Case study Construction · SaaS

Secure Lien Release contractor SaaS

A subscription app for US contractors — estimates, invoices, card payments and California lien waivers signed online — on the web and on Android.

6 formslien waivers & notices
Card paymentson every invoice
Web + Androidone account
Secure Lien Release — dashboard and invoices (test data)
Client
Secure Lien Release (US)
Industry
Construction — contractor payments
We built
Laravel API, React web app & mobile app
Core technology
Laravel · React · MySQL · Authorize.net
  • 6California lien & work forms
  • 70API routes
  • 29data models
  • 2plans — monthly & yearly

See it livesecurelienrelease.com Web app Google Play

The brief

The problem to solve

Contractors juggle estimates, invoices and lien paperwork — and a missed waiver or preliminary notice can hold up a payment or limit the right to be paid. Secure Lien Release puts the paperwork, the billing and the payment in one app they can run from the job site.

Built forContractorsTheir clientsProperty ownersPlatform admin

Objectives

  1. Estimates and invoices from anywhere
  2. California lien waivers and notices, signed online
  3. Card payments straight from the invoice
  4. Clients, items and company details in one place
  5. A simple monthly or yearly subscription
What we built

One app, both sides of the job

Contractors run their business in the app; their clients and property owners act by link — no account needed.

Secure Lien Release dashboard — revenue, estimates and invoices (test data)
  • EstimatesLine items, tax, markup, discount, PO numbers and attachments.
  • InvoicesTurn an estimate into an invoice; track active and paid.
  • Lien formsCalifornia preliminary notice, conditional and unconditional waivers, and additional work authorisations.
  • Clients & itemsClient records and a reusable price list — import or export by CSV.
  • Text alertsA text when a client views an invoice or accepts an estimate.
  • DashboardRevenue, invoiced volume and estimate totals, month by month.
No account needed

Clients & owners

The people on the other side get a link by email or text — no sign-up, no app.

4 core features
  • View by linkOpen an estimate or invoice from an email or text.
  • Accept or declineApprove an estimate in one click.
  • Pay by cardPay the invoice online; it’s marked paid automatically.
  • Sign on screenFill in and sign lien waivers and work authorisations.
Subscriptions & admin

Platform

The business behind the app: subscriptions, company profiles and oversight.

4 core features
  • SubscriptionsMonthly or yearly plans with a free trial, billed through Authorize.net.
  • Company profileLicence, logo, website and social links on every document.
  • Tax ratesSaved tax rates for estimates and invoices.
  • AdminUsers, subscribers and totals at a glance.
How it works

From estimate to lien release

The paperwork trail of a typical job, in one app.

STEP 01

Estimate

Build it on site and send it by email and text.

STEP 02

Client accepts

One click from the link — and the contractor gets a text.

STEP 03

Invoice

Convert the estimate and send the invoice.

STEP 04

Get paid

The client pays by card; the invoice is marked paid.

STEP 05

Release the lien

Send the right waiver to sign online.

Architecture

How the system fits together

A React web app and a mobile app share one Laravel API; clients and owners act through pages served by the same backend.

Apps
Web appReact · Material UI · Redux
Android appOn the same API
Client pagesView, accept, pay & sign by link
Server
APILaravel · Passport tokens — estimates, invoices, forms and subscriptions
Data & services
DatabaseMySQL — every record tied to its contractor
PaymentsAuthorize.net — cards & subscriptions
MessagingClickSend SMS · email
HostingAWS
Challenges

Built for the job site

01

Paperwork that protects payment

ChallengeA missed waiver or notice can hold up payment.

How we solved itCalifornia preliminary notices and conditional and unconditional waivers, ready to send and sign online.

02

No app for the client

ChallengeOwners and clients won’t install another app.

How we solved itEverything they need — view, accept, pay, sign — works from a link.

03

Know when they’ve seen it

ChallengeContractors chase clients who never opened the invoice.

How we solved itText alerts when an estimate or invoice is viewed, accepted or declined.

04

Subscriptions that just work

ChallengeContractors pay monthly or yearly.

How we solved itRecurring billing through Authorize.net, with the plan re-checked at every sign-in.

Technology

The stack

Proven, well-supported tools — chosen so the platform is easy to run and to extend.

  • LaravelAPI
  • PHPBackend
  • ReactWeb app
  • MUIUI components
  • MySQLDatabase
  • Amazon Web ServicesHosting
  • Authorize.netCards & subscriptions
  • ClickSendText alerts
The latest

If we built it today

Platforms like Secure Lien Release can now do far more for the people who use them. These are the upgrades we’d add today, using the AI and automation we build for clients.

Standard now

What’s changed — and how we use it

  • AI estimate drafts

    Describe the job; AI drafts line items and totals for review.

  • Deadline reminders

    Automatic reminders before notice and waiver deadlines.

  • Receipt & photo capture

    Snap receipts and site photos; AI files them to the right job.

  • Payment chasing

    Polite automated follow-ups on unpaid invoices by text and email.

  • Cash-flow view

    A forecast of what’s owed and when it’s due.

  • Ask your data

    “Which jobs are still waiting on a waiver?” — answered instantly.

Already in production: we build AI assistants, WhatsApp agents and workflow automations for clients today. See AI automation

Let’s talk

Building a SaaS for a trade or industry?

Tell us who will use it and what it must do. We’ll map the first release, the stack and the right team — in a free 30-minute strategy call.