Vantage Portal
A working prototype of a construction client portal: project timeline, document exchange, variation approvals and payment stages.
Vantage is a working prototype, built to test one question: how much of a contractor’s status-call load disappears if the client can simply see the project. It has been demonstrated to clients but is not yet deployed in a live business.
- Type
- Working prototype — not yet deployed
- System
- Customer portal
- Built
- 2025, internal
- Surfaces
- Client portal · contractor console
- Status
- Demonstrable, ready to pilot
| Item | Detail | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 3 | Fit-out | On schedule | To 22 Aug |
| V-07 | Additional sockets | Awaiting approval | By 08 Aug |
| DOC-14 | Electrical certificate | Issued | 31 Jul |
| Stage 4 | Payment | Upcoming | 12 Aug |
The commercial problem
Contractors lose hours a week to calls that a screen could answer.
Clients ring because they cannot see anything. Variations are agreed verbally and disputed later. Payment stages arrive as a surprise. None of this is a relationship problem — it is a visibility problem, and visibility is buildable.
Typical contract manager: 4–6 status calls a day
System strategy
How the system was shaped.
01
Show the programme honestly
Phases, current stage and slippage shown as they are, because a portal that flatters loses trust immediately.
02
Make variations a record
Requested, priced, approved or declined — in writing, with a timestamp.
03
Publish the payment schedule
Stages, triggers and dates visible from day one so invoices are never a surprise.
04
One place for documents
Drawings, certificates and sign-offs exchanged in the portal rather than in email attachments.
Two journeys, one system
- 01InvitationThe client is invited to the project, not asked to create an account for a product.
- 02Programme viewPhases, current stage and what happens next, in plain language.
- 03VariationsRequests priced and approved in the portal, with a record of who agreed what.
- 04DocumentsDrawings, certificates and sign-offs in one place.
- 05Payment stagesSchedule, triggers and dates visible from the start.
- 01Project publishedProgramme and payment schedule published from the contract record.
- 02Progress updated onceThe site update that feeds the internal system also feeds the client view.
- 03Variation raisedPriced against the rate library, sent for approval with a clear deadline.
- 04Approval capturedDecision, identity and time recorded — the end of “I never agreed to that”.
- 05Stage invoicedPayment stage triggered from verified progress rather than from a diary reminder.
Key capabilities
What the system actually does.
- Project timeline & statusPhases, current stage and slippage, stated honestly.
- Document exchangeVersioned drawings, certificates and sign-offs.
- Variation approvalsPriced requests with recorded decisions and timestamps.
- Payment scheduleStages, triggers and dates visible from day one.
- Notification controlThe client chooses what they are told about, and how.
Architecture snapshot
Four layers, one source of truth
Nothing exotic. A boring, well-drawn architecture is what keeps a system cheap to extend three years later.
- Target portal load
- Under 1.0s
- Document access
- Signed, expiring links
- Access model
- Invitation-only · project scoped
- Public surfaceInvited client portal, document access, approval actionsStatically delivered
- Application layerProgramme model, variation pricing, approval workflow, notificationsCore logic
- Data layerProject record, document versions, approval historyPostgres
- Integration layerEstimating system, accounting, email & SMSRelay
Accessibility
- Timeline is a semantic list with dates, not a decorative graphic.
- Approval actions are keyboard reachable and confirm in text, not by colour change alone.
- Documents are downloadable originals rather than embedded viewers.
Commercial value
What this is built to achieve
Vantage is a prototype. These are the targets it was built to test, not results measured in a live business.
- 0status calls the portal cannot answer, targetTarget
- 100%of variations recorded in writing, targetTarget
- 1update that serves both the site team and the clientTarget
Future expansion
Where it goes next.
To pilot
Live pilot with a contractor
Measure the actual reduction in status calls across a real project.
If commissioned
Snagging & handover
Carry the portal through completion, snagging and the defects period.
Concept
Multi-project client view
One view for developers running several projects with the same contractor.
Related systems
Other systems
Construction & renovation · Quotation software
Live systemHalcyon Estimating
Turn one estimator’s knowledge into software the whole team can price with.
Aviation & charter · Lead generation
Live systemMeridian Air
Win more charter trips by quoting first, with pricing the brokers trust.
Same problem, different sector?
The pattern behind Vantage Portal — give clients status and documents without a single phone call — transfers to most businesses selling complex, high-value work.