Creating a Vendor
Every field on the vendor form — what it does, what it affects, and when it matters.
A vendor record is the master file for a supplier relationship. It stores everything the system needs to process transactions with that vendor: contact details, payment terms, category, bank information and notes. Every bill, payment voucher, debit note, GRN and purchase order links to a vendor record — you cannot create a purchase document without one.
Navigate to: Procurement → Vendors → New Vendor
All Vendor Fields
| Field | Required? | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor Name | Yes | The vendor's business name. Appears on all documents, reports and the statement header. Must be unique — saving a duplicate name is rejected. |
| Display Name | No | How the vendor appears on printed and shared documents. Defaults to Vendor Name if left blank. |
| Vendor Type | No | Business or Individual. |
| Vendor Category | No | Grouping with a colour. Used for filtering the vendor list and segmenting reports. Categories are created under Vendors → Categories. |
| Business Units / Locations | No | Multi-select of the centers this vendor supplies. Shown only when your business has centers. |
| Custom Label | No | What you call this kind of party — e.g. Supplier, Partner. |
| Website | No | Vendor website URL, shown on the vendor profile. |
| General Email | No | Fallback email when no specific contact applies. Used when sharing purchase orders and documents. |
| General Phone | No | Main contact number when no specific contact person is available. |
| Street Address / City / State / Province / Country | No | Postal address, printed on purchase orders and other documents. |
| Payment Terms | No | Default terms for bills from this vendor: 30 days (default), Due on receipt, 15 days, 45 days, 60 days, 90 days. Overridable per bill. |
| Credit Limit | No | The credit the vendor extends to you. The vendor page shows Credit available / Over credit limit against the payable. |
| Tax ID / VAT Number | No | Vendor's tax registration number. Stored for reference and audit. |
| Contact Information | No | Repeatable contacts: Title, First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, Email, Phone Number, and a Primary flag. Collapsed by default. |
| Banking Information | No | Bank Name, Account Number, Sort Code. Stored for reference when you pay by transfer; not used for automated payments. |
| Notes | No | Internal notes on the relationship: payment preferences, contract terms, escalation contacts. Never printed. |
Opening balances are not entered on the vendor form. Record them as an Opening Balance document — see Vendor Opening Balances. Currency is not set on the vendor; documents use the business currency and can be switched per document.
After Creating the Vendor
The vendor detail page opens immediately after saving. It shows:
- Vendor name in the header with a More menu: Edit details, New bill, New payment, New debit note
- Overview figures: Payable, Overdue (when any), Unapplied payments (when any), Purchases to date, Tax to date, Payments & debits
- Tabs: Overview, Activities, Ledger, Reconcile, Rewards
The vendor is now available in every purchase document form.
Vendor Categories
Categories must be created before they can be assigned to vendors.
Navigate to: Procurement → Vendors → Categories tab → New Category
Each category has a Name, an optional Parent Category, a Description and a Category Color. Once created, it is available in the vendor form and shown as a coloured dot in the vendor list.
Importing Multiple Vendors
To add vendors in bulk from a spreadsheet:
Procurement → Vendors → Import → Template (.xlsx). Columns: Vendor Name, Address, Email, Phone, Contact Name, Type, Category, Location.
Vendor Name is the only required column. Type is Business or Individual; Category and Location must match names that already exist.
Upload the file (.csv, .xlsx or .xls). The Preview step shows the first rows as they will be read.
Duplicate names inside the file and names that already exist are rejected as a batch — fix the file and upload again.
If you are migrating from another accounting system, import vendors before recording opening balances. Opening Balance documents select the vendor by record — the vendor must exist first.
Archiving a Vendor
Vendors you no longer purchase from are archived rather than deleted. Select the vendor in the list and click Delete selected: an unused vendor is removed from the directory; a vendor with transactions is archived. An archived vendor is hidden from every document picker but keeps its full history, statement and reports.
A Super Administrator can switch the list to Archived and use Restore selected to bring a vendor back.
Related
- The list, categories and import: Vendor management.
- What the vendor's page shows once documents exist: Vendor detail & aging.
- Carrying a balance in from a prior system: Vendor opening balances.
- Why the email you store here matters: Sharing a purchase document.