How to build a supplier onboarding form with approval steps

Onboard new suppliers faster, with built-in compliance

In this guide, you’ll build a supplier onboarding workflow that collects vendor information, verifies compliance, and routes each supplier through approval stages automatically. Perfect for finance, procurement, or operations teams who manage vendor onboarding.
📘 Learn more: Create your first form, app, or portal in a flash

Step 1 — Create your supplier onboarding form

Start from your workspace and click + New → Form. You can start from scratch or choose a Supplier information template from the Template gallery.

Or use Magic Create, describe what you need, for example:

“A supplier onboarding form that collects company info, certifications, bank details, and routes submissions for approval.”

Why this matters: your onboarding form becomes the central entry point for all supplier data.
📘 Learn more: How to create a form

Step 2 — Add key supplier information fields

Include fields that capture essential vendor and compliance data:

• Company name
  
  
• Business registration number
  
  
• Tax ID / VAT number
  
  
• Address and contact info
  
  
• Uploaded documents: certificate of incorporation, tax forms, bank letter
  
  
• Compliance checklist (Yes/No)
  
  
• Approval status (Admin-only field: Pending → Verified → Approved → Rejected)
  
  

💡 Tip: Group your fields into sections (Company info, Financial info, Documents, Review).
📘 Learn more: Form editor and field types

Step 3 — Add page structure for cleaner experience

If your form is long, split it into multiple pages for better flow:

• Page 1: Company & contact details
  
  
• Page 2: Bank details and tax info
  
  
• Page 3: Compliance and documents
  
  
• Page 4: Review & submit
  
  

Use short titles like Company information or Compliance details to guide vendors through.
📘 Learn more: How to add a new page to single-step classic form

Step 4 — Add approval logic for internal reviewers

Go to Settings → Advanced logic and define how submissions move through approval steps.

Examples:

• If Compliance checklist = No → Assign to Compliance Team.
  
  
• If All documents uploaded → Set Status = “Verified.”
  
  
• If Verified → Notify Procurement Manager for approval.
  
  
• If Approved → Notify Finance Team for vendor activation.
  
  

💡 Pro tip: use on-update logic to move suppliers between stages as reviewers update statuses.
📘 Learn more: How to create an approval form

Step 5 — Set up email notifications for each stage

Go to Settings → Advanced logic or Notify tab to automate communication:

• To the vendor: send confirmation when their form is received.
  
  
• To compliance: alert when a new supplier is awaiting verification.
  
  
• To procurement: notify once verified for final approval.
  
  
• To the vendor: send approval or rejection result automatically.
  
  

Use field IDs like @company_name, @approval_status, and @assigned_team to personalize messages.
📘 Learn more: How to send and receive conditional email notifications

Step 6 — Generate supplier profiles or PDFs automatically

Once a supplier is approved, automatically generate a supplier profile PDF or onboarding summary that includes:

• Company and tax info
  
  
• Assigned vendor ID
  
  
• Approval timestamp and approver name
  
  

Attach the PDF to confirmation emails or store it for internal records.
📘 Learn more: How to generate custom PDFs using templates

Step 7 — Build your supplier management dashboard

Go to your Results → Responses tab and visualize your supplier data:

• Table view: list all vendors with approval statuses.
  
  
• Kanban view: group by Pending, Verified, Approved, Rejected.
  
  
• Charts: track suppliers by region, category, or approval rate.
  
  

📘 Learn more: How to create a Kanban board

Step 8 — Create a supplier portal for ongoing access

From your workspace, create a Supplier Portal.

Add pages like:

• New supplier registration (public form)
  
  
• My submissions (filtered for logged-in suppliers)
  
  
• Approved suppliers directory (for internal staff)
  
  

Set access rules so suppliers only see their own records, while procurement and finance have full visibility.
📘 Learn more: How to create a portal and manage users’ access

Step 9 — Link onboarding with purchase orders or payments

Connect your supplier onboarding form to your purchase order or payment request forms using linked rows.

Examples:

• Each supplier record links to related POs or invoices.
  
  
• Finance can quickly filter suppliers by status or category.
  📘 Learn more: How to connect forms with automatic data transfer
  
  

Step 10 — Analyze supplier data with AI

Use AI Analyze to find patterns and insights, such as:

• Average approval time per department.
  
  
• Common compliance issues.
  
  
• Top vendor categories by value or region.
  
  

📘 Learn more: Uncover insights and trends in your data with AI Analyze

Pro tips

• Add document verification steps with logic (e.g., “If missing documents → Request re-upload”).
  
  
• Auto-assign vendor IDs using variables.
  
  
• Create linked workflows with your purchase order system for full vendor lifecycle tracking.
  📘 Learn more: What are linked rows and how to use them
  
  

Example scenario

A new supplier submits their company details and uploads registration documents. The form routes the request to the compliance team for verification. Once verified, procurement approves it and the system auto-generates a PDF supplier profile. Finance is notified to activate the vendor in accounting records, and the supplier receives a confirmation email with their assigned Vendor ID.
📘 Learn more: How to build personalized and time-saving flows with logic, automations, and AI

FAQ

1. Can I assign multiple reviewers to the same onboarding form?
   Yes, use on-update logic and assign different roles for each stage (e.g., Compliance, Procurement, Finance).
2. Can suppliers update their information later?
   Yes, enable edit access or let them log into your supplier portal.
   📘 Learn more: How to let users view and edit their own data in your portal
3. Can I integrate this with my ERP or accounting system?
   Absolutely, use Google Sheets, Make, or Zapier to sync supplier records automatically.
   📘 Learn more: How to connect Google Sheets to your forms

Your supplier onboarding workflow is live, make vendor management effortless

You’ve built a full supplier onboarding system that collects, verifies, and approves vendor data automatically. Keep refining your logic and portals to make compliance smoother and vendor activation faster than ever.
📘 Learn more: Build personalized and time-saving flows with logic, automations, and AI

Last updated October 2025

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