Escrow portal guide
How a mandate runs, step by step
One mandate followed from first sign-in to the final payment, through the eyes of everyone involved. Each step shows the screen as it appears, with the button or field to use outlined in orange.
66 steps, captured from a complete run of the portal with demo companies and demo data.
- Funder
Provides the money. Opens the mandate, sets the payment schedule, approves each delivery and confirms every payment.
30 steps - Client
Receives the money. Joins by invitation, delivers the work and submits the evidence for each tranche.
12 steps - CHGWB agent
The relationship manager. Checks organisation files, reviews and approves the mandate, runs the escrow account and resolves disputes.
19 steps - CHGWB owner
Oversees everything. Assigns agents, manages users, gives the second approval on every payout and sees revenue.
5 steps
Stage 01
Signing in
- 01Funder
Sign in
Go to the website and choose Client Login → Escrow portal, or open the portal link from your invitation email. Enter your work email and password and press Continue. You are then asked for the six-digit code from your authenticator app.
- 02Funder
Your portfolio
After signing in you land on your portfolio: every mandate you take part in, and what each one is waiting for. The menu on the left leads to your Organisation file and to Open a mandate.
Stage 02
The funder files its organisation file (once)
- 03Funder
Open your organisation file
Choose Organisation file in the left-hand menu. You fill this in once. CHGWB checks it, and it then covers every mandate your company takes part in for three years. The panel at the top lists everything still outstanding.
- 04Funder
Company details
Enter your company exactly as it appears in the commercial register: legal name, register number, registering court, registered address and what the business does. Press Save at the bottom of the section.
- 05Funder
Source of funds and expected activity
Name a compliance contact CHGWB can write to, then tell us where the money comes from and roughly how much you expect to move each year. Press Attest and save. This confirms the information is true.
- 06Funder
Add your directors, owners and signatories
Press Add a person for each director, everyone who owns 25% or more, and each person who can sign for the company. Give their date of birth, home address and ID document, and tick every role they hold. One person can hold several roles.
- 07Funder
Upload ID and proof of address for each person
Under each person, upload a photo ID (passport or ID card) and a proof of address dated within the last three months, such as a utility bill or bank statement. Enter the date printed on the document before you upload it.
- 08Funder
Upload the company documents
Upload the certificate of incorporation, a recent commercial register extract, the articles of association, the shareholder register and a proof of the registered address. A tick appears next to each one once it is uploaded.
- 09Funder
File it for review
When nothing is left under Still outstanding, press File for review. The file is then locked while CHGWB checks it, and we will email you if anything is missing.
- 10Funder
Filed: CHGWB is checking it
The file now shows Filed. There is nothing more to do until CHGWB has checked it, which usually takes one to two working days.
Stage 03
CHGWB checks and approves the organisation file
- 11CHGWB agent
Customer files waiting on CHGWB
In the console, open Customer files. Waiting on us lists every organisation file that has been filed. Press Open on the row.
- 12CHGWB agent
Check the file
Everything the organisation filed is on one page: company details, source of funds, each person with their ID and proof of address, and the company documents. Open each document to compare it against the register.
- 13CHGWB agent
Take the file
Press Take this file so colleagues can see you are reviewing it.
- 14CHGWB agent
Decide
Approve for three years if everything checks out. Request changes sends your reason to the organisation and reopens the file for them. Reject ends it. Internal notes stay inside CHGWB.
- 15CHGWB agent
Approved
The file is approved for three years. Any mandate this organisation is part of now counts its due diligence as done. They never have to repeat it for each mandate.
- 16Funder
Your file is approved
Back in the portal, your organisation file shows Approved and the date it runs until. From now on, new mandates skip company verification completely.
Stage 04
The funder opens a mandate
- 17Funder
Open a mandate
Choose Open a mandate. Give it a name you will recognise, the total amount and currency, and your side of the deal. As the funder you provide the money; the client receives it as the work is delivered. Press Open draft mandate.
- 18Funder
The set-up checklist
The mandate opens on its set-up checklist. Each step says what is needed and who does it. You can leave and come back at any time; the portal remembers where you are.
- 19Funder
Upload the signed escrow agreement
Choose the signed escrow agreement (PDF) and press Upload document. CHGWB will check it before the mandate is approved.
- 20Funder
Add the payout account
Enter the bank account the client will be paid into. The IBAN is checked as you type. Press Add payout account. No money can go to it until you have approved it later, after checking it matches the client’s details.
- 21Funder
Set the payment schedule
Split the amount into tranches. For each one, give the amount, a due date, how many days you need to check the delivery, and what must be delivered before it is paid. Use Add a tranche for more. The counter at the bottom must read "All … allocated" before you press Save schedule.
Stage 05
The owner assigns a relationship manager
- 22CHGWB owner
The operations console
CHGWB staff work from the console. It opens on the mandates that need attention. All shows every mandate, and the menu leads to Customer files, Users, Revenue, the audit log and Settings.
- 23CHGWB owner
Assign the relationship manager
Open the new mandate’s row and its Team tab. Choose the agent who will look after the mandate and press Assign. The agent is the parties’ contact and runs the day-to-day steps.
- 24CHGWB owner
Managing users
The owner manages staff and client accounts under Users. Disabled accounts move to their own Disabled tab, so the Active list stays clean.
Stage 06
The funder invites the client
- 25Funder
Invite the client
Enter the client’s company name and the email address of the person who will sign for them, then press Send invitation. They receive a secure link by email.
- 26Client
The invitation email
The client receives this email. The button opens the invitation in the portal.
Stage 07
The client joins and files its organisation file
- 27Client
Accept the invitation
The invitation shows who invited you, the mandate and its amount. Sign in if asked, check the details and press Accept invitation.
- 28Client
Your organisation file comes first
After accepting, you land on the mandate’s set-up checklist. The progress bar at the top shows where the mandate is. Company verification is done once, in your organisation file, not separately for each mandate: press Open your organisation file.
- 29Client
The client files its organisation file
The client does exactly the same as the funder: company details, source of funds, the people with their IDs and proofs of address, and the company documents. Then File for review.
Stage 08
Both parties name their signatory and agree the schedule
- 30Client
Name who can approve payments
Your company verification is already covered by the approved file, so the checklist skips it. Add the person who approves payments for your company. If that is you, your details are already filled in: press Add and confirm.
- 31Client
Agree the payment schedule
Read the tranches the funder proposed: amounts, dates and what must be delivered. If you agree, press Accept schedule. Once both sides have accepted, it can only change through an amendment you both agree to.
- 32Funder
CHGWB reviews the mandate
Both sides have done their part. CHGWB now reviews the whole mandate before opening the escrow account. You do not need to do anything, and we will email you when it moves on.
Stage 09
CHGWB reviews the mandate, asks for a change, then approves
- 33CHGWB agent
Open the mandate review
In the console, open the mandate’s Compliance tab and press Open review.
- 34CHGWB agent
Everything on one page
The review screen puts the whole mandate in one place. Before you can approve lists anything that stops approval (in red) and anything worth knowing (in amber). Below it: both parties and their organisation files, every document, the schedule checked to the cent, the accounts and the signatories.
- 35CHGWB agent
The full review
Scroll through each section. View opens a document in the browser, and each file’s fingerprint proves it has not changed since it was uploaded.
- 36CHGWB agent
Request changes
If something needs fixing, write it under Message to both parties and press Request changes. Both parties see the message. Internal notes stay inside CHGWB. Put on hold pauses the review with a reason.
- 37Client
CHGWB asks for a change
A banner at the top of every page of the mandate shows what CHGWB needs. The same message appears in the mandate’s Messages.
- 38Client
Tell CHGWB it is done
Make the change (here, uploading the countersigned agreement under Documents), add a short note if you like, and press I have made the changes. CHGWB is notified and reviews again.
- 39CHGWB agent
Approve the mandate
When Before you can approve has no red items, Approve mandate is available. The history at the bottom shows each decision, who made it and when, including the client’s reply.
- 40CHGWB agent
Confirm
A last check. The approval is recorded against exactly what is on the page.
Stage 10
The escrow account opens and is tested
- 41CHGWB agent
Register the escrow account
Once the bank has opened the segregated escrow account, enter its IBAN, BIC and bank in the mandate’s Account tab and press Register account.
- 42Funder
Send a small test payment
Before any real money moves, each side sends a few cents from its registered account to the escrow account IBAN shown here. This proves the bank details are right. Then press I have sent the test payment.
- 43CHGWB agent
Check the test payments
When both test payments have arrived at the bank, press Verify activation. The account is now ready for the real funds.
- 44Funder
Approve the payout account
Press Approve payout account and check the details once more. Payments can only ever go to an account you have approved.
Stage 11
The funder pays in and CHGWB confirms the funds
- 45Funder
Send the funds
The next step asks you to send the mandate amount plus your share of the fee to the escrow account IBAN, from your registered account. The exact amount and reference are shown on the Account tab.
- 46CHGWB agent
Record the incoming payment
When the money shows on the bank statement, enter it in the Account tab: the amount (Use this exact amount fills it in), the bank reference and who sent it. Press Record credit.
- 47CHGWB agent
Confirm funding
Then press Confirm funding. The mandate moves into operation and both parties are told the money is held in escrow.
- 48Funder
The money is held in escrow
The Account tab now shows the balance held for this mandate, the escrow IBAN and every movement.
Stage 12
Working together: messages
- 49Client
Messages
Use Messages for anything about the mandate. The funder, the client and CHGWB all see the thread, and it is kept as part of the record.
Stage 13
First tranche: evidence, approval and payout
- 50Client
Upload the evidence
When a tranche has been delivered, upload the proof under Documents. Here that is the financial close certificate.
- 51Client
Submit it against the tranche
On Milestones, tick the documents that prove the delivery and press Submit evidence. The funder is told straight away and the checking period starts.
- 52Funder
Review the evidence
Open the submitted documents. If they show the delivery, press Approve. If something is missing, Request revision sends it back with your reason. If you do nothing before the checking period ends, the delivery counts as accepted.
- 53Funder
The confirmation code arrives by email
Every payment needs a second confirmation. The authorised signatory receives a one-time code by email.
- 54Funder
Confirm the payment instruction
Enter the code and press Confirm instruction. If a colleague is the second signatory, send the code to them instead and they confirm it.
- 55CHGWB agent
Release the payout
Once the funder has approved and confirmed, the agent presses Release payout. A second CHGWB person must approve it. Nobody can release money alone.
- 56CHGWB owner
Give the second approval
The owner (or another senior administrator) opens the tranche, checks it and presses Release payout as the second approver. The transfer is then queued for the bank.
- 57CHGWB agent
Make the transfer at the bank
Make the transfer in online banking exactly as shown under Ready to execute. Then enter the bank’s transaction reference and press Confirm executed.
- 58CHGWB agent
Double-check
The console repeats the amount and reference back to you. Press Yes, confirm the transfer only if they match the bank.
- 59Client
Paid
The client sees the tranche marked as paid, with the date and amount. The next tranche is now the one to work on.
Stage 14
Second tranche: a dispute
- 60Funder
Raise a dispute
If you disagree that a tranche has been delivered, open Disputes, choose the tranche and explain why. Press Raise dispute. That tranche is frozen; the rest of the mandate carries on.
- 61CHGWB agent
Resolve the dispute
CHGWB decides the dispute under the agreement: release to supplier or refund to funder, with the reasons recorded. Only CHGWB can resolve a dispute.
- 62Funder
Register the refund account
Money is only ever refunded to the account it came from. Under Refund account, enter that account and press Register refund account, then approve it.
- 63Funder
The mandate is complete
The agent returns the disputed tranche to your approved refund account and confirms the bank transfer. Every tranche is now settled and the mandate closes.
Stage 15
Records: statements and the audit trail
- 64Funder
Statements
CHGWB issues a stamped PDF statement of the escrow account each month. Both parties can download it from Statements.
- 65Funder
The audit trail
Audit trail records every action on the mandate: who did it and when. Entries cannot be changed or deleted.
- 66CHGWB owner
Revenue
The owner sees the fees earned across all mandates under Revenue. The yellow warning appears until a CHGWB revenue account is set up for fees to be swept to.
Questions about a mandate?
Your CHGWB relationship manager can walk you through any step. Write to [email protected].