Supplier documents

Suppliers → Documentation is your suppliers' file: the documentation you ask from each supplier, in a supplier × document type matrix showing what each one delivered, what is missing, what expired and what is about to expire. It is available in every organization. Buyers and administrators manage it (any of them can review: approve, reject, upload on the supplier's behalf and request documents); other roles can view it.

Where to find it

In the menu, the Suppliers section lists, in this order: My suppliers, Documentation, New registrations and Discover suppliers. Buyers and administrators see a red bubble on Documentation with what is waiting for purchasing: documents a supplier uploaded that are Under review, plus document conversations where the last message is from the supplier. Missing and expired documents do not add to the bubble: you see them in the matrix.

If you don't request documents yet

While your organization has no active document types, Documentation tells you so and, if you are an organization administrator, offers a Configure types button that takes you to Administration → Supplier portal. Everyone else sees the same notice without the button: an administrator defines the types.

Define what you ask for: document types

Requirements are configured in Administration → Supplier portal (organization administrators only). Each document has one of three kinds:

• Accept: you upload a text (terms and conditions, code of conduct) and the supplier reads and accepts it. Version, date and IP are recorded.
• Fill and return: you upload a blank template; the supplier downloads it, fills it in and uploads it.
• Provide: you define which document you want (tax certificate, insurance, certification) and the supplier uploads it.

For each type you choose whether it is required or optional, whether it is required at sign-up (the registration is not received until it is there), whether it expires (with the usual validity in days, which pre-fills the date for the supplier) and how many days ahead to remind. A type can be deactivated without losing what was uploaded. Types replace the old sign-up terms, which were migrated automatically as Accept documents.

If you upload a new version of the text or template, you choose whether to request it again from everyone: if you do, those who accepted the previous version become Outdated and get a notice; if not, the new version applies only to suppliers joining from then on.

The matrix and the statuses

Each slot has a status: Missing, Optional, Under review, Rejected, Outdated, Expired, Expiring, Up to date or Unclassified (old files with no type assigned). The per-supplier summary (Up to date, Incomplete, Expired, Under review, No requirements) also shows in My suppliers. The KPIs at the top count suppliers by status and the documents expiring within 30 days; you can filter by status, search by name and export to CSV.

A missing or expired document blocks nothing (quotes, orders and invoices go on as usual): it is information for you to decide.

Review: approve or reject

Opening a supplier shows each document with its file, dates, version and the history of previous versions. Those Under review are approved or rejected; any buyer or administrator can do it. If the portal settings have auto-approval of documents, whatever the supplier uploads is approved right away.

To reject you must write the reason: the supplier receives it verbatim by email and a conversation about that document is opened (also visible under Conversations). The slot stays Rejected until they upload a new version, which goes back to Under review. When the supplier replies in the conversation, you get a notification.

Documents that come from sign-up

When you approve a registration in New registrations, its files move to the supplier's file: those you reviewed in the registration keep that decision, those nobody reviewed are approved along with the sign-up, and rejected ones do not move. If the sign-up came in through auto-approval, its files arrive in Documentation Under review (or approved, if document auto-approval is on) and are reviewed here.

Upload on their behalf and request

You can upload a document on the supplier's behalf (it is approved, with the dates you enter) and request documents choosing the types and a message: they get an email with a direct link to their portal. Request documents always works, with or without automatic reminders, and it is how you ask an imported or manually added supplier for documentation. Reminders sent to each supplier are listed in their detail.

Expiry dates and automatic reminders

Every day the platform checks expiry dates, marks documents past their date as expired and updates each supplier's status. Automatic email reminders are a per-organization setting in Administration → Supplier portal, and they are off by default.

With the setting on, the platform reminds the supplier the configured days before expiry (30, 15 and 7 by default) and periodically about required documents that are missing or rejected (every 15 days, up to a maximum number of notices; both configurable in the portal settings). Those emails go only to suppliers who signed up through your organization's portal: imported or manually added suppliers never get an automatic reminder; request documentation from them with Request documents.

Purchasing gets a notification when a supplier uploads something to review and a notice when a required document expires. The weekly summary of what expires, expired or is pending is only sent with automatic reminders on: turning them off also stops the summary, but the notice about expired documents still arrives.