R1 — Default to BUY, not build, for client portals; recommend a horizontal platform ($19-79/mo) or the bundled vertical-SaaS portal

Rule: Default Candid recommendation for any client-portal scope: buy, not build. Start with a horizontal platform ($19-79/mo: SuiteDash — CRM + portal + projects + invoicing + scheduling; portal core; from $19/month unlimited users (2026), HoneyBook ($19/$36/$39/$79) and Dubsado ($20/$40 with portal subdomain on Premier) — creative/service-business portal bundles, 2026) or, better, the portal already bundled in the vertical SaaS the SMB uses (Vertical SaaS portal bundles: Clio (legal $39-149/user), Jobber (home services ~$69), Housecall Pro ($59-169) — 2026, More vertical bundles: TaxDome ($58/user), Karbon ($59/user), Canopy ($150 flat), Buildium ($58-400 by door count), AppFolio ($298 floor) — 2026). Custom only if Five narrow cases where a custom portal is justified: unmodeled workflow / proprietary integration / portal-is-the-product / data-residency / scale-inversion holds.

Why: A bought portal is cheap and ubiquitous (SuiteDash — CRM + portal + projects + invoicing + scheduling; portal core; from $19/month unlimited users (2026)); a custom build is $20-60K + 15-20%/yr (Custom portal build economics — $20K-60K initial, 3-12 months, 15-20%/year maintenance (~$3K-10K+/yr) for patches/auth/updates) and over 5 years routinely exceeds the bought cost. Buying does not relieve PIPEDA accountability (PIPEDA control = accountability: the principal organisation controlling the data stays accountable even when a third-party processor holds it; contracts must address this) but does shift the operational security burden — encryption, MFA, patching — to the vendor. For most SMBs that's a strict gain.

How to apply:

• Lead every portal conversation with the bundled-vertical-SaaS option if the SMB is in law / accounting / home services / property mgmt.
• Custom proposal only when one of the Five narrow cases where a custom portal is justified: unmodeled workflow / proprietary integration / portal-is-the-product / data-residency / scale-inversion five conditions clearly holds.
• Resist the "we want it custom-built for our brand" reflex — most of that need is met by white-labeling on SuiteDash / HoneyBook / Clinked.