Preferred Suppliers allow you to define which vendor should be used by default when creating Purchase Orders or replenishing materials.
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to configure them.
Step 1: Add Suppliers to a Material
Preferred Suppliers are configured per material, so you’ll first need to add suppliers to each item.
- Go to Catalog
- Open the material you want to configure
- Click the Prices & Suppliers tab
- Click Add Supplier
- Select the supplier and enter their cost
- Click Add
Repeat this process for any additional suppliers for that material.
Step 2: Mark a Preferred Supplier
Once you’ve added multiple suppliers:
- Select the supplier you want as the default. This marks it as Preferred Supplier
You’ll see a “Preferred Supplier” label next to the selected vendor.
This supplier will be used by default when creating Purchase Orders or replenishing that material.
Using Smart Supplier (Optional)
After adding suppliers, you can enable Smart Supplier.
When Smart Supplier is turned ON:
- Ply will automatically select the supplier with the lowest cost as the Preferred Supplier.
If you prefer to manually control which supplier is preferred:
- Simply turn Smart Supplier OFF
- Then manually select the supplier you want as Preferred
You can toggle this setting at any time.
Important Notes
- Preferred Suppliers are set per material
- Setup is currently manual
- Smart Supplier automatically prioritizes lowest cost, but can be overridden anytime
If you’re planning to set this up for your entire catalog and would like guidance on the most efficient workflow, feel free to reach out to Support, we’re happy to help.