In a group of companies, a multi-academy trust or a federation, each company or school usually manages its own suppliers, but the group wants to see the whole picture: which suppliers are used across the group, which contracts are coming up for renewal everywhere, and where certificates are about to expire. Groups let each company keep its own SupplierVault organisation and join a group organisation, which then sees a read-only summary of every member's suppliers.
How it works
- One SupplierVault organisation is the group, for example "Oakfield Academy Trust" or "Harper Group".
- Each company, school or division keeps its own organisation, its own team and its own settings, and joins the group with a code from the group's admin.
- Joining is always the company admin's choice, and either side can end the link at any time.
- Everyone in the group organisation can then open the group view.
What the group can and can't see
| The group can see, for each supplier | The group can never see |
|---|---|
| Name, legal name and company number Stage, tier and area Contract value (committed) and currency Contract end date and notice period Certificate names and expiry dates | Documents and files Bank or payment details Forms and answers Sign-offs and approvals History and the audit trail Tasks, invoices and requests |
The summary is read only: nobody in the group can change anything in a company's organisation. Example suppliers aren't included. The summary data also carries each supplier's residual risk rating, though the group view doesn't show it at the moment.
Which plan includes it
The group organisation needs the Enterprise plan (groups also work during the free month). The companies that join can be on any plan. If the group's plan doesn't include it, its admin sees "Groups of companies and multi-academy trusts are included in the Enterprise plan."
Set up the group (group admin)
- Create or sign in to the group's own organisation. If your companies are already in SupplierVault, use New organisation on the Organisation tab to create the group.
- Open the account button › Group.
- Under Add a company, select Create a join code. A code like SVG-7K2P-9QXM-4D8R appears, with the date it works until.
- Give the code to each company's admin. You'll see "Code created. Give it to each company's admin."
- A code works for 7 days and for as many companies as you like.
- Create a new code replaces the old one, which stops working straight away.
- A group can have up to 200 companies.
Join a group (company admin)
- In your company's organisation, open the account button › Group.
- Under Join a group, enter the code you were given and select Join.
- You'll see "Your organisation is now part of group."
The Group tab then says Part of a group, the date you joined, and exactly what the group can see. If the code is wrong or out of date: "That code isn't right or has expired. Ask the group's admin for a new one."
An organisation can belong to one group at a time, and a group can't join another group.
Leaving or removing a company
- Company admin: on the Group tab, select Leave group, then click again. "Left the group. They can no longer see your suppliers."
- Group admin: on the Group tab, select Remove next to the company, then click again.
Either way, the group stops seeing that company's suppliers straight away. Nothing in the company's own organisation changes.
The group view
In the group organisation, open the Group tab and select Open the group view. Anyone in the group organisation can use it, not just admins. It shows the time it was built and has Download CSV and Close buttons.
Figures at the top
| Figure | What it counts |
|---|---|
| live suppliers | Suppliers at the Live or Under review stage. |
| being onboarded or exiting | Suppliers that aren't live and aren't closed. |
| contracts ending in 4 months | Suppliers, not closed, whose contract ends in the next 120 days. |
| with certificates expiring within 30 days | Suppliers, not closed, with a certificate that has expired or expires in the next 30 days. |
| suppliers used by more than one company | See "Used by more than one company" below. |
| committed with live suppliers | Total committed value of live suppliers. Shown only when every company reports in the same currency. |
The tables
- By company: for each company, Live, Onboarding or exiting, Ending in 4 months, Certificates expiring and Committed (live), in that company's reporting currency.
- Used by more than one company: suppliers used by two or more companies, matched on company number, or on name where there isn't one (ignoring words such as Ltd and Limited). It shows the companies, contract end dates and the combined committed value. "A chance to combine contracts or negotiate as a group."
- Renewals across the group (next 4 months): Supplier, Company, Notice by, Contract ends and Committed, soonest first. A notice date already gone is marked "(passed)".
- All suppliers: every supplier with its company, stage, tier, area, committed value, contract end and certificates ("In date", or the certificates expiring within 30 days). Search by name, company number, company or area. The first 500 are shown; download the CSV for all of them.
Example: a contract ending on 31 January 2027 with 90 days' notice must have notice given by 2 November 2026.
The CSV download
Download CSV gives every supplier in the group with Company, Supplier, Legal name, Company number, Stage, Tier, Area, Committed, Currency, Contract ends, Notice by and Certificates.
Good to know
- Committed values in another currency are converted with that company's own exchange rates. Each company uses the daily exchange rates unless it has fixed its own in Settings. If a currency has no rate at all, it's counted 1:1, as in that company's own figures, and the view says so, for example "No exchange rate set for USD (Acme Trading): counted 1:1".
- The group view is a snapshot when you open it. Close and open it again to refresh.
- People in the group organisation don't get access to the companies' organisations. To work in a company's organisation, they need to be invited to it.
- Only admins can create codes, join, leave or remove companies. Others see "Only an admin can join or create a group."
Related
- Account, team and security
- Audit evidence for auditors
- Plans and billing
- Contracts and renewals
- Security and your data