Supplier evidence archive index
Use this index when supplier decisions are scattered across email, chat, inspection files, spreadsheets and payment records. The aim is not to store every file on this page; it is to define the minimum archive map a buyer must check before changing supplier status or approving another order.
When to use it
- Before repeat-order approval, supplier normalization, restriction removal, or buyer handoff.
- When a claim, warranty obligation, replacement shipment, credit note, or payment reserve is still open.
- When a new buyer cannot quickly find the latest approved supplier status and rollback trigger.
- When a supplier disputes prior commitments and the team needs one evidence map.
Minimum archive rule
Every supplier that is active, restricted, watched, capped, in recovery, or recently normalized must have one index row linking to the latest status decision, commercial baseline, shipment evidence, claim evidence, open obligations and next-order controls. If the archive row is missing, status cannot be upgraded.
Archive index fields
| Field | What to record | Release check |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier identity | Legal name, trading name, contact owner, payment account, category and internal owner. | Payment and contact records match the approved onboarding evidence. |
| Commercial baseline | Signed contract, quotation, PO, payment terms, Incoterms, specification sheet and approved sample record. | The next PO uses the same baseline or records an approved change. |
| Quality and shipment evidence | Inspection reports, defect photos, carton marks, packing list, invoice, release checklist and arrival discrepancy reports. | Open inspection, document or arrival issues are visible before payment or reorder. |
| Claims and recovery | Claim tracker, settlement memo, corrective action, replacement goods, credit note, refund, warranty and after-sales handover. | Each claim has closure status, value treatment, deadline and proof path. |
| Status and controls | Warning log, performance scorecard, repeat-order decision, restriction register, recovery dashboard, normalization memo, exception log and relapse trigger. | Current status and next-order guardrails are copied into the order approval note. |
Copy-ready archive row
“Supplier [name] / owner [person] / status [normal-watch-cap-hold-exit-recovery] / latest decision [link] / open obligations [links] / claim value [amount] / next-order guardrails [controls] / rollback trigger [trigger] / last reviewed [date].”
Do not approve if
- The latest supplier status is known only verbally.
- Claim value, warranty responsibility, credit or reserve treatment is not linked.
- Exception approvals exist but expiry and rollback evidence are missing.
- The new buyer cannot find the archive within five minutes.
Connected workflow
This evidence archive index sits beneath the buyer handoff checklist and makes the supplier control chain auditable. It helps prevent repeat orders from being approved on memory, optimism, or partial email history.
Connected tools: supplier buyer handoff checklist, repeat-order approval matrix, supplier claim settlement tracker, and supplier post-normalization exception log.