For licensed Collaborators with permission for this task. Check the selected organisation; feature availability and record access still apply.
What you will achieve
Record your organisation's relationship with a supplier, establish ownership and collect the evidence needed for ongoing oversight.
A supplier's shared identity and your private relationship with it are different records. Check both before creating another supplier.
Before you start
Confirm the supplier's legal identity, website and registration details. Agree the business purpose, relationship owner and due-diligence requirements. Have the appropriate contract and service information available.
Establish the record
- Search the supplier catalogue and existing relationships for the exact supplier.
- Use an existing identity/relationship where appropriate. If a new supplier is genuinely required, use Create New Supplier.
- Enter the company name, description, website and registration number accurately.
- Review contact information, category and tier, and select Relationship Owner Team.
- Record the actual personal-data processing, data-access and critical-supplier facts.
- Review the risk level after changing those facts: the creation form can adjust it in response to the selected risk factors.
- Set due-diligence status to the work actually completed, then select Create Supplier and open the resulting relationship.
Complete relationship governance
Use the relationship editor to record business purpose, relationship status/category, lifecycle stage, tier, criticality and review period. Select Save Changes.
Maintain RACI using the relationship's dedicated controls after the record exists. Confirm accountable and responsible people rather than relying solely on the supplier's sales contact.
Review the available Contacts & Assets, financial, compliance, assurance and performance areas. Link the relevant contract, affected assets, due-diligence evidence and any open risks or tasks.
Review notification preferences, but do not assume a saved preference proves a notification has been delivered.
Check it worked
Reload the relationship and check the supplier identity, business purpose, lifecycle and ownership. Follow the contract and asset links. Confirm the owner knows which due-diligence gaps remain.
If something goes wrong
| Problem | Next action |
|---|---|
| A likely duplicate appears | Compare legal identity and website before creating another |
| Due diligence is incomplete | Keep the status honest and assign the missing checks |
| Supplier identity is wrong | Stop using the record as evidence and arrange a controlled correction |
| The service or criticality changes | Review risks, contracts, processing records and renewal plans together |
Human judgement matters
Recording a supplier is not approval to buy, share data or activate access. Keep procurement and risk approvals separate from catalogue creation.
What next?
For the wider context, see Manage suppliers, contracts, spend and SLAs.
Complete contract and assurance work, then set a review cadence proportionate to the relationship.
Get help
Ask your Organisation Administrator about access or the task owner about the content. For a platform error, include this guide reference, the affected page and a sanitised message, not confidential evidence or session details.