How Exchange for Change delivered a new portal in 12 weeks
Exchange for Change is the scheme coordinator for the NSW and ACT Container Deposit Schemes. EFC works with thousands of suppliers and partners and relies on accurate data, efficient financial processing, and clear communication to keep the scheme running smoothly.
To support this at scale, EFC depends on secure, user-friendly, and flexible technology that can adapt as regulations, services, and customer expectations evolve.
With a renewal contract and end of life date approaching and frustration growing across customer service and finance teams, EFC partnered with CAPE to rebuild the portal from scratch. Within weeks, the business saw tangible progress. Within months, the portal became a foundation platform that enabled faster decision-making, system integrations, and renewed trust in IT delivery.
The challenge: A supplier portal that slowed the business
When Stephen joined Exchange for Change as IT Manager, one of his main challenges was the supplier portal. The existing platform was expensive, slow to change, unreliable, and operationally painful. Supplier onboarding regularly took three to four days and, because the system was highly technical, EFC relied on an external vendor to manage it.
Behind the scenes, the solution was built on outdated software with extensive custom code, making maintenance difficult and changes costly.
“The old portal was driving up costs and creating constant pain internally. It just was not fit for purpose anymore.”
With the platform approaching end of life, continuing with the legacy system was no longer sustainable.
“Seeing something real within the first couple of weeks completely changed the mindset of the business. People finally believed that change was actually happening.”
Stephen, IT Manager, Exchange for Change
6 months to replace an 18 month build
Discovery began in July with a hard deadline to replace the portal by December. That left roughly six months to evaluate vendors, select a platform, and deliver a working solution.
“Our legacy portal took 18 months to build. Given the timeline we had, low-code was really the only way we could deliver something meaningful in time.”
EFC considered rebuilding with current vendors and alternative low-code platforms, ultimately selecting CAPE as the preferred delivery partner.
Choosing a partner who could deliver at speed
While pricing played an important role, what differentiated CAPE was its ability to clearly demonstrate an understanding of the business problem. Key factors included visual mockups early in the discovery process, a pragmatic delivery plan aligned to the deadline, and confidence in executing quickly without compromising quality.
“Those mockups helped the team really imagine what was possible, but also that CAPE understood our challenge and our needs.”
Once the project began, progress was visible almost immediately.
“After the first demo, people were asking if this was real. They could not believe how fast it was coming together.”
The solution: a modern supplier portal delivered in weeks
CAPE and EFC worked closely together with daily check-ins and complete transparency around progress and priorities. Despite the challenging timeline, the team delivered a fully functional MVP supplier portal with self-service onboarding, a modern and intuitive user experience, and a scalable foundation for future phases.
From discovery to go live, including data migration and final validation, the total delivery took approximately 12 weeks.
“It was rushed, but we still delivered an MVP that met our core business needs. That made the follow-up phases possible.”
Manual effort into measurable outcomes
The impact on daily operations was immediate and significant.
The key outcomes:
Changing perceptions of IT
Before the project, many teams were disengaged after years of discovery efforts that lacked results.
“There was a real feeling of here we go again at the start.”
Seeing working software within weeks transformed that mindset.
“Once people saw real progress, engagement just exploded. Suddenly, everyone believed change was possible.”
Today, the challenge is prioritization rather than buy-in.
Key learning of the project
The project also delivered important lessons. Clear user stories are a must, and strong business ownership during discovery matters. Speed must be balanced with adequate testing and validation.
“If we did it again, we would invest more support upfront. We learned from that and applied it in later phases.”
EFC also highlighted the openness and agility of CAPE’s delivery approach throughout the project.
“We always felt supported. Transparency made prioritization much easier; CAPE helped us understand the decisions made and what the pros and cons were. It felt good doing it together with one unified goal.”
Enabling broader transformation
Replacing the supplier portal created value across multiple areas of the business. It removed a major constraint in EFC’s technology landscape. With the legacy dependency gone, EFC can now re-evaluate CRM and ERP platforms, integrate systems more effectively, and work towards a single source of truth.
The supplier portal serves as a foundation for ongoing innovation and continuous improvement.
“Replacing the portal unlocked transformation for us. It gave us the freedom to rethink the rest of our landscape.”
“To any organisation facing the same challenge, do not be afraid to take the leap. The cost of doing nothing is far greater than moving forward.”
Ready to leave legacy behind?
If your organisation is battling rising costs, slow change cycles, or an end-of-life platform, Exchange for Change’s journey shows what’s possible with the right low-code foundation and the right delivery partner.
Whether you’re facing a hard deadline to move forward or simply tired of systems that hold your teams back, CAPE helps you move fast, reduce risk, and deliver real, sustainable solutions.
