KiwiCode builds custom Construction Act payment workflows for Ontario ICI contractors in Kitchener-Waterloo and across the Tri-Cities region: holdback tracking, proper invoices, subcontractor pay gates, and payment automation built for Ontario law.
The Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo region has seen a 39% increase in ICI investment, driven by technology-sector commercial construction, industrial expansion, and significant institutional and post-secondary building programs. For ICI contractors and major subs operating in this corridor, the pace of growth means more contract complexity, more subcontractor management, and more compliance exposure under the Construction Act.
KiwiCode builds custom ICI payment and compliance software for Ontario contractors. What we address: holdback tracking across concurrent prime contracts (10% statutory holdback, basic and finishing holdback mechanics, trust fund obligations), proper invoice generation that meets the statutory definition and triggers payment clocks correctly, subcontractor pay gate verification with WSIB clearance certificates and COI, and payment workflow automation from contract milestones through to disbursement.
Kitchener-area ICI contractors working on commercial, industrial, and institutional projects manage multi-tier subcontractor chains with significant payment obligations. The Construction Act creates specific mechanics: a proper invoice received by the payer triggers a 28-day payment obligation; failure to issue notice of non-payment within 14 days waives certain defences; holdback cannot be released before the lien period expires without written consent. These are not settings in off-the-shelf US software, and they require purpose-built Ontario-specific workflows.
US-built platforms assume US payment law: American lien law, American retention mechanics, and American prompt payment statutes. Ontario's Construction Act is a materially different regime, and using software designed for US markets creates compliance gaps that are not always visible until a contractor disputes payment or a subcontractor files a lien. KiwiCode is an Ontario team. We understand the Construction Act, WSIB requirements, HST on holdback, and the practical workflow realities of ICI projects in Ontario. We scope the work with a pilot before committing to a full build.
10% statutory holdback tracked per prime contract, with basic and finishing holdback mechanics and trust fund obligation visibility.
Generate invoices that meet the Construction Act statutory definition (date, amount, description, period, payer/payee) and trigger the 28-day payment clock correctly.
Stop payments until WSIB clearance certificates and certificates of insurance are current. No manual chasing.
Connect contract milestones to disbursement. Notice of non-payment within 14 days, adjudication escalation path, and payment schedule aligned to Construction Act timelines.
US-built construction platforms like Procore, Buildertrend, and Sage are designed for US lien laws and payment structures. Ontario's Construction Act operates on different mechanics: proper invoices trigger a 28-day payment obligation, payers must issue notice of non-payment within 14 days, and holdback trust fund obligations create legal exposure for improper release. These are not toggles you can enable in US-built software.
KiwiCode is an Ontario team. We start from the Construction Act framework and build workflow around your specific operation: HST handling, WSIB clearance requirements, holdback trust fund mechanics, and adjudication escalation paths are the baseline, not an afterthought.
We scope pilots before committing to a full build. Book a fit call to walk through your current workflow and identify where Construction Act compliance can be operationalized.
Ontario ICI construction payment compliance software. Learn more about our ICI service.