Your Supplier Relationships Are Strategic Assets. Your System Should Treat Them That Way

Organize suppliers into intelligent tiers, create customer-specific profiles, integrate custom pricing APIs, and send bulk RFQs—all while ensuring auto-allocation respects your business relationships.

From Supplier Chaos to Strategic Control

Strategic Supplier Management

Organize your supplier network and transform your relationships into strategic assets. Learn to arrange suppliers into intelligent tiers, customize profiles, integrate pricing APIs, and send bulk RFQs—all while ensuring auto-allocation respects your established business relationships.

See strategic supplier management in action

Direct API integration for custom pricing

Multi-tier supplier preferences guide allocation

Customer-specific profiles ensure AVL compliance

Quick Tips ON Using Breadboard

Video 1: BOM Upload & Project Management

Video 2: Smart Data Mapping & Normalization

Video 3: One-Click Auto-Allocation

Video 4: Strategic Supplier Management

The Supplier Management Nightmare That's Costing You Money

You're paying catalog prices instead of your negotiated rates.

Accidental AVL violations destroy customer trust.

RFQ emails to 12 suppliers = 12 individual emails.

No consistent strategy across your team.

No way to enforce supplier preferences.

Different customers have different requirements.

No visibility into who's using which suppliers.

Supplier Chaos

Strategic Control

Master Supplier Management from Setup to Execution

Watch the complete supplier management walkthrough, or jump to specific features:

Available Suppliers Directory

Direct API vs. Proxied Connections

Adding New Suppliers

Three-Tier Supplier Preference System

Drag-and-Drop Tier Management

How Tiers Guide Auto-Allocation

Multiple Supplier Profiles

Setting Your Default Profile

Supplier Groups for Bulk RFQs

Creating and Managing Groups

Pillars of Strategic Supplier Management

Multiple Supplier Profiles

Not every customer or project uses the same supplier strategy. Create multiple profiles with different tier configurations, each tailored to specific requirements: Default for standard projects, Military for defense contractors with specific compliance needs, customer-named profiles for approved vendor lists. Switch profiles when starting a project, and all sourcing respects those requirements automatically.

Profile Types & Use Cases: 

Default Profile

Your standard go-to supplier arrangement
General projects without special requirements
Balances price, availability, and relationships
Your baseline configuration

Industry-Specific Profiles

Military/Defense: Suppliers with ITAR compliance, security clearances
Medical: Suppliers with ISO 13485 certification, traceability requirements Automotive: Suppliers meeting IATF 16949 standards
Aerospace: AS9100 certified distributors

Customer-Specific Profiles

"Lockheed Martin AVL": Only approved vendors for defense prime
"Medtronic Approved": Medical device customer's supplier requirements
"Tesla Tier 1": Automotive customer's preferred distributors
"Startup - Price Focus": Budget-conscious customers prioritize lowest cost

Project-Specific Profiles

Prototype runs: Speed over cost
Production volumes: Cost over speed
Quick-turn: Stock availability critical
Cost-down projects: Aggressive price focus

Project Management

✓ Unlimited profiles (create as many as needed)
✓ Star icon shows default profile
✓ Quick switching when starting projects
✓ Clone and modify existing profiles ✓ Profiles saved with complete tier configurations

Compliance Benefit:

When you select "Lockheed Martin AVL" profile, auto-allocation ONLY considers suppliers in that profile's tiers. It's literally impossible to accidentally source from an unapproved supplier—the system won't show them as options.

Intelligent Tier Management

Organize suppliers into Priority, Secondary, and Base tiers based on your business relationships, negotiated pricing, and service quality. This simple hierarchy becomes incredibly powerful when connected to auto-allocation: the system automatically checks Priority Tier first, ensuring your best suppliers get first consideration on every BOM.

The Three-Tier System: 

Default Priority Tier - Your Go-To Partners

Negotiated custom pricing agreements
Established relationships and account managers
Proven delivery reliability and quality
First choice for auto-allocation
Typically 5-10 suppliers you use most

Secondary Tier - Solid Backup Options

Good alternatives when Priority tier lacks stock
Competitive pricing on specific component categories
Specialty suppliers for certain part types
Checked second during auto-allocation
Typically 10-20 additional suppliers

Base Tier - Extended Network

Occasional use suppliers
Last resort for hard-to-find parts
Newer relationships being evaluated
Checked last during auto-allocation
All other suppliers in your network

Management Features:

✓ Drag-and-drop to move suppliers between tiers
✓ Toggle suppliers on/off without deleting
✓ Changes reflected instantly across all BOMs

Business Impact:

Your negotiated pricing with Priority Tier suppliers actually gets used because the system prioritizes them automatically. No more forgetting to check your best suppliers first.

Centralized Supplier Directory

Your complete supplier network in one searchable directory. See connection types at a glance—which suppliers have direct API integration with your custom pricing, and which provide standard catalog data. Add regional distributors, specialty suppliers, or contract manufacturers with full contact information. Search instantly, no more scattered spreadsheets.

Key Capabilities:

✓ Search function: Find any supplier in seconds
✓ Connection status: Direct API vs. Proxied clearly labeled
✓ Contact management: Names, emails, phone numbers centralized
✓ Website links: Direct access to supplier portals
✓ Modification history: Track when supplier info was updated
✓ Custom additions: Add any supplier relevant to your workflow

Real-World Application: When a customer mentions a regional distributor they prefer, add them to your network immediately with contact details. Next time you work with that customer, the supplier is already configured and ready to use.

Stop Managing Suppliers with Spreadsheets and Memory. Start Managing Strategically.

Scattered Supplier Management

Supplier contacts in spreadsheets, emails, sticky notes
Where was that contact info again?
Custom pricing agreements forgotten
Negotiated 12% discount with Mouser, but team sources elsewhere
AVL violations happen accidentally 
"Oh no, that supplier wasn't on the approved list"
RFQs sent one by one
12 emails to wire suppliers = 2 hours of copy/paste
No consistent sourcing strategy
Each team member uses different suppliers randomly
Customer requirements in emails
Defense customer AVL buried in inbox somewhere
Priority suppliers forgotten
Your best partners don't get consistent business
No spend consolidation visibility
Are we even leveraging volume with suppliers?
Leaving negotiating leverage on table
Scattered spend = weak position in negotiations

Strategic Supplier Control

Centralized supplier directory
All contacts, connection status, details in one place
Direct API integration
Your custom pricing automatically used in allocation
Profile-based AVL enforcement
System only shows approved suppliers—can't violate accidentally
Bulk RFQ to supplier groups
One click sends to all 12 wire specialists simultaneously
Intelligent tier system guides allocation
Priority suppliers checked first, automatically
Customer profiles ready to select 
"Lockheed Martin AVL" profile → instant compliance
Auto-allocation respects tiers
Best partners get business consistently
Spend consolidation data built-in
See which suppliers getting volume, optimize accordingly
Strong negotiating position
Consolidated spend data = leverage in discussions

From chaotic supplier relationships to strategic partnership management

Your supplier relationships are business assets worth potentially millions in negotiated pricing, reliable delivery, and service quality. Managing them with spreadsheets and memory is leaving money on the table.

Why This Matters

Strategic Benefit #1: Relationship Value

Your Priority Tier suppliers are priority because they've earned it—better pricing, better service, better reliability. The tier system ensures they get your business consistently, strengthening relationships and improving your negotiating position over time.

Strategic Benefit #2: Negotiated Pricing Leverage

You spent time negotiating 15% better pricing with Mouser. The tier system ensures Mouser gets checked first, so those negotiated rates actually get used instead of forgotten.

Strategic Benefit #3: Compliance Automation

When using customer-specific profiles with mandated AVLs, the tier system becomes a compliance enforcement tool. Only approved suppliers are in the tiers, so allocation can't violate requirements—even by accident.

Strategic Benefit #4: Team Consistency

Without tiers, every team member sources differently based on personal preference or habit. With tiers, everyone's sourcing follows the same strategic priorities automatically.

Strategic Benefit #5: Performance Feedback Loop

Over time, you can promote suppliers who perform well to Priority Tier and demote those who disappoint to Secondary or Base. The system learns and improves based on real experience.

Transform Your Supplier Strategy

Book Strategic Supplier Setup Session

You've seen all four acts

You've seen all four acts

Video 4 of 4

✓ Act 1: BOM Upload & Project Management
✓ Act 2: Smart Data Mapping
✓ Act 3: One-Click Auto-Allocation
✓ Act 4: Strategic Supplier Management

Ready to see it all work together?

Book Live Demo with Your BOM

Stop Treating Suppliers Like a Rolodex. Start Managing Them Like Strategic Assets.

Your supplier relationships are worth millions in negotiated pricing, reliable delivery, and competitive advantage. Manage them accordingly.

Transform Your Supplier Strategy

45-minute setup session • We'll configure your tiers and profiles • See ROI immediately