How do I set up a submission intake system for treaty underwriting with version control and role-based access?

Here’s a practical way to set up a submission intake system for treaty underwriting with version control and role-based access control (RBAC).

1) Define the workflow first

Map the lifecycle of a submission:

1. Intake

   • Broker/client submits documents and data.
   • System creates a unique submission ID.

2. Triage

   • Check completeness, line of business, geography, attachment point, etc.
   • Route to the right underwriting team.

3. Underwriting review

   • Underwriters analyze data, add notes, request more info, and create quotes.

4. Versioned updates

   • New documents or revised bordereaux/statement files come in.
   • Each update is stored as a new version, not overwriting the old one.

5. Decision / bind / decline

   • Track approvals, final terms, and sign-off.

6. Archive / audit

   • Preserve all documents, versions, actions, and permissions for auditability.

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2) Use a structured data model

A solid model usually includes these core objects:

• Submission

  • ID, status, broker, cedent, treaty type, effective date, expiry date, line of business, territory.

• Document

  • File metadata, document type, upload date, uploader, checksum.

• DocumentVersion

  • Version number, parent document ID, timestamp, content hash, storage location.

• User

  • Name, email, department, role(s).

• Role

  • Examples: Intake Analyst, Underwriter, Senior Underwriter, Manager, Admin, Read-only/Audit.

• AccessPolicy

  • Defines who can view, upload, edit, approve, or delete.

• Task / Comment / Decision

  • For collaboration and audit trail.

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3) Implement version control for all submissions and files

Treat every file or data update as immutable.

Best practices

• Never overwrite the original file
  • Store each upload as a new version.
• Generate a version number
  • Example: submission-2026-001 / doc-bordereau / v1, v2, v3.
• Store content hashes
  • Helps detect duplicates and confirm integrity.
• Keep metadata separate from file content
  • File in object storage, metadata in database.
• Track change reason
  • Example: “Updated loss triangle,” “Corrected premium values.”

What to version

• PDFs, Word docs, spreadsheets
• Bordereaux
• Exposure data files
• Underwriting notes
• Quote versions
• Approval decisions

Good storage pattern

• Object storage: S3, Azure Blob, GCS
• Database: submission metadata, version metadata, permissions, audit logs

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4) Set up RBAC by function

RBAC should reflect job responsibilities.

Example roles

• Intake Clerk
  • Create submissions, upload files, update basic metadata.
• Underwriter
  • View assigned submissions, add notes, upload analysis, request info.
• Senior Underwriter / Approver
  • Approve quote terms, override decisions, finalize bind/decline.
• Manager
  • View team submissions, reassign work, approve exceptions.
• Admin
  • Manage users, roles, system settings.
• Audit / Compliance
  • Read-only access to everything, including history.

Permission examples

• submission.create
• submission.view
• submission.edit
• document.upload
• document.version.view
• decision.approve
• user.manage
• audit.view

Important principle

Use least privilege:

• Users only see submissions assigned to them or their team unless elevated access is granted.
• Sensitive fields (e.g., pricing, commissions, broker details) can be field-level restricted if needed.

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5) Add assignment and visibility rules

Treat access as both role-based and context-based.

Example rules:

• Intake can see all incoming submissions in their region.
• Underwriters only see submissions assigned to them or their portfolio.
• Managers can see all submissions in their team.
• Compliance can see everything, but cannot change anything.

This is often implemented as:

• RBAC for what actions are allowed
• Row-level security for which records are visible

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6) Build an approval and audit trail

Every meaningful action should be logged:

• Who uploaded a file
• Who changed a version
• Who viewed a document
• Who approved/rejected
• Who changed role assignments
• When access was granted or revoked

Audit logs should be:

• Append-only
• Timestamped
• Searchable
• Tamper-resistant

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7) Recommended system architecture

A simple, scalable architecture:

Front end

• Web portal for brokers, intake, underwriters, and managers

Backend services

• Authentication service
• Submission service
• Document service
• Workflow/assignment service
• Notification service
• Audit service

Data stores

• Relational DB for metadata and permissions
• Object storage for documents
• Search index for fast retrieval of submissions and document text

Security

• SSO via SAML/OIDC
• MFA for internal users
• Encryption at rest and in transit
• Signed URLs for file download
• Fine-grained access checks on every request

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8) Suggested intake form fields

At minimum, capture:

• Broker name
• Cedent name
• Treaty type
• Effective/expiry dates
• Geography
• Lines of business
• Limits and layers
• Premium / subject premium
• Loss history period
• Exposure measures
• Requested terms
• Submission status
• Assigned underwriter
• Priority / due date

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9) Version control strategy for data, not just files

For treaty underwriting, versioning should cover structured data too.

Example approach

• Store the “current” submission record.
• Maintain a submission_revision table for every change.
• Each revision contains:
  • changed fields
  • old values
  • new values
  • author
  • timestamp
  • reason

This lets you reconstruct the full history of the submission.

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10) Workflow automation ideas

• Auto-route by treaty type or geography
• Auto-flag incomplete submissions
• Auto-create tasks when a new version arrives
• Notify underwriters when key files change
• Escalate stale submissions
• Lock quote versions after approval

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11) Compliance considerations

Since treaty underwriting often involves sensitive commercial data:

• Maintain full auditability
• Use retention policies
• Define legal hold procedures
• Restrict external sharing
• Keep access reviews and periodic recertification
• Log downloads and exports

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12) A practical implementation stack

One common stack could be:

• Frontend: React or Angular
• Backend: .NET / Java / Node.js / Python
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Storage: AWS S3 / Azure Blob
• Auth: Okta / Azure AD / Auth0
• Search: Elasticsearch / OpenSearch
• Audit logging: centralized log system + immutable storage

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13) Minimum viable setup

If you want a lean version to start:

1. Submission form with required fields
2. Upload portal with file versioning
3. Role-based permissions
4. Assignment to underwriters
5. Audit log for all actions
6. Search/filter by broker, cedent, date, status
7. Approval/decision tracking

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14) Key design rules to avoid problems

• Don’t overwrite files
• Don’t rely on UI-only permissions
• Don’t store documents in the database unless volumes are tiny
• Don’t skip audit logs
• Don’t give broad access by default
• Don’t mix active quotes with draft versions without clear status labels

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If you want, I can also give you:

1. a database schema,
2. a role/permission matrix, or
3. a system architecture diagram in text form.