What this page is for
A supplier is who you buy stock or services from: their terms, the currency they quote in, and how to reach them. This page lists every supplier, with the information a buyer reaches for most often.
The columns:
- Code: the supplier's own short code, which appears on every order document sent to them.
- Name: the supplier's name, as you write it — a guest never sees this, so it is not translated.
- Currency: what this supplier quotes and is paid in.
- Payment terms: how many days you have to pay, from the invoice date, or Due on receipt.
- Lead time: how long an order takes to arrive, or Same day (cash and carry).
- KRA PIN: the supplier's tax identifier (KRA is the Kenya Revenue Authority; PIN is personal identification number), if recorded. Without it, VAT (value added tax) charged on their invoices cannot be claimed back.
- Contact: whoever the supplier has given you as a contact, or their phone number.
- Status: Active or Inactive. An inactive supplier stays on every past order, receipt and invoice, but cannot be chosen on a new one.
Everyone whose role can view purchasing sees this page. Adding, editing and deactivating a supplier need a role that can manage purchasing.
This page does not set what you pay for any one item — that lives on each supplier's own prices, set through a supplier price change.
How to…
How to find a supplier
Type in the search box to match by name or code. Tick or untick Active to show only active or only inactive suppliers.
How to open a supplier
Press the row to see Supplier: their terms, their prices in force, and their recent price changes.
How to add a supplier
Press Add supplier. See Add supplier.
Worked examples
Butchery that also roasts meat
Mama Njeri's Butchery in Kiambu buys from two suppliers: Ndahiro Farm for live cattle, same-day
cash and carry, and Kiambu Spice Co on 14-day terms. The search box finds Ndahiro in a list
that also carries a dozen one-off suppliers from years past.
Supermarket
Tumaini Supermarket in Nakuru stops buying from a small distributor. Rather than delete the supplier — its old orders and invoices still need to make sense — the buyer deactivates it from its own page, and it drops off the Active filter here while staying visible under Inactive.