Purchasing · Setup & configuration · 8 min read

Onboard suppliers and manage portal access

Open supplier registration, review applications, create portal logins, and decide supplier change requests.

Before you begin

• The Supplier portal and applications switch must be on.
• purchase.portal.manage opens the screens. Approving an application or a contact change needs partner.manage. Approving a new bank account needs partner.bank.reveal (normally finance).
• Passwords you give must be at least 12 characters. The supplier changes it at first sign-in.

Open supplier registration

1. Open Purchase > Configuration > Purchase settings.
2. Tick Accept supplier registrations and press Save. A secret registration link appears. Send it to prospective suppliers.
3. To retire the link, press New link and Save (a fresh key is made and the old link stops working), or untick the box and save.

Review an application

1. Open Purchase > Configuration > Supplier applications. The Waiting tab lists new ones with company, VAT number, trade licence and contact.
2. Open an application and check the details.
3. To accept, optionally enter a Portal username and Temporary password, then press Approve as supplier. A supplier contact (Vendor, payment days 30) is created, plus a portal login if you gave a username.
4. To refuse, press Reject and give the reason.

Create or close a login by hand

1. Open Purchase > Configuration > Supplier portal logins and press New.
2. Choose the Supplier. Enter Username (lower case letters, digits and . _ - @, unique across the system), names, Email, and Temporary password.
3. Press Create login. The login can use the supplier portal and nothing else.
4. To end access, press Close login and give a reason. The link and company membership end, and the user is deactivated if there is no other company.

Decide a change request

1. Open Purchase > Configuration > Supplier changes. The dialog shows Now against Asked for, with bank numbers masked.
2. Press Approve change to apply it through the normal contact save, or Reject with a reason.

What happens next

• An approved application gives a supplier with the next contact code. Nothing is ordered from the form.
• A new bank account is added as Pending and is verified by call-back before any payment.
• Suppliers see only their own records, and a closed login loses access at once.

Good to know

• The public form refuses: 'Give your VAT / tax number or your trade licence number.', 'An application with this number is already waiting for review.', 'A supplier with this tax number is already registered with us; contact your buyer.' A hidden field catches bots ('The application could not be accepted.'), and one source is limited to 50 applications a day ('Too many applications today; please try again tomorrow.').
• A closed or retired link: 'This registration link is not open.'
• 'Approving a supplier needs the right to manage contacts.' A user without it can still reject.
• 'A new bank account is approved by somebody who may see bank details (finance).'
• 'This application has already been decided.' 'This portal login is already closed.'
• The same person with both rights can approve an application, create the login and approve the bank account. Split these duties by role.
• Anyone with purchase.view can read the Purchase settings page, which includes the registration link. Treat the link as a secret and renew it if it leaks.
• Next: Using the supplier portal.