> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bold-factory.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Suppliers > Understand how suppliers connect purchasing, items, lead times and expected supply. A **supplier** is a planning master record. It identifies who you purchase materials, spare parts, external services or finished products from. The supplier record identifies the company. The supplier-item relationship indicates how you purchase a specific item: supplier code, price, lead time and priority. ## What it is for | Use | What it provides | | - | - | | Purchase orders | Indicates who you purchase from and lets you track commitments. | | Supply | Groups expected receipts by supplier. | | Recommendations | Helps the purchasing assistant propose a source, date and quantity. | | Costs | Provides purchase prices for estimates and analysis. | | Integrations | Links Bold suppliers to a business management system, purchasing or imports. | ## Main data | Data | Use | Recommendation | | - | - | - | | Name | Identifies the supplier in orders, filters and lists. | Use the operational name recognized by purchasing. | | External reference | Connects the supplier to another system. | Keep a unique, stable reference. | | Tax identification | Helps distinguish suppliers with similar names. | Fill it in if purchasing or integrations need it. | | Audit trail | Shows creation and last modification. | Use it to review master data changes. | ## Relationship with items Creating a supplier is not enough for a useful purchasing recommendation. A supplier-item relationship must exist with the relevant supply data. | Data | Use | | - | - | | Type | Marks the supplier as **Primary** or **Secondary** for that item. | | Supplier code | Stores the reference the supplier uses for the item. | | Price per unit | Provides financial context for purchasing and planned costs. | | Average lead time | Calculates when supply can be available. | | Lead time deviation | Represents actual delivery variability. | Maintain one primary supplier per item when you want the purchasing assistant to propose a default source. Use secondary suppliers for real alternatives. ## Relationship with purchase orders Each purchase order belongs to a supplier. The order header stores the commercial context, and its lines explain which items you purchase, in what quantity and with which expected date. Confirmed lines generate pending supply. Draft lines do not generate incoming stock. The supplier identifies the supply source. The purchase order explains the commitment. The receipt records the physical inflow. ## Lifecycle | Status | Meaning | | - | - | | **Active** | You can use the supplier in purchasing, item relationships and integrations. | | **Inactive** | The supplier is retained for traceability, but you should not use it as a new source. | When you delete a supplier, Bold marks it inactive through soft deletion. Previous orders, receipts and events retain the reference to preserve history. ## Operational rules * The external reference should remain stable if the supplier comes from an integration. * If a primary supplier's lead time changes, review related purchasing recommendations and forecasts. * Do not mark a supplier you only use for urgent purchases as primary. * If a supplier becomes inactive, review items that had it as their primary supplier. ## Permissions | Action | Required permission | | - | - | | View suppliers | Read access to planning. | | Create, edit or delete suppliers | Edit access to suppliers. | | View item-supplier relationships | Read access to planning items. | | Edit item-supplier relationships | Edit access to planning items. | ## Related * [Purchase orders](/en/concepts/planning/purchase-orders) * [Demand and supply](/en/concepts/planning/demand-and-supply) * [Know what to purchase](/en/guides/planning/decide-what-to-purchase) This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.