Case study · Construction & MEP
Construction & MEP B2B marketplace on Odoo 17
How TechUltra built a vertical B2B marketplace for the construction and MEP supply chain — multi-vendor commerce, vendor qualification, a construction project hub, and GCC-ready integrations — on Odoo 17, with the ERP as the single system of record.
- GCC / Saudi-ready
- B2B marketplace
- Odoo 17
- Platform
- Odoo 17
- Industry
- Construction & MEP supply chain
- Model
- Multi-vendor marketplace + projects
- Region
- GCC / Saudi-ready
Last updated
Overview
What TechUltra delivered
A composed Odoo 17 platform: a proven multi-vendor marketplace and extended storefront, with a bespoke vertical layer for vendor qualification, construction projects, services, resellers, and tenders. Custom code is concentrated where vertical depth matters — not spread thin rebuilding commerce from scratch.
Operating context
The platform connects buyers, vendors, resellers, and project teams across construction and MEP. It runs an operator-led marketplace model with many third-party sellers, uses the public website as the front door, and targets GCC markets with registry and payment signals buyers recognise.
Business challenges
Six problem areas shaped the build — from trusted supplier discovery to keeping project, commercial, and channel data in one auditable system.
-
Supplier discovery
Buyers could not find qualified vendors in one trusted, searchable directory.
-
Onboarding friction
Company and capability data was scattered across forms, PDFs, and email.
-
Two commerce motions
Product sales and service engagements need separate but linked flows.
-
Project fragmentation
Technical registers — BOQ, classifications, permits — lived outside ERP projects.
-
Commercial complexity
Quotes, RFQs, tenders, and requisitions ran with no central audit trail.
-
Regional trust & channels
Buyers expect registry-backed company data, local payments, and mobile/messaging.
ERP solution approach
Compose, extend, specialize — proven Odoo apps and marketplace extensions underneath, a bespoke vertical layer where construction and MEP depth is the differentiator.
- Layer 1 — Odoo 17 standard: projects, purchase, stock, website, portal, contacts, sales
- Layer 2 — marketplace & eCommerce: a multi-vendor core plus targeted storefront extensions
- Layer 3 — vertical custom: vendor taxonomy, construction hub, services, resellers, tenders
- Layer 4 — integrations: Wathq, payment gateways, and optional WhatsApp / mobile / OCR
- Compose proven Odoo extensions rather than rebuilding a marketplace from scratch
- Concentrate bespoke work on the vertical data model and qualification depth
Architecture — layered on Odoo 17
- Experience & security Themes, portal, reCAPTCHA, access groups
- Integrations Wathq, PayTabs, Paylink, optional WhatsApp
- Vertical custom layer Vendor, construction, services, resellers, tenders
- Marketplace & website extensions Multi-vendor core + storefront
- Odoo 17 Standard apps, website & portal frameworks
One platform, four vertical pillars
Odoo 17 platform
One system of record for every channel
-
Multi-vendor marketplace
Sellers, shops, commissions
-
Vendor qualification
Taxonomy, certificates, Wathq
-
Construction project hub
Work areas, BOQ, governance
-
Service job portal
Requests + vendor matching
Functional & technical scope
The platform runs commerce, qualification, projects, and procurement end to end.
Capability matrix
| Domain | Capabilities |
|---|---|
| Marketplace | Seller signup, shops, approvals, commissions, membership, hyperlocal, auctions, preorders |
| Vendor trust | Certificates, disciplines, project types, regions; Wathq company enrichment |
| eCommerce | Catalog, brands, configurators, loyalty, SEO URLs, regional pricing, COD |
| Services | Service categories, job requests, geo/category vendor matching, portal |
| Resellers | Partner-managed product lines via a website account |
| Construction PMO | Extended projects: work areas, classifications, BOQ, contracts, permits, RACI, risks |
| Commercial | Website quotes, vendor RFQ portal, tender register, purchase requisitions |
| Channels | Affiliate program; optional mobile API; optional WhatsApp stack |
Technical foundation
- Odoo 17 with the standard website and portal frameworks
- A program library of 112 addon modules, enabled in phases per need
- Custom applications: vendor management, construction hub, service portal, reseller, tenders
- A Multi-Vendor Marketplace engine plus extension modules
- An extended partner and project data model with deep construction reference data
- Integrations for Wathq, PayTabs / Paylink / COD, and an optional WhatsApp chain
- Security via reCAPTCHA, OTP / email verification, and standard Odoo access groups
Feature deep-dives
Ten capability areas, each tied to a business problem and the work TechUltra delivered.
Multi-Vendor Marketplace
A B2B/B2C storefront where many sellers sell under one operator brand.
Business problem
- Single-catalog eCommerce cannot represent many independent suppliers
- There was no standard path for seller onboarding, approval, and settlement
- Buyers could not compare sellers or shop seller-specific stores
- The operator lacked dashboard control over commissions and seller performance
What TechUltra delivered
- A core marketplace: seller registration, shop pages, product approval, order routing, reviews, and seller payments
- Multi-step seller signup on the website with tiered membership plans and renewal notices
- Hyperlocal, geo-based seller discovery and delivery configuration
- Commercial extensions: advanced commissions, daily deals, preorders, auctions, and seller livechat
- Buyer tools: cross-seller price comparison, seller collection pages, and marketplace-aware quote routing
- Seller settlement management for cash-on-delivery orders
| Capability | Primary user | Surface |
|---|---|---|
| Seller onboarding & approval | Operator, seller | Website + backend |
| Seller shop & catalog | Buyer, seller | Website |
| Order & commission management | Operator, finance | Backend |
| Membership & limits | Operator | Backend |
| Hyperlocal discovery | Buyer | Website |
| Seller livechat | Buyer, seller | Website |
Vendor Qualification & Wathq
Rich partner master data and Saudi commercial-registration enrichment for trusted onboarding.
Business problem
- Vendor capability data lived in PDFs and ad-hoc CRM fields
- Certificates and disciplines were not searchable or comparable
- Manual lookup of commercial registration slowed onboarding
- Marketplace sellers lacked a consistent taxonomy for discovery filters
What TechUltra delivered
- A certificate model: types, issuers, tags, and certificate records on vendors
- Taxonomy: industries, professions, disciplines, system types and components, and environments
- Project typing: project types, categories, subcategories, ownership, and property types
- Geography: regions, vendor cities, and districts for coverage matching
- A deep partner extension linking vendor fields to the marketplace and geolocation
- Wathq integration to pull commercial-registration data into companies and contacts
| Data element | Business use |
|---|---|
| Certificates | Prove compliance and technical credentials |
| Disciplines / system types | Filter vendors by MEP or construction trade |
| Project categories | Match vendors to job types |
| Regions & districts | Geographic coverage and service matching |
| Wathq-enriched company | Faster, auditable company onboarding |
| Working time slots | Availability patterns on the vendor profile |
Construction Project Hub
Odoo Projects extended into a construction PMO workspace with spatial and technical registers.
Business problem
- Project tasks alone do not hold BOQ, classifications, or permit context
- Buildings, floors, and spaces were tracked outside the ERP
- Drawings, systems, and room requirements were disconnected from the project record
- RACI, issues, and risks sat in separate tools
What TechUltra delivered
- A project header with location, cadastral reference, stakeholders, and a delivery-method matrix
- Work areas: buildings, floors, spaces, and zones with linked engineering data
- Classifications: Uniformat, MasterFormat (CSI divisions), and OmniClass on the project
- Technical registers: systems, drawings, calculations, schedules, FF&E, finishes, and openings
- Per-space room data sheets for architectural and MEP requirements
- Governance: a RACI matrix, an issues register with recovery actions, and a risk register by location
- Project contracts, bond and insurance references, and construction permits
- Quality: checklists, checklist questions, and material inspection forms
| Register | Tied to |
|---|---|
| Work area (building / floor / space) | Project |
| Classifications | Project + estimating |
| Systems / drawings / submittals | Building, floor, space |
| RACI / issues / risks | Project + location |
| Vendor lines | Project procurement |
| Shared documents | Tender / project files |
BOQ & Cost Estimating
Bill-of-quantity estimating with direct cost buildup linked to classifications.
Business problem
- Estimates lived in spreadsheets with no link to ERP products or projects
- There was no standard breakdown of material, labour, equipment, and subcontractor cost
- BOQ lines were disconnected from MasterFormat and cost libraries
- Revision control and audit trail were weak across estimators
What TechUltra delivered
- A cost breakdown with lines by direct cost type — material, labour, equipment, subcontractor
- Waste-percentage adjusted quantities on cost lines with computed line totals
- Optional product and unit-of-measure linkage on cost lines
- A MasterFormat classification reference on cost lines
- Work BOQ headers tied to a project and an optional contract
- BOQ lines with quantity, UoM, and a unit rate rolled up from linked cost breakdowns
- Building / floor / space on the cost breakdown for location-based estimates
| Step | Output |
|---|---|
| Build cost breakdown lines | Element-level direct costs |
| Roll up to a BOQ line | A unit rate for the BOQ item |
| Multiply by quantity | Line total price |
| Link to project / contract | A scoped estimate package |
Service Job Portal
Clients post service jobs; vendors are matched by geography and service category.
Business problem
- A product catalog cannot represent install, design, or maintenance jobs
- Service inquiries were lost in email without vendor matching
- Clients had no portal visibility into job status
- Vendors could not see relevant jobs in their trade and area
What TechUltra delivered
- A hierarchical service-category taxonomy for classifying work
- Service requests with title, description, budget, dates, and ZIP / city / country
- A new → approved → completed request workflow
- Automatic vendor matching by ZIP, country, vendor type, and categories
- Respondent tracking — which vendors responded versus the matched pool
- Website flows: custom signup, create request, my service requests, and job detail
- Email notifications for both client and vendor
| Capability | User |
|---|---|
| Post a service job | Client |
| Category-based matching | System |
| Respond to a job | Vendor |
| Track job status | Client, operator |
Reseller Catalog Portal
Authorized partners maintain their own product listings — no operator data entry.
Business problem
- The operator team became a bottleneck for catalog updates
- Resellers sent Excel price lists with lag and errors
- There was no self-service link between a partner account and sellable products
What TechUltra delivered
- A 'My Products' authenticated portal list of reseller product lines
- Website forms to create and edit products
- A reseller-specific product model linked to the partner record
- Theme integration that works with the storefront and partner-assignment flows
| Action | Where |
|---|---|
| List my products | Reseller portal |
| Create a product | Portal form |
| Edit a product | Portal form |
| Operator review | Backend, with marketplace approval if enabled |
Quotes, RFQ & Tender Register
Structured buying beyond the cart — quotes, vendor bids, and tender metadata in the ERP.
Business problem
- Bulk and project buys do not fit standard cart checkout
- RFQ responses were collected by email without comparison in the ERP
- Tender documentation was not linked to project or opportunity records
- Internal material requests lacked an approval path to purchasing
What TechUltra delivered
- A website quote system: customer bulk-quote requests, portal participation, and status scheduling
- A marketplace quote flow routed in a multi-vendor context
- A vendor portal where vendors submit prices, with auto-close schedules where enabled
- A custom tender register: tender number, issuer, deadlines, proposal format, and scope of work
- Public tender and bid patterns on the website
- Material requisitions — employee requests with an approval path toward a PO or internal transfer
| Mechanism | Best for |
|---|---|
| Website quote | Catalog bulk buy, informal RFQ |
| Vendor portal RFQ | Formal multi-vendor pricing |
| Tender register | Documented tender opportunities |
| Material requisition | Internal site / project material needs |
eCommerce, Discovery & Storefront
A differentiated shop experience — brands, SEO, loyalty, stock, and discovery.
Business problem
- A generic Odoo shop lacks B2B discovery and merchandising depth
- SEO and URL structure were weak for large catalogs
- Buyers could not easily find products by image or brand
- Stock and regional pricing were not visible early in the journey
What TechUltra delivered
- eCommerce themes with shared layout components
- A brand master with brand pages and shop filters
- SEO metadata tooling, friendly URLs, and redirects
- Loyalty points and rewards on web sales with extension rules
- Stock display and availability validation on product pages
- Geo-based pricelist, currency, and region behaviour
- Discovery: image search, quick view, call-for-price, MOQ, and 360° view
- Merchandising: daily deals, auctions, preorders, and product collections
- Configurable products on the website and an affiliate referral program
| Feature | Buyer benefit |
|---|---|
| Brand pages | Find products by manufacturer |
| SEO URLs | A search-engine friendly catalog |
| Loyalty | Repeat-purchase incentives |
| Stock visibility | Fewer failed checkouts |
| Regional pricing | Correct currency and price list |
| Image search | Visual product discovery |
GCC Payments & Checkout
Regional payment expectations supported on the website store.
Business problem
- An international-cards-only checkout blocks local buyers
- Cash on delivery is common in B2B construction supply and needs seller-settlement logic
- Multiple gateway options are required for GCC operators
What TechUltra delivered
- A cash-on-delivery provider integrated with website checkout and marketplace COD settlement
- The Paylink gateway for the Saudi market
- The PayTabs acquirer for website payments
- The standard Odoo payment framework for providers and transaction tracking
| Method | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Cash on delivery | Pay on delivery; marketplace settlement |
| PayTabs / Paylink | Card and local gateway checkout |
| Online transaction | Reconciliation in Odoo |
WhatsApp, Mobile & Digital Channels
Optional channels beyond the browser — WhatsApp, native mobile, and AI chat.
Business problem
- Buyers expect WhatsApp for product questions in the GCC
- A mobile app is expected for repeat B2B buyers
- Social messaging is siloed outside the CRM
What TechUltra delivered
- Extended WhatsApp with rich templates — buttons and lists — on Odoo WhatsApp Enterprise
- Scripted chatbot flows with an optional AI layer on WhatsApp
- Product-catalog sync to Meta / WhatsApp commerce
- WhatsApp login with OTP and signup flows
- An 'Ask on WhatsApp' inquiry button on product pages
- Bulk and scheduled marketing sends
- Facebook and Instagram messaging routed into Odoo Discuss
- A mobile commerce API for native apps
| Channel | Requires |
|---|---|
| WhatsApp sales / support | Odoo WhatsApp Enterprise + Meta Business |
| WhatsApp catalog | Catalog sync module + product governance |
| Native mobile app | Mobile API + app-store release |
| AI chatbot | An AI-provider policy + training-data governance |
Before & after
A qualitative contrast. The "before" reflects the typical pre-platform pattern in the sector, not an audited baseline.
-
Before
Vendors in spreadsheets or static directories
After
A multi-vendor marketplace as the commercial front door
-
Before
Manual company verification; inconsistent partner data
After
Structured vendor profiles with registry enrichment
-
Before
Product and service inquiries via email and phone
After
Service requests and a reseller catalog on the same stack
-
Before
Project specs and BOQ in disconnected files
After
Construction registers on Odoo project records
-
Before
Quotes and RFQs without a central audit trail
After
Website quotes, portal RFQs, and a tender register in the ERP
-
Before
Separate tools for shop, CRM, and projects
After
A single Odoo backbone for operators and sellers
Business benefits
-
One commercial front door
Marketplace, quotes, and services on one operator brand.
-
Faster vendor onboarding
A qualification taxonomy plus registry-backed company data.
-
Lower catalog admin load
Reseller and seller self-service replace operator data entry.
-
Richer project context
Technical registers live on the project record, not in side files.
-
Estimating consistency
BOQ linked to cost elements and standard classifications.
-
Governance visibility
RACI, issues, and risks tracked inside the ERP.
-
Regional credibility
Local payment methods and Saudi registry integration.
-
A composable roadmap
Modules enabled by phase — no replatforming required.
Why TechUltra
- Vertical composition — marketplace, construction semantics, and GCC integrations in one program
- Depth on Odoo Projects — an extended project model that goes well beyond tasks
- Partner master-data expertise — taxonomy, certificates, and registry-backed onboarding
- Multi-vendor commerce — large marketplace-ecosystem configuration
- Integration discipline — payments, Wathq, and optional WhatsApp delivered in phases
- Honest scoping — a clear line between custom, third-party, and validation-stage modules
Similar use cases
| Profile | Parallel from this build |
|---|---|
| B2B marketplace operators in construction / MEP | Multi-vendor core, seller signup, and commissions |
| Vendor directory or qualification platforms | Taxonomy, certificates, and Wathq enrichment |
| EPC firms or PMOs coordinating suppliers | The construction project hub with vendor lines on the project |
| Estimators and contractors with BOQ needs | Cost breakdown plus work BOQ |
| Services marketplaces | The service-request portal with vendor matching |
| Reseller and distributor networks | Reseller 'My Products' plus the marketplace catalog |
| GCC operators needing local trust | Wathq enrichment with PayTabs / Paylink / COD |
| Procurement-led organizations | Website quotes, the vendor RFQ portal, requisitions, and tenders |