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.