Supplier documents let you store, request and track compliance certificates, insurance policies, accreditations and any other files you need to hold against a supplier.
Documents can be uploaded internally by your own team, or requested directly from the supplier through the supplier portal. Either way they are stored against the supplier record, can carry an expiry date, and must be approved before they count towards compliance.
This guide covers creating document types, uploading documents yourself, requesting them from suppliers, and approving what comes back.
When to Use This Feature
When adding internal supplier-related documents for tracking and compliance.
When requesting suppliers to upload required documents directly into their supplier record.
When monitoring supplier compliance and document expiry dates to meet regulatory requirements.
When reviewing and approving supplier-uploaded documents before they are stored in the system.
When maintaining a clear and organised audit trail of all supplier-related documents.
Before You Start
📌 File types accepted: PNG, JPG, JPEG, PDF, XLS, XLSX, TXT, DOC, DOCX, CSV, PPT, PPTX.
📌 Maximum file size: 16MB.
If the supplier record has been restricted so that only its owners can edit it, only owners and administrators can add, request or approve documents against it. See Record Access – Restricting Individual Records.
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Creating a Supplier Document Type
Document types categorise what each file is — for example Insurance Certificate, ISO 9001, or Modern Slavery Statement. The type must exist before you can upload or request a document of that kind.
Navigate to the Main Menu and click Settings.
Select Configurations, then open the Supplier Document Type tab.
Click Add Supplier Document Type.
Enter the name of the new document type.
Click Save.
2. Uploading a Supplier Document
Use this when you already hold the file — for example a certificate the supplier emailed you directly.
Navigate to Supplier Management and locate the supplier record using the search bar or filters.
Click the Documents tab.
Click Add Document.
Enter a document title and select the document type from the dropdown.
Upload the file from your device.
(Optional) Set an expiry date if the document needs renewing.
Click Save.
3. Requesting a Document from a Supplier
Use this when you need the supplier to provide the file themselves. They receive an email prompting them to log in to the supplier portal and upload it.
In the Documents tab of the supplier record, click Request Document.
Select the Document Type from the dropdown.
Choose the supplier contact the request should go to. The supplier's primary contact is marked with a green tick in the Primary Contact column on the Contacts tab and appears first in the list.
If the contact you need is missing, go to the supplier's Contact Info tab and add them.
(Optional) Use Upload Document for Supplier to attach a file you want the supplier to receive alongside the request — for example an NDA for them to sign and return.
Add any Notes/Instructions to give the supplier context on what you need and why.
(Optional) Click Add Document To Request to include further documents in the same batch, so the supplier receives one request rather than several.
Click Send Documentation Request.
The supplier receives an email prompting them to log in, view any Client Attachment you included, and upload what has been asked for.
4. Approving Supplier-Uploaded Documents
When a supplier uploads a document, the requester and the supplier owners are notified.
Navigate to the Documents tab in the supplier record.
Locate the supplier-uploaded document.
Click Review Document to check the file.
If it is correct, click Approve Document.
Documents Requested Through Onboarding
Documents requested as part of supplier onboarding are also visible here, in the supplier's Documents tab. Anything linked to onboarding shows Yes in the Onboarding Record column, so you can tell at a glance which files came from the onboarding process rather than being requested ad hoc. See Supplier Onboarding Overview.
Key Considerations & Best Practices
✅ Set up document types in advance — Having the types your organisation uses already defined avoids interrupting a request part-way through to go and create one.
✅ Always set an expiry date where one applies — Without it, nobody is reminded when the certificate lapses.
✅ Batch your requests — Use Add Document To Request to ask for everything at once rather than sending the supplier several separate emails.
✅ Approve promptly — Unapproved documents do not appear in compliance reporting and generate no expiry alerts, so a supplier can look non-compliant purely because nobody reviewed their upload.
✅ Keep supplier contacts current — Ensure the right contacts exist, and that the correct one is set as the supplier's primary contact, so requests reach someone who can act on them.
✅ Use Notes/Instructions — A line explaining what you need and by when tends to get a faster and more accurate response than a bare request.
Additional Resources
📌 Related User Guides:
Approving Supplier Documents – Reviewing and approving what suppliers upload.
Archiving and Unarchiving Supplier Documents – Removing outdated documents from the active view.
Primary Supplier Contacts – Setting the main point of contact for a supplier.
Automated Supplier Notifications – The alerts that keep documents compliant.
Using the Supplier Compliance Report – Reporting on supplier documentation across your supply base.
Supplier Onboarding Overview – Requesting documents as part of onboarding.
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.