--- title: "Workflows affected by supplier management" slug: "workflows-affected-by-supplier-management" description: "See how supplier management affects workflows in the Payhawk spend management platform: pre‑fill fields and prompt supplier selection in expenses and requests." updated: 2026-10-19T10:21:33Z published: 2026-10-19T10:21:33Z canonical: "payhawk.com/workflows-affected-by-supplier-management" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://payhawk.com/help/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Workflows affected by supplier management The supplier management solution and implementation logic are visible in various places within the expense and purchase lifecycle at Payhawk. Most notably, supplier management affects the following stages: - Before submitting an expense - When reviewing an expense - When adding supplier payment details - Before submitting a purchase - During and after purchase approval ## Before submitting an expense The supplier name field is present and optional for employees when [creating and submitting an expense](/help/submitting-expenses-in-bulk). If an employee selects a supplier from the drop-down list, all custom fields that are marked for supplier-driven expense categorization will be pre-filled with the stored values for this supplier.​ ![A bill with an invoice attached in the Spend app, with the Supplier search list open.](https://cdn.payhawk.com/navigation-redesign-didi_20261009_ai/workflows-affected-by-supplier-management-01_20261009_ai.png) For example, you can set a **Default-[sample]** supplier. For example, an employee makes a card expense in KFC. Your Payhawk accountant prefers not to have KFC as a supplier and during the review process of the expense, they can choose **Default-Food** as a supplier. The next time an employee makes a card expense at KFC, the supplier will automatically be looked up as **Default-Food**. Alternatively, an employee can mark a supplier as new. As a result, Payhawk accountants and administrators at the company will be prompted that a company has been suggested as a new supplier and decide whether to add it as a supplier or replace it with an existing one. ![A bill with a new supplier name typed into the Supplier field and the option to add it to your account.](https://cdn.payhawk.com/navigation-redesign-didi_20261009_ai/workflows-affected-by-supplier-management-02_20261009_ai.png) > [!TIP] > - Marking a supplier as new when submitting an expense does not create that supplier. > - Only Payhawk accountants and administrators can view the prompt for creating a new supplier for submitted expenses. ## When reviewing an expense The **Supplier** field is mandatory when an [expense is pending review](/help/overview-of-expenses-for-accountants), and Payhawk accountants and administrators can either create a new supplier or pick an existing supplier from the drop-down list. If they choose an existing supplier, the review process may continue. ![A bill in the Review stage with an invoice attached and an existing supplier found in the supplier picker.](https://cdn.payhawk.com/navigation-redesign-didi_20261009_ai/workflows-affected-by-supplier-management-03_20261009_ai.png) If they choose to create a new supplier, the Payhawk accountant or administrator will see a prompt for adding the new supplier’s information. For more information, see the article about [adding the supplier details](/help/editing-viewing-and-applying-supplier-details). If any of [these fields are configured as required from **Settings** > **Fields library**](/help/managing-custom-fields-and-values-from-the-fields-library), the supplier details will have to be provided when adding a supplier. ![The Add supplier panel opened from a bill, with the supplier name filled in and fields for tax number, country and address.](https://cdn.payhawk.com/navigation-redesign-didi_20261009_ai/workflows-affected-by-supplier-management-04_20261009_ai.png)If there is an existing supplier with the same **Supplier name** or **Tax number**, Payhawk will display a corresponding error message and a duplicate supplier will not be created. Once a supplier is added or selected from the drop-down list, the expense review can continue, following the standard expense review process. ## When adding supplier payment details To be executed, bank transfer expenses require that the supplier payment details be added. If there are no payment details stored for the supplier, Payhawk will prompt the Payhawk accountant or administrator to add them. ![The Add supplier payment details panel on a bill with currency, account holder, IBAN, BIC/SWIFT and the recipient address filled in.](https://cdn.payhawk.com/navigation-redesign-didi_20261009_ai/workflows-affected-by-supplier-management-05_20261009_ai.png) If the banking details are stored in the **Suppliers** app, Payhawk accountants and administrators will be able to see the screen with the self-populated banking information and add a reference. ![The payment step of a bill showing the reference and the supplier's stored payment details with an Edit link.](https://cdn.payhawk.com/navigation-redesign-didi_20261009_ai/workflows-affected-by-supplier-management-06_20261009_ai.png) If the banking details for the supplier have been changed from the **Suppliers** app before the expense is paid, Payhawk will display a warning message. The user will be [prompted to choose if the supplier details that were last confirmed or the ones that have been last updated are correct](/help/editing-viewing-and-applying-supplier-details). ​When this discrepancy is resolved or if there's no discrepancy, the user will be able to pay the expense over a 2FA through mobile confirmation. ## Before submitting a purchase The supplier name field is present for employees when submitting a purchase. To add an existing supplier to the purchase, employees can select it from the drop-down list of companies. ![The Supplier field on a purchase request with the list of existing suppliers open.](https://cdn.payhawk.com/navigation-redesign-didi_20261009_ai/workflows-affected-by-supplier-management-07_20261009_ai.png) If an employee wants to add a company as a new supplier, they can mark it as a new supplier which, in turn, will prompt Payhawk accountants and administrators accordingly. ![A purchase request with a new supplier name typed into the Supplier field and the option to mark it as a new supplier.](https://cdn.payhawk.com/navigation-redesign-didi_20261009_ai/workflows-affected-by-supplier-management-08_20261009_ai.png) > [!TIP] > - Marking a supplier as new when submitting a purchase does not create that supplier. > - Only Payhawk accountants and administrators can view the prompt for creating a new supplier for submitted purchases. ## During and after purchase approval If, when submitting a purchase, an employee has marked a supplier as new, Payhawk accountants and administrators will be prompted that a company has been suggested as a new supplier and decide whether to [add it](/help/creating-archiving-and-searching-for-suppliers) or replace it with an existing one. ![The Supplier field on a request flagged with This looks like a new supplier and an Add supplier to your account link.](https://cdn.payhawk.com/navigation-redesign-didi_20261009_ai/workflows-affected-by-supplier-management-09_20261009_ai.png) ## Useful resources - [Creating, archiving, and searching for suppliers in Payhawk](/help/creating-archiving-and-searching-for-suppliers) - [Editing, viewing, and applying supplier details](/help/editing-viewing-and-applying-supplier-details)