The problem
- The platform ran on a legacy CakePHP 3.x application with jQuery 1.8.7: 34 controllers, several of them over 3,000 lines, and 276 server-rendered views.
- Some admin screens had no working functions, and bulk actions on students did not work.
- The mobile app had to meet ADA requirements by a fixed July deadline.
What we found
- The December 2024 evaluation set the plan: rebuild the front end in an Nx/Angular workspace and replace the PHP back end with a REST API.
- A message queue, so that messages are delivered reliably.
- Accessibility, automated tests and CI/CD, built in from the start.
What we did
A new platform
An Nx monorepo with an Angular 20 admin web app, an Ionic/Capacitor app for residents and staff, and NestJS and Prisma APIs, on AWS infrastructure managed with Terraform.
Messaging and delivery
FusionAuth sign-in, Twilio and SendGrid delivery, toll-free and 10DLC SMS number provisioning, and an SQS/DynamoDB delivery pipeline.
Features for agencies
Location alerts that route messages by map polygon (PostGIS), with a Unit Map; translation review, where a person approves each language before a Critical message goes out; ClickHouse analytics; and FOIA/FERPA records-request reports.
Accessibility and security
An accessibility conformance (ACR) program with a scope statement and an evidence register, rotating AWS-managed database logins, pgAudit, and PII column classification with a CI guard.
The result
- The rewritten platform went into service on June 1, 2026.
- From September 28 to October 28, 2026, the team merged 819 pull requests across 673 Jira tickets, with production releases through 31.66.
- The new website and admin app launched in October 2026. The combined resident and staff app (v4.3.0) is in beta on iOS and Android.
- In its Clutch review, ReachWell reports an NPS score of 8.8, working with 10 Briebug teammates from January 2025 to January 2026.
“Based on the size and complexity of the project, they exceeded our goal.”