For most Lowe’s suppliers, Vendor Gateway will be their home for almost everything
related to the supplier-retailer relationship.
It’s important to
remember that navigating Vendor Gateway happens within a particular Vendor
Business Unit (VBU) or vendor number. This can complicate the disputing
process. Disputes must be done at the VBU/department level. It's important to
remember to switch between VBUs when disputing in Vendor Inquiry.
Vendor Gateway is broken down into four main tabs on their top nav:
- Home
- Applications
- Ticket Management
- Knowledge Center
Home
This tab functions as a triage tool for understanding the main priorities that Lowe’s has for its suppliers. It mostly works as a tool for bringing supplier-facing announcements directly to their suppliers.
The What’s New! window shows updates in brief that can be read fully by clicking the See What’s New button.
Applications
Most of the technical functionality of Vendor Gateway happens in the Applications tab. There, suppliers can access a suite of apps that are essential for success with Lowe’s. Some of the most important are:
- Product Content Management: This app helps suppliers/vendors access and
update all of their item data. This is essential for optimizing item sales, especially for eComm, and avoiding fines. - Store Lookup: This app is a repository of store and DC data.
- Vendor Partner Plus: This app is a data/analytics tool that helps suppliers understand their in-store performance and other data related to compliance/performance.
- Vendor Negotiations: This app helps vendors make agreements with Lowe’s around promotions, marketing, and resets.
Vendor Inquiry: This app is the supplier’s home for all things related to deductions, payment remittance, and problem invoices. - Vendor Compliance System: This app is a tool for keeping up with On Time
and In Full compliance. This app also holds the fines associated with poor
performance and the dispute functionality.
See the Lowe’s Deduction Dispute Process chapter for more information on dealing with deductions.
Ticket Management
The Ticket Management tab houses all request tickets, new, in progress, and resolved.
On the dashboard, the left section shows the tickets. These are automatically sorted by status, with urgent and in-progress tickets showing at the top and resolved tickets showing at the bottom.
On the right side of the dashboard is the section for creating a new ticket. When you click Create New in the Tickets section, the right-hand portion will populate with this
form:
First, select from the list of possible Help Topics:
- Accounting & Finance
- Accounting & Finance – Import
- Asset Protection & Safety Management
- Company Information/Vendor
Maintenance - Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
- Enterprise Product Quality Assurance
- Gateway Usability Support
- In-Store Execution/Merchandising
- Item
- Marketing
- Private Brands
- Pro Extended Aisle
- Pro Volume Savings Program
- Return To Vendor/Buybacks
- Supply Chain
- Transportation
- Vendor Performance/Reporting (VPP)
From there, you can select a Type of Issue that is unique to the topic, add a Message Subject, a Message, and attach a file or document to provide context.
From there, the ticket can be followed up with in the left-hand section.
Knowledge Center
The Knowledge Center tab contains lots of helpdocs and videos for getting the most out of Vendor Gateway.
The Helpful Resources contains many helpdocs on these subjects:
- Accounting & Finance
- Conflict Minerals and Wood
Sourcing - EDI / Rithum
- Gateway Usability Support
- Item Data & Product Content
- Lowe's Content Experience Services
- Merchant Contact List
- Packaging & Private Brands
- Policies
- Pro Extended Aisle
- Pro Volume Savings Program
- Quality Assurance
- Return to Vendor (RTV) / Buyback
- Store Execution & Hazmat Info
- Supply Chain
- Sustainability
- Third Party Risk Management
- Vendor Onboarding & Company
Information - Vendor Performance / VPP Reporting
- Vendor Requirements
- Vendor Today Newsletter
Below, on the left side is a FAQ section that is likely to be helpful for new users of Vendor
Gateway.
Navigating the Vendor Inquiry App for Accounting Information
The Vendor Inquiry app under the Applications tab has four main sub-tabs:
- Checks (the default when clicking
into the app) - Invoices
- Deductions
- RTM Allowances
Checks
The Checks tab holds checks from the last five years and makes them searchable by:
- Check Number
- Paid Amount
- Check Date
- Invoice Amount
- Discount
- Invoice Count
- Remit to Vendor
Take note that the date range will be automatically set to a limited range. If you are searching for an old check, you will need to adjust the dates.
There is also an export option for .xlsx by clicking on the Export button on the far right.
By clicking on a Check Number, you will be automatically redirected to the Invoices tab, showing all of the invoices paid under that check.
Invoices
If instead of looking for the individual invoices on a particular check, you simply click on the Invoices tab, you will be taken to an exhaustive list of all the invoices for the invoice date that is automatically set up.
The list defaults to the All status, but you can also pick Setup and Paid or filter by Invoice Types of either Problem or EDI 810 Rejections. It’s important to note that Status and Invoice Type filters cannot be used in tandem.
Problem invoices are only visible for 120 days in the VENDOR status of the Action Required tab. EDI 810 Rejections are visible for 5 years back.
A similar Export feature is available.
These invoice lines are also sortable by:
- Invoice Number
- Invoice Date
- Due Date
- Check Date
- Invoice Amount
- Store Number
- PO Number
- Check Number
- Check Amount
- Discount
Deductions
The deductions tab isolates all the negative invoices and provides them with a Deduction # for disputing and record-keeping. It houses three years of deductions.
In the Vendor Inquiry app, on the deductions page, Lowe’s says that standard deductions can be disputed up to 18 months back. However, some Knowledge Center documentation says that disputes can be filed only for deductions going 12 months back.
It’s generally recommended to err on the side of disputing what can be disputed.
You can filter by Deduction Type:
- Standard
- Return to Manufacturer
Or by Status:
- All
- Review
- Lowes
- Resolved
These deductions can be filtered by:
- Status
- Invoice #
- Deduction #
- This is hyperlinked to a deductions page that covers the deduction details (see the section below)
- Deduction Date
- Deduction Amount
- Location #
- Purchase Order
- Approved Amount
- Source (code)
The Deduction Detail Page
After clicking on one
of the Deduction # hyperlinks, you will be taken to a deduction details
page that shows all of the available information on a particular deduction.
For each deduction, there should be:
- Tracking #
- Deduction #
- Deduction Date
- Deduction Amount
- Approved Amount
- Invoice #
- Location #
- Purchase Order #
- Freight Type
- Comments
- Description
- Updated On
This information is very helpful for disputing deductions. See the Lowe’s Deduction Dispute Process chapter for more information on dealing with deductions.