Vendors

Answers on Muin's vendor management — onboarding, verification, contracts, budgets, and approvals — to keep every supplier organized and spend accountable.

8 questions

How does vendor verification work?

Muin verifies vendors through a multi-step process to ensure compliance and reduce risk: 1. **Basic Verification** — When you add a vendor, Muin validates their Tax ID (EIN) and business registration 2. **SAM.gov Check** — For organizations that require it, Muin checks the vendor against the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) for debarment and exclusion status 3. **Document Collection** — Muin tracks required documents like W-9s, insurance certificates, and licenses, and sends automated reminders when they are missing or expiring 4. **Ongoing Monitoring** — Vendor compliance status is monitored continuously, with alerts when certifications expire or new risk factors are detected Go to **Vendors** to view the verification status of all your vendors. Green indicates fully verified, yellow means documents are pending, and red flags require attention.

How do I track spending against a vendor budget?

Muin lets you set budgets per vendor and track actual spending against them: 1. Go to **Vendors** and select the vendor 2. Open the **Budget** tab 3. Set a budget amount and period (monthly, quarterly, or annual) 4. Muin automatically tracks all invoices and payments against this budget You will see a progress bar showing how much of the budget has been used. Muin sends alerts when spending reaches 75%, 90%, and 100% of the budget. You can also view budget vs. actual reports in **Reports** --> **Vendor Spend Analysis**.

Can I manage vendor contracts in Muin?

Yes. Muin provides contract lifecycle management for all your vendor relationships: - **Upload contracts** — attach contracts directly to the vendor record - **Track key dates** — Muin tracks start dates, end dates, and renewal windows, and sends reminders before deadlines - **Link to invoices** — associate invoices with specific contracts for spend tracking - **Version history** — keep a full history of contract amendments and renewals Go to **Vendors** --> select a vendor --> **Contracts** tab to view and manage contracts. You can also use Muin's AI to extract key terms, dates, and amounts from uploaded contract documents automatically.

Does Muin check vendors against SAM.gov?

Yes. Muin can automatically check vendors against SAM.gov (System for Award Management), which is required for organizations that receive federal funding: - **Automatic screening** — when you add a vendor, Muin checks their DUNS number or UEI against SAM.gov - **Debarment check** — flags vendors that are debarred, suspended, or excluded from federal contracts - **Ongoing monitoring** — Muin re-checks vendor status periodically and alerts you to changes - **Audit trail** — every verification check is logged with date and result for compliance records This feature is especially important for nonprofits, government contractors, and any organization subject to federal grant requirements. Enable SAM.gov checks in **Settings** --> **Vendors** --> **Compliance**.

How do I onboard a new vendor?

Onboarding a new vendor in Muin takes just a few steps: 1. Go to **Vendors** --> **Add Vendor** 2. Enter vendor details: business name, contact information, Tax ID 3. Muin automatically initiates verification (EIN validation, SAM.gov check if enabled) 4. The vendor receives an email invitation to complete their profile and upload required documents (W-9, insurance, licenses) 5. As documents arrive, Muin updates the compliance status automatically You can also onboard vendors through a **public intake form** — create a vendor onboarding form in **Forms**, share the link, and submissions automatically create vendor records with attached documents. This is ideal for organizations that onboard many vendors.

I submitted an invoice through the vendor portal — how do I know it was received and when I'll be paid?

A successful submission shows a **reference number** immediately — that's your proof of receipt; keep it with your records. The invoice routes to your customer's approval queue, and once paid it appears in your **payment history** on the portal's Dashboard tab. If you need a status update before then, contact your customer and quote the reference number.

Why was my vendor portal invoice submission rejected?

The two most common causes are a **duplicate invoice number** (each invoice number can only be submitted once — check whether you already submitted it) and an **invalid amount** (it must be greater than zero with at most two decimal places). The error message shows directly on the form — fix the field and resubmit. If the portal says your link is invalid or expired, ask your customer for a fresh link.

Which documents should I upload to the vendor portal?

Whatever your customer tracks for compliance — the portal accepts **W-9**, **insurance certificate**, **business license**, **tax ID**, **bank information**, **NDA**, **contract**, and **other** supporting documents. Pick the right document type before uploading so it lands in the correct compliance slot. Your Dashboard shows compliance as "met / total" — uploading the missing types is what moves that number, and complete compliance keeps your payments unblocked.