Confused about the types of vendors available in Sugar/ecConnect and what it all means?
Did you know that not all vendor types are created equal? We have worked over the years to negotiate with key vendors to ensure discounts and favorable payment processing terms, so take advantage of this by using these vendors whenever possible! See more details below to learn about the different vendor types, what they mean, and how to support your programs to make the most of their QI funding.
This article also includes the links to the most updated Marketplace and Preferred Vendor Lists!
*Bonus Tip: If you are having trouble seeing the screenshots in any of these articles click directly on the image to enlarge the picture for more clarity!
The sections in this document correspond to the Vendor Type values. Only vendors with the Type of "Approved Vendors" will show up in ecConnect.
Marketplace Vendors
These are vendors who have a signed and active ecConnect Marketplace Vendor Agreement. These Vendors have agreed to provide a discount as well as free shipping (depending on the Vendor and Items) and process orders through a fully integrated punch-out process in ecConnect. This means when you select one of these vendors in ecConnect, you'll be able to shop on that vendor's website, select items from their catalog and, when you return to ecConnect, the items you selected will be pre-populated in the QI Request Form. Right now there are 4 marketplace vendors:
- Lakeshore Learning
- Kaplan Early Learning
- Discount School Supply
- School Specialty
How to tell if a vendor in Sugar is a Preferred Vendor Partner:
- On their Account overview page their Vendor Type will be listed as "Marketplace Vendor."
- A list of Marketplace and Preferred Vendors including contact information for Councils can be found HERE
- These vendors are visible when providers are selecting a vendor in ecConnect
Preferred Vendor Partners
These are vendors who have a signed an active ecConnect Preferred Vendor Agreement. They have agreed to provide a discount as well as free shipping (depending on the Vendor and Items) and process orders through a purchase order system (PO), as opposed to credit cards or other payment options.
How to tell if a vendor in Sugar is a Preferred Vendor Partner:
- On their Account overview page their Vendor Type will be listed as "Preferred Vendor Partners".
- A list of Preferred Vendors for Providers can be found in ecConnect
- A list of Preferred Vendors including contact information for Councils can be found HERE
- These vendors are visible when providers are selecting a vendor in ecConnect
Other Approved Vendors
These vendors are used regularly and have been deemed reliable to work with, usually by multiple Councils. These vendors are NOT required to offer a discount and may not be able to receive emailed PO's in which case sugar will tell you to find an alternative way to manually contact them to place your request.
How to tell if a vendor in Sugar is an Approved Vendor:
- On their Account overview page their Vendor Type will be listed as "Other Approved Vendor".
- These vendors are visible when providers are selecting a vendor in ecConnect
Vendors
If a vendor exists in Sugar, it means another Council has used them for ordering materials before. It does not necessarily mean that this is a reliable vendor to work with, or that they will offer any discounts or streamlined payment processes like the vendor types in the rest of this article. You can use the vendors in spending requests, however, pay particular attention to these requests as these Vendors are not managed, and their product or contact information may not always be up to date or accurate*.
How to tell if a vendor in Sugar is a Vendor:
- On their Account overview page their Vendor Type will be listed as Vendor.
- Not Visible in ecConnect when providers are selecting a vendor
* Marketplace, Preferred, and Approved Vendors have been vetted on the SAM.gov website which is the System for Award Management (SAM). This is a Federal Government owned and operated free website that can be used to search for government business information to make sure the Vendor you wish to use is not putting out false advertising or inaccurate products. We strongly recommend you check ANY regular vendor you are working with to make sure they are not on the list of excluded parties on this site!
**Bonus Tip: If you need to add a new vendor that isn’t in Sugar already, check out this article: How to Add a Vendor **
*** Special Process: New Approved Vendor
If you have a vendor that you love working with and want to get them Approved, please submit a help ticket to support@ecconnectcolorado.org to get that process started! While any Council can add a "Vendor" Type, only admins can add "Approved Vendor" Type, since they need to pass the minimum requirements listed in that section above.