EZEscrow — Trustless Construction Escrow on ICP (Demo Live, 689 Tests Passing, Seeking Grant Support)
TL;DR: We built a fully functional, milestone-gated escrow platform for the construction industry on ICP. Rust canister, single-file HTML dashboard with Internet Identity login, 23 test suites, 689 automated tests — all passing. We’re looking for DFINITY developer grant support to take this to main-net.
The Problem We’re Solving
Construction payment disputes cost the US industry an estimated $40–60 billion per year in delayed payments, liens, litigation, and project failures. General contractors hold payment while subcontractors wait. Owners over-pay before work is complete. Disputes take months to resolve.
No existing software solves the payment trust problem — Procore, Buildertrend, and others add scheduling and documentation on top of the same broken payment rails.
Why ICP?
ICP is the only chain where this product makes sense for real construction users:
● Zero gas fees — users pay nothing per transaction (canister cycles funded by the platform)
● On-chain storage — proof photos and documents live in the canister, not a third-party S3 bucket
● Internet Identity — password-less, wallet-less login; no MetaMask, no seed phrases
● Rust canisters — production-grade smart contracts with formal upgrade paths
● Reverse gas model — platform absorbs compute costs, users get a Web2 UX
Construction workers are not crypto users. They need to log in, upload a photo, and get paid. ICP is the only chain that delivers that experience today.
What We’ve Built (Fully Functional)
Smart Contract (Rust Canister)
● Full escrow fund → release lifecycle with ICP token ledger (real ICRC-1 integration)
● Milestone lifecycle: Pending → Submitted → Approved / Rejected / Disputed
● Subcontractor payment waterfall (auto-split on milestone approval)
● Photo/video/document proof upload (on-chain, up to 2 MB)
● Change order system with dual on-chain signature
● On-chain lien waiver auto-generation (CA Civil Code §8132/§8134)
● Milestone dependency graph with multi-dependency support
● Platform fee collection: tiered 0.5–1.5% deducted at milestone release
● Permit milestone type with 8 permit categories and auto-submit on approval
● Retainage system (configurable 5–10%, early release at 50% completion)
● 3-tier dispute resolution: negotiation → panel arbitration (3 vetted arbiters, majority rules) → appeal
● Multi-signature release (M-of-N approval for enterprise projects)
● Verified contractor badges with license type validation (8 types, 50 states + DC)
● Public contractor directory with search/filter
● Project bidding system (bid request → submit → accept auto-creates escrow)
● On-chain notification system with per-project subscription
● QuickBooks/Xero accounting export (CSV, JSON, IIF, Xero CSV)
● Insurance & compliance verification (7 insurance types, auto-expiry)
● Daily field reports with weather tracking and auto-delay integration
● RFI tracking with priority levels and auto-overdue sweep
● Punch list management with retainage release gate
● Automated pay applications (G702-style)
● 18 document templates (MSA, SOW, NTP, COI, bonds, field reports, and more)
● Stable memory persistence with safe upgrade patterns
Dashboard (Single-File HTML SPA)
● Dark navy/gold design system
● Internet Identity authentication with 7-day session persistence
● My Projects with owner/contractor role badges
● Full milestone workflow: upload proof, submit, approve, reject, dispute
● Privacy Hub: reputation stars, alias registration, access grants
● Mobile responsive (375px+)
● Bid Board, Contractor Directory, Compliance Tab, Field Reports, RFIs, Billing, Punch List, Notifications, Export
Test Coverage
23 test suites, 689 automated tests — all passing. No regressions across the entire build.
Suite Tests
Core escrow lifecycle
19 Feature tests (proof, change orders, disputes)
25 Privacy features
25 Platform fees (3 tiers, treasury, sub split)
21 Dispute resolution (3-tier, panel, appeal)
35 Retainage (withholding, early release, rates)
36 On-chain contract storage
23 Document templates (18 types)
69 Rejection evidence
33 Daily field reports
37 RFI tracking
45 Insurance verification
30 Photo documentation
28 Pay applications
33 Punch list
30 On-chain reviews
33 Contractor verification
19 Contractor directory
26 Project bidding
25 Multi-signature release
25 Notifications
20 Accounting export 18
Business Model
Transaction fee on milestone release — no upfront SaaS cost:
Project Size
Fee Rate
< $50,000
1.50%
$50,000 – $500,000
1.00%
> $500,000
0.50%
US TAM: ~$2.1T in annual construction spend. Addressable portion (projects where payment trust is the bottleneck): $400B+ annually.
What We Need
We’re applying for a DFINITY developer grant to fund mainnet deployment, security audit, and initial user acquisition. Specifically:
1. Canister security audit before handling real funds
2. Mainnet deployment and cycle top-up infrastructure
3. Payment processor integration (Bridge.xyz / Stripe for USDC on/off-ramp)
4. First 50 pilot projects with residential GCs in California
Links
● GitHub: Private repo (happy to grant access for review)
● Demo: Available on local dfx replica (mainnet deployment pending grant)
We believe ICP is the right home for construction finance. The reverse gas model, Internet Identity, and on-chain storage are exactly what this industry needs. Looking forward to feedback from the community.