How to set up and use the supplier portal in Lookout

This guide explains how to enable the Supplier Portal for a supplier and send their activation invitation.

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Before you start 

• You have purchase order write and finance access permissions 

• The Supplier Portal feature has been enabled for your organisation 

• The supplier is set up in Lookout as a supplier-type Helper (supplier or clinician) and engagement type as a Contractor, with a linked contact record and valid ABN

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Step-by-step instructions 

Step 1: Invite a supplier to the Portal 

• Navigate to the Third party providers from the main menu and select your supplier.
• If the supplier is eligible, you'll see an option to Enable and send invitation on the right-hand side of their dashboard.
• Click the Enable and send invitation button. The supplier will receive an email with instructions to set up their account.

 

Step 2: Supplier completes account setup 

The supplier will: 

• Receive an email invitation from Lookout 
• Click the link to set up their account 
• Verify their business details 
• Once verified, they are logged into the Supplier Portal 

 

Step 3: Manage the Supplier organisation 

From the Supplier Portal, supplier administrators can: 

• Edit their organisation details - name and time zone
• Manage contacts (workers) - add, edit, archive, and import workers in bulk via spreadsheet upload

 

Step 4: Understand supplier role levels 

The Supplier Portal has four role levels: 

Role	What they can do
Owner	Full access - manages the organisation, all contacts, and all jobs
Admin	Can manage contacts and view/action all jobs
Worker	Can view and check out jobs assigned to them, across all providers
Limited Worker	Can only view and check out jobs for a single client at a time via a QR code scan - more restricted access ideal for casual or temporary workers

 

Step 5: How suppliers view and complete jobs 

Once logged in, suppliers see a list of jobs (purchase order line items assigned to them): 

• Jobs are grouped by delivery date 
• Each job shows which care provider it relates to - suppliers working with multiple providers will see labels distinguishing them 
• Jobs can be filtered by timeframe (upcoming, overdue, past) and by client

To complete a job:

• Complete any must-do tasks - respond to required tasks, fill in custom forms, upload files 
• Check out - record a checkout note, confirm the delivery date, and capture the location 
• The job is then marked as Completed

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Manage Supplier connection access

• From the Helper dashboard, return to the Supplier connection tile.
• Confirm the supplier shows as active once they have activated access.
• Use Disable supplier connection if access needs to be revoked.
• Resend the invitation if the original activation link has expired.

 

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Connection status

To reduce unnecessary clicks and confusion, Lookout will display supplier connection statuses so you can quickly see which supplier has the portal enabled and what level of access.

This visual will help distinguish between suppliers sharing the same ABN.

 

What happens next? 

1. Once a supplier activates their portal account, this is reflected in Lookout.
2. All checkout activity is recorded and auditable.
3. Delivery confirmations flow through to your finance and claiming workflows automatically.
4. You can view delivery details, must-do responses, and checkout notes directly from the purchase order and/or the Member notebook in Lookout.

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Troubleshooting 

The supplier says the invitation link has expired 

• Invitation links are valid for 7 days  
• You can resend the invitation from the supplier's profile in Lookout

 

A supplier worker can't see their jobs 

• Check their role - Limited workers can only access jobs via QR code scans 

• Make sure the purchase order line item has the correct supplier contact assigned 

• Verify the worker's account is not disabled or archived 

 

A supplier can see a job, but can’t check out 

• Check the estimated delivery date on the purchase order line item 

 

The supplier's organisation details are wrong 

• The supplier's admin or owner can update organisation details from within the portal 

• Tax numbers must be valid and unique across all supplier organisations