Transforming Regulatory Information Access
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) partnered with Doghouse to redevelop their Essential Services Scheme (ESS) website, creating a more accessible, secure and user-friendly platform for operators across NSW’s energy sector.
Delivered in just 12 weeks, the project transformed how energy scheme participants, auditors and consumers access critical regulatory information and services. It introduced seamless CM9 integration, advanced metadata management and enterprise search functionality.
Building for Long-Term Reliability
IPART regulates essential services across NSW, including electricity, gas and water. Its ESS website is a critical resource for scheme participants, auditors and certificate providers.
The previous platform was showing its age, limited by outdated architecture, inconsistent document structures and a fragmented user experience that made vital information difficult to locate.
Working closely with IPART’s internal teams, we delivered a platform designed to meet long-term operational and compliance needs while making access simpler and more reliable for external users.
Challenges
- Outdated CMS and workflows limited staff's ability to publish timely content, manage metadata, or structure information effectively across schemes
- Poor user experience created friction for energy professionals needing quick access to forms, audit guidelines, and compliance information
- Lack of integration with IPART’s CM9 document management system increased manual effort and reduced document traceability
- Accessibility gaps and mobile usability issues excluded stakeholders and did not meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards
- Delivered under a tight three-month timeframe, the project required close coordination and clear priorities to meet integration, compliance and usability goals
Our Approach
Discovery and Planning
We conducted targeted stakeholder interviews and technical workshops to uncover challenges across content workflows, metadata handling, and CM9 integration.
Our team reviewed user journeys, metadata structures, legacy CMS limitations, and document dependencies, then translated these findings into a delivery plan prioritising outcomes and business continuity.
Restructuring the Architecture
The website’s information architecture was rebuilt around real user behaviours. We introduced a new taxonomy structure that aligned with how stakeholders search and browse by scheme type, audience, and document need.
This included custom metadata tagging and structured content types to support compliance workflows and ensure traceability.
Migration and Content Strategy
We developed automated migration scripts to preserve document relationships and ensure metadata fidelity across thousands of files.
This work enabled IPART to maintain historical accuracy while presenting the most current and relevant content in user-friendly formats.
Collaborative Iteration
Working in close cadence with IPART’s internal stakeholders, we delivered and tested functional increments in fortnightly sprints.
Each milestone incorporated structured user testing with internal and external users to ensure the evolving platform reflected real-world needs.
Technical Implementation
Delivered on Australia’s secure, Drupal-based platform for government, ensuring compliance, scalability and maintainability
Built custom middleware to synchronise metadata, manage document versioning, and maintain compliance, all without compromising security
Implemented Solr-based faceted search with metadata filters and contextual result grouping for documents and guidance material
Designed a mobile-first responsive interface optimised for use in the field by energy auditors and assessors
Full WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, including screen reader support, semantic HTML and keyboard navigation
WAF protection, SSL encryption, daily security scans, and protected endpoints for integration layers
Outcomes & Impact
Improved User Experience
Navigation is now intuitive and responsive, making it easier for stakeholders to access the right content quickly.
Operational Improvements
Internal teams can manage and publish content confidently, with CM9 integration reducing manual document overhead.
Stronger Governance
Structured metadata, document versioning and taxonomy-driven navigation support auditability and information integrity.
Scalable Foundation
GovCMS platform and reusable components enable future feature development and potential integrations with other IPART systems.
Built for What’s Next
The new ESS website supports IPART’s ongoing commitment to transparent, accessible and compliant service delivery.
With the technical foundations that support further enhancements, IPART is better positioned to meet stakeholder needs across NSW’s evolving energy sector.
Let's Build for Impact
We help government and essential service organisations design digital platforms that serve the public when it matters most.
If you're building something that needs to work under pressure and with purpose, we'd love to talk.
