Adding and linking a new supplier
Via Application Management / Procurement / Suppliers, you can manage all suppliers. After a supplier is added in Spend Cloud and linked to a supplier group, buyers can submit order requests for this supplier.
Below, you will find more information on how to add a supplier. After adding, it's important to link the supplier to the correct data. Scroll down in this article for that.
Adding a supplier from the best practice
By best practice, it is advisable to add suppliers by means of the creditor import. This means that a supplier is replaced based on an (existing) creditor (config setting). When generating a supplier based on the creditor, the link between the two is also immediately created in Spend Cloud. This means that all available credits will be used as a supplier.
How do I add a new supplier?
When the need for a new supplier arises, this will logically also cause a financial cause and therefore cause errors in a new creditor in the financial system. Then also follow these steps: New suppliers are requested as a creditor outside of Spend Cloud via the customer's existing work process. Creditor is saved in the customer's financial package. With the first subsequent relationship/creditor import, a supplier is automatically created in Spend Cloud. The new supplier is combined by default with the supplier group "New supplier", which should not be made available for requests/orderers. New suppliers must be connected from the "New supplier group" to the supplier group(s) used.
Adding a Supplier
At the top of the supplier overview, you can create a new supplier by clicking the 'Add' button.
- Name
If there is already a relation for the new supplier (invoices are coded to relations), we recommend entering the exact same name for the supplier.
- Allow free line
Determine whether it's possible to submit an order request to this supplier based on a free order line. This means that the requester, if this option is activated in their role, is free to choose which item and brand to order from the supplier. This option is not available in combination with an OCI connection. In this case, all order requests will go through the supplier's webshop. If you choose 'No,' the order composition will go through an OCI connection or an internal assortment.
- Send Order Directly
If you choose 'Yes' here, the order (possibly after going through the approval process) will be automatically sent to the email address set up for this supplier. If you choose 'No,' the order will be placed for ordering by the employee selected when creating the order. That employee will then need to manually send the orders from Spend Cloud.
If you want to set up that order requests are placed directly with this supplier via an OCI connection or HTTP/(S)FTP, choose 'No' here.
- Email Address
Enter the email address where orders for this supplier should be sent.
- CC Email Address
You may want to set up that when sending an order to a supplier via email, this email is also sent to another email address, for example, for internal administrative control.
- Delivery Time
Define the supplier's delivery time. When submitting an order request to this supplier, an estimated delivery date will be proposed based on this delivery time. This is just a proposal from Spend Cloud. The requester is free to select an alternative delivery date for an order request. If you leave this field empty, Spend Cloud will automatically use a delivery time of one day.
- Register Deliveries
By selecting 'Yes' here, you can indicate that an order from this supplier should be registered when received. This makes it clear whether the order has actually been delivered and the invoice can be paid.
- Relation
Specify the corresponding relation if it has been created. Spend Cloud distinguishes between a relation and a supplier. Invoices, contracts, and obligations are booked on a relation. By specifying the relation here, the data is combined, and invoices from this supplier can easily be matched with the order.
- Advanced Options
By clicking the 'Advanced options' button, several fields that can be optionally filled in are revealed. It's not mandatory to fill in this information when creating a supplier.
- Type
Determine whether the supplier is an internal or external supplier. Selecting an internal supplier enables employees to submit order requests for products that have already been purchased and centrally stored. For an internal supplier, you also need to specify which delivery group should deliver the requested products. See the article on Groups for more information.
- Default Payment Condition
Specify the default payment term/condition for this supplier.
- Minimum Order Amount
By setting a minimum order amount, you prevent regular small orders from being placed with this supplier. The supplier may have its own minimum amount, which you can enter here.
- Place Order Directly
If you have chosen 'No' in the 'Send Order Directly' field, you can specify here whether buyers should place orders with this supplier through HTTP or (S)FTP. If it's possible to select 'Yes' here, an created order will be directly offered to the supplier.
- OCI
If you have chosen 'No' in the 'Send Order Directly' field, you can specify here whether buyers should place orders with this supplier through an OCI connection. By selecting 'Yes,' order requests for this supplier will be placed directly in the webshop/environment of this supplier.
OCI stands for Open Catalog Interface and is a technique that allows the supplier's webshop to be accessed via an external application (Spend Cloud). OCI connections can be requested from the Available Webshops menu. Read the process for requesting and activating an OCI connection here.
Visma | ProActive may charge additional fees for activating an OCI connection. For more information, please contact your account manager.
- Awaiting Confirmation
If you select 'Yes' here, an order placed with the supplier will have the status 'To be confirmed.' The action to confirm this order will be generated for the buyer. Once the supplier confirms the order, the buyer can change the status to 'To be received.'
- Delivery Terms
You can upload a PDF file here with the delivery terms you have agreed upon with this supplier. If a new order is sent by email, this document will be attached.
- Automatically Adjust Delivery Date
If an order is still in the review process, it may be that the chosen delivery date is no longer feasible. By selecting 'Yes' here, the delivery date will be automatically adjusted to a future date when the order is placed definitively.
- Delivery on Holidays
Perhaps the supplier to be created also delivers on holidays. In that case, you can select 'Yes' here.
- Show Delivery Date & Address
By selecting 'Yes' here, these details will be displayed on the PDF of the order.
- Allow Automatic Approval of Invoice Rules
If this setting is enabled, invoice rules that match an order from this supplier can be automatically approved. The invoice rules no longer need to be reviewed.
- Supplier Sends Invoices
If this supplier does not send invoices, you can choose 'No' here. Spend Cloud will automatically change the order status to "Completed" once all receipts are registered.
- Match Order Based On
If you have both the Procurement and Invoice Processing modules, you can match orders to invoices. With this option, you can specify whether to match based on the total order amount (outstanding order amount) or the total amount of delivered items (delivered order amount). The chosen option will determine the amount you see in the 'To match' column in the matching screen.
- Maximum Deviation
Spend Cloud will try to match incoming invoices to orders. By setting here how much the invoice can deviate, you can ensure that an order is not matched if the amounts deviate too much.
- Status
If a supplier is set to 'Passive,' it cannot be selected when creating an order request.
- Contact Information
In these fields, you can provide additional contact information for this supplier.
After filling in at least the mandatory fields, you can click 'Save' at the top. The new supplier is now added to the overview. From this overview, you can edit the supplier, view data, and link supplier groups and categories.
Orders can only be placed with the supplier once it is linked to a supplier group.
Linking a Supplier to a Relation, Supplier Group, and Category
We will now discuss the three important linking possibilities:
- Linking Relations
By linking a supplier to a relation, invoices from this supplier can be matched with the order. By clicking the 'Link Suppliers' button at the top of the supplier overview, you will find all suppliers that have not yet been linked to a relation. You can also link an individual supplier by clicking the three dots at the end of the row (see the image above).
- Linking Supplier Groups
You will also find the option 'Link Supplier Groups' under the three dots. By clicking on it, you will be taken to the page where all supplier groups are listed. You can link one or more supplier groups to the supplier. This determines which employees have access to the supplier and can see it when submitting an order request.
- Linking Categories
By clicking the three dots at the end of a supplier's row, you will find the option 'Link Categories.' You will be taken to a page with main and possibly subcategories created in the Application Management / Procurement / Categories menu. Here, you can select one or more categories of the product or item type that can be ordered from the supplier. This is helpful because it helps the employee navigate. Once the link is made and saved, these will be visible in the 'assortment' menu for the requester who has access to the supplier group to which the supplier is linked.
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