Buildforce delivers payroll for construction tradesmen in just one month

Tradesmen in the construction industry are subject to seasonal work cycles, which leaves many with gaps in employment after one project ends and before the next begins. By the end of the year, a construction tradesman might work with tens of different construction companies, meaning they must provide personal information to multiple payroll providers in order to get paid.

Co-founders of Buildforce, Vu Brown and Moody Heard, saw this broken process and knew there had to be a better way. Together, they started Buildforce with the goal of providing long-term and consistent careers for construction tradesmen. The Buildforce platform is a marketplace where users can build a profile, find work, track their time, and now, get paid. Unlike traditional gig marketplaces, Buildforce is the employer of record (EOR) for their users, providing W-2 employment that includes benefits, paid vacation, and workers compensation coverage.

When Buildforce first launched, they opted to refer their employees to a third-party payroll provider. This generic payroll system didn’t have the flexibility and functionality required to support their users’ unique payroll needs. This not only led to a disjointed user experience, but also made it impossible for Buildforce to ensure employees were being paid accurately and on time. With the referral model, the payroll experience felt like it was out of their hands.
‍
It quickly became clear that a new solution was needed. Buildforce needed a payroll provider that could accommodate the needs of construction tradesmen, while also offering better control over the user experience.

After doing extensive research and a thorough evaluation process, Buildforce determined that an embedded payroll solution was exactly what they needed, and quickly began their partnership with Check. Buildforce chose Check because of the developer-friendly product experience, and end-to-end support available throughout the implementation process. Check also provided a reliable platform that could continue to support payroll as they scale to hundreds of thousands of construction tradesmen on their platform.

Embedded payroll is the key to scaling our business and bringing a better employment experience to people in the construction trades.
<h4-style>Moody Heard<h4-style>
<p-small>CEO & Co-founder, Buildforce<p-small>

Within just one month of partnering with Check, Buildforce was able to run payroll directly on their platform. The Check API and Check Components were essential to their rapid build time. By using Check Components, Buildforce was able to quickly embed and whitelabel the most common payroll features and workflows into their app. Once the product was ready to go, the operations team at Check helped Buildforce migrate payroll data from their original payroll provider seamlessly. The payroll and compliance experts at Check also provided Buildforce with the confidence that everything was set up correctly to ensure a smooth launch.

Today, when a construction tradesman joins the Buildforce platform, their experience is consistent from end to end. They can create an account, find work, track their time, and get paid all from the same app. For many workers that rely on accurate and timely payments from Buildforce to make ends meet, having one employer of record to manage their wages is hugely valuable. By enabling users to view earnings through the app and making accurate and timely payments, Buildforce has been able to increase retention and attract new talent.

Buildforce’s embedded payroll solution not only created a better experience for construction tradesmen, but also helped them to attract new construction companies to their platform. By removing the operational burden of payroll, Buildforce is able to differentiate by lowering overhead and simplifying operations for construction businesses. With more companies sourcing from their platform, Buildforce is able to provide more work opportunities for their users.
‍
Buildforce Payroll helps them establish trust with new users and strengthen the Buildforce brand with seamless, accurate, and reliable payroll experiences. Buildforce has seen 100% reliability with Check’s infrastructure, and they have already processed over $1M in payroll.

There is a shortage of skilled tradespeople across the US. Over the next 10 years, Buildforce believes that with the help of others in the construction industry, they can provide the workers necessary to continue to support our growing economy. With a mobile, digital-first approach, Buildforce intends to help younger audiences build and grow their careers in the construction trades. They have already seen success with young technicians who have kick started their careers on the app—starting in small, residential projects, and honing their skills as they advance to large-scale commercial builds.
‍
In partnership with Check, Buildforce believes they can become the number one marketplace for workers in the construction trades to connect with listings from construction companies. They plan to achieve this goal by providing the best possible end-to-end experience for their users and expanding to new states and additional trades.
‍
The Check team continues to be a partner to Buildforce by answering questions as they arise, developing new features in line with Buildforce’s needs, and improving existing features. Buildforce plans to partner with Check to expand into other areas including HR and Benefits products.