This guide answers common questions about the VRM (Vendor Relationship Management) section in Olive. The VRM is where you centralise all your vendor data, track contracts, manage contacts, and leverage AI-powered recommendations to support better procurement decisions.
Figure 1: The VRM section — Solutions, Companies, and Contacts tabs
GeneralQ: How do I access the VRM in Olive?
A:
Navigate to the VRM section from the main Olive navigation. The VRM contains three main tabs:
- Solutions — manage your vendor and solution repository
- Companies — store company-level information associated with vendors
- Contacts — maintain a directory of vendor contacts
Q: What is the VRM used for?
A:
The VRM is your single source of truth for all vendor information. Key uses include:
- Centralising vendor data — keep all solution, company, and contact information in one place
- Contract Tracking — proactively manage renewals and avoid unwanted auto-renewals
- AI Enhancement — provide Ask Olive with context to deliver more accurate recommendations
- Powerful Filtering — search and filter vendors by any property such as Owner, Contract Status, or Department
Q: What is the difference between Solutions, Companies, and Contacts?
A:
- Solutions — the software products or services your organisation uses or is evaluating
- Companies — the vendor organisations that supply those solutions — one company may have multiple solutions
- Contacts — the individuals at those vendor companies you work with
Solutions Tab
Q: How do I add a new solution to the VRM?
A:
Click the + Add Solution button. In the Add Solution modal, enter the solution name and click Add Solution — or select from Olive's suggested matches using + Add.
Figure 2: The Add Solution modal — enter a name or select a suggested solution
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💡 Tip: Not sure which solution to add? Use the Recommend feature on the modal to open Ask Olive. Describe what you are looking for and Ask Olive will suggest relevant solutions — and can add them to your VRM directly. |
Q: How do I download all my solution data?
A:
Click the Download button on the Solutions tab. Olive will prompt you to confirm, then generate and automatically download a spreadsheet of all solution data.
Figure 3: The Download confirmation modal — generates a spreadsheet of all solution data
Q: How do I upload solutions in bulk?
A:
Hover over the + Add Solution button to reveal the Upload button, then click it to import a spreadsheet of solutions. Before uploading:
- Consolidate and standardise your vendor data in a single spreadsheet
- Create matching properties in Olive first
- Map your spreadsheet columns to Olive properties during upload
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📌 Note: Use structured data types such as Yes/No or Multi-select for your properties wherever possible. Text fields are flexible but prevent advanced filtering. |
Q: How do I merge duplicate solutions?
A:
The Merge Solutions feature lets you combine multiple solution records into one primary record. To merge:
- Switch to Table view on the Solutions tab
- Select the solutions to merge using the checkboxes
- Click Merge Selected — a wizard opens
- Click Set Primary on the solution you want to keep as the main record
- Review the Active Projects shown — these indicate which projects each solution is currently used in
- Click Merge Solutions to complete the merge
Figure 4: The Merge Selected feature — select solutions in Table view to merge
Figure 5: The Merge Solution Wizard — set a primary solution and confirm
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⚠️ Important: Merging solutions is irreversible. All selected solutions will be flattened into the primary record. Review your selection carefully before confirming. |
Q: How do I filter the Solutions list?
A:
Click the Filter button on the Solutions tab. In the Filter Solutions modal, select a property and the values to include. Click Save Filter to reuse it later, or clear it using the Filter x button.
Figure 6: The Filter Solutions modal — filter by any property value
Q: How do I switch between Card and Table view?
A:
Use the view toggle on the Solutions tab to switch between Card view and Table view. Table view is required for bulk actions such as merging solutions.
Q: How do I delete a solution?
A:
Click the three-dot menu on the Solution Card and select Delete.
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⚠️ Important: Deleting a solution is permanent. Ensure you no longer need the record before proceeding. |
Q: How do I add a solution directly to a project from the VRM?
A:
Click the three-dot menu on the Solution Card and select Add to Project. In the panel that opens, choose the Destination Project from the dropdown and click Add to Project.
Figure 7: The Add to Project panel — select a destination project
Q: How do I view the details of a specific solution?
A:
Click the View button on a Solution Card. You will be taken to three detail pages — Details, Associations, and Files.
Figure 8: The View button on a Solution Card
Details page — view and edit solution name, logo, website, property groups (Basic, Financials, Security, etc.), and add client-specific versions. Click Manage Properties to navigate to the Properties page.
Figure 9: The Details page — edit solution info and manage property groups
Figure 10: The Add Client-Specific Version modal
Figure 11: The Properties page — manage all solution properties
Associations page — view all Associated Contacts, Associated Solutions, and Associated Companies linked to this solution.
Figure 12: The Associations page — view all linked contacts, solutions, and companies
Files page — upload and manage files and documents related to this solution.
Figure 13: The Files page — attach and manage files for this solution
Companies Tab
Q: How does the Companies tab work?
A:
The Companies tab works identically to the Solutions tab, but stores information at the company level. A single vendor company may supply multiple solutions. All features — add, upload, download, filter, view, delete — work the same way.
Figure 14: The Companies tab — same structure as the Solutions tab
Contacts Tab
Figure 15: The Contacts tab — view and manage your VRM contacts
Q: How do I add a contact to the VRM?
A:
Go to the Contacts tab and click + Add Contact. Enter the contact's Email address, First name, and Last name, then click Add Contact.
Q: Can I upload contacts in bulk?
A:
Yes. Hover over the + Add Contact button to reveal the Upload button. Click it to import a spreadsheet of contacts, following the same process as the Solutions bulk upload.
Q: How do I download my contacts list?
A:
Click the Download button on the Contacts tab. Olive will generate and automatically download a spreadsheet of all contact data.
Q: How do I filter contacts?
A:
The Filter button on the Contacts tab works identically to the filter on the Solutions tab — select any contact property to narrow the list.
Q: How do I view a contact's details?
A:
Click the View icon on the relevant row in the Contacts table. The contact detail view works in the same way as the Solution detail view.
What's Next?
Once your VRM is set up, here is a recommended approach to getting the most from it:
- Define your properties before adding solutions in bulk
- Upload your existing vendor list using the bulk Upload feature
- Use structured property types to enable powerful filtering
- Use Merge Solutions to consolidate any duplicate records
- Add companies and contacts to build a complete picture of each vendor relationship
- Use Add to Project to bring VRM solutions directly into your evaluation projects
- Use Ask Olive to get AI-powered recommendations informed by your VRM data
Still have questions? Contact your Olive project administrator or reach out to Olive support for assistance.