RELAY
From Spreadsheets to Scale: How Azure and AI Automated Draws and Unlocked Scalable Growth
RELAY an AI-powered software for property managers, managing construction and replacement reserve draws through spreadsheets, email threads, and scattered documents—leading to frequent lender rejections, funding delays, and significant cash flow strain. Allata designed and built a custom web platform powered by Azure and AI-assisted invoice processing to automate the full draw lifecycle. The platform eliminated manual package assembly and positioned the firm to scale its portfolio without proportionally increasing headcount.
OVERVIEW
RELAY, an AI-powered software for property managers, supports an ownership group that acquires multifamily properties at scale, renovates them, and resells them. Managing lender-funded construction and replacement reserve draws across 40–50 properties—with thousands of invoices per month—had been a manual, error-prone process that constrained cash flow and limited growth.
Allata built a custom web platform that automates draw assembly, validates documentation against lender requirements, and uses AI to process and categorize invoices at scale. Designed for multi-tenancy, the platform is now positioned as a commercial SaaS product under a newly formed entity, supporting operators across real estate and adjacent industries.
- Automated draw package assembly replacing manual spreadsheet-and-email workflows
- AI-powered invoice ingestion, classification, and validation
- Multi-tenant architecture enabling commercialization beyond internal use
THE CHALLENGE
The client’s asset managers compiled draw packages manually, pulling invoices, checks, lien waivers, and progress photos from spreadsheets, email threads, and disconnected file stores. Each package required a meticulous assembly to meet lender documentation standards. Lenders often returned packages due to missing or incorrect documentation were common, leading to draw approvals often taking 3–4 weeks, forcing the company to float construction costs out of pocket. When vendors went unpaid, they risked placing liens on properties or halting work entirely, compounding delays and adding legal complexity. Additionally, asset managers devoted a significant amount of time to repetitive document gathering and manual data entry across hundreds of invoices each month.
Without a scalable system, adding new properties to the portfolio meant hiring more people to manage the same manual processes. The firm’s ability to invest in additional properties was directly constrained by both the administrative burden and the cash tied up in delayed reimbursements.
- Thousands of invoices per month managed manually across 40–50 properties
- 3–4 week draw approval cycles creating sustained cash flow pressure
- Vendor liens and work stoppages as downstream consequences of delayed funding
- A team of approximately 12 people unable to scale beyond current portfolio size
OUR SOLUTION
Allata began with a six-week discovery phase to map the client’s draw processes end-to-end—understanding how operators prepare, submit, and track draws across both construction and replacement reserve workflows. This foundation informed the design and build of a custom web platform, delivered in approximately eight months of implementation followed by a market-readiness phase completed in January 2026.
The platform intercepts vendor invoices sent via email using Azure Logic Apps and Communication Services. Azure Document Intelligence extracts invoice data through OCR, and Gen AI fills in missing fields or classifies line items against budget categories defined in loan agreements. Duplicate detection and business-rule validation catch errors before they reach a lender. When a draw is ready, the platform assembles the full package—invoices, checks, waivers, photos—and guides users through a checklist to confirm completeness before submission.
Bulk invoice upload allows multi-invoice files to be split, processed, and routed automatically, with anomalies flagged for human review. Smarty address verification matches invoices to the correct properties. The platform tracks spending against draw thresholds and notifies asset managers when a property meets both timing and dollar criteria to submit—eliminating the guesswork of managing dozens of properties simultaneously.
- AI-assisted invoice processing: OCR extraction augmented by Gen AI to infer missing fields and categorize line items against loan-specific budget categories
- Automated draw assembly: System compiles and validates full draw packages, enforcing documentation completeness before lender submission
- Proactive notifications: Alerts asset managers when draw threshold and timing criteria are met, enabling timely submissions
- Multi-tenant architecture: Platform designed from the ground up for commercialization as a SaaS product, supporting onboarding of external organizations across real estate and adjacent industries
“We’re thrilled with what Allata delivered in just eight weeks. We’re a proud partner and are looking forward to continuing to expand our AI capabilities under the expert guidance of their team.”
Ryan Beaupre, President, RELAY
THE RESULT
The custom platform went into production in early 2026, replacing the manual workflows that constrained the client’s operations. Asset managers now focus on anomalies and exceptions rather than assembling every draw package from scratch. Automated validation ensures documentation meets lender requirements before submission, directly reducing rates and the rework cycles.
By compressing the time between invoice receipt and fund release, the platform reduces the period during which the firm must float construction costs from its own capital. That freed liquidity translates directly into capacity to acquire and renovate additional properties. The same team of approximately 12 people can now manage a much larger portfolio—targeting 100+ properties, 2x from the current—without proportional headcount increases.
- Eliminated manual assembly of draw packages across hundreds of monthly invoices
- Reduced lender rejection rates through automated documentation validation and completeness checks
- Shortened the invoice-to-funding cycle, lowering out-of-pocket cash float requirements
- Established a standardized, auditable draw process across all properties
- Positioned the platform a multi-tenant SaaS product for commercialization across real estate and adjacent sectors
technology
Built on Microsoft Azure, combining deterministic business rules with Gen AI to balance automation speed with human oversight on ambiguous cases.
- Backend: .NET, Azure SQL Database, Azure App Service
- Frontend: React, TypeScript
- AI & Document Processing: Azure Document Intelligence (OCR), Azure OpenAI (Gen AI classification and field augmentation)
- Orchestration: Azure Functions, Azure Service Bus, Azure Logic Apps
- Communication: Azure Communication Services (email interception)
- Storage & Integration: Azure Blob Storage, Dropbox (file sharing with lenders)
- Address Verification: Smarty
- DevOps: Azure DevOps
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