# Purchase User Guide
placta Vendor Management — for the Purchase Department
Version 1.0 · September 2025
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## Change log
| Version | Date | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Sep 2025 | First release of the role-based guide set. |
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## Where do I…? (quick reference)
| If you need to … | Go to | Section in this guide |
|---|---|---|
| Register a Trader-type vendor | Manage Vendors → Add Vendor → Trader | [§3.1](#31-register-a-trader-type-vendor) |
| Register a Manufacturer-type vendor | Manage Vendors → Add Vendor → Manufacturer | [§3.2](#32-register-a-manufacturer-type-vendor) |
| Send a vendor for Accounts Entry | Vendor record → Send for Accounts Entry | [§4](#4-send-for-accounts-entry) |
| Send a vendor for Activation | Vendor record → Send for Activation | [§5](#5-send-for-activation) |
| Re-send a vendor that was rejected | Vendor record → re-trigger the same flow | [§6](#6-handling-an-activation-rejection) |
| Find a vendor | Manage Vendors → search bar | [§2](#2-finding-a-vendor) |
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## 1. Your role as a Purchase user
As the Purchase Department, you are the entry point of every vendor's life in placta. You create the vendor record, capture the supporting data, and hand it off to Accounts and then to Activation.
You own:
- Vendor Registration (Trader and Manufacturer paths)
- Handing off to the Accounts Department
- Handing off to the Activation Approver
You do not (and should not) do any of these:
- Activate vendors — that's the Activation Approver's role
- Run Accounts Entry yourself — that's the Accounts Department's role
- Start or modify qualifications — that's the Initiator and Coordinator
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## 2. Finding a vendor
1. Navigate to Vendor Dashboard → Manage Vendors.
2. Use the search bar to filter by vendor name, manufacturer name, status, or date range.
3. Click any row to open the vendor record.
If a vendor doesn't show up, they may have been soft-deleted — try filtering by status.
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## 3. Registering a new vendor
Two vendor types exist in placta. The Trader path requires you to also disclose and document the underlying Manufacturer. The Manufacturer path is shorter because there's no middle-man to track.
### 3.1 Register a Trader-type vendor
1. From the Vendor record, click Add Vendor (or Trader Path if the system shows the choice).
2. Fill in the basic vendor information:
- Legal name
- Trader type (select "Trader")
- Country of registration
- Primary contact (name, email, phone)
3. Click Save — the vendor is created in Draft status.
4. Add Site — primary address and any additional sites the vendor operates from.
5. Add Materials — list the materials/products the vendor supplies (this drives what they'll be qualified against later).
6. Add Documents — upload supporting certificates (e.g. business registration, quality certifications, regulatory docs).
7. Add Terms and Conditions — Admin only. If you're not an Admin, leave this for the Admin to fill.
8. Add Manufacturer (this is the Trader-specific step) — disclose who the underlying manufacturer is. The Trader is just a middle-man; the Manufacturer is the actual producer.
9. Add Manufacturer Site, Material, Documents, T&C — repeat steps 4–7 for the manufacturer.
10. The vendor record is now complete at the Trader level and ready to be sent to Accounts.
> Tip: if the manufacturer already exists in placta as a vendor, you can link to them instead of recreating.
### 3.2 Register a Manufacturer-type vendor
1. From the Vendor record, click Add Vendor → Manufacturer.
2. Fill in basic vendor info (as in §3.1 step 2).
3. Add Site — primary address.
4. Add Materials — list the materials they produce.
5. Add Documents — upload supporting certificates.
6. Add Terms and Conditions — Admin only.
7. The vendor record is now complete and ready for Accounts.
> Path length: Manufacturer is ~5 steps; Trader is ~10. Use Trader only when there is a true middle-man relationship.
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## 4. Send for Accounts Entry
Once the vendor record is complete (Trader or Manufacturer path), the next step is the Accounts Department entering payment/banking details.
1. Open the vendor record.
2. Click Send for Accounts Entry (or the equivalent button in the vendor's status panel).
3. The system marks the vendor as Pending Accounts Entry.
4. The Accounts Department user is notified.
> What if the Accounts Department is unavailable? Don't skip this step — the Accounts team needs to enter payment details before activation so the vendor record is financially complete.
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## 5. Send for Activation
Once the Accounts Department has submitted their entry, the vendor is ready for the Activation Approver.
1. Open the vendor record.
2. Confirm that Accounts Entry = Submitted (visible in the status panel).
3. Click Send for Activation.
4. The system marks the vendor as Pending Activation.
5. The Activation Approver is notified.
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## 6. Handling an activation rejection
If the Activation Approver rejects the vendor, the record returns to you with their comments attached.
1. The vendor appears in your Manage Vendors list with status Rejected — back to Purchase.
2. Open the record and read the Approver's comments (in the Audit Logs tab or directly on the rejection banner).
3. Fix what was flagged — usually a missing document, incorrect trader/manufacturer relationship, or wrong material list.
4. Re-trigger the appropriate next step:
- If Accounts Entry wasn't completed yet, send to Accounts Entry again.
- If Accounts Entry was completed but the rejection was about the registration, edit the registration and send for Activation again.
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## 7. Common issues
### "Send for Activation" is greyed out
- The vendor's Accounts Entry must be Submitted first. Check the status panel.
- All required Trader/Manufacturer sub-records (site, materials, documents) must be present. The system highlights missing items in red.
### The vendor already exists
- Use search before adding a new vendor. Duplicates cause confusion downstream.
- If you find a duplicate, contact Admin to merge.
### I don't have permission to Add Documents / Add T&C
- Terms and Conditions is Admin only. Document upload is open to Purchase for most types; if a specific doc type is locked, ask Admin.
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## See also
- [Quick Start Guide](./01-quick-start-guide.md) — orientation for any new user
- [Accounts User Guide](./03-accounts-user-guide.md) — what the Accounts Department does next
- [Initiator Guide](./07-initiator-guide.md) — what happens after activation (qualification begins)
- [Vendor Onboarding & Activation](../../vendor-management/01-vendor-onboarding.md) — full flowchart