Preserve project portal records when site access ends

Leaving the site can also end digital access

The builder removes your crew and your project-portal login stops working. Important instructions, drawings and submissions may be stored there. Tell your lawyer promptly and identify the missing material. Do not attempt to bypass the access restriction. A clear, authorised record request is more useful than an improvised login that creates a separate argument about how information was obtained.

List the evidence held elsewhere

Imagine a subcontractor whose variation requests and inspection submissions were made through the builder's portal. Identify the project, document references and approximate dates. Preserve copies and notifications already lawfully held. Separate those from documents you believe exist but cannot currently view. This makes the request specific and helps the adviser assess which information is important to the termination and payment dispute.

Keep existing copies unchanged

business.gov.au recommends secure record storage and backups. Preserve downloaded files, email notifications and submission receipts in their original form. Make working notes separately. A local copy may not show the final status or later comments, so label its date and limits. Do not edit a screenshot to suggest an approval that was never recorded or present an incomplete export as the entire project history.

Source: business.gov.au: Record keeping

Request information through the appropriate route

Ask the adviser how the builder or portal administrator should be approached for authorised copies or other suitable access. In the example, the request might identify particular variation and inspection records rather than seek access to every project on the system. Keep the request and response, including any explanation that material is unavailable or requires a different process.

Connect documents to the account

When records arrive, index them against the work, variations and notices they concern. Identify any difference from the versions already held and show it to the lawyer. Avoid assuming that a portal status alone determines a legal entitlement. The value of the record lies in the actual content, timing and context alongside the contract and other evidence.

Keep urgent obligations moving

Do not wait indefinitely for portal access before addressing a formal notice or payment deadline. Tell the adviser what is missing and when it was requested. A preserved digital record supports the dispute, but the process for obtaining it should run alongside timely advice on the termination and account, rather than become a reason to leave the immediate position unanswered.