Platform Audit, Product Data & Pricing Engine Development

# Senior Full-Stack Developer – Promotional Products Platform, Product Data, SAGE Integration & Pricing Engine ## About the Project Virtue Promotions is a modern promotional products platform designed to make sourcing branded merchandise easier, more curated, and more transparent. The website has already been built using Lovable, React, TypeScript, Supabase, and SAGE product data. However, much of the platform was created through AI-assisted or “vibe-coded” development, and I am looking for an experienced full-stack developer to review the existing build, identify technical issues, improve the architecture, and help turn it into a stable, scalable, and manageable production platform. This is not simply a website redesign. The project includes front-end development, database architecture, product data management, supplier integration, pricing logic, decoration pricing, admin tools, and ongoing product updates. The ideal candidate should be comfortable taking over an existing codebase, understanding complex business rules, improving what is usable, and rebuilding areas that are not properly structured. ## Primary Objectives The project has two major workstreams: ### 1. Website Development and Platform Functionality The existing website needs a complete technical audit and review. The developer will be responsible for evaluating the current codebase, Supabase database, authentication, admin tools, product pages, search functionality, mobile responsiveness, performance, and overall platform structure. The goal is to identify mistakes, unstable functionality, security concerns, inefficient code, database issues, and areas where the current build may not be scalable. Key development needs include: * Audit and improve the existing Lovable-generated codebase * Review the React and TypeScript structure * Review Supabase tables, relationships, functions, permissions, and row-level security * Fix existing bugs and unreliable functionality * Improve performance and mobile responsiveness * Improve product search, filtering, categories, and navigation * Improve the admin dashboard and product management tools * Add missing product and pricing functionality * Ensure the platform is secure, maintainable, and production-ready * Document the system so future developers can understand and maintain it The website should ultimately be easy for the business owner to manage without needing a developer for every small product, pricing, or merchandising update. ### 2. Product Data, SAGE Integration and Pricing Management Virtue Promotions sources promotional products through SAGE. I already know which products I want to feature, but the current process for importing and managing product data is not working properly. The developer will need to help create a reliable workflow for importing, cleaning, mapping, reviewing, and updating product information from SAGE. Product information may include: * Product names and descriptions * Supplier and product identification numbers * Images * Available colours * Sizes and variants * Product costs * Quantity breaks * Setup charges * Inventory or availability information * Production times * Decoration methods * Decoration locations * Supplier information * Product categories and subcategories * Use cases and merchandising tags * Quality tiers * Minimum order quantities * Pricing overrides * Featured-product settings * Customer-facing selling prices The imported information cannot simply be displayed exactly as it arrives from SAGE. The data needs to be cleaned, normalized, reviewed, and converted into a customer-friendly format. The admin dashboard should allow products to be edited individually or in bulk. ## Pricing Engine Requirements Pricing is one of the most important and complex parts of this project. Products are often priced differently at different order quantities. For example, a product may have one cost at 50 units, another at 100 units, another at 250 units, and so on. The website therefore needs to support quantity-based pricing columns and pricing tables. The admin section should allow the business owner to: * View supplier costs at each quantity * Set margins or markups * Override margins for individual products * Set different selling prices at different quantities * Add or edit quantity breaks * Apply rounding rules * Set minimum selling prices * Review calculated margins * Preview customer-facing prices * Update pricing without editing code * Bulk-update prices when supplier costs change * Maintain separate base costs and selling prices * Identify products with missing or invalid pricing Pricing should be structured in a way that is flexible and easy to update because product costs may change frequently. ## Decoration Pricing Requirements Many products also require decoration costs to be added to the base product cost. Decoration pricing can vary depending on: * Product * Order quantity * Decoration method * Number of print or embroidery colours * Decoration location * Number of decoration locations * Stitch count * Imprint size * Setup charges * Repeat setup charges * Supplier-specific decoration pricing * Rush services or additional production requirements Examples of decoration methods may include screen printing, embroidery, heat transfer, direct-to-garment printing, laser engraving, debossing, pad printing, sublimation, and other methods. The pricing system should be able to connect eligible products with appropriate decoration options and calculate a total cost based on the selected quantity and decoration method. The general calculation may involve: Base product cost * decoration cost * setup charges or additional fees * margin or markup = customer selling price The developer does not need to be an expert in promotional products before starting, but must be able to understand detailed pricing rules and translate them into a flexible database and calculation system. The system should not rely entirely on hard-coded pricing. Decoration costs, quantity breaks, margins, and setup charges must be editable through the admin dashboard. ## Admin Dashboard Requirements The admin section is a major part of the project. The goal is to make the platform manageable by a non-technical business owner. Important admin capabilities include: * Create, edit, activate, deactivate, and delete products * Import products from SAGE * Review imported products before publishing * Edit product descriptions, images, categories, tags, and SEO information * Manage colour options and variants * Manage quantity-based costs and selling prices * Manage margins and markups * Add product-specific pricing overrides * Manage decoration methods and decoration costs * Add or edit setup charges * Bulk-edit multiple products * Flag products with missing data * Preview how products appear on the website * Feature products in specific categories or use cases * Preserve manual edits when product data is refreshed * Track when product information was last updated * Safely update supplier pricing in the future * Avoid creating duplicate products during re-imports The admin interface should be clear, efficient, and easy to use. ## Future Pricing and Product Updates Supplier pricing, inventory, product options, decoration costs, and availability can change frequently. A major project requirement is creating a system that makes future updates easy. The platform may need to support: * Re-importing updated SAGE product information * Updating only specific fields * Preserving manually edited website content * Preserving custom pricing overrides * Bulk cost updates * Bulk margin updates * Scheduled or manual product refreshes * Change logs or update history * Identifying products where supplier pricing has changed * Reviewing updates before publishing them * Avoiding duplicate records * Deactivating discontinued products * Adding newly selected products efficiently The developer should recommend the best long-term workflow rather than building a one-time import that becomes difficult to maintain. ## Expected Initial Deliverables The project should begin with a paid technical audit and discovery phase. The initial audit should include: * Review of the existing codebase * Review of the Supabase database * Review of authentication and security * Review of the current SAGE import process * Review of the existing product-data structure * Review of current pricing functionality * Identification of bugs and technical debt * Identification of missing functionality * Recommendations on what should be kept, improved, or rebuilt * Proposed product and pricing database architecture * Proposed decoration-pricing architecture * Proposed admin dashboard improvements * Proposed import and update workflow * Estimated timeline and cost for each implementation phase Following the audit, the project will be divided into clear milestones. Potential implementation phases may include: 1. Technical stabilization and bug fixing 2. Database and product-data restructuring 3. SAGE import and data-cleanup workflow 4. Admin dashboard improvements 5. Quantity-based pricing system 6. Decoration pricing engine 7. Product colour and variant management 8. Search, filtering, and front-end improvements 9. Testing, security review, documentation, and deployment ## Required Experience The ideal candidate should have strong experience with: * React * TypeScript * Supabase * PostgreSQL * Database design * API integrations * Product data imports * Data transformation and normalization * Admin dashboard development * E-commerce pricing logic * Quantity-based pricing * Complex business-rule implementation * Debugging AI-generated or low-code-generated applications * Git and version control * Front-end performance * Responsive design * Authentication and authorization * Supabase row-level security * Production deployment * Technical documentation ## Preferred Experience The following experience would be beneficial: * Experience with Lovable-generated applications * Experience with SAGE promotional product data * Experience with promotional products or branded merchandise * Experience with supplier catalog integrations * Experience with product information management systems * Experience building pricing engines * Experience with configurable products and variants * Experience building B2B e-commerce platforms * Experience with wholesale or quantity-break pricing * Experience with decoration, printing, embroidery, or manufacturing costs * Experience cleaning large supplier datasets * Experience working with non-technical business owners ## Who This Role Is Best For This project is best suited for a senior full-stack developer or small development team that can think beyond completing isolated tickets. I am looking for someone who can: * Understand the business problem * Ask thoughtful questions * Recommend better architecture where needed * Identify risks before building * Communicate clearly * Provide realistic estimates * Document their work * Build systems that are maintainable * Explain technical decisions in straightforward language * Work collaboratively through an evolving product This is not the right project for someone who only focuses on visual design or basic front-end changes. The developer must be comfortable working with detailed product data, pricing logic, databases, integrations, and admin tools. ## Project Structure The engagement will begin with a paid audit and discovery milestone. After the audit, the remaining work will be separated into clearly defined milestones with agreed-upon deliverables, acceptance criteria, and budgets. I am open to hourly work or milestone-based pricing, but I prefer transparency around estimated hours and deliverables. There may also be opportunities for ongoing development, maintenance, product imports, pricing updates, and feature improvements after the initial build is completed. ## How to Apply Please include the following in your application: 1. A brief explanation of your relevant experience 2. Examples of similar platforms, admin dashboards, product systems, or pricing engines you have built 3. Your experience with React, TypeScript, Supabase, and PostgreSQL 4. Your experience reviewing or repairing AI-generated code 5. Your experience with complex product pricing or quantity-break pricing 6. Your experience with API or supplier-data integrations 7. Your recommended approach to the initial technical audit 8. Your hourly rate 9. Your availability 10. Whether you work independently or as part of a team Please also answer the following question: How would you structure a product pricing system where the final selling price depends on the base product cost, order quantity, decoration method, decoration quantity break, setup charges, and product-specific margin? Applications that provide a thoughtful answer to this question will be prioritized.