One vendor sends a document by email. Another sends something over WhatsApp. Someone else sends a new version a few months later.

Then there are expiry dates, paperwork still outstanding, documents waiting for review and the inevitable:

“Have you received that yet?”

A simple spreadsheet can make this much easier to manage.

We've created a free Vendor Paperwork Tracker for facilities and property teams to help you keep track of vendors, paperwork, buildings, workflow status and expiry dates in one place.

Download the free Vendor Paperwork Tracker

Download the free Vendor Paperwork Tracker

The template is designed for Excel and can be adapted to your own process.

It includes automatic status calculations, so expiry-related statuses update as time passes.

What can you track?

The tracker includes fields for:

• Vendor

• Service

• Building

• Paperwork

• Requested date

• Received date

• Expiry date

• Workflow status

• Automatic status

• Days to expiry

For example:

You can use the tracker for whatever paperwork you choose to collect from your vendors.

The tracker updates automatically

One of the most useful parts of the template is that you don't have to manually maintain the expiry status.

You update the Workflow status, and the spreadsheet calculates the current status based on that and the expiry date.

For example:

Waiting on vendor
The paperwork has been requested but hasn't been received yet.

Needs review
The vendor has submitted paperwork, but it still needs to be reviewed.

Accepted + more than 30 days until expiry
The paperwork is marked Current.

Accepted + within 30 days of expiry
The status automatically becomes Expiring soon.

Accepted + expiry date has passed
The status automatically becomes Expired.

As the date changes, the spreadsheet updates automatically. You don't need to return to every row and manually change an expiry status.

The template also calculates Days to expiry so you can quickly see which documents need attention.

How to use the template

1. Add your vendors

Start by entering the vendors you work with.

For example:

You can add as many vendors as you need.

2. Add the paperwork you're tracking

Create a row for each piece of paperwork you want to track.

Examples might include:

• Public Liability Insurance Certificate

• Training Certificates

• Health & Safety Policy

• Company Registration Certificate

• Insurance Certificate

The important thing is that you decide what paperwork you want to collect.

The tracker is not intended to determine what a vendor is legally required to provide.

3. Record when paperwork is requested and received

Use the requested and received date columns to keep a simple record of the workflow.

For example:

Requested: 10/09/2026
Received: 12/09/2026

This gives you a basic history of when paperwork was requested and supplied.

4. Set the workflow status

When something changes, update the Workflow status.

For example:

Waiting on vendor → Needs review → Accepted

The main Status column then updates automatically based on the workflow status and expiry date.

5. Add expiry dates

Where paperwork has an expiry date, add it to the Expiry date column.

The spreadsheet will then calculate the number of days remaining and update the status automatically.

You don't need to manually change:

Current → Expiring soon → Expired

as the date approaches and passes.

Why use a vendor paperwork tracker?

Without a central place to keep track of vendor paperwork, information can become scattered across different places.

You might have:

• Documents in email inboxes

• Files in folders

• Conversations in WhatsApp

• Dates in spreadsheets

• Reminders in calendars

The problem isn't necessarily storing the documents.

It's knowing what the current situation is.

For example:

Shine Clean — Cleaning — Harbour House
Insurance Certificate — Current

Or:

Metro Security — Security — Harbour House
Training Certificates — Waiting on vendor

That simple overview makes it much easier to see what needs attention.

A spreadsheet is a good starting point

For a smaller number of vendors, a spreadsheet can work very well.

You can track:

• Who your vendors are

• Which buildings they work at

• What paperwork you've requested

• What you've received

• What's waiting

• What's being reviewed

• What's expiring

• What's already expired

The automatic status calculations make the process easier too.

But as the number of vendors and buildings grows, another problem usually appears.

You don't just need to track paperwork.

You need to chase it.

Where spreadsheets start to become difficult

Imagine you manage 40 vendors across 10 buildings.

You now need to keep track of:

What have I asked each vendor for?

What are they still waiting to send?

What has been received?

What needs reviewing?

Which paperwork needs replacing?

Which documents are about to expire?

And then you need to contact those vendors.

The spreadsheet can tell you that something is outstanding.

It can't send the request, collect the document, manage the submission or keep a conversation with the vendor in one workflow.

That's where a dedicated system can start to make sense.

VendorDesk

VendorDesk helps facilities and property teams manage vendor paperwork without chasing vendors through emails, WhatsApp and spreadsheets.

With VendorDesk, teams can:

• Request paperwork from vendors

• Send requests by email or WhatsApp

• Give vendors a simple upload link

• Collect multiple files

• Review submissions

• Request replacements

• Track outstanding paperwork

• Keep track of expiry dates

• Maintain a history of vendor paperwork

The workflow becomes:

Request → Collect → Review → Track → Remind → Replace

Instead of maintaining a spreadsheet and then manually chasing each vendor, the paperwork process lives in one place.

Ready to move beyond the spreadsheet?

Try VendorDesk