Vendor directory

A vendor record identifies the company the Buyer can invite, contract with and order from. It carries the legal name, vendor code, doing-business-as name, EIN, remit-to and ship-from addresses, and default payment, freight and FOB terms. Procurement Manager owns the status decision. Buyer reads the same record before inviting a supplier to an RFQ or preparing an order; Controller reads it when checking committed spend and supplier concentration.

Vendor Overview shows supplier population, W-9 coverage, preferred coverage, certification expiry exposure and order commitments. Use it to choose where the team should inspect a record next. A preferred flag is a sourcing signal; the supplier’s current status and qualification evidence still matter at the moment of selection. An Onboarding supplier needs review before new business. Suspended and Blocked decisions carry a reason and the person who made the change.

• Identity and terms. Confirm the vendor code, legal name and addresses before purchase documents use them. Default terms help the Buyer draft an order, while the order records its own agreed terms.
• Status decision. Procurement Manager reviews the supplier’s W-9 flag, relevant certification dates and category requirements. Record who changed status, when and why so the next Buyer sees the basis.
• Relationship context. Link contacts, published scorecards, agreements and orders back to the same vendor. A parent-company reference can group related legal suppliers without collapsing their individual contracts.

Choose who may create a vendor, who may set its preferred flag and which person may decide Active, Suspended or Blocked. Agree how an EIN is checked and who may read it. Set the category qualification rules that apply before a supplier can be used. Decide how to handle a supplier with a current order when its status changes, including who reviews open receipts and amendments. Record the source of the W-9 flag and how a correction reaches purchasing.

Take a new component supplier through a realistic review. Buyer records its legal name and primary contact, while Procurement Manager checks the W-9 flag and the certificate relevant to that component category. Procurement Manager records the activation reason and confirms the person and time appear on the vendor. Buyer then opens an RFQ and confirms the selected vendor is the same legal entity. Repeat with a supplier marked Suspended after an order was sent: review the open order and receipt history before considering any new commitment.

• Vendor Directory — Supplier identity, terms and current status in a single working list.
• Vendors Awaiting Qualification — Onboarding suppliers that need a Procurement Manager decision.
• Preferred Active Vendors — Active suppliers and the preferred flag for sourcing review.

Start with supplier qualification, then follow sourcing and performance review.