Supplier relationships

Procurement Manager owns the decision to use a supplier. The supplier record carries the legal name, status, preferred flag, addresses and payment defaults; contacts and certifications add the people and evidence needed for buying work. A status such as Onboarding or Suspended should be read alongside the reason and recorded decision, especially before a buyer invites that supplier to quote.

• Identify the counterparty. Maintain one supplier identity for orders, receipts and performance.
• Review eligibility. Compare certification validity and category requirements before the supplier is used.
• Separate audiences. Share only the intended purchasing records with the external supplier seat.

For a new packaging supplier, Buyer gathers the legal and contact details while Procurement Manager checks the applicable category requirements. A certification record retains its type, scope, validity window and verification identity. The buying team can then compare the supplier evidence against the category requirements and intended buying scope. A preferred flag is useful context, but the supplier status and certification evidence are the actual review material. Supplier users have an external seat related to their own purchasing relationship. The team should agree exactly which order and evidence records a supplier sees and test those boundaries with a supplier account. Internal approval rules, other suppliers and private purchasing notes stay with authorized internal staff. If a contact changes, keep the supplier identity stable so earlier RF qs, agreements and orders still point to the same counterparty.

Agree the required legal and remittance information, who verifies certifications and which category needs each type of evidence. Set ownership for supplier status changes and the reason that must accompany a suspension. Choose which contacts handle quoting, delivery and account questions. Review external access at the supplier boundary before inviting a live user.

Create one supplier in Onboarding, add a sales contact and an expiring certification, then review the category requirement. Have Procurement Manager record the eligibility decision and inspect the status history. Sign in as that supplier and verify that only its assigned purchasing relationship and published evidence are accessible. Repeat the access check after suspension.

• Supplier qualification — Supplier status, preferred flag and change date for buyer review.
• Published supplier scorecards — Published period results that help review an established supplier.

Start with the request and review path, then check the supplier delivery path. Review implementation choices with the owners before the first operating cycle.