AWTCC: Scaling global trade operations with a secure certification platform

The American World Trade Chamber of Commerce (AWTCC) is the official U.S. national chamber accredited by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), trusted by governments and global businesses to certify trade documents with international authority.

They approached Geniusee to develop a secure, multi-role SaaS platform that streamlines international trade workflows. Now, the platform enables users to upload, annotate, stamp, and certify documents with speed, accuracy, and full compliance.

Services

Industry

Inventory management + Logistics

Location

United States

Business context

AWTCC needed a modern platform to streamline the review, annotation, and certification of trade documents. Their legacy system struggled with growing support requests, slow performance, outdated UX, and limited scalability.

In response, Geniusee partnered with AWTCC to design and build the collaborative document annotation platform. This secure, SaaS-based web application enables document submission, review, stamping, and approval across multiple roles and organizations. The platform supports both PDF and Word formats and allows real-time collaboration between clients, partners, and chamber users.

Key challenges:

Inefficient, outdated system architecture
The previous solution suffered from poor performance, with slow page loads and delayed reporting. Its design no longer met user expectations, and technical limitations made maintenance increasingly difficult.

High volume of support and user friction
Clients frequently reported usability issues, leading to a heavy support burden on the AWTCC team. Features like role permissions, multi-tenancy, and document visibility lacked clarity and control.

Limited scalability and security
The old system could not support dynamic role-based access or scalable certificate stamping and lacked built-in compliance safeguards needed for a growing international user base.

Solutions we implemented

To modernize the certification process, we built a robust, multi-role platform with modular features, secure workflows, and an intuitive design. Key deliverables included:

1

Certificate prefilling and stamping
2

Manual stamping tools
3

Role-based access control (RBAC)
4

Complete document lifecycle workflows
5

Post-certification PDF encryption
6

Modern and responsive UI

With this feature, users can complete dynamic forms that automatically populate the required certificate fields. Once submitted, these are converted into standardized PDF documents and stamped with unique, tamper-proof identifiers. This feature ensured authenticity and minimized manual errors.
Chamber staff can manually apply stamps through an integrated PDF editor for documents that require more customized review. The tool allows full control over size, rotation, and page selection, enabling precise placement without he need of third-party software.
We created a flexible permission system that supports multiple user roles (including Admin, Superadmin, Chamber, Partner, Client, and Support), each with granular access to specific features and data. This ensures operational clarity and secure boundaries between internal teams and external users.
Our team elaborated on the platform that maintains the full review cycle: clients can submit documents and manage applications with attachments, while Chambers can review, request changes, adjust pricing, apply certifications, and issue finalized versions. And all this is possible within a secure, trackable system.
After stamping, PDFs are automatically encrypted to preserve document integrity and prevent unauthorized edits. This helps maintain compliance with international trade regulations and strengthens trust between partners.
First, we designed the interface with usability and responsiveness in mind. It supports smooth role switching, intuitive navigation, and fast load times, whether users manage multiple certifications or review document comments on a single screen.

Project tech stack

Backend

Frontend

Geniusee team

Development team

Product team

Features

- Admin authentication: Secure login, user provisioning, and role management
- Users management: Admin-level control over all accounts and permissions
- Application management: Admin view of submissions and document status
- Fees: Dynamic pricing and billing management
- Chamber role & authentication: Chamber staff login with advanced stamping controls
- View & review applications: File preview, annotation, and approval workflows
- Reporting & analytics: Data dashboards and audit-ready activity logs
- Exporter role & authentication: Clients can submit and track certification requests
- Add applications: Easy file upload (PDF/Word) and partner collaboration
- Payments: Payment gateway integration for SaaS billing
- Audit & compliance management: Secure data storage, encryption, and access logs

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Results

Improved speed, accuracy, and efficiency of document certification through digitized workflows
Secure, user-friendly SaaS platform with scalable architecture and robust RBAC
Optimized UI/UX for clients and chambers, reducing support load and increasing user satisfaction
Encrypted data storage and transmission to ensure compliance with international trade regulations
Multi-tenancy isolation, supporting strict visibility rules between different partners and clients
Full payment integration, enabling seamless SaaS monetization

Obstacles Geniusee encountered

Shifting priorities and evolving requirements

Frequent changes in scope often disrupted our planned workflows, required quick adaptations, and impacted our ability to maintain a consistent development pace.
Complex PDF stamping and annotation logic

This required careful handling of PDF structures, accurate positioning, and a user-friendly interface to ensure a smooth and intuitive experience. Implementing an editor with precise stamp placement on individual pages proved technically challenging.

Let's identify your pain points

How Geniusee resolved these issues

Transition from Scrum to a Kanban

This approach allowed us to better manage changing priorities and give stakeholders more visibility into progress and task statuses. We adapted our processes, so the team could quickly adjust to new requirements without significant disruption.
PDF library integration

With this approach, we could add stamps to specific pages and files. We built an intuitive UI allowing users to preview documents, select specific pages, and apply stamps accurately without overwhelming the user experience.