Vendor Documents & Compliance

BeeKeeper stores compliance documents for each vendor — W-9s, certificates of insurance, contracts, and more — directly on the vendor record, so everything you need for tax reporting or an audit is in one place. Documents can be added by you, or uploaded by the vendor themselves through an invitation or update request (see Inviting Vendors to Register).

Document Types

Each document you attach has a type:

• W-9
• Workers’ Compensation (certificate of coverage)
• Certificate of Insurance
• Additional Insured
• Hold Harmless
• Contract
• Other

Adding a Document

1. Open the vendor and find the Documents panel
2. Click Add Document
3. Choose the Document Type
4. Upload the File (PDF, JPG, or PNG)
5. Enter an Expiration Date, if the document expires — for example, an insurance certificate or workers’ comp coverage
6. Click Save

The document appears immediately in the Documents panel.

Viewing, Downloading, and Deleting Documents

Each document in the panel shows its type and expiration date (if any), with:

• View: Opens the document in a new tab
• Download: Downloads the file
• Delete: Removes the document from the vendor (only available to users who can edit vendors)

Documents with an expiration date show an Expired or Expiring Soon badge, so you can catch lapsed insurance or outdated paperwork before it becomes a problem.

Renewal Reminders

You don’t have to remember to open every vendor’s Documents panel to check for lapses. If a document is expired or will expire within the next 30 days, BeeKeeper lets Admins and Editors know in two places:

• Weekly To-Do email: The Monday to-do digest includes a count of documents needing renewal, with a button that takes you straight to your vendor list.
• Dashboard: A Vendor documents row appears on the dashboard’s action items, showing how many documents need renewal (for example, “2 need renewal”). Click it to go to your vendor list. You can dismiss the row once you’ve handled it — if a document is renewed, removed, or another one enters the 30-day window, the reminder comes back automatically, so it’s never permanently silenced.

Only documents on active vendors are included, so a document on a vendor you’ve deactivated won’t trigger a reminder. Viewers don’t receive the reminder — it goes to Admins and Editors, since they’re the ones who can update vendor records. When a renewal reminder comes up, sending an update request is often the fastest way to resolve it — the vendor uploads the fresh document themselves instead of you tracking it down. See Inviting Vendors to Register.

Why Document Tracking Matters

• 1099-NEC Filing: A W-9 on file gives you the vendor’s TIN needed to file 1099s for payments of $2,000 or more
• Workers’ Comp Compliance: Tracking certificates of insurance and workers’ comp coverage — with expiration dates — helps you catch lapses before they become a liability, and feeds the Workers’ Compensation report (see Vendors)
• Audit Readiness: Having W-9s, contracts, and insurance certificates on file demonstrates proper financial controls
• IRS Requirements: Organizations can face penalties for filing 1099s with incorrect TINs

See Vendors for how to create and manage vendor records generally.