# Vendor agreement

A vendor agreement is a contract between a business and a supplier that sets the standing terms for everything the supplier will provide over time.

## What it is

A vendor agreement, or supplier agreement, is signed once when a supplier joins your approved list. After that, each order can be a short [purchase order](/templates/purchase-order) that points back to it. It saves both sides from agreeing prices, quality rules and liability on every order.

From the supplier's side, the same document often looks like a [sales agreement](/templates/sales-agreement) for goods or a [service agreement](/templates/service-agreement) for services. Who drafts it decides whose terms come first.

## When it is used

- Onboarding a new supplier before the first order.
- Renewing terms with a long-standing supplier, often yearly.
- A [property management](/industries/property-management) firm signing up contractors for repairs across many buildings.
- A [healthcare admin](/industries/healthcare-admin) team adding a supplier of non-clinical services, such as cleaning or IT.
- A [platform](/platforms) that onboards sellers or service providers onto a marketplace.

## What it usually contains

| Section | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Parties and term | Who is agreeing, start date, length and renewal |
| Products or services | What the vendor will supply, often in a schedule |
| Pricing | Price lists, discounts, and how prices may change |
| Ordering process | How orders are placed and confirmed, often by PO |
| Delivery and performance | Lead times, service levels, and what counts as late |
| Quality and inspection | Standards the goods or work must meet, and how rejects are handled |
| Invoicing and payment | Invoice format, payment days and disputes |
| Compliance | Rules the vendor must follow, such as codes of conduct or data handling |
| Confidentiality and data | How each side protects the other's information |
| Insurance and indemnity | Cover the vendor must hold, and who pays for which claims |
| Termination | How either side can end it, and what happens to open orders |
| Signatures | Authorised signers for both businesses |

## Things to get right

- **Collect the vendor's details with the agreement.** Tax forms, insurance certificates and bank details are separate documents. Gather them through your own onboarding, and confirm bank details by phone.
- **Keep the price schedule current.** If prices change yearly, use a schedule that can be replaced by a signed update, rather than rewriting the agreement.
- **Know which version each vendor signed.** Put the template version in the title or `metadata`.

General information only. This is not legal advice, and a lawyer should review your vendor terms, especially liability and data clauses.

## How to send it for signature with docuinked

### In the app

Upload the agreement, place fields for the vendor's signer, their title and the date, and add your own countersigner. Save it as a template called by version, such as "Vendor agreement v3".

### By API

A supplier onboarding form can start the agreement when it is submitted. This example uses `create_from_template`, so the fields saved in the web app are already placed:

```
curl https://docuinked.com/v1/templates/TEMPLATE_ID/documents \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DOCUINKED_API_KEY" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: vendor-onboard-3310" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title": "Vendor agreement v3, Brightline Supplies",
       "signers": [{"name": "Jamie Cole", "email": "jamie@example.net"},
                   {"name": "Avery Shah", "email": "avery@example.com"}]}'
```

That creates a draft and sends nothing. Send it with `POST https://docuinked.com/v1/documents/DOCUMENT_ID/send`, or create from a PDF with `https://docuinked.com/v1/documents` and `"send": true` as on the other template pages. The [API reference](/docs/api) has both.

### From an agent

A procurement agent can prepare a vendor agreement over [MCP](/docs/mcp) once the vendor passes your checks. A live send returns an `approval_url`, and a person on your team releases it. For a [white-label](/glossary/white-label) marketplace, the vendor sees your brand on the signing page and in the email's sender name. See [platforms](/platforms).

## Related

- [Purchase order](/templates/purchase-order)
- [Invoice approval](/templates/invoice-approval)
- [Template](/glossary/template)
- [Contract automation](/use-cases/contract-automation)

## Sources

Checked 2026-11-07.

- [ESIGN Act, 15 USC 7001](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/7001): a contract may not be denied effect solely because an electronic signature or record was used in its formation.

## Common questions

### Is a vendor agreement the same as a master services agreement?

They overlap. A master services agreement usually covers services and project work. A vendor agreement often covers goods and ongoing supply. The name matters less than what the sections say.

### How often should vendors re-sign?

When the terms change, and on whatever cycle your policy sets, often yearly for key suppliers. Send the new version as a fresh document and keep the old record as it was.

### Can a vendor sign on behalf of their company from a shared inbox?

They can, but the record then shows only that someone with that inbox signed. Ask for a named person's email, and add an access code for larger contracts.