As a Buyer, you can create different documentation and registration requirements for your vendors via the Vendors tab in the black bar at the top of the portal:
You can do this by creating different Vendor Types, and set up Vendor Documents and Custom Fields that you can then associate with those Vendor Types. This allows you to create a highly customizable registration experience for your vendors, in which you can obtain every piece of information you need about your vendor before accepting their submissions. This article will walk you through how to set up each one.
Vendor Types
In order to create a Vendor Type, open up the Registration Settings section. In here, you will see a Vendor Types tab which houses all of the Vendor types that you have created.
To begin adding Vendor types, click on Add a Vendor Type:
This window will open up, and in here you can add a title for the Vendor Type, as well as a short description, then click Add.
You can Edit or Delete existing Vendor Types you've previously created by going into their corresponding Actions tabs on the right side of the screen:
Mandatory Vendor Types
You can also require that Vendors select a mandatory Vendor Type when they register on your Portal. Once this feature has been enabled for you, you can manually select or unselect this feature under the Registration Settings - Preferences tab:
NOTE: To enable Mandatory Vendor Types, please contact support@gobonfire.com or your dedicated Client Success Manager.
Vendor Documents
Now we are going to move on to creating Vendor Documents that you can associate with the Vendor types you have just made! Adding Vendor Documents allows you to ask Vendors to upload certain documents before they can create a submission and participate in an opportunity (such as proof of insurance, a W-8/W-9 form, or a Labour Law certificate).
You will find the Vendor Documents tab under the Registrations Settings section. To begin adding Vendor documents, click on Add a Vendor Document.
This window will open up where you can input a title for the document slot as well as a description. Under the Vendor Types heading, tag the Vendor type that you would like to have associated with this document (in this case, since it is a Construction certification, we will tag the "Construction" Vendor Type). Finally, you can select the requested file type for the document.
You will also be able to specify if it is Required, Active, if it Expires and if the document Requires Verification. We also have an option to upload a Document template for the requested Vendor Document if needed. Click Add!
The Vendors Dashboard will display very useful insights on these documents such as which Documents are Expiring Soon, which ones are expired and the ones that still need to be Verified. Vendors will also receive notifications for expiring and expired contracts (more information can be found in our main Vendor Management article.)
Custom Fields
Finally, you can create Custom Fields that you can also associate with your Vendor Types. Custom Fields allow you to ask for additional information from Vendors that must be provided before a Vendor can create a submission and/or allow internal users the ability to add internal-only information.
You will similarly find the Custom Fields tab in the Registration Settings section of your Vendor Dashboard. To begin adding custom fields, navigate to the Add a Custom Field button.
Clicking on that will bring up a window where you can create your Custom Vendor Field.
First, choose if your custom field is Additional Information and therefore intended to be viewed and answered by Vendors during registration, or if you wish this field to be hidden from Vendors and be Internal Only.
If you have selected Additional Information, you can allow Vendors to choose from a drop-down menu of answers. To do so, check off Allow Multiple Options and type in the options you wish to have in the menu, separated by a comma. If you would like Vendors to type in an answer, leave the Options heading blank and check No under Allow Multiple Options.
If you have selected Internal Only, the field will not be displayed to Vendors and will only be visible to internal users.
Under the Vendor Types heading, you can tag the Custom Field to the Vendor type you wish it to be associated with.
Preferences
Under the Preferences tab, you have the option to make Commodity Codes or Vendor Types a mandatory registration requirement for vendors wishing to use your Portal.
NOTE: If a vendor did not define their commodity codes and your portal requires it, they will be presented with the error below. The link in the error will redirect them back to the registration wizard where they will then be able to add their relevant codes.
That's all it takes to set up your Custom Registration Settings on Bonfire! For an overview of your Vendors experience filling in your custom registration, navigate to our article on Vendor Registration here.
For more information on Vendor Types, please check out our main Vendor Management article.
Comments (0 comments)