Contractors

The Contractors View in Flowtly provides a centralized list of all external vendors, subcontractors, and service providers your company collaborates with. This view helps track contractor information, categorize expenses, and manage financial relationships efficiently. Upload transactions related with contractors, attach relevant documents, ensuring smooth operations and financial clarity.

Contractors in Flowtly should be organized into Contractor Groups, which help classify different types of vendors and subcontractors. These groups can be managed in the Organization Settings under the Contractor Groups tile.

Each contractor should be assigned to a specific group based on the nature of their services. To manage contractor groups:

1. Navigate to Organization Settings
2. Select Contractor Groups tile.
3. Click "Add Contractor Group" to create a new category.
4. Enter the group name and select the appropriate type.
5. Save the group, making it available for contractor classification.

Types of Contractor Groups:

• Standard – Regular subcontractors providing services.
• Income – Contractors related to revenue-generating activities.
• Dividend – Contractors associated with dividend payments.
• Internal – Internal cost allocations.

After creation, Contractor Group can be edited if needed.

Contractors view

By selecting the Contractors item from the main menu, you will be able to see the list of all existing contractors, organized by status. This view helps track contractor information, categorize expenses, and manage financial relationships efficiently.

Each contractor entry includes:

• Name – The registered name of the contractor.
• Group – The category under which the contractor falls (only previously created Contractor groups will be available for selection).
• Description – Additional details about the contractor (if added).
• Edit Button – Allows users to update contractor details.

Adding a New Contractor

To add a new contractor:

• Click the “Add Contractor” button in the top-right corner of the page.
• Enter the contractor’s details, such as:
  • Name (Required) – The official name of the contractor or vendor.
  • TIN (Tax Identification Number) – Used for tax and compliance purposes.
  • Match Regex – A pattern used to auto-match transactions related to this contractor.
  • Status (Required) – Defines whether the contractor is active or outdated.
  • Cyclic – If enabled, indicates recurring payments (e.g., monthly subscriptions, salaries).
  • Fixed Amount – Marks this contractor for fixed recurring payments instead of variable amounts.
  • Require Attachment – If checked, transactions linked to this contractor will require supporting documents (e.g., invoices, receipts).
  • Not Include in Chart – Excludes this contractor’s transactions from cost charts for reporting purposes.
  • Owner Employee – Links a contractor to a specific internal employee responsible for managing the relationship.
  • Contractor Group (Required) – Categorizes the contractor under a predefined group.
  • Tax Amount – Defines any applicable tax rate for this contractor’s payments.
  • Payment Deadline – The standard payment term used for this contractor.
  • Budget – Assigns contractor expenses to a specific previously created budget for tracking (present only if Budget module is active).
  • Description – Additional details about the contractor (e.g., contract terms, special conditions).
• Save the contractor, making them available for future transactions.

After creation, the contractor will appear in the Active or Inactive list, depending on the status selected during creation.

Avoiding Duplicate Contractors

When you add a new contractor, Flowtly checks its name against the companies and people already in your organization — including any you already invoice as clients. If it finds a likely match, it warns you before creating a second, disconnected record, so one company's history isn't split across two entries.

• If it's genuinely a different company that just happens to share the name, go ahead and create it as a separate entry.

• If it's the same company you already work with as a client, you'll want to keep them as a single record so everything stays together. Today you do this from the client side — a company you already have as a contractor can be made invoiceable as a client in the same step (see Avoiding Duplicate Clients). Turning an existing client into a contractor as well, directly from here, is coming soon.

Cost Chart

Additionally, you can review Cost Charts by clicking on the dedicated button located near the header at the top of the page. The Costs Charts View in Flowtly provides a visual breakdown of expenses across different contractor groups over time. This feature helps finance teams analyze spending patterns, track cost trends, and make data-driven financial decisions. The top section of the view contains a stacked area chart that represents total contractor expenses over time.

Key insights include:

Overall Spending Trends – The height of the chart indicates total expenditure per period. Category-Based Expense Distribution – Different colors represent different contractor groups, making it easy to identify where the most costs are allocated. **Monthly Cost Variations **– Peaks and dips highlight fluctuations in spending, helping track seasonal trends or unexpected cost spikes.

Hovering over the chart allows users to see exact values for each contractor category in a specific month.

Below the chart, a detailed table breaks down costs per contractor group over multiple months. Each row represents a specific contractor category, and columns display monthly expenses.

Contractor Group Column – Lists different groups of contractors (e.g., B2B, External, Equipment IT, Education). Monthly Cost Columns – Shows expenses recorded per month for each contractor group. Negative or Zero Values – Indicates refunds, corrections, or no recorded transactions for that category.

Edit Contractor

Managers can also edit existing contractors. Edit view offers not only edition mode, but also a possibility to view/attach documents, and view of all transactions related with this contractor. To access Edit mode, simply click on the Edit (pencil) button for the specific contractor in the list.

Overview Tab

In the Overview tab, you can view and update all the information that was provided during the contractor's creation.

Documents Tab

The Documents tab in the contractor’s profile allows users to:

• Upload and store supplier contracts, agreements, NDAs, and other relevant files.
• Track expiration dates for contract renewals.
• View, download, and delete documents as needed.
• Maintain organized and secure documentation for compliance and audit purposes.

Each document entry includes the following columns:

Type – Specifies the category of the document (e.g., Supplier Contract, NDA). Notes – Additional remarks related to the document. Expiration Date – A placeholder for tracking contract validity (Expiration date is available to be set only if marked as possible for specific document type in organization settings). Attached File – Enables users to download or preview the uploaded document. Edit & Delete Options – Allows modification or removal of documents.

To add a new contractor document:

• Click on the "Add Document" button in the top-right corner.
• Fill in the required fields:
• Document Type – Select from previously created document types or add a new one (by clicking "+" button near the Document type field, you'll be redirected to the page in Organization settings. Here you can add new document type and attach it to Contractors entity to make visible in the list of contractors documents. Button present only for Document Manager Role).
• Attached File – Upload the relevant contract or document.
• Notes – Provide additional details about the document (optional).
• Click "Add" to save the document to the contractor’s profile.

Managing and Tracking Contractor Documents:

• View & Download – Click the eye icon to preview the document or the download icon to save a local copy.
• Edit Document Details – Click the edit icon to update document notes or expiration date.
• Delete Documents – Click the trash icon to remove outdated or incorrect files.

Transactions Tab

In the Transactions tab, you can review charts and all transactions connected with the specific contractor. For more information, visit Transactions management article.

Example use cases

• Efficient Vendor Management: Centralize all external vendor, subcontractor, and service provider details in one place for easy access and management.
• Cost Categorization and Analysis: Group contractors by type (e.g., Standard, Income, Dividend) to accurately categorize expenses and analyze spending patterns over time using Cost Charts.
• Streamlined Financial Operations: Manage payment deadlines, track recurring payments, and ensure proper documentation by requiring attachments for specific contractor transactions.
• Compliance and Audit Readiness: Store and manage all contractor-related documents, such as contracts and NDAs, directly within Flowtly to maintain an organized and secure audit trail.