Vendor Register

D03 - Vendor Contract Quality

Definition

A single, current inventory of every active vendor relationship above a materiality threshold, typically $10K annual spend, capturing vendor name, category, annual spend, renewal date, notice-window deadline, primary and backup contact, and one sentence of relationship context.

An unmanaged vendor portfolio is a collection of surprises waiting to happen, such as auto-renewals that trigger, contracts that expire without negotiation, and contacts that leave without handoff.

The vendor register doesn't prevent any of these individually. It makes them visible in time to act.

Indicators

• You couldn't state, right now, which vendor contracts are renewing in the next 90 days.
• No single document lists all your active vendor relationships with renewal dates and primary contacts.
• A vendor contact has left, and you didn't know who the backup was.

Quick Win

• Name three vendors above $10K/year off the top of your head.
• Check if a single document lists all of them with renewal dates.
• If no such document exists, start one now.

Assess

• Take the HQ Score Assessment

Learn

• IA-04: The Vendor Relationship Spectrum

Apply

• The Vendor Register Blank Template
• The Vendor Contract Audit Workbook

Related

• Auto-Renewal Clause
• Vendor Performance Scorecard
• Operations Playbook
• Vendor Dependency