Anyone buying from suppliers
Supplier price tracker
A supplier price tracker keeps one row per quote per supplier per date, with the quantity it applies to and how long it stands. Kept over a year it shows cost drift a single cost field can never show, and turns a renegotiation into a conversation about evidence.
The file
nouz-supplier-cogs-tracker.csv · 9 columns · one example row
Supplier prices creep one product at a time, and a store that keeps only its current cost cannot see it happening. A dated quote history can: the same SKU at €14,80 in January and €16,00 in August is an 8% margin problem that arrived in stages, none of which was big enough to notice on its own.
The quantity and lead time columns are what make the file negotiable. A price is only comparable against the order size and the delivery time it assumes, and a supplier who is cheaper but a fortnight slower is asking you to hold more safety stock, which has a cost of its own that the reorder point calculator prices.
Two columns save real money. Validity, because a quote with an expiry is a deadline you can plan a purchase around. And incoterm, because who pays for the freight and the duty decides whether two prices are actually comparable at all: an ex-works price and a delivered one can differ by the whole landed uplift. Whichever quote wins, record it in the price list with effective dates rather than overwriting the old cost, so the history survives.
How to use it
- 01Add a row every time a supplier quotes, even when you do not order.
- 02Record the minimum order quantity the price assumes, because a price without one is not a price.
- 03Keep lead time and incoterm on the row: they decide whether two quotes compare.
- 04Review by SKU once a quarter and look at the trend rather than the latest number.
- 05Feed the winning quote into the price list with effective dates, so history stays intact.
What is inside
| Row | quote_date | supplier | sku | moq | unit_price | currency | lead_time_days | incoterm | valid_until |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026-08-15 | Textilwerk GmbH | AW-TEE-BLK-M | 500 | 16.00 | EUR | 45 | FCA | 2026-11-15 |
| 2 | |||||||||
| 3 |
Every column, explained
| quote_date | The day the price was quoted. |
|---|---|
| supplier | Who quoted it. |
| sku | Your own code for the item, not theirs. |
| moq | The minimum order quantity this price assumes. |
| unit_price | Per unit, in the supplier's own currency. |
| currency | Three letters. A euro quote and a dollar quote are not comparable. |
| lead_time_days | Order to saleable stock, as observed rather than promised. |
| incoterm | Who pays freight and duty: EXW, FCA, DAP and so on. |
| valid_until | When the quote expires, so a purchase can be planned. |