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Vendor-Item Catalog

The Vendor-Item Catalog in Racko allows you to track multiple vendors for each item, including specific costs, vendor part numbers, and estimated lead times. This feature is especially useful for businesses that source products from multiple suppliers and want to optimize their purchasing decisions.

Accessing the Vendor-Item Catalog​

To view, edit, or manage your Vendor-Item Catalog:

  1. Go to Miscellaneous > Vendor-Item Catalog.

Key Features​

  • Track multiple vendors per item
  • Record vendor-specific costs
  • Store vendor part numbers
  • Track estimated lead times
  • Automatically populate purchase orders with vendor-specific information

Setting Up the Vendor-Item Catalog​

Adding a Preferred Vendor to an Item​

  1. Navigate to Inventory > Items.
  2. Find the item you want to update and click Edit.
  3. In the item details:
    • Select a Preferred Vendor from the dropdown list.
    • Enter the Vendor Part Number (if applicable).
  4. Click Save.

Adding Additional Vendors for an Item​

  1. Go to Miscellaneous > Vendor-Item Catalog.
  2. Click Add New on the top right.
  3. Fill in the following details:
    • Item: Select the item from the dropdown.
    • Vendor: Choose the additional vendor.
    • Primary: Check this box if this is the primary vendor for the item.
    • Part Number: Enter the vendor's part number for this item.
    • UOM: Select the Unit of Measure for this vendor-item combination.
    • UOM Conversion: Enter the conversion factor if the vendor's UOM differs from your standard UOM.
    • Unit Purchase Price: Enter the purchase cost per unit for this vendor.
  4. Click Save.
  5. Repeat steps 2-4 for each additional vendor-item combination.

Using the Vendor-Item Catalog​

In Purchase Orders​

When creating a purchase order:

If the item is in the Vendor-Item Catalog for that vendor, Racko will automatically:

  • Populate the purchase cost
  • Add the vendor's part number
  • Populate the UOM and UOM Conversion

Automatic Updates to the Vendor-Item Catalog​

The Vendor-Item Catalog is automatically updated based on your settings and actions:

Rules and Behaviors​

  1. You can have multiple vendors for an item.
  2. You can have multiple UOMs and purchase prices for the same vendor.
  3. If no preferred vendor is set for an item, no entry is created in the catalog.
  4. Using the preferred vendor on a transaction updates the catalog.
  5. Updating a purchase price in the catalog also updates the purchase price in the item record for the preferred vendor.

Best Practices​

  1. Regularly review and update the Vendor-Item Catalog to ensure accurate pricing and lead times.
  2. Use the Where to Buy report to optimize purchasing decisions.
  3. Consider setting up multiple vendors for critical items to ensure supply chain resilience.
  4. Keep vendor part numbers up to date to streamline communication with suppliers.

For more detailed information on using the Vendor-Item Catalog in specific processes, please refer to the respective sections in this documentation.