Manage supplier documents

Manage supplier documents within the supplier profile to collect, organise, and maintain supplier documentation required to fulfil predefined supplier requirements. Upload documents directly or request missing documents from your supplier, while keeping track of document categories, statuses, expiry dates, and supplier communication — all in one place.

Feature access

This feature is available to all ProductIP users.

This feature is available for all plans.

Before you begin

Before managing supplier documents: 

• Activate the supplier profile.
• Configure the supplier requirements configured. See Add supplier requirements

Video instructions

A short step-by-step guide will follow soon!

Steps

Upload documents

1. Go to Suppliers.

2. Select a supplier from the supplier list. If the supplier is not available, add a new supplier. See Create a supplier profile for more information.

3. Click Upload documents under the Documents tab.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions to upload the available documents.

5. Once uploaded, the documents will appear in the COLLECTED DOCUMENTS section. From here, you can edit document metadata or update the document status. For more information, see below Manage collected documents.

Request documents from suppliers

1. Go to Suppliers.
2. Select a supplier from the supplier list. If the supplier is not available, add a new supplier. See Create a supplier profile for more information.

3. Click Request documents under the Documents tab. Make sure that you have defined the supplier requirements list beforehand. Otherwise, the button will be disabled or the required document for the supplier requirement will not be listed. See Add supplier requirements.

4. Select the required document(s) and click Next.

5. Select a supplier contact from the drop-down menu or fill in the required fields.

6. Define a deadline for the document request.

7. Click Next.

8. Fill in the Subject and Message fields.

9. Click Select files to attach a related document to the request if needed.

10. Click Save.

Manage document requests and supplier communication

1. Review the request Status and Document category of the requested document.

2. Click Resend request, Complete request, or Cancel request to proceed with the request.

3. Click Open conversation to communicate with the supplier via the platform.

4. In Conversations, click the paper clip icon to attach documents.

5. In Conversations, click the three dots on the right to stop following the conversation, mark it as unread, or invite other participants to join the conversation.

6. Click Send to send your message.

7. Click the bin icon at the list of Documents requested from to remove the requested document if needed.

Manage collected documents

1. Click the gear icon to filter the columns displayed in the overview of COLLECTED DOCUMENTS.

2. Click the three dots at the end of a row to:

   • View the document

   • Edit metadata

   • Edit document status

   • Download document

   • Delete document
     
     

Tips and best practices

• Set an expiry date in the metadata for documents that are only valid for a limited period. When the expiry date passes, the supplier requirement automatically becomes unfulfilled again.
• Use Open conversation to log supplier communication and keep document exchanges together in one place.
• You can leave a conversation by clicking stop following the conversation unless you are the last team member in the conversation.

Troubleshooting

• The Request documents button is disabled.
  

Make sure that Supplier requirements are defined in Regulatory settings.

• A request from the supplier cannot be completed.
  Verify that all required fields, including supplier contact details, are filled in.

Still having issues? Contact ProductIP via helpdesk@productip.com.

FAQ

• Are document validity periods monitored automatically?
  No. Document validity periods are not monitored automatically; they vary widely and must be configured and renewed manually.
• What happens when a document expires?
  After the expiry date, the related supplier requirement automatically becomes unfulfilled again.

Related articles

• Manage your supplier profiles
• Create a supplier profile
• Add supplier requirements