Suppliers Module
The Suppliers module is still the vendor master-data layer, but it is no longer only a basic contact form. The live CRUD now includes recall contact, quality contact, escalation contact, compliance status, onboarding status, risk tier, document-submission preference, lead time, and minimum order quantity so the supplier record can support the broader governance and collaboration story.
Operational rule: supplier CRUD should remain clean and canonical. If supplier names, codes, or contacts are inconsistent, every downstream planning, spend, and risk report becomes less trustworthy.
Current split of responsibilities: supplier CRUD now stores the governance contacts and compliance posture, while Supplier Scorecards, Compliance Vault, Scheduled Briefs, and Integration Hub use that data to drive analysis and follow-up.
Current role of supplier CRUD
What the supplier module is responsible for
- Maintaining one stable record per supplier.
- Providing a reliable source for product and purchase linkage.
- Supplying lead-time and MOQ context to replenishment logic.
- Supporting clean supplier attribution in reports, scorecards, and executive review.
Fields currently present in the live supplier form
Create and edit fields
- Supplier Code: required internal identifier used for fast lookup and clean reporting.
- Company Name: the main supplier identity shown across the app.
- Contact Person: primary commercial or operational contact.
- Phone: required supplier phone number.
- Email: optional supplier email address.
- Recall Contact: dedicated recall escalation person, phone, and email.
- Quality Contact: dedicated quality or QA contact details.
- Escalation Contact: secondary escalation path when documents or responses stall.
- Compliance Status: current supplier compliance posture.
- Onboarding Status: whether the supplier is approved, pending, or review-required.
- Risk Tier: operational risk classification used for prioritization and review.
- Document Submission Preference: portal, email, or other expected document channel.
- Lead Time (Days): required planning value used by replenishment decisions.
- Minimum Order Qty: required commercial minimum for purchase planning.
- Address: free-text supplier address.
- Notes: internal notes about the supplier.
- Status: active or inactive through the shared segmented control.
What still lives outside the base supplier form
Even after the modernization pass, the supplier form is still not the place for every supplier-facing workflow. The CRUD stores the identity and governance posture, while document review, overdue requests, scorecards, and integration exchange remain separate operational surfaces.
Where deeper supplier behavior lives instead
- Supplier Scorecards: dependency, performance, and exposure analysis.
- Compliance Vault: supplier-linked document and obligation monitoring.
- Integration Hub: supplier requests, API tokens, webhook subscriptions, and system exchange storytelling.
- Replenishment Planner: planning pressure that uses lead time and MOQ.
- Scheduled Briefs and Executive Summary: management-facing supplier exposure review.
Index behavior and lifecycle rules
Expected list behavior
- Search by code, company, contact, phone, or email.
- Quick distinction between active and inactive records.
- Fast actions for edit, status change, and delete where permissions allow.
- Consistent use of the shared table and filter styling pattern.
Lifecycle guidance
- Prefer deactivation when the supplier still matters historically.
- Avoid duplicate supplier records just to capture a new contact person or changed note.
- Keep supplier code stable over time for analytics continuity.
Why supplier CRUD matters more in the current build
The current application has far more supplier-aware reporting than earlier versions. That means supplier CRUD quality now affects more than purchases. It directly affects planning, dashboard exposure signals, executive briefing, and the credibility of the procurement story reviewers see.
Downstream modules that depend on clean supplier data
- Purchases: all stock-in history starts with supplier attribution.
- Products: optional supplier linkage gives better commercial context.
- Supplier Scorecards: concentration and exposure are only useful when master data is clean.
- Replenishment Planner: lead time and MOQ become planning inputs.
- Dashboard and Executive Summary: supplier-linked pressure and dependency signals rely on accurate vendor identity.
What changed in the documentation for suppliers
Documentation changes reflected here
- The page now reflects the live governance and compliance fields that were added to supplier create, edit, and index surfaces.
- The page now explains the distinction between supplier master data, supplier collaboration, and supplier analytics.
- The planning importance of lead time and minimum order quantity is now documented clearly.
Screen-by-Screen Supplier Breakdown
What each supplier screen does
- Supplier index: review the vendor list, compliance posture, and key operational identity at a glance.
- Create supplier: add core supplier identity, contact data, recall and quality contacts, onboarding details, and operational settings such as lead time and minimum order quantity.
- Edit supplier: maintain the compliance and commercial identity of an existing supplier as it changes over time.
- Compliance and risk fields: these are what make the supplier screen more than a contact form. They define escalation paths, evidence expectations, and operational trust level.
- Why it matters: supplier data feeds purchases, scorecards, scheduled briefs, dashboard signals, replenishment logic, and collaboration stories elsewhere in the app.