> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.chemcloud.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Suppliers Explained

> How ChemCloud helps you manage your supplier relationships, contacts, products, and performance.

# Suppliers Explained

Your suppliers are central to everything in ChemCloud — they provide the quotes, deliver the materials, and supply the documents your team relies on. The Suppliers module gives you a single place to manage all of this.

***

## What It Does

The Suppliers module brings together everything about your supplier relationships:

* **Supplier profiles** — contact details, account managers, and relationship information
* **Supplier products** — the specific products each supplier offers, with codes, specifications, and pack sizes
* **Contacts** — the people you deal with at each supplier, and which notifications they receive
* **Performance** — delivery reliability, COA quality, and response times tracked via [SIFOT Analytics](/for-buyers/orders/sifot-analytics)
* **Visibility controls** — choose what information to share with your suppliers about your raw material needs

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## How Suppliers Connect to the Rest of ChemCloud

Suppliers aren't isolated — they're linked throughout the platform:

| Area           | How Suppliers Are Used                                                           |
| -------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Products**   | Approved materials link a supplier's product to your raw material                |
| **Requests**   | RFQs are sent to your approved suppliers for each product                        |
| **Orders**     | Purchase orders are placed with a specific supplier                              |
| **Deliveries** | Deliveries are tracked per supplier, with AI agents processing their emails      |
| **Documents**  | Supplier documents (specs, SDS, COAs) are filed against the supplier and product |

***

## Suppliers on the ChemCloud Network

Some of your suppliers are also on ChemCloud. When a supplier has a ChemCloud account:

* They can respond to RFQs directly through the portal
* They can upload their own product information and documents
* They can view and manage orders from their side
* You can message them directly within ChemCloud

For suppliers who aren't on ChemCloud, everything still works — RFQs go out by email, quotes come back via email (processed by the [AI Sourcing Assistant](/for-buyers/quotes/ai-quote-ingestor)), and you manage their information yourself.