Download the vendor document register template
XLSX
Vendor document register (Excel)
Header block, 18 columns, drop-downs for purpose, review code and status, overdue rows in red, frozen header row, filters and a How to use sheet.
CSV
Vendor document register (CSV)
The example rows as plain CSV (UTF-8), for Google Sheets or any other tool.
Both files are free under CC BY 4.0, with no form to fill in. The XLSX opens in Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers. The CSV carries the table only; the header block is in the XLSX.
What it is for and who uses it
After award, the customer's vendor data requirements list (VDRL) becomes a schedule of work: each document must be written, sent, reviewed, revised and finally filed. The register is the supplier's record of where each one stands. Customers often ask for it as a deliverable in its own right, issued at a set interval. Names vary: vendor document register (VDR), vendor document list, document submittal register or MDR index.
- Document controllers who send transmittals and log returns.
- Project managers at smaller makers who run documents themselves.
- Order engineers who need to know which approvals hold up production.
Example rows: 6-inch Class 600 ball valve order
| VDRL code | Document title | Purpose | Due date | Current rev | Review code | Status | Next action | Data book section |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A01 | General arrangement drawing | For approval | 2026-11-12 | B | 1: Accepted | Accepted | None. Rev B accepted. | 2.1 |
| A02 | Valve datasheets (as offered) | For approval | 2026-11-12 | A | 2: Accepted with comments | Returned: resubmit | Add seat material per agreed deviation EX-03; issue Rev B. | 2.2 |
| B01 | Inspection and test plan (ITP) | For approval | 2026-11-20 | A | None yet | Issued | Chase return; manufacture waits on approval. | 1.3 |
| B02 | Hydrostatic and seat test procedure | For approval | 2026-12-01 | None yet | In preparation | Finish draft; internal check. | 5.1 | |
| B05 | Painting procedure | For review | 2027-01-15 | None yet | Not started | Request coating supplier data sheet. | 6.1 | |
| C01 | Material certificates, pressure parts (EN 10204 3.1) | Final (data book) | 2027-03-01 | None yet | In preparation | Collect certificates as material arrives; check against PO. | 3.1 | |
| D01 | Installation, operation and maintenance manual | For review | 2027-02-01 | None yet | Not started | Start from standard manual; add project tags. | 8.1 | |
| E01 | Final manufacturing record book (MRB) | Final (data book) | 2027-04-12 | None yet | Not started | Ask customer for the MRB index now. |
The file also has columns for vendor and customer document numbers, the due date rule, date issued, transmittal number, date returned, owner and remarks. Every example value is invented: the project, customer, purchase order PO-EX-3105, specification PS-VAL-001 and every document, transmittal and report number do not exist. Standards are named but not quoted.
Columns and what to write
| Column | What to write |
|---|---|
| Item | Running number. |
| VDRL code | The line or code on the customer's vendor data requirements list (VDRL) that asks for the document. |
| Document title | Title as the customer will see it. Match the VDRL wording where you can. |
| Vendor doc no. | Your own document number. |
| Customer doc no. | The project number the customer assigned, if the project uses its own numbering. |
| Purpose | For approval, For review, For information or Final (data book) (drop-down). |
| Due (rule) | The VDRL timing rule, such as "4 weeks after PO" or "before FAT". |
| Due date | The date that rule gives for this order (YYYY-MM-DD). |
| Current rev | The latest revision you issued. |
| Date issued | Date the current revision was sent. |
| Transmittal no. | The transmittal that sent the current revision. |
| Date returned | Date the customer returned the current revision. |
| Review code | The code the customer gave. The drop-down uses common meanings; replace it with the project's own legend. |
| Status | Not started, In preparation, Issued, Returned: resubmit, Accepted or Closed (drop-down). Rows past due and not Accepted or Closed turn red. |
| Next action | The next step, and who is waiting on whom. |
| Owner | Who owns the next action. |
| Data book section | Where the final version goes in the manufacturing record book (MRB), if it goes in at all. |
| Remarks | Anything else, such as a sub-supplier the document depends on. |
Review codes
| Code | Common meaning |
|---|---|
| 1: Accepted | Accepted as issued. Work may go ahead. Keep the returned copy with its stamp. |
| 2: Accepted with comments | Work may usually go ahead, but you must update the document for the comments and resubmit. Check the project legend. |
| 3: Rejected and resubmit | Not accepted. Do not rely on it. Revise and resubmit, answering every comment. |
| 4: Information only | Received for the buyer's records. No formal approval follows. |
| None yet | Issued and waiting for the buyer's return. |
Every project defines its own codes, and some use letters or more levels. Edit the drop-down to match the legend in the customer's document procedure.
How to use the template
- Fill in the header block: project, customer, purchase order, the VDRL and its revision, and who keeps the register.
- Add one row for every line on the customer's vendor data requirements list (VDRL), plus any document the purchase order or specification asks for that the VDRL misses.
- Copy each VDRL code and timing rule, then work out the due date for this order from the PO date and the schedule.
- Give each document your number and, if the project uses its own numbering, the customer's number.
- Each time you send a revision, update Current rev, Date issued and Transmittal no. When the customer returns it, record the date and review code.
- Set the status from the drop-down and write the next action and owner. Rows past their due date that are not Accepted or Closed turn red; rows returned for resubmission turn amber.
- Fill in the Data book section for each final document, so the manufacturing record book (MRB) index is built as the order runs, not at the end.
- Issue the register to the customer at the agreed interval, with a new revision letter each time.
From register to record book
The Data book section column maps each final document to its place in the manufacturing record book (MRB). Filling it in as you go means the record book index is mostly built by the time you ship. For the post-award workflow around it, see order engineering.