Supplier database
Your supplier database is the list Certly works from: every supplier for your site, its contact details, and the certificate types you require from it. This article walks through adding a supplier, choosing its required certificate types, and editing the record later.
What this article covers
The supplier database is the first thing you set up, because everything else in Certly hangs off it. A supplier record holds the supplier's company name, a contact name and a contact email address, and the certificate types you require from that supplier: allergen declaration, certificate of analysis, and audit certificate.
You need this article when you are moving an approved supplier list out of a spreadsheet, when a new supplier is approved, or when a contact leaves and the chase emails are going to an address nobody reads.
Two things follow from the record you create here. Each certificate type you mark as required becomes a tracked requirement for that supplier, which reads as missing on the audit-ready dashboard until a document is on file against it. And the contact email you enter is the address chase emails and upload links go to, so a wrong address means a chase that lands nowhere.
Add and edit a supplier
- Open the supplier list
The list shows every supplier held for your site, with its contact details and required certificate types. Data is scoped to your plant on every query, so you only ever see your own site's suppliers.
- Add the supplier and its contact
Enter the supplier's company name, then the contact name and the email address of the person who actually sends you documents. That is usually a quality or technical contact rather than your buyer.
- Mark the certificate types you require
Choose from allergen declaration, certificate of analysis and audit certificate. Mark only the ones you genuinely collect from that supplier, because each one becomes a tracked requirement on the dashboard.
- Save, then check the row
Save the supplier and find it in the list. Each required certificate type now has a slot waiting for a document, and reads as missing until a certificate is on file against it.
- Edit the record when details change
Open the supplier again to correct the company name, the contact name or the contact email. A new contact email takes effect for the chase emails and upload links sent after the edit.
What to do next
With the supplier and its required types saved, there are two ways to get documents against the empty slots. You can upload a certificate yourself, tied to that supplier and certificate type, with its expiry date. Or you can have the supplier do it: Certly sends chase emails to the supplier contact for certificates approaching expiry or lapsed, each one carrying a single-use upload link that needs no login.
If something did not work
- The supplier will not save. Required fields are validated, including the contact email format, and the form returns the specific field that needs fixing.
- You have hit a supplier limit. Starter covers 50 suppliers and Professional 200; Unlimited has no cap.
- A contact asks to be removed. The supplier's page has an action that erases the contact name and email address; the certificate records for that supplier stay in place.
One thing worth keeping in mind as you build the list: Certly tracks certificate expiry and reminds you and your suppliers. It does not verify that a certificate is authentic or guarantee that your plant is compliant.
If a supplier record behaves in a way this article does not explain, email support@usecertly.com with the supplier name and what you were doing.
Questions
What details does a supplier record hold?
The supplier's company name, a contact name and a contact email address, and the certificate types you require from them: allergen declaration, certificate of analysis, audit certificate.
Which certificate types can I require from a supplier?
Allergen declaration, certificate of analysis and audit certificate. You set them per supplier, so two suppliers on the same list can have different requirements.
Does adding a supplier send them an email?
No. Saving a supplier only creates the record and its certificate requirements. Chase emails go to the supplier contact for certificates approaching expiry or lapsed, each with a one-click upload link, and every send is logged.
How many suppliers can I hold?
Starter covers 50 suppliers on one site, Professional 200 on one site, and Unlimited has no cap on suppliers. Every plan includes a 14-day free trial.
Can I remove a supplier contact's personal data?
Yes. The supplier's page has an erasure action that removes the contact name and email address. The supplier's certificate records remain, because that trail is what an auditor asks for.
Can anyone outside my plant see my supplier list?
No. Certly is single-site and single-tenant per plant, and every query is scoped to your plant, so your supplier and certificate data stays within your own site's account.
Where do I see the status of each supplier's certificates?
On the audit-ready dashboard, which shows current, expiring soon, expired and missing per supplier on one screen, and exports as a PDF for auditor review.