Supplier directory template

Ten fields so you never dig through an inbox for a contact again. One row per supplier, including the two things nobody remembers to record: the real lead time and the payment terms.

What's in the template

• Supplier: as text. One row per company, not one per contact.
• Category (materials, parts, services, logistics, consumables), Contact, typed Email, Phone.
• Lead time (days): a number, so it compares across suppliers.
• Payment terms: prepaid, on delivery, net 30, net 60.
• Approved, Last order, Internal note.

The filters that do the work

The template arrives with its typed columns. Each filter below takes two clicks on the grid, and it remembers your setup between visits.

• Approved: the ones you can order from without asking anyone.
• By category: so you can find an alternative in three seconds when a supplier lets you down.
• To review: no order in a year, or never ordered. The filter that cleans house annually.
• With no filter, the whole directory.

Why not a spreadsheet for this

1. A duplicate supplier costs money. Two rows for one company, two different payment terms, and you pay cash to someone who gives you net 30. A list sorted by supplier puts the two rows side by side, where a fifteen-column file hides them.
2. A directory is read by many and edited by few. A spreadsheet can't make that distinction: whoever reads can delete. Here viewers are free and can't write anything.
3. A lead time in text doesn't compare. "2 weeks", "12d", "depends on stock": three spellings, no ranking possible. A number sorts.

Your comparisons stay in Google Sheets. Average lead times, spend split, exposure per supplier: the table feeds your sheet.

Start with this template →

FAQ

Can I store prices here? Not in this table: a price belongs to an item. Keep the directory clean and put unit costs in the inventory template.

How do I handle several contacts at one supplier? A second table with one row per contact, joined by supplier name. Don't stack three contacts into one text field.

What's the "Approved" checkbox for? To separate vetted suppliers from ones you merely quoted. It's what lets you leave the directory open for reading without someone ordering from an unvetted supplier.

This template is one of the Rowbase templates. If you're still weighing whether to leave your sheet, read the six limits of a Sheet used as a database instead.