Client Portal (Manufacturer Document Submission) | Knowledge Base

Overview

A guided document submission workflow for manufacturer and importer clients engaging EnergyAE for compliance services. The client selects their product and target service (e.g. “VEU Activity 44 modelling”), and the portal guides them through uploading exactly the documents required for that service. On submission, the portal deposits the documents into the correct SharePoint folder structure and notifies the relevant EnergyAE consultant. The client can see the status of their submission and receive updates without emailing to ask.

The problem this solves: EnergyAE currently receives documents via email, often missing required files, with no consistent naming or folder structure. This creates a data-chasing cycle before work can begin. The portal front-loads this problem by telling the client exactly what’s needed before they submit.

User Stories

As a manufacturer client submitting for MEPS modelling, I want to be told exactly which documents to upload before I submit so I don’t get an email asking for missing items two days later.
As a compliance manager at a manufacturer, I want to see the status of my current submissions so I know whether EnergyAE has received everything and whether work has started.
As an EnergyAE consultant, I want submitted documents to land in the correct SharePoint folder automatically, already named correctly, so I can start work immediately without manual file sorting.
As Alastair, I want to define the document requirements for each service type once in an admin UI so I don’t have to manually update the portal every time we take on a new type of work.
As a manufacturer with multiple submissions in progress, I want a portal dashboard showing all my active submissions and their status so I have one place to check everything.

Submission Types

The portal supports a configurable set of submission types, each with its own document requirements. Submission types are maintained by Alastair via an admin UI. Initial set at launch:

AS/NZS 4234 Residential Modelling — for SRES/VEU/ESS certificate calculations
AS/NZS 4234 Commercial Modelling — for ESS commercial certificate calculations
MEPS Optimisation — pre-test Appendix H simulation to optimise product design
5125.1 Data Review — raw test data analysis and report review
VEU Activity 44 Registration Support — end-to-end registration assistance
ESS HEAB Registration Support
SRES STC Registration Support
CER STC Registration — Small-scale technology certificate lodgement

Alastair to confirm this list and provide the required document set for each type before build.

Submission Workflow

Step 1: Select product

User selects the product the submission relates to from their organisation’s product database, or creates a new product record on the spot (minimal details required — full record can be completed later).

Step 2: Select service type

User selects the service type from the list above. If multiple services are needed for the same product, user can create separate submissions or a combined submission (Alastair to decide — separate is simpler to track).

Step 3: Document checklist

The portal presents the document checklist for the selected service type. Each checklist item shows:

Document name (e.g. “AS/NZS 5125.1 test report”)
Why it’s required (one sentence)
File format requirements (PDF, Excel, etc.)
Whether it is mandatory or optional
Upload slot (drag-and-drop or file picker)
A “not available yet” toggle for mandatory items the client cannot yet supply — requires a note explaining the situation and an expected date

Partial submissions are allowed. The client can submit with some documents still outstanding, and the portal flags the submission as incomplete. The client can return to add outstanding documents later.

Step 4: Additional context

A free-text notes field for the client to provide any relevant context (e.g. “this is an updated test report, please replace the one from March 2025”).

Optional: deadline or urgency flag (standard / urgent). EnergyAE charges a premium for urgent work — Alastair to decide whether to gate urgent submissions.

Step 5: Confirm and submit

Summary screen showing:

Product name and submission type
Document checklist with uploaded / missing status for each item
Any missing mandatory documents flagged prominently
Warning if submission is incomplete: “This submission is missing X required documents. You can submit now and add them later, or return when all documents are ready.”
Submit button

On submission: confirmation screen + email confirmation sent to the submitting user, and a notification sent to the assigned EnergyAE consultant (routing logic maintained by Alastair via admin UI).

SharePoint Integration

On submission, the portal automatically deposits files into SharePoint using a defined folder structure. Alastair to define the target folder structure before the developer builds the integration.

Proposed folder structure (Alastair to confirm):

SharePoint/
  Clients/
    [Client company name]/
      [Product model number]/
        [Submission type] - [YYYY-MM-DD]/
          [Document type] - [original filename].[ext]

File naming is applied automatically. The developer must implement a SharePoint file upload integration. Alastair to provide SharePoint site URL and authentication credentials separately.

Any file that already exists at the target path prompts a version check: upload as a new version of the existing file, not a duplicate.

Submission Status Tracking

After submission, the client can see the status of their submission from their portal dashboard:

Status values (Alastair to confirm the full set)

Received: all submitted files have landed in SharePoint; EnergyAE has been notified
In review: EnergyAE consultant has opened the submission and is reviewing documents
Documents requested: EnergyAE has flagged that additional or corrected documents are needed (with a comment explaining what’s needed — client can upload directly to the submission)
Work in progress: modelling or registration work has started
Awaiting your action: output has been delivered or a question requires the client’s response
Complete: service delivered, submission closed

Status is updated manually by the EnergyAE consultant via an internal admin view. There is no automated status progression in v1.

Client notification

Email notification sent to the submitting user (and optionally other org members) when submission status changes. Notification includes: product name, submission type, new status, and a link back to the portal.

EnergyAE Consultant View (Internal)

An internal view in the portal showing all active submissions across all clients:

Submissions list: client name, product, submission type, date received, status, assigned consultant
Filter by: status, consultant, submission type, client
Submission detail view: documents (with download links), client notes, status history log
Status update: consultant can change status and add a comment visible to the client
“Documents requested” flow: consultant adds a note describing what’s needed; client is notified and can upload to the submission directly

Document Requirements Management (Admin)

Alastair manages the document requirements for each submission type via an admin UI:

Add, edit, or remove submission types
For each type: add/edit/remove checklist items with name, description, mandatory/optional, file format
Changes take effect for new submissions immediately; existing submissions are not affected by changes

Out of Scope (v1)

Automated status progression based on file receipt (status updated manually by EnergyAE)
Integration with CER, ESC, or IPART portals for direct registration submission
Client billing or invoice generation through the portal
Bulk multi-product submissions (one product per submission in v1)
Document version comparison (previous vs new upload)

Data Model (indicative)

submissions
  submission_id
  org_id
  product_id
  submission_type_id
  created_by (user_id)
  created_at
  submitted_at (nullable, when submit button clicked)
  status
  urgency (standard / urgent)
  client_notes (text)
  assigned_consultant_id (nullable)

submission_documents
  document_id
  submission_id
  checklist_item_id
  filename
  storage_url
  sharepoint_url (populated after upload succeeds)
  uploaded_by
  uploaded_at
  status (uploaded / not_available)
  not_available_note (nullable)
  not_available_expected_date (nullable)

submission_status_history
  history_id
  submission_id
  previous_status
  new_status
  changed_by (user_id, EnergyAE consultant)
  changed_at
  comment (visible to client)

submission_types (admin-managed)
  type_id
  name
  description
  is_active (boolean)

submission_checklist_items (admin-managed)
  item_id
  type_id
  item_name
  description
  mandatory (boolean)
  file_format_notes
  sort_order

Acceptance Criteria

Open Questions

SharePoint authentication: what credentials and permission model should the portal use to write to SharePoint? Alastair to provide the SharePoint site URL and confirm whether to use a service account or a delegated OAuth token. This is a build dependency.
Should the client portal be accessible on the Free pricing tier, or only Entry and above? A submission portal that requires a paid subscription may deter clients who want to submit ad hoc. Alastair to decide.
Should submitted documents be visible to the client after submission for their own records, or only accessible by EnergyAE? The client may want to download what they submitted as a record.
Is there a file size limit per upload? Large test report PDFs can be 10-50MB. SharePoint can handle large files, but the portal upload UI needs to handle upload timeouts gracefully.
Should the portal support client-to-EnergyAE messaging within a submission (replacing email threads about a specific submission)? A simple comment thread on the submission record would significantly reduce email volume. Consider for v1.