For: Admins and service managers who buy parts · Permission: Manage Parts · Time: About 3 minutes
Quick summary
- Go to Parts & Inventory → Vendors.
- Click + New vendor.
- Enter the Vendor name, then the contact, average lead time, order method, and payment terms.
- (Optional) Set a pricing rule: a flat discount or a flat markup.
- Click Create vendor.
Before you start
- You'll need: The Manage Parts permission to add or change vendors.
- Manufacturer vs vendor: A manufacturer makes the part. A vendor sells it to you. Each part has one manufacturer and an optional preferred vendor. To add manufacturers, see Add and Update Manufacturers.
Open Vendors
Go to Parts & Inventory → Vendors. The page has a search box, the Active and Inactive tabs, and the vendor list. Use the search box to find a vendor by name or contact.
Click + New vendor
The Add Vendor window opens. It has three groups, Identity, Contact, and Sourcing, and a Pricing rule section at the bottom.
Fill in the vendor details
- Vendor name (required). Enter the name your team will search for. It can be up to 200 characters.
- Notes (optional). Add a description, location, or anything your team needs to know.
- Contact name, Email, and Phone (optional). Enter the phone number with the country code, for example
+1 6195550142. - On account (optional). Turn on On account — vendor bills us later (A/P terms) if this vendor sends you a bill after delivery.
- Average lead time (days). Enter the number of days this vendor usually takes.
- Order via. Select one or more of Phone, Walk-in, Web portal, or Field rep.
- Payment terms. Select None, COD, Net, or Pre-pay. For Net, enter the number of days in the Net days field.
- Pricing rule (optional). Choose Flat % discount or Flat % markup, then enter the Percentage. Leave Type set to None if you don't need a rule.
On account changes the receiving screen. With this box on, the receiving screen's billing choice defaults to Vendor will bill us for this vendor.
Click Create vendor
The vendor is saved and appears in the list on the Active tab. The row shows the lead time, order methods, payment terms, pricing rule, and status.
Attach the vendor to a part
A part gets its vendor from the part record, not from the vendor record.
- Go to Parts & Inventory → Parts and open the part. To add a part first, see Add New Parts to Your Inventory.
- Click Edit.
- In the Vendor & Sourcing section, open Preferred vendor and choose the vendor.
- (Optional) Enter the vendor's part number, or a lead time in business days for this part only.
- Save the part.
The Parts list shows a colored lead-time chip for each part. If you enter a lead time on the part, the chip uses that number. Otherwise, it uses the vendor's average lead time.
Edit a vendor
Click the ⋮ menu at the end of the vendor's row, then click Edit. Change the fields you need, then click Save changes.
Vendors from QuickBooks need a permission. If your shop connected QuickBooks, vendors that came from it show a QuickBooks badge. Only users with Manage account settings see the ⋮ menu on them. Everyone else sees a dash (—). Hover over the dash to read the tooltip: "Came from QuickBooks. An account administrator can edit it here." To see how vendors map to QuickBooks, see How Vendors, Bills and Purchase Orders Map to QuickBooks.
Deactivate or reactivate a vendor
Deactivate a vendor you no longer buy from. Click the ⋮ menu on its row, then click Deactivate. It takes effect right away. There is no confirmation step.
The vendor moves to the Inactive tab. It no longer appears in a part's Preferred vendor list, but parts that already use it keep it.
To bring it back, open the Inactive tab, click the ⋮ menu on the vendor's row, then click Activate.
There is no delete for vendors. Deactivating a vendor keeps its record, so use it for any vendor you stop using.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The form won't save and asks for a vendor name | Vendor name is empty | Enter a vendor name. It's the only required field. |
| Order via shows a dash (—) on the list | No order method is selected | Edit the vendor and select at least one of Phone, Walk-in, Web portal, or Field rep. |
| Net is selected, but the save fails | Net days is empty | Enter the number of days in Net days. |
| The pricing rule shows no discount or markup | Type is still None | Choose Flat % discount or Flat % markup, then enter the Percentage. |
| No ⋮ menu on a vendor's row | The vendor came from QuickBooks, and you don't have Manage account settings | Ask an admin to make the change. |
| A vendor isn't in a part's Preferred vendor list | The vendor is on the Inactive tab | Open the Inactive tab, click ⋮ on the vendor's row, then click Activate. |
| A part's lead time doesn't match the vendor's | The part has its own lead time in Vendor & Sourcing | Open the part, click Edit, and clear the Lead time field in Vendor & Sourcing to use the vendor's average. |
FAQs
Can a part have more than one vendor?
Each part has one preferred vendor. You can change it any time from the part's Edit view, in the Vendor & Sourcing section.
What does the pricing rule do?
It records the standing discount or markup you get from that vendor, so your cost comparisons stay accurate.
Do I have to fill in everything?
No. Vendor name is the only required field. Add the contact, lead time, and terms as you have them.
Can I delete a vendor?
Not from the app. Click Deactivate instead. The vendor moves to the Inactive tab.