Vendor ID

(Required) This field is the unique identifier for the vendor. It is used in the specifications screen to link the spec to the proper vendor. The Vendor ID can be any combination of letters or numbers, including spaces, up to 8 characters. The suggested entry is some type of abbreviation of the vendor name. If you wish, you can list the same vendor more than once (for different representatives or plant locations), by creating variations on the basic ID (SMITHCO1, SMITHCO2, etc.)

Alternate ID

Use this field to record an alternate code for the vendor. This feature is useful if you need to coordinate FF&EZ data with another system using pre-established Vendor ID's, especially if the other system uses a purely numeric (ancient) code and you want to take advantage of FF&EZ's alphanumeric abbreviation approach. The alternate code will print on certain reports and can be used in filters.

Name

Enter the name of the vendor company or firm as you want to see it on reports.

Contact

Enter the first and last name of the primary contact for this vendor.

Phone, Fax

Enter these numbers in whatever format you prefer.

E-Mail

You can record the e-mail address for the vendor contact here. Once you enter an email address, a button will appear that will allow you to send an e-mail directly from this form. Option: If you right-click the button, it will copy the email address to your clipboard, so you can then paste it into your email system. This is useful if you are using web-based email that isn't actually running on your PC.

If you are using FF&EZ as a "published" server application instead of one that runs directly on your own PC, this button will say Copy instead and will only copy the email address to your clipboard. This is because an application running on the server cannot directly launch your own local email system.

Web Site

If the vendor has a web site, you can record the address here. Once a web address is entered, a button will appear that will connect to that web site via your default browser.

Financial

Terms

The terms used on purchase orders to this vendor.

Currency

This is the current normally used by this vendor for orders. 

Net Cost is...%

The percentage entered here is used to calculate the base cost for specification items. It is copied once into each new specification at the time that the Vendor ID is entered (or changed), and can then be overridden in any specification. 

The number you enter will depend on what type of price information the vendor has provided to you. If you are working with a wholesale price list, you will typically enter "100", unless the vendor is allowing an additional discount. Use the following examples:

       Retail price list, Net is 55% of list price:

       Net Cost % = 55

       Retail price list, Net is 55% off of list price:

       Net Cost % = 100 - 55 = 45

         Wholesale price list, additional %5 off of wholesale price:

         Net Cost % = 95

         Retail price list, Net is 55% of list, plus 5% off net:

         Net Cost % = 55 x .95 = 52.25

If a vendor is offering different discounts on different items, you can either copy the vendor to a new Vendor ID, and use that ID for affected items (this will split the vendor's listing on reports sorted by vendor), or you can simply use the most common percentage in this field, and override the percentage on the other specifications (see the Specification List section).        

The Net Cost % can be changed whenever it is necessary. Remember, however, that the new percentage will only be copied into new specifications, or existing ones in which the Vendor ID is changed. This is true for all projects in the system.         

Last Catalog

Enter the date of the last catalog from this vendor. This data can be compared against the "Entered" date you record in the Library specifications, so that records which are potentially out-of-date can be listed for checking.

Exempt from VAT

This field can be used to indicate a vendor that is exempt for your country's VAT tax. It only applies to projects where "Apply as a VAT type?" option is enabled for the tax rate. Since this latter option causes the tax to be applied to both order amounts and invoice amounts, a vendor whose orders would not include a VAT should be marked with this vendor option. 

You can also use this option for vendors whose prices routinely include the VAT amount, however you would need to verify that this is still true for each project. It would be better to calculate their price with the VAT subtracted and let the system add it back in.

Comment

This field can be used to record any information about the vendor that you would like to record, such as product lines, past responsiveness, alternate contacts, etc.

Contact

Enter the first and last name of the primary contact for this manufacturer.

Phone, Fax

Enter these numbers in whatever format you prefer. 

E-mail

You can record the e-mail address for the manufacturer contact here. Once you enter an email address, a button will appear that will allow you to send an e-mail directly from this form. Option: If you right-click the button, it will copy the email address to your clipboard, so you can then paste it into your email system. This is useful if you are using web-based email that isn't actually running on your PC.

If you are using FF&EZ as a "published" server application instead of one that runs directly on your own PC, this button will say Copy instead and will only copy the email address to your clipboard. This is because an application running on the server cannot directly launch your own local email system.

Web Site

If the manufacturer has a web site, you can record the address here. Once a web address is entered, a button will appear that will connect to that web site via your default browser.

Freight line

This flag makes a vendor eligible for display on a list of shipping companies or freight lines, reducing the time it takes to find this type of vendor (on the Expediting Screen).

Staging/Warehouse 

Set this flag if the vendor is provides product staging or warehousing services for FF&E that would otherwise be shipped directly to the project site. This will make the vendor appear on the pick list for this type of vendor (on the Orders Screen). Note: This was previously labeled as "Freight manager" but this did not properly describe how this field was meant to be used.

Supplier

Select this flag to indicate that this vendor is a 3rd-party supplier (or possibly, a rep) instead of a manufacturer type. A supplier type of vendor can be used as a regular vendor. However this flag makes it appear on a "suppliers only" pick list for the Specifications List screen's "Supplier" field. Note: a vendor marked as a "Supplier" can still be used as a primary vendor on direct-ordered specs. 

You do not have to select a supplier vendor on a spec if the item is supplied by the main vendor (that is, you don't need to select the same vendor as both the primary and supplier vendors).

Master

This flag is used for internal administration to mark a vendor record as the primary one when a vendor has more than one entry in the list. For instance, a vendor's main corporate contact might exist amid three or four territory contacts. You can use this field in queries to print only specific sets of vendors. 

Note: The default value for this flag is "true," making all new vendors a "master" vendor. if you have an existing vendor list and wish to use this field, using Utilities> Set Masters (described under "Utilities" below) to initially set this flag to "true" for all your existing vendors. You can then edit and deselect it for vendors that should not be set this way.

Obsolete

This flag designates a vendor as obsolete and therefore not to be used for current work. Obsolete vendors appear on reports where they are referenced, but not on lists where they can be used for new specs.

One use for an obsolete vendor flag is the case where a vendor has had major changes to its information, but you want to preserve the old information (such a billing address) for old projects. In a case like that, you can change the existing vendor's Vendor ID to an "old" type (e.g., "SHELBY WMS" becomes "SHELBY-OLD," clone the vendor back to the original Vendor ID, mark the "old" version as obsolete, then change the clone as needed and begin using that version for new specs. 

For fine-tuning, the Re-assign Vendor utility on a project's Specification Screen can be used to switch all specs in that project (only) to a different vendor record. This is in contrast to the Re-assign Vendor utility on the Vendor screen (see below) which changes all specs in the system. 

Address

Enter the street address for the vendor. Official Post Office guides suggest that suite numbers be listed on the same line as the street address. For example:

  1234 Main Blvd, Ste. 10045a

City, State

These fields can be used for their normal purposes; however the "State" field allows longer entries for foreign addresses. 

Postal Code

This field will take any type of entry, in case you need to specify foreign codes 

Country

An optional field. If you include it, address formatting will add the country to the end of any addresses built from these "main" address fields. You can leave this blank for addresses within your home country.

ISO

This optional field is used for the standard 3-letter ISO country code for the country entered. Using this code provides a more dependable way to format "main" addresses where a format is available for a specific country. We recommend that you always enter this code, even if you leave the "Country" field blank.

Shipping 

This address would be used if an item is being shipped to the vendor prior to delivery to a project address, such as fabric being sent to a chair manufacturer. 

Although items in a project will typically use the project shipping address, the Specifications Form allows you to override this with another vendor's "active" shipping address. 

Ordering

These four fields are used on Purchasing-support reports to indicate the address to which purchase orders should be sent (not shipped).

Payments

These fields are used on check requests to indicate an alternate address to which payment to vendors should be sent. This also might be used when a 3rd party manages the vendor's receivables.

FF&EZ can record two alternate payment addresses. Normally, you will only use the first if the ordering address isn't applicable. However, if you need to record another address to use occasionally, you can access (and activate it) with the "Use 2nd address" option that is available then the "Payments" address block is displayed and the "Use ordering address" is not checked. 

The most common use for this second payment address would be when you need to show an address for express or overnight delivery when a post office box can't be used. You would normally activate this address before you create the check request document, then uncheck that option when finished. 

Add

Used to add a new vendor to the system. Choosing this command will create a blank record on the screen. You will then need to fill in an ID for the new vendor. The system will check this ID to make sure it does not already exist. If the ID is valid, you can enter the rest of the information for the vendor.

To cancel the Add command, press [Esc] or use the Cancel button.

Once you have entered the desired information for the record, click on the Save button or press [Alt-S] to save your work and leave the editing mode. 

All new records will be indexed automatically so that they will appear in their proper place in the database. 

Edit

The Edit command is similar to the Add command, except that you are working with an existing record. The Edit command always acts on the record currently highlighted on the screen, so if you wish to edit some other record, use the up and down arrow keys or the Query command to highlight the desired record first.

Changes you make to a vendor record will be reflected in all specifications using that vendor in all projects in the system. If you need two different versions of a vendor, use the Clone command instead (below).

If you change the spelling of the Vendor ID, the system will change the spelling in all related specifications as well.

Once you have made the desired changes, click on the Save button or press [Alt-S] to save your work and leave the editing mode. 

To cancel the Edit command, press [Esc] or use the Revert button. 

Clone

Use this command is used to create a new vendor entry from a copy of the currently highlighted vendor on the vendor list. This is useful when you want to keep up with more than one version of a vendor (such as a different contact or location). When the command is chosen, you will see the Vendor editing screen with all of the information copied, except the Vendor ID. After supplying a new ID, you can change any information on the screen. 

To cancel the Clone command, press [Esc] or use the Cancel button. 

Delete

The Delete command is used to permanently remove a vendor from the system. If you choose this command, you will be asked to confirm your choice. While using the list at the top of the screen, the shortcut for the Delete command is the [Del] key (this key works on text as expected when you are actually editing text entries). 

Note: The system will not allow you to delete a vendor which is still listed on one or more project specifications or in the Library. 

Utilities

Clicking this command displays special functions that make some tasks easier or that handle special problems or needs. The Utility functions are explained in the next section.

Query

When you choose this command, the system will display the Query Form. This command is used to limit the display (and subsequently, reports) to vendors that meet certain conditions. For more information, see the Query Form topic.

You can close the Query form by pressing [Esc].

Print

This function displays the Reports Form, on which you can select and print reports specific to this form. For more information, see the detailed descriptions and procedures about reporting elsewhere in this manual.