running your jobs on BuildFair makes the difference visible, owner funds in regulated custody, subcontractors paid on a fixed clock, every payment traceable. The reputation problem in the industry is structural; so is the fix. The builders who run the visible, transparent version of the job get to set the new standard.
How it's built
Australian-built. Regulated custody. Verifiable ledger.
- Funds custody: Regulated account infrastructure with our banking partner Kobble.
- Identity verification: Sumsub for builders, owners, subcontractors and suppliers.
- Ledger: Double-entry, hash-chained audit trail. Every change is tamper-evident.
- Compliance: Not currently required to be an AUSTRAC reporting entity.
FAQ
Builder questions, answered.
How is this different from a builder trust account?
Builder trust accounts are state-mandated holding accounts for owner funds. Useful, but they don't help you pay subcontractors, manage invoices, or reconcile. BuildFair uses regulated holding accounts provided by our banking partner Kobble and adds the operational layer on top: invoice approval, scheduled payments, and a reconciliation pass every night.
What happens if a progress claim gets rejected?
The claim sits in 'submitted' until the owner approves. Subcontractor invoices on that project don't pay out from funds that aren't there. You see the blocker on your dashboard immediately, with the rejection reason and any evidence the owner attached.
Do I need a separate ABN or business account?
No. BuildFair sits alongside your existing business banking. The project account is a separate ledger position inside regulated holding infrastructure. Your business banking and your operating cashflow are unchanged.
What about subcontractor disputes?
If a subcontractor disputes a rejection, the conversation happens inside the platform with evidence attached, and the invoice stays visible to both sides until it's resolved. We don't give legal advice on dispute resolution. For formal disputes, your state's Security of Payment process or a construction lawyer is the right path.
How is the data protected?
Funds custody is handled through regulated account infrastructure. Identity verification runs through Sumsub. The ledger is double-entry with hash-chained audit events. Every state change is signed against the previous one, so the record is tamper-evident.
Founding 100 builders. 3 years for the price of one.
We're working with the first 100 builders to shape what the platform does next. Pay for the first year, get the next two free. Locked-in pricing for the full 3-year term. Onboarding in under a week. No setup fee.
BuildFair also helps owners protect deposits and subcontractors get paid on time.