Quickstart

Take a new workspace from sign-up to its first invoice sent to accounts payable. Most steps need the Program Admin role. For a few, such as linking worker sign-ins, a Program Admin asks VendOrca support.

On this page

Set up your workspace

  1. Start your trial

    Go to app.vendorca.com/start. The setup flow has five steps:

    1. Describe. Tell VendOrca about your program in plain language: roles, sites, rates and how approvals work.
    2. Preview. Review the rate cards and approval chains VendOrca drafts from your description. Then name your workspace, pick a data region and select Create workspace & continue.
    3. Import data. Add a first list of names. This step takes the first 25.
    4. Run a cycle. Run one sample cycle through to invoices and a tie-out.
    5. Activate. Pick a plan and pay. Activation completes once the payment is confirmed.

    The free trial lasts 30 days. See Billing and plans.

  2. Configure your program

    Open Config. Describe a change in the box, for example "Set up weekly timesheets with overtime over 40 hours", and press Enter. VendOrca drafts the change, or asks you a question first.

    Open the draft to see what will change, whether it passes VendOrca's checks and how it would play out on sample work. Select Apply to put it into effect. The Live environment card then shows your updated rules. If you'd rather fill in forms, there are forms for approval chains, onboarding templates, invoice rules and the report library. See Configure your program.

  3. Import suppliers, rate cards and workers

    Open Import. Save each spreadsheet as a CSV file with one kind of record per file. Import suppliers and job templates before rate cards. A job-template import creates a draft change to your program rules, so apply it in Config before you import rate cards. A rate card's job code and site must already be in your program rules. For each file:

    1. Upload the file. VendOrca matches each column in your file to one of its own fields. If a match is wrong, rename that column in your file and upload it again.
    2. Check the matches and select Approve mapping.
    3. Test the file before anything is saved. Attach the file again, enter the Expected number of records and select Run dry-run. For rate cards, also enter the expected total of the bill rates, in cents. VendOrca lists any rows with problems, with the field and the reason.
    4. Save the records. Attach the file once more and select Commit import. The button unlocks only when every total marked Mandatory matches.

    A rate-card import also creates a draft change to your program rules. Apply it in Config before you create assignments. Self-serve worker imports take up to 150 rows. A larger file stops at Routed to assisted setup. A Program Admin can email info@vendorca.com to arrange a larger import, or split it into smaller files of up to 150 rows each. See Import your data.

  4. Invite your team

    Open Users and find Invite a user. Paste email addresses, one per line or separated by commas, pick a Default role and select Send invitations. To give one person a different role, add it after their address, for example dana@example.com, admin.

    People appear in the list after they accept. The Finance / AP role can't be sent in an invitation: invite the person with another role, then use Change role on their row. Invite each worker with the Worker role. See Users and org units.

  5. Onboard a worker

    Open Onboarding. On a row in state Invited, select Start onboarding. The checklist comes from the onboarding template in your program rules. The worker completes their own steps on their Onboarding page.

    When the worker completes their last required step, they become Active. If your onboarding template requires staff sign-off, the worker stays in Onboarding with Ready showing Ready, and you select Mark active on their row. If a step is blocked and you need to proceed, enter an Override reason and select Override & mark active. The reason is recorded. See Onboarding and offboarding.

  6. Create an assignment

    Open Assignments. Choose the Worker and a Rate card, set a Start date, and optionally an End date and Org unit. Select Create assignment. VendOrca looks up the rate in your program rules and saves the assignment as its first version, v1. See Assignments.

  7. Submit and approve time

    The worker opens Time, starts this week's timesheet and logs each day with a quantity, the assignment and a pay code: Worked, Holiday or PTO. Holiday and PTO work once your timesheet rules include the pay codes HOL and PTO. Add them in Config before a worker starts that week's timesheet, for example by describing "Add Holiday and PTO pay codes". Then they select Submit for approval.

    A Program Admin or Hiring Manager opens Timesheets, filters to Awaiting approval, and selects Approve, or Reject with a comment. A rejected timesheet goes back to the worker to fix and resubmit. See Time and expense.

  8. Generate an invoice and send it to AP

    Open Invoices. In Generate invoices, set the period start and end and select Generate. Invoices are built from approved time and grouped by your invoice rule. Generating again for the same period doesn't create duplicates.

    Check the ERP tie-out panel. Balanced should read Yes — penny-exact. If it says No or Undetermined, work through the listed differences first. Select Record tie-out snapshot to save the result.

    Then, under All invoices, select Push to AP on each invoice. VendOrca creates the bill in your AP system for the invoice's exact total, and the invoice shows Pushed to AP. VendOrca sets up the integration with your AP system for your workspace. To arrange it, a Program Admin contacts info@vendorca.com. You can also download the whole period as one CSV file with Export period CSV. Use one route per invoice, Push to AP or the CSV file, so each bill is entered once. See Push invoices to AP.

Next steps

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