# How to Use Alternate Vendors in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise

> Give an item a preferred vendor and up to four alternates in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, import price lists, and compare vendors on purchase orders.

- URL: https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/alternate-vendors-enterprise/
- Section: QuickBooks Desktop Guides, Purchasing
- Applies to: QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
- Steps checked against: Intuit's QuickBooks Desktop help articles, updated August 2026
- Updated: 2026-10-19

**Short answer:** In QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise with Advanced Inventory on, open the item from Lists > Item List and select Manage next to Alternate Vendor. Each inventory item can have one preferred vendor and up to four alternates. Import each supplier's price list, with prices, lead times, units of measure and part numbers, from the Items tab of the Vendor Center. On a purchase order, the Compare vendors icon in the Rate column shows those prices for comparison.

## Before you start

- Alternate vendors are a QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise feature. Intuit's article was written for Enterprise Solutions 20.0.
- Advanced Inventory has to be turned on first. Intuit's article says so up front.
- Set up each supplier as a vendor and each product as an inventory item.
- If you plan to import a supplier's price list, have it as an Excel file.

Our [Advanced Inventory guide](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/advanced-inventory-quickbooks-enterprise/) covers which Enterprise subscriptions include it and how to turn it on.

## Step 1: See what you buy from each vendor

1. Go to Vendors > Vendor Center.
2. On the Vendors tab, select the supplier.
3. Open the Items tab. It lists the inventory and non-inventory items you bought from that vendor in the last 12 months, with price, date and quantity.

## Step 2: Load vendor prices and lead times

1. In the Vendor Center, open the Items tab and select the Excel icon.
2. Choose Import from Excel and pick the supplier's price list. It can carry item prices, lead times, units of measure and part numbers.
3. To add or change entries by hand, select Manage Vendor Items, then Add/edit vendor items.
4. That opens the Vendor Items list in Add/Edit Multiple List Entries. Type entries in, or paste them from Excel.

## Step 3: Assign the preferred and alternate vendors

1. Go to Lists > Item List, select the inventory item and select Edit Item.
2. Choose your main supplier in the Preferred Vendor dropdown.
3. Select Manage next to Alternate Vendor.
4. In the Manage alternate vendors window, set Status to Alternate for each backup supplier. You can have up to four.
5. Select Save & Close.

Intuit says Add/Edit Multiple List Entries can make this setup simpler.

## Step 4: Compare vendors on a purchase order

1. Create a purchase order with at least two items.
2. Select an inventory item line on it.
3. In the Rate column, select the Compare vendors icon. It shows your imported vendor prices and every vendor you bought from in the last 12 months.
4. Choose a vendor in the Vendor dropdown and select View Vendor Price.
5. Compare Last Price, from your last purchase order, with Price, from the list you imported.
6. To see the purchase order total with a different vendor, select Compare vendors again.
7. Update the purchase order with the vendor you choose, then save it.

Each item's preferred and alternate vendors also show when you create a purchase order. For reordering low stock, see how to [create purchase orders from the reorder report](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/create-purchase-orders-from-reorder-report/).

## Good to know

- Intuit's steps assign alternate vendors on inventory items.
- If barcodes are on, add the barcode column to the purchase order: Formatting > Customize Data Layout, then the Columns tab.
- Intuit's article doesn't say whether lead times fill in a purchase order's Expected date, so check that date on each order.
- Intuit's article doesn't describe an alternate vendor report. Each item's record shows its preferred and alternate vendors.

## Where QuickBooks Desktop leaves the work to you

- When a supplier changes its prices, someone has to import the new price list.
- QuickBooks shows the prices. Weighing price against lead time, and picking the supplier, is still your call.
- A lead time on a price list isn't a confirmed date for a specific order.
- Someone still has to follow up with the supplier after the purchase order goes out.

## How Logistify helps after you choose the supplier

Logistify doesn't choose suppliers or create purchase orders, and your team keeps those decisions. Once a purchase order is out, the [Procurement Service](https://logistify.ai/agents/procurement/) follows up with the supplier on it. See how to [follow up on late supplier orders](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/follow-up-late-supplier-orders/) in QuickBooks Desktop.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How many alternate vendors can an item have in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise?

Intuit says one preferred vendor and up to four alternate vendors per inventory item.

### Do I need Advanced Inventory to use alternate vendors?

Yes. Intuit's article says you need to turn on Advanced Inventory in QuickBooks Enterprise first.

### Can I import a supplier's price list into QuickBooks Desktop?

In Enterprise, yes: Vendor Center > Items tab > Excel icon > Import from Excel. The list can carry prices, lead times, units of measure and part numbers.

### Are alternate vendors in QuickBooks Desktop Pro or Premier?

Intuit documents alternate vendors for QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise. We found no help article for them in Pro or Premier.

## Sources

- [Intuit: Use alternate vendors in QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/manage-vendors/use-alternate-vendors-quickbooks-enterprise/L2RQWvjRb_US_en_US)
- [Intuit: Set up advanced inventory in QuickBooks Enterprise](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/feature-preferences/set-advanced-inventory/L2IZIdPVM_US_en_US)