Managing Vendors Using Vendor Part Cross References

DEACOM offers the ability to define specific Vendor Parts that contain their own lead times, minimal PO quantities, unique vendor part number and descriptions, as well as pricing information that can be set with specific valid from and expiration dates. This information can be used by purchasing users to make informed decisions when ordering supplies and can also help when using the optimize prices feature in DEACOM to determine the best possible price for specific items.

Items may contain multiple Vendor-specific Parts and each Vendor-specific Part may contain multiple pricing options or pricing breaks based on a combination of time periods and order quantities. Once the appropriate Vendor Parts and corresponding pricing information is setup, MRP has the information it needs to recommend the best possible pricing information. The Vendor Part record also allows users to identify a preferred Vendor, which can be displayed when running MRP reports, and allows the use of the optimize prices and Auto PO features.

Vendor Parts can also contain specific Quality Control information.

Configuration

Parts must be setup via Inventory > Item Master and, on the General 1 tab, have the "PO Price Type" set to "Purchase Price" (without this, pricing will not fire). Parts are usually configured during the Implementation process, but can also be done manually. Refer to the Designing a Part Numbering System and Creating Parts for more information.

Process

Adding a Vendor Part

  1. Navigate to Inventory > Item Master.
  2. Fill out the pre-filter to generate a list of Parts that will have Vendor-specific Parts assigned. Users may select an individual Part Number or a group of Parts using the various search options contained on the pre-filter form.
  3. Once all information has been entered on the pre-filter, click the "View" button to generate the list of Parts.
  4. Select the appropriate Part from the list and click the "View Vendors" button to display the Vendors of Part form.
  5. Click the "Add" or "Modify" button.
  6. Use the search box in the "Vendor" field to select the appropriate Vendor.
  7. On the General tab, the required fields, marked in blue, are already populated with default values based on the item that was selected. Change these values to match the Vendor-specific information for this part. Generally, most companies will change the "Part Number" and "Part description" fields to match the appropriate Vendor Part number and description.
  8. If, when using MRP with this item, the Vendor-specific settings should be taken into consideration, ensure the "Use MRP Settings" flag is checked off and enter in the values below.
  9. If desired, mark this Vendor as "Preferred" by checking off the flag. More information on Preferred Vendors is further down on this page.
  10. Once all the necessary information has been entered, navigate to the Pricing tab.
  11. Click the "Add" button to display the Edit Vendor Price form.
  12. Enter an appropriate Minimum Quantity, Price, Freight Cost, and starting and ending dates. Note: if entering freight costs in the "Freight Cost" field on the vendor cross part record, be sure to enter the freight cost in terms of the pricing unit specified on the vendor cross part.
  13. Once all the necessary information has been entered click the "Save" and "Exit" buttons to save the price and close the Edit Vendor Price form.
  14. Click the "Save" and "Exit" buttons on the Edit Vendor Info form to complete the process.

Note: When copying an item, the user has the option to copy any existing vendor parts by checking the “Copy Vendor Parts” button. To create vendor cross reference parts, navigate to Inventory > Item Master > click “New Part” > click “View Vendors”.

Setting Vendors as Preferred

The Vendor Part record also allows users to identify a Vendor as preferred. If marked as "Preferred" on the Edit Vendor Info form, this Vendor will be displayed in the "Vendor" column for this item when running MRP. This flag is not necessary in order to use the optimize prices feature. To use the Auto PO feature, the “Preferred” flag must be checked for at least one of the Vendor Parts assigned to the regular item. In regards to the optimize prices option, the system will select the Vendor with the best price, regardless of if that Vendor is marked as preferred or not. In addition, when entering an order normally using the Order Entry Function, if an item has two (or more) Vendor Parts for the same Vendor, the system will bring in the Part that is marked as preferred regardless of whether or not it is the first one in the list. If there is no Vendor Part marked as preferred, the system will select the first Part in the list.

Quality control by Vendor Part

The QC tab on the Edit Vendor Info form allows companies to define quality control groups and tests specific to the selected Vendor Part. If a Vendor Part has valid quality control specifications, these will be used when receiving the Vendor Part(s) during the PO Receiving process. The "QC Qualified Until" field determines the date at which the QC tests will no longer be valid for the Vendor part. Beginning in version 16.04.096, if the "QC Qualified Until" field is expired on a Vendor part, the system will check to see if the associated Deacom item master has a QC Group and then use that QC Group to ensure that lots are placed into a "Pending QC" status. If the Deacom item master has no QC Group, the lot will placed directly into available inventory status. See the Managing QC Tests page for setup information and the Entering Purchasing and Stability QC Test Results for steps on how to enter QC results.