This guide takes you through creating a new supplier record in oboloo, from the mandatory fields through to setting up owners, contacts and compliance documentation.
Creating a supplier record stores all supplier information centrally, so it can be used across sourcing activities, contracts, savings initiatives and compliance tracking without being re-entered each time.
When to Use This Feature
When onboarding a new supplier to the system.
When storing supplier details for future sourcing, contract management, or compliance tracking.
When linking suppliers to locations, industries, and departments for better data organisation.
When assigning supplier contacts for communication and collaboration.
Before You Start
Certain fields must be completed before a supplier can be created. These exist to keep data quality high, make suppliers findable through table filters, and ensure supplier records work correctly across the other modules.
The mandatory fields are:
Supplier Name – The official name of the supplier.
Contact Name – The name of the main contact person at the supplier.
Email Address (Supplier's) – The main email address used for communication with the supplier.
Confirm Email Address – Ensures accuracy by requiring confirmation of the supplier's email.
Step-by-Step Guide: Adding a New Supplier
Step 1: Navigate to Supplier Management
Click on Supplier Management from the left-hand menu.
Click on the Suppliers sub-menu.
Step 2: Click Add New Supplier
Locate the Add New Supplier button at the top of the supplier table and click it.
Step 3: Fill Out the Supplier Details
A popup window will appear on the left-hand side of the screen.
Enter all mandatory fields, including supplier name, description, contact details and industry classification.
Step 4: Add a Supplier Email Address
In the Email Address field, enter a valid supplier email.
This email is used for:
Requesting supplier and contract documentation.
Sending eSourcing activities for participation.
Additional supplier contacts can be added later, once the supplier record has been created.
Step 5: Confirm Supplier Preferences
Indicate whether the supplier is a preferred supplier.
Preferred suppliers may be given priority in contracting or sourcing activities.
Step 6: Submit the Supplier Record
Click Submit to finalise supplier creation.
📌 Once submitted, the supplier record is created and stored in the system.
After the Supplier Is Created
Once you submit, a popup asks whether you want to add more details to the supplier record. Click Yes to open the supplier profile page, where you can:
Add more supplier contacts, and set which contact is the supplier's primary contact.
Define payment terms.
Upload or request compliance documentation.
Assign additional supplier owners.
Add the supplier's website URL in the Contact Info tab.
Supplier Owners
The person who creates a supplier record is automatically assigned as a Supplier Owner. Supplier Owners receive notifications relating to the supplier for as long as it remains an active record — for example compliance deadlines, document expiries and performance review reminders.
Additional owners can be added at any time from within the supplier record to share responsibility and improve oversight. Every supplier must keep at least one owner assigned. See Supplier Owners.
Creating Locations and Departments Without Leaving the Form
You can create dependent records while adding a supplier, so you do not have to abandon the form part-way through to go and set something up.
For example, if the location you need does not yet exist, select + New Location from the Location dropdown and add it on the spot.
Configurable Dropdown Fields
oboloo provides predefined values in the dropdown fields on the supplier form, but these can be changed to match your organisation's own terminology and structure. Dropdown values are managed on the Configurations page under Settings.
The configurable fields when creating a supplier are:
Supplier Type – Defines whether the supplier is a manufacturer, distributor, service provider, and so on.
Industry – Categorises the supplier's business sector.
Sub Industry – Provides further classification within the selected industry.
📌 Location and Department can also be customised, and are managed in their own sections within Settings.
Key Considerations & Best Practices
✅ Complete all mandatory fields — Missing required fields will prevent the supplier being created.
✅ Use consistent naming conventions — Helps with searchability and reporting, particularly where the same supplier trades under several names.
✅ Verify email addresses before submitting — Document requests and sourcing invitations depend on them being correct.
✅ Set the right primary contact — This determines who automated requests are sent to.
✅ Create locations and departments on the fly — Use the + New option in the dropdowns rather than leaving the form.
✅ Keep supplier records up to date — Contacts, industries and payment terms all change over time.
Additional Resources
📌 Related User Guides:
Primary Supplier Contacts – Setting the main point of contact for a supplier.
Supplier Owners – Assigning and managing supplier owners.
Managing Supplier Compliance Documentation – How to request and upload compliance documents.
Supplier Evaluation – Using scorecards to assess supplier performance.
Importing Suppliers into oboloo – Adding or updating multiple suppliers in bulk via CSV.
Supplier Onboarding Overview – Onboarding suppliers with document and scorecard requests.
If you need further assistance, please contact your internal platform administrator for support. Otherwise please reach out to oboloo's support team. If you are unable to view the above area in the oboloo platform, please check your user permissions and access rights.