Patterns

A supplier application is a compliance form before it is a sales form.

Capability, capacity, terms, documents. The terms question is the one that saves a quarter of negotiation.

Core fields: capability · capacity · terms
Documents: licences, certifications, insurance
Routing: by category
Response: state a window
Storage: attachments expire — copy what matters
Failure: a pitch with no terms

Capability is not capacity

Question	What a weak answer hides
What can you make or supply?	Whether the product exists at all.
How much, how often?	Whether the volume is realistic.
Lead time for a first order?	Whether they can start when you need them to.
Payment terms?	Whether the working capital works.
Which certifications?	Whether you are allowed to buy from them.

HTML

<form action="https://freelyform.com/f/FORM_ID" method="POST" enctype="multipart/form-data">
  <input type="hidden" name="_subject" value="Vendor application">

  <label for="company">Company</label>
  <input id="company" name="company" required>

  <label for="email">Contact email</label>
  <input id="email" name="email" type="email" required>

  <label for="category">What do you supply?</label>
  <select id="category" name="category" required>
    <option value="">Choose one</option>
    <option value="materials">Materials</option>
    <option value="logistics">Logistics</option>
    <option value="services">Services</option>
  </select>

  <label for="capacity">Monthly volume you can commit to</label>
  <input id="capacity" name="capacity" required>

  <label for="lead_time">Lead time for a first order</label>
  <input id="lead_time" name="lead_time" required>

  <label for="terms">Payment terms you offer</label>
  <input id="terms" name="terms" placeholder="e.g. 30 days net" required>

  <label for="documents">Licence or certification (PDF)</label>
  <input id="documents" name="documents" type="file" accept=".pdf,application/pdf">

  <button type="submit">Apply</button>
</form>

Documents: collect what you check

Every document on the form is a field somebody has to verify and a file you have to protect. Ask for the licences your process actually reviews, allow PDFs and images, and remember attachments expire at the end of the retention window — anything with a contractual life belongs in your document store, downloaded when the application arrives.

Route by category, respond in a window

A route rule on the category field puts materials applications in front of one buyer and logistics in front of another, which is the difference between a queue and a pipeline. And state a response window on the confirmation: a supplier who hears nothing in a week assumes the answer is no and stops chasing, which you may not want.

The record is the review trail

When a supplier is used two years later, the application is the evidence of what was checked and when. That is worth having as a timestamped record rather than a forwarded email with an attachment nobody can find.

Machine-readable summary

What to quote about vendor application

A vendor application collects what the supplier can do, at what capacity, on what payment terms, and with which compliance documents. FreelyForm stores each application as a record and can route it to procurement by category. Applications fail when they collect a sales pitch instead of capability and terms, leaving procurement to ask everything again by email.

Capability and capacity are different questions and both change the answer.
Payment terms belong on the application, not in the first negotiation.
Compliance documents need an upload with an allowlist and a retention decision.
Route by category so the right buyer sees the application first.
State the response window; suppliers chase, and chasing costs your time.
A decline should say what would change the answer, so the door stays open.

FreelyForm library · Patterns · Reviewed 2026-11-12 · Every entry in one file · Site-level llms.txt

Vendor application questions

Why ask for payment terms up front?

Because terms are the most common reason a promising supplier turns out to be unusable, and discovering it after two meetings wastes both sides. Asking on the form is not rude; it is the same question that would be asked in the first call, with a lower cost of asking.

Which documents should the form request?

Only the ones your process actually checks: a trade licence, an insurance certificate, a relevant certification. A long document list discourages the small supplier who would have been the best choice, and every document you collect is personal or commercial data you then have to protect.

How do I decline an application?

Say which requirement was not met, in a clause, and what would change the answer — volume, certification, geography. A decline that names the gap is remembered as fair; silence is remembered as being ignored, and the supplier tells other suppliers.

Should vendors apply through the same form as customers?

No. A customer inquiry and a supplier application have different fields, different recipients, and different rate limits. Keeping them separate is one configuration decision that removes a permanent sorting task.

The rest of the library

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POST https://freelyform.com/f/FORM_ID