The Challenge
The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland - the professional body for Architecture in the Republic of Ireland, founded in 1839 - is the authority for architects. Its purpose is to uphold the highest standards in architecture, and to provide impartial, reliable, and definitive information and advice regarding contemporary issues affecting architects, the built environment, and society.
In order to maintain these high standards across Ireland, the RIAI provides its members with up-to-date architectural contracts. Previously, the RIAI had been using a website that was 18 years out of date and no longer fit for purpose. The old site was difficult to update and limited in its reporting capabilities. This led a lot of architects to rely on paper forms to fulfil their contractual requirements.
The Solution
RIAI required an easy to use online platform that would allow architects to purchase and generate documents for distribution to their clients and relevant regulatory bodies. Vivato worked with the RIAI to perform a thorough business analysis of their requirements before beginning the build. RIAI had an existing database of architects and required that this information be built into the new platform to allow for members to purchase document credits, complete document information including signatures, then distribute the resulting documents.
The solution included the following features:
- Integrated payment system allowing purchase of custom products and credit storage.
- User accounts based on existing data.
- Custom document creation and storage.
- PDF generation with custom signatures.
- Full reporting suite and admin management tools.
- Order fulfilment for hard copy document ordering and delivery.
The Outcome
The Documents Online service has now been in situ for over four years and has grown as the RIAI and their members have used it more frequently. It currently serves over 4000 members and practices with over 14,000 documents processed each year saving users time and providing the foundation for architectural documentation in Ireland."
"What we got was a development partner who understood what we were trying to achieve and were invested in achieving it; full commitment from a staff for whom no challenge was too much a cost-effective solution and product that completely addresses all requirements." - Kathryn Meghen, CEO, The RIAI
