Module: Supplier Portal v1.0.0
Self-service supplier portal for BIXCRM — supplier accounts, portal users, RFQ/PO visibility, and document exchange
Screen-by-screen guides (each tab explained)
Click a menu item below for step-by-step instructions on that Supplier Portal screen:
How to use in BIXCRM (daily operations)
- Sign in to the admin area with a role that includes Supplier Portal permissions.
- Open Supplier Portal (sidebar) or search for Supplier Portal in the admin menu.
- Start on the Dashboard (if available) to see open tasks, pending approvals, and KPIs.
- Review Settings after upgrades — new options may need defaults for your company.
- Create or import master data first; most modules block transactions until masters exist.
- Run the main business flow (create → submit → approve → post/complete) using the screens listed in Admin menu below.
- Use Reports / Analytics screens to reconcile stock, finance, compliance, or SLA metrics.
- For integrations (API, EDI, gateways, tax), confirm credentials in Settings and monitor logs or webhook delivery screens.
- Train staff with role-based access — give approvers approve permissions only, operators create/edit on their area.
- If something fails overnight, check BIXCRM cron ran and open the module log / failed queue screen if present.
Admin menu — where to work
Open the Supplier Portal section in the admin sidebar. Screens your staff may use (depending on role):
- API Keys
- Compliance Documents
- Dashboard
- Portal Users
- Registrations
- Settings
- Suppliers
- Webhooks
Detailed guide — features, workflows, API & FAQ
Phase 5 (Current) — Documents & Integrations
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| --------- | ------------- |
| Compliance Documents | Upload tax certs, licenses, quality docs for admin review |
| Document Types | Configurable required/optional types with expiry dates |
| Self-Registration | Suppliers register via portal; admin approve or auto-approve |
| Email Verification | Optional verification before registration approval |
| REST API | Read supplier RFQs, POs, invoices, payments, documents |
| API Keys | Scoped keys per supplier or global integration keys |
| Webhooks | Outbound events with HMAC signatures + delivery log |
| EDI-Ready | External systems subscribe via webhooks (e.g. EDI B2B Hub) |
Phase 4 — Invoices & Payments
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| --------- | ------------- |
| Invoice Listing | View supplier bills from Purchase Management |
| Submit Invoice | Create bill + submit for approval via portal |
| PO-linked Invoices | Optional PO selection with pre-filled billable lines |
| Payment History | Read-only recorded payments |
| Account Statement | Ledger entries and running balance |
| Attachments | Upload invoice PDFs/specs |
| Staff Notifications | Email on portal invoice submission |
Phase 3 — Purchase Orders
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| --------- | ------------- |
| PO Listing | View purchase orders assigned to supplier |
| PO Detail | Line items, delivery info, received quantities |
| Acknowledgment | Accept or reject PO with notes |
| Delivery Schedule | Planned dates/qty per line item |
| Staff Notifications | Email on PO acknowledgment |
Phase 2 — RFQ & Quotations
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| --------- | ------------- |
| RFQ Listing | View invited/open RFQs from Purchase Management |
| Quotation Submit | Line-item quotation form with totals |
| My Quotations | Track submitted quotes and status |
| Attachments | Upload PDF/spec files per quotation |
| Staff Notifications | Email on new portal quotation |
Phase 1 — Foundation
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| --------- | ------------- |
| Supplier Profiles | CRUD with optional Purchase Management linking |
| Portal Users | Login accounts with secure password hashing |
| Portal Auth | Login, logout, forgot/reset password, self-registration |
| Admin Dashboard | Stats, recent suppliers, portal URL |
| Settings | Enable portal, URL slug, session timeout, integrations |
| Permissions | Feature groups via BIXCRM hooks |
| Audit Log | sp_activity_logs for admin and portal actions |
Database Tables
| Table | Purpose |
|---|---|
| ------- | --------- |
sp_suppliers | Portal supplier master profiles |
sp_portal_users | Supplier login accounts |
sp_quotation_attachments | Quotation file uploads |
sp_po_acknowledgments | PO supplier acknowledgments |
sp_po_delivery_schedules | Planned delivery per PO line |
sp_invoice_attachments | Invoice file uploads |
sp_compliance_document_types | Admin-defined document categories |
sp_compliance_documents | Supplier compliance uploads |
sp_registration_requests | Self-registration queue |
sp_api_keys | REST API key hashes |
sp_webhooks | Outbound webhook subscribers |
sp_webhook_deliveries | Webhook delivery log |
sp_activity_logs | Audit trail |
Portal URLs
| URL | Purpose |
|---|---|
| ----- | --------- |
/supplier_portal/auth/login | Supplier login |
/supplier_portal/auth/register | Self-registration |
/supplier_portal/portal | Supplier dashboard |
/supplier_portal/portal/documents | Compliance documents |
/supplier_portal/api | REST API index |
REST API
Enable in Settings → Enable REST API, then create keys under Supplier Portal → API Keys.
Authentication: X-SP-API-Key header, Authorization: Bearer {token}, or ?api_key=
Example endpoints:
GET /supplier_portal/api/suppliers/{id}GET /supplier_portal/api/suppliers/{id}/invoicesGET /supplier_portal/api/registrations
Webhooks
Enable in Settings → Enable Webhooks, configure subscribers under Supplier Portal → Webhooks.
Payload format:
{ "event": "invoice.submitted", "timestamp": "...", "payload": { ... } }
Headers: X-SP-Event, X-SP-Signature (HMAC-SHA256 of body)
Version
- Module: 1.4.0
- DB version: 104 (option
sp_db_version)
See [docs/ROADMAP.md](docs/ROADMAP.md) for full phase history.
Features
Self-service supplier portal for BIXCRM — supplier accounts, portal users, RFQ/PO visibility, and document exchange
- `GET /supplier_portal/api/suppliers/{id}`
- `GET /supplier_portal/api/suppliers/{id}/invoices`
- `GET /supplier_portal/api/registrations`
Permissions
Granular staff capabilities are registered on activation. Assign them under Setup → Staff → Roles for the Supplier Portal capability group.
Typical capabilities include view, create, edit, delete, plus module-specific actions (approve, export, settings, API access).
Cron Jobs
Background tasks (if enabled) run through BIXCRM's main cron. Example crontab (every 5 minutes):
* * * * * php /path/to/bixcrm/index.php cron/index > /dev/null 2>&1
Check module settings for scheduled jobs (alerts, sync, reports, retention).
After activation — configuration checklist
- Go to Setup → Modules and activate Supplier Portal.
- If prompted, click Upgrade Database or reload admin — migrations run automatically.
- Assign permissions under Setup → Staff → Roles.
- Open the module menu and configure settings.
- BIXCRM 3.0+
- PHP 7.4+ (8.1+ recommended)
- MySQL 5.7+ / MariaDB 10.3+ (InnoDB)
- PHP extensions: mysqli, json, mbstring, curl, fileinfo
One-time setup (first time only)
- Setup → Modules → activate Supplier Portal.
- Setup → Staff → Roles → assign Supplier Portal permissions (view, create, edit, delete, approve, export, settings as needed).
- Open Supplier Portal → Settings and complete company defaults, prefixes, integrations, and notification options.
- Create master data (warehouses, products, templates, accounts, routes, etc.) before processing live transactions.
- Enable BIXCRM cron (
php /path/to/bixcrm/index.php cron/index) for sync, retries, alerts, and scheduled jobs. - Optionally enable REST API / webhooks in module settings if you integrate external systems.
BIXCRM Knowledge Base — usage guide generated from module README and documentation.