How to Fill a Vendor Information Form: Excel Form Cleaning Guide
Learn how to properly fill vendor information forms in Excel, clean filled forms, and ensure data quality. Discover best practices for completing and maintaining vendor information forms.
How to Fill a Vendor Information Form: Excel Form Cleaning Guide
If you're filling vendor information forms but unsure about proper completion or how to clean filled forms, you need a comprehensive guide. 74% of vendor forms are filled incorrectly, leading to data quality issues and processing delays.
By the end of this guide, you'll know how to properly fill vendor information forms in Excel, clean completed forms, and ensure data quality for efficient processing.
Quick Summary
- Complete all required fields - Fill mandatory information accurately
- Follow format guidelines - Use consistent formats and standards
- Validate before submission - Check data accuracy and completeness
- Clean filled forms - Standardize and validate completed forms
What is a Vendor Information Form?
Definition
A vendor information form is an Excel template or form used to collect vendor details including company information, contact details, address, financial information, and other vendor-related data for registration and onboarding.
Purpose
Primary uses:
- New vendor registration
- Vendor onboarding process
- Vendor data collection
- Vendor database updates
- ERP system data entry
How to Fill Vendor Information Form
Step 1: Complete Required Fields
Fill all mandatory information.
Required Information
Must complete:
- Vendor Code (if assigned)
- Vendor Name (legal company name)
- Tax ID (EIN, VAT, GST)
- Business Address (complete)
- Contact Email (valid email)
- Contact Phone (valid number)
Format Guidelines
Vendor Code:
- Use assigned format (V-XXX, etc.)
- No spaces or special characters
- Consistent format
Vendor Name:
- Full legal company name
- Include legal suffix (LLC, Inc., Corp)
- Proper case
Tax ID:
- Correct format (XX-XXXXXXX for EIN)
- Include hyphens if required
- Valid identification number
Step 2: Complete Contact Information
Provide accurate contact details.
Primary Contact
Required:
- Contact person name
- Email address (valid format)
- Phone number (standard format)
- Job title (optional but recommended)
Format Standards
Email:
- Must contain @ symbol
- Valid domain
- No spaces
- Standard format: name@company.com
Phone:
- Standard format: (XXX) XXX-XXXX
- Include area code
- Country code if international
Step 3: Complete Address Information
Provide complete business address.
Address Components
Required:
- Street address (number and street name)
- City
- State/Province
- ZIP/Postal code
- Country
Format Guidelines
Street Address:
- Use full street name (Street, not St.)
- Include suite/unit if applicable
- Proper case
City:
- Full city name
- Proper case
- No abbreviations
State:
- Use standard abbreviation (CA, NY, TX)
- Or full state name
- Consistent format
ZIP Code:
- 5-digit format (12345)
- Or ZIP+4 if available
- Valid postal code
Step 4: Complete Financial Information
Provide payment and banking details.
Payment Terms
Format:
- Net 30, Net 60, etc.
- Standard terminology
- Clear payment conditions
Currency
Format:
- ISO currency codes (USD, EUR, GBP)
- Standard format
- Primary currency
Bank Details (if required)
Information:
- Bank name
- Account number
- Routing number (US) or SWIFT (international)
- Account holder name
Step 5: Complete Optional Fields
Fill additional information if available.
Optional Information
May include:
- Secondary contact
- Shipping address (if different)
- Vendor category/type
- Notes/comments
- Certifications
- Insurance information
Common Filling Errors
1. Incomplete Information
Errors:
- Missing required fields
- Incomplete addresses
- Missing contact information
- Incomplete financial data
Impact:
- Form rejection
- Processing delays
- Data quality issues
- ERP import failures
2. Format Inconsistencies
Errors:
- Wrong date formats
- Inconsistent vendor codes
- Mixed text case
- Inconsistent address formats
Impact:
- Data quality problems
- System integration issues
- Reporting errors
3. Invalid Data
Errors:
- Invalid email addresses
- Invalid phone numbers
- Invalid tax IDs
- Invalid addresses
Impact:
- Communication failures
- Compliance issues
- System errors
How to Clean Filled Vendor Forms
Step 1: Review Completed Forms
Check all filled forms for issues.
Check Completeness
Verify:
- All required fields filled
- No missing critical information
- Complete addresses
- Valid contact information
Check Accuracy
Validate:
- Email formats
- Phone formats
- Tax ID formats
- Address completeness
Step 2: Standardize Formats
Ensure consistent formatting.
Standardize Vendor Codes
Apply format:
="V-"&TEXT(VALUE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,"V-",""),"V_","")),"000")
Normalize Vendor Names
Standardize:
=PROPER(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,"Corp.","Corporation"),"Inc.","Incorporated"),"LLC.","LLC"),"Ltd.","Limited"))
Standardize Addresses
Format:
=SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,"St.","Street"),"Ave.","Avenue"),"Rd.","Road"),"Blvd.","Boulevard"),"Dr.","Drive")
Step 3: Validate Contact Information
Ensure contact data is accurate.
Validate Emails
Check format:
=IF(AND(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("@",A2)), ISNUMBER(SEARCH(".",A2, SEARCH("@",A2)))), "Valid", "Invalid")
Fix invalid:
- Remove invalid emails
- Flag for correction
- Contact vendor if needed
Standardize Phones
Format:
="("&LEFT(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,"(",""),")",""),"-",""),3)&") "&MID(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,"(",""),")",""),"-",""),4,3)&"-"&RIGHT(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A2,"(",""),")",""),"-",""),4)
Step 4: Validate Tax IDs
Ensure tax identification is correct.
Validate EIN Format
Check:
=IF(LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A2,"-",""))=9, "Valid", "Invalid")
Standardize:
- Format: XX-XXXXXXX
- Remove spaces
- Ensure proper hyphenation
Step 5: Handle Missing Data
Deal with incomplete forms.
Identify Missing
Find blanks:
- Use conditional formatting
- Filter for blanks
- Create missing data report
Fill Missing
Options:
- Contact vendor for missing required fields
- Use "N/A" for optional fields
- Flag for follow-up
- Reject if too many missing required fields
Step 6: Remove Duplicates
Eliminate duplicate form submissions.
Find Duplicates
Method:
- Select data range
- Data > Remove Duplicates
- Check Vendor Code, Tax ID, Email
- Remove duplicates
Keep Best Record
Criteria:
- Most complete information
- Most recent submission
- Verified information
- Best data quality
Step 7: Final Validation
Quality check before processing.
Validation Checklist
Verify:
- All required fields complete
- Formats standardized
- Contact info validated
- Tax IDs validated
- Addresses complete
- No duplicates
- Data accurate
- Ready for processing
Real Example: Filling and Cleaning Form
Filled Form (Before Cleaning):
Issues:
- Inconsistent vendor codes
- Mixed company name formats
- Invalid email addresses
- Incomplete addresses
- Missing tax IDs
- Duplicate submissions
Cleaned Form (After Cleaning):
Improvements:
- ✅ Vendor codes standardized
- ✅ Company names normalized
- ✅ Emails validated and fixed
- ✅ Addresses complete and standardized
- ✅ Tax IDs validated
- ✅ Duplicates removed
- ✅ All formats consistent
- ✅ Ready for processing
Best Practices for Filling Forms
Do's
✅ Do read instructions - Follow form guidelines
✅ Do complete all required fields - Don't leave blanks
✅ Do use consistent formats - Follow format standards
✅ Do validate before submitting - Check accuracy
✅ Do provide accurate information - Verify details
✅ Do use proper case - Title Case for names
Don'ts
❌ Don't skip required fields - Causes rejection
❌ Don't use abbreviations - Unless standard
❌ Don't mix formats - Consistency required
❌ Don't submit invalid data - Check formats
❌ Don't leave incomplete addresses - Complete required
❌ Don't ignore validation - Quality matters
Mini Automation Using RowTidy
You can clean filled vendor information forms automatically using RowTidy.
The Problem:
Cleaning filled vendor forms manually is time-consuming:
- Standardizing formats
- Validating data
- Handling missing information
- Removing duplicates
The Solution:
RowTidy cleans filled vendor forms automatically:
- Upload filled forms - Drag and drop Excel file
- AI analyzes forms - Detects all issues
- Auto-cleans data - Standardizes formats, validates data
- Handles missing data - Flags or fills as appropriate
- Exports clean forms - Get cleaned, validated forms
RowTidy Features:
- Format standardization - Codes, names, addresses, contacts
- Data validation - Emails, phones, tax IDs, addresses
- Missing data handling - Identifies and flags missing fields
- Duplicate removal - Finds and removes duplicate submissions
- Quality validation - Ensures forms are complete and accurate
Time saved: 2-3 hours manual → 10 minutes automated
Clean filled vendor information forms automatically with RowTidy. Try RowTidy's form cleaning →
FAQ
1. How do I fill a vendor information form?
Complete all required fields (vendor code, name, tax ID, address, contact), follow format guidelines, provide accurate information, validate before submitting.
2. What fields are required in vendor forms?
Minimum: Vendor Code, Vendor Name, Tax ID, Complete Address, Contact Email. Optional: Phone, Payment Terms, Currency, Bank Details.
3. How do I clean filled vendor forms?
Standardize formats (codes, names, addresses), validate contact information and tax IDs, handle missing data, remove duplicates, verify completeness.
4. What format should I use for vendor codes?
Use assigned format (V-XXX recommended). Consistent throughout. No spaces or special characters except delimiter.
5. How do I validate email addresses in forms?
Check for @ symbol and valid domain. Use formula or RowTidy for automatic validation. Remove or flag invalid emails.
6. Should I fill optional fields in vendor forms?
Yes, if information available. Optional fields improve data completeness and usefulness. Fill when possible.
7. How do I handle missing data in filled forms?
Contact vendor for missing required fields, use "N/A" for optional fields, flag for follow-up, reject if too many missing required fields.
8. Can I automate vendor form cleaning?
Yes. Use RowTidy to automatically clean filled vendor forms: standardize formats, validate data, handle missing information, remove duplicates.
9. What if I make errors filling the form?
Correct errors before submitting. If already submitted, contact administrator to update. Clean forms before processing to catch errors.
10. How do I ensure forms are filled correctly?
Follow form guidelines, use format standards, validate before submitting, review instructions, provide accurate information, check completeness.
Related Guides
- What is Vendor Information Sheet →
- How to Clean Up Vendor List →
- Vendor Master Clean Up Checklist →
- How Should You Clean Up Vendor List →
Conclusion
Fill vendor information forms by completing all required fields accurately, following format guidelines, validating data before submission, and providing complete information. Clean filled forms by standardizing formats, validating contact information and tax IDs, handling missing data, removing duplicates, and ensuring data quality. Use tools like RowTidy to automate form cleaning and ensure accurate, complete vendor information.
Try RowTidy — automatically clean filled vendor information forms and ensure data quality for efficient processing.