Using the Sourcing List for Approved Suppliers

A Sourcing List is a curated collection of approved vendors mapped to specific materials, products, or categories — so purchasers don't have to search the entire vendor database from scratch every time a new PR is raised.

Why maintaining a Sourcing List matters: By pre-mapping vendors to material categories, purchasers can filter vendor assignment to only those suppliers already vetted and approved for that particular material — dramatically speeding up the Assign Vendor step and ensuring compliance with approved-supplier policies (avoiding accidental assignment of an unqualified or unapproved vendor).

How a Sourcing List typically gets built and used:

1. As vendors complete registration and approval, and as they successfully fulfill orders for specific materials, they can be added to that material's Sourcing List.
2. When a new PR is created for that same material, the purchaser references the Sourcing List during Assign Vendor to quickly identify who's pre-qualified — rather than manually verifying an unfamiliar vendor's suitability each time.
3. Over time, the Sourcing List becomes a living record of "who can supply what," directly informed by real registration data (Organisation Type, Manufacturers/Traders categories) and real performance history (from Analytics and PO History).

Practical example of how it's used in daily work: When assigning vendors to a PR line item for, say, industrial bearings, a purchaser checks the Sourcing List for "Bearings" to confirm which of their approved vendors (e.g., those categorized as Manufacturers in that specific product category) are authorized before including them in an RFQ or launching an auction — rather than assigning any approved vendor indiscriminately regardless of relevant expertise.

Why this matters for quality and risk control: Without a Sourcing List discipline, there's a risk of assigning a vendor who is "Approved" in general but has no actual track record or registered capability for the specific material being procured — increasing the risk of quality issues or delivery failures.

How the Sourcing List creates a virtuous cycle with other modules: Vendor Registration feeds category data into the Sourcing List. The Sourcing List speeds up Assign Vendor. Assign Vendor leads to real transactions tracked through PO History and Store Certification. Those transaction outcomes feed Analytics. And Analytics, in turn, informs which vendors should remain on, or be removed from, the Sourcing List going forward — a continuous improvement loop grounded in real performance data rather than assumptions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is every approved vendor automatically part of every Sourcing List? 

No — approval only makes a vendor generally eligible; being added to a specific material's Sourcing List is typically a deliberate categorization step.

Who is responsible for maintaining and updating the Sourcing List? 

This is typically managed by the purchasing/procurement team, often informed by vendor registration categories (Manufacturers, Traders) and ongoing performance data.

Can a vendor be removed from a Sourcing List without being fully deactivated as a vendor? 

Yes — a vendor can remain generally Approved while being removed from a specific material's Sourcing List if they're no longer considered suitable for that particular category.

How does the Sourcing List relate to the auction process?

 It's typically used earlier, during Assign Vendor, to determine who gets invited into the RFQ/auction in the first place — it doesn't affect the auction mechanics themselves.

Does Analytics feed data into Sourcing List decisions? 

Yes, in practice — performance trends from Analytics (delivery reliability, rejection rates, pricing consistency) are valuable inputs for deciding which vendors should remain on or be added to a Sourcing List.

Can a single vendor be listed under multiple material categories in the Sourcing List?

Yes — a vendor supplying multiple product types can be mapped to each relevant category, reflecting their actual registered Manufacturers/Traders capabilities.