When you start, the Dashboard shows a Get set up checklist. Each step ticks itself off from what's really in SupplierVault, so there's nothing to tick by hand. It's there to help, not to nag: you can hide it at any time, and it goes away for good once every step is done.
The six steps
| Step | Ticked when | The button takes you to |
|---|---|---|
| Add your organisation's details | Your organisation has a name. | Step 1 of the setup guide (name, logo, accounts payable email). |
| Import or add your suppliers | There's at least one real supplier. Example suppliers don't count. | The spreadsheet import in the setup guide. |
| Invite a colleague | Someone else has joined your organisation, or has been invited. | Account › Team, where you invite people. |
| Choose your forms | You've opened Modules & forms, or saved any form settings. | Modules & forms. |
| Send your first supplier portal request | A real supplier has been sent a secure portal link. | The first supplier in onboarding, at "Supplier contacts and portal access". This step only shows from the Professional plan, where the portal is included, and when the Supplier portal module is on. |
| Create your calendar link | You've made your calendar link on this device. | Account › You, at "Create my calendar link". |
The checklist shows "n of 6 done" and a progress bar. Only the next step's button is highlighted.
Admins see all the steps. Editors see the ones they can do themselves: importing or adding suppliers, the first portal request and their calendar link. People with view-only access don't see the checklist.
Hiding it
- Select Hide checklist. When an admin hides it, it's hidden for everyone in your organisation (it's saved with your organisation's settings, not in your browser). When an editor hides it, it's hidden just for them.
- To bring it back, open Settings and select Show the set-up checklist.
- Once every step is done, the checklist goes away for good, even if something changes later.
- Unlike the old "Getting started" card, the checklist still shows while example data is loaded, so you can set up while you explore. It isn't shown in the public demo.
Start from a set-up for your sector
Admins can start from a ready-made set-up instead of choosing everything one by one. Select Start from a set-up for your sector on the checklist, or in Modules & forms. It opens step 2 of the setup guide ("How your team works"), with six choices:
| Set-up | What it's for | Sign-off limits it sets |
|---|---|---|
| Schools and multi-academy trusts | Trips, catering, cleaning, IT and supply staff. Switches on the Procurement Act 2023 duties. | School business manager over £5,000; headteacher or CEO over £25,000 |
| Charities | Fundraising and marketing agencies, IT, premises and agency staff. | Finance over £5,000; chief executive or trustee over £25,000 |
| Housing associations | Repairs and maintenance contractors, development, tenant services and IT, with on-site safety checks. | Finance over £10,000; executive director over £100,000 |
| Technology companies | Cloud, software and contractors, with usage tracking and security checks for suppliers with access to data. | Finance over £10,000; director over £50,000 |
| FCA-regulated firms | Material outsourcing records, exit plans, financial stability and risk reviews for every tier. | Finance over £10,000; senior manager over £50,000 |
| General business | A balanced start: every module, the common compliance packs and risk reviews for key suppliers. | Finance over £10,000; director over £50,000 |
Amounts are in your reporting currency, before VAT.
What a set-up changes, and what it never does
Select a sector and SupplierVault shows exactly what will change before anything happens, under these headings:
- Modules switched on and Modules switched off, for example Governance framework off for schools.
- Compliance packs added, such as Facilities and on-site contractors, or Material outsourcing (FCA-regulated firms).
- What supplier records show, for example "Third-party risk: shown for T1 and T2 suppliers only".
- Areas added, such as Catering or Repairs and maintenance.
- Purchase sign-off limits, and the limits they replace, if you already had some.
- Organisation, for example the Procurement Act 2023 switch for schools and academy trusts.
Nothing changes until you select Apply this set-up. Then:
- Nothing is deleted. A module or section that's switched off keeps everything saved in it, and it all comes back when you switch it on again.
- Compliance packs and areas are only ever added. Packs and areas you already have stay.
- Anything in a set-up that isn't in your plan stays off, and the preview says so. For example, on Essentials the supplier portal and third-party risk stay off.
- The change is recorded in the audit trail, and you can change any of it afterwards in Modules & forms and Settings.
- If your set-up already matches, the preview says "Nothing would change".
The set-ups are sensible starting points, not legal or regulatory advice. For example, check with your own advisers whether the Procurement Act 2023 applies to you, and tick "We're a school" in Settings if it does.
Related
- Set up SupplierVault
- Modules and forms
- Approval limits and separation of duties
- Choose what supplier records show
- Procurement Act 2023
Still have a question?Email hello@suppliervault.co.uk or use the contact form. Try anything safely in the live demo.