Vendor Directory
The Vendor Directory keeps approved vendor contacts, categories, status, ratings, review dates, and notes in one working register so managers can find who to call without mixing in procurement spend.
Included with every MangoApps plan.
Rolled out to every employee at AutoZone (125,000), PetSmart (50,000+), A.S. Watson and Raley's (20,000) — and at larger retailers we are not permitted to name.
Built for: Office Administration · Facilities Management · Professional Services · Education Administration
Overview
The Vendor Directory is a working MangoApps app for keeping the people and companies your organization relies on in one controlled register. Each record includes the required Vendor name, Category, and Status, plus Contact, Phone, Email, Rating, Reviewed date, and Notes. Category options are Supplies, Services, Maintenance, IT, and Food & catering; status options are Active, On hold, and Former; ratings are Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor.
Use it when staff need a dependable answer to “who do we call?” without searching old email threads or an unowned spreadsheet. Managers and admins are the only people who can add records, while records can be edited or deleted when details change or an entry is wrong. Use Status to manage the vendor lifecycle, and keep Former records when the historical relationship is useful rather than deleting them automatically.
The app includes an Active saved view and an On hold saved view, along with a Directory board for browsing vendors and an All vendors grid with an action bar for managing the full register. This template is intentionally not a procurement system: it does not cover purchase orders, requisitions, invoices, approvals, or spend. Use the Procurement app for those workflows. It is also not a contract repository or a substitute for formal supplier due diligence documentation.
How to use this template
- Add the Vendor Directory template to your MangoApps workspace and confirm that the Directory board and All vendors grid are visible to the people who need to find vendor contacts.
- Decide which managers and admins will add records, then keep record creation restricted to those users so the directory has a clear owner.
- Create one record per vendor and complete Vendor, Category, and Status first, then add Contact, Phone, Email, Rating, Reviewed, and Notes when available.
- Use the Active and On hold saved views during daily work, and open the Directory board or All vendors grid when you need to browse or update the complete register.
- Review contact details and vendor performance on the cadence your organization sets, update Rating and Reviewed, and change Status to On hold or Former when the relationship changes.
Best practices
- Use one record per vendor rather than creating separate records for each employee or service they provide.
- Enter the vendor’s main operational contact in Contact and keep Phone and Email current at every review.
- Choose Category consistently so staff can find Supplies, Services, Maintenance, IT, and Food & catering vendors predictably.
- Change Status to On hold or Former instead of deleting a vendor solely because it is temporarily unavailable or no longer used.
- Record the reason for a Fair or Poor Rating in Notes so a future manager understands the decision.
- Update Reviewed whenever a manager confirms contact details, availability, and vendor status.
- Avoid putting purchase order numbers, requisition details, or spend figures in Notes; keep those records in the Procurement app.
- Check the On hold view before contacting a vendor so staff do not accidentally request work from a supplier under review.
What this template typically catches
Issues teams running this template most often surface in practice:
Common use cases
Frequently asked questions
What does the Vendor Directory track?
It records the Vendor name, Category, Contact, Phone, Email, Status, Rating, Reviewed date, and Notes. Categories are Supplies, Services, Maintenance, IT, and Food & catering. Status values are Active, On hold, and Former.
Who should add and maintain vendor records?
Only managers and admins add records in this template, which keeps the directory from filling with duplicate or unapproved entries. Those authorized users can also edit or delete records when vendor information changes or a record was entered incorrectly.
How often should the directory be reviewed?
Review vendors whenever contact details, service arrangements, or approval status changes, and set a recurring review cadence that fits your purchasing process. Use the Reviewed date to show when each record was last checked rather than assuming an old contact is still current.
Does this replace a procurement or purchasing app?
No. This template is only a directory of who your organization uses and who to contact. Purchase orders, requisitions, approvals, invoices, and spend should remain in the Procurement app.
Can this directory support vendor compliance reviews?
It can provide a practical record of vendor status, ratings, review dates, and notes for internal review. It is not a substitute for required contracts, insurance certificates, due-diligence files, or industry-specific supplier records, so link your review process to the systems that hold those documents.
What is the difference between Active, On hold, and Former?
Active identifies vendors currently available for use, On hold marks vendors temporarily unavailable or under review, and Former preserves the history of vendors no longer used. Changing Status is preferable to deleting a vendor simply because the relationship ended, unless a record was created in error.
Can we customize the categories and fields?
The template starts with five categories and the listed contact, status, rating, review, and notes fields. You can discuss adjustments in a demo if your organization needs different classifications or additional operational fields.
How does this compare with a spreadsheet or clipboard list?
The template provides a working app in your MangoApps workspace with typed fields, a Directory board, an All vendors grid, and saved Active and On hold views. It also limits record creation to managers and admins, making ownership clearer than an unmanaged shared list.
How should we roll it out?
Add the template to your MangoApps workspace, assign managers and admins as record owners, and agree on the category and status rules before entering vendors. Start with current Active vendors, verify their contact details, then add On hold and Former records where preserving the relationship history matters.
Related templates
Ready to use this template?
Vendor Directory runs on a platform app included with every MangoApps plan — pick a suite and it comes along.
Rolled out to every employee at AutoZone (125,000), PetSmart (50,000+), A.S. Watson and Raley's (20,000) — and at larger retailers we are not permitted to name.
