How-To Guides

Create your account

Go to vendorlens.io/auth and sign up with your work email. You'll receive a verification link — click it to activate your account.

Set up your company

After signing in you'll land on the Dashboard. Your company profile is created automatically. Head to the Trust Page Editor to fill in your company name, overview, and contact email.

Add your first section

In the Trust Page Editor, switch to the "Sections" tab and click "Add Section." Choose a section type (e.g. Security Practices), give it a title and description, then save.

Publish your trust page

Toggle the "Public" switch at the top of the Trust Page Editor. Your trust page is now live at vendorlens.io/trust/your-slug.

Navigate to the editor

From the dashboard sidebar, click "Trust Page." This opens the full Trust Page Editor with tabs for Company Info, Sections, Styling, and NDA Text.

Fill in company information

On the "Company Info" tab, enter your company name, overview, security practices, data protection details, incident response information, and a contact email.

Add and reorder sections

Switch to "Sections." Click "Add Section" to create new content blocks. Each section has a type, title, description, and optional icon. Drag to reorder or toggle visibility.

Customize branding

Go to the "Styling" tab. Adjust your trust page's primary color, background color, font, and card style. Changes are reflected in real-time in the preview.

Preview and publish

Click the preview link at the top to see your trust page as visitors will. When satisfied, ensure the "Public" toggle is on.

Open the Document Vault

From the dashboard sidebar, click "Documents." This shows all uploaded files with their visibility status and download counts.

Upload a document

Click "Upload Document." Select a file (PDF, DOCX, etc.), give it a title and optional description, and choose a visibility level.

Set visibility

Each document can be Public (anyone can view), NDA (requires an approved NDA), or Private (internal only). Change this anytime by editing the document.

Edit metadata

Click the edit icon on any document card to update its title, description, or visibility level.

Delete a document

Click the trash icon on a document card and confirm. The file is permanently removed from storage.

How requests arrive

When a visitor views your trust page and wants access to NDA-protected documents, they fill out a request form with their name, email, and company. You'll see it in the "Requests" section of your dashboard.

Review the request

Click on a pending request to see the requester's details and the NDA text they agreed to.

Approve or reject

Click "Approve" to grant access. The requester receives an email with a secure link to view NDA-protected documents. Click "Reject" to deny the request.

Revoke access

Previously approved requests can be revoked at any time. The requester's access token is invalidated immediately.

Monitor usage

The Requests page shows a progress bar of your monthly NDA request quota. Monthly NDA request quota — Community: 10/month; Pro: 100/month; Business: unlimited.

Go to Settings

From the dashboard sidebar, click "Settings." Scroll to the "Custom Domain" section.

Enter your domain

Type the subdomain you want to use, e.g. trust.yourcompany.com. Click "Save."

Configure DNS

In your DNS provider (Cloudflare, Route 53, GoDaddy, etc.), create a CNAME record pointing your subdomain to saas.vendorlens.io.

Verify the domain

Back in VendorLens Settings, click "Verify Domain." We'll check the DNS record. Once verified, your trust page is accessible at your custom domain.

SSL is automatic

We provision an SSL certificate automatically via Cloudflare. No additional configuration needed — your custom domain will serve over HTTPS.

Navigate to Settings

From the dashboard sidebar, click "Settings." Scroll to the "E-Signature Provider" section and select DocuSign.

Enter API credentials

You'll need your DocuSign Integration Key, Account ID, User ID, and HMAC Key. These are found in your DocuSign Admin console under "Integrations > API and Keys."

Enable the integration

Once all credentials are entered, toggle the "Enabled" switch on. Click "Save Settings."

Test the connection

Click "Test HMAC" to verify the webhook connection is working correctly.

Automatic envelope sending

When you approve an NDA request, VendorLens automatically sends a DocuSign envelope to the requester for e-signature. The status updates in real-time.

Navigate to Settings

From the dashboard sidebar, click "Settings." Scroll to the "E-Signature Provider" section and select SignNow.

Enter API credentials

You'll need your SignNow Client ID, Client Secret, Username, Password, and Webhook Secret. These are found in your SignNow developer account.

Enable and save

Toggle the "Enabled" switch and click "Save Settings."

Test the connection

Click "Test Connection" to verify SignNow can authenticate with your credentials.

How it works

Just like DocuSign — when you approve an NDA request, an envelope is sent via SignNow for the requester to sign electronically.

Go to Settings

From the dashboard sidebar, click "Settings." Scroll to either the "Slack Integration" or "Microsoft Teams Integration" section.

Create a webhook URL

In Slack: go to api.slack.com/apps, create an app, and add an Incoming Webhook. In Teams: right-click a channel > Connectors > Incoming Webhook. Copy the generated URL.

Paste the webhook URL

Enter the webhook URL in the corresponding field in VendorLens Settings.

Choose notification events

Toggle which events trigger notifications: new NDA requests, approved NDAs, and/or document access events.

Test and save

Click "Test" to send a sample notification to your channel. If it arrives, click "Save Settings."

Go to Settings

From the dashboard sidebar, click "Settings." Scroll to the "PDF Watermark" section.

Enable watermarking

Toggle the watermark switch on. All PDF documents served through the document vault will now include a watermark.

Customize the text

Enter custom watermark text. You can use placeholders like {{requester_email}}, {{requester_name}}, {{date}}, and {{company}} to personalize each download.

Preview

A live preview below the text field shows how the watermark will appear on documents.

Save

Click "Save" to apply. The watermark is applied server-side when documents are downloaded — original files remain unmodified.

Create a Turnstile widget

Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard. Go to Turnstile > Add Widget. Set the domain to your custom domain (e.g. trust.yourcompany.com). Copy the Site Key and Secret Key.

Go to VendorLens Settings

From the dashboard sidebar, click "Settings." Scroll to the "Turnstile Bot Protection" section.

Enter your keys

Paste the Site Key and Secret Key into the corresponding fields.

Enable Turnstile

Toggle the switch on and click "Save." NDA request forms on your custom domain will now show a Turnstile challenge.

Verify it works

Visit your trust page and try submitting an NDA request. You should see the Turnstile verification widget before the form submits.

Open Team Management

From the dashboard sidebar, click "Team." This shows all current team members and pending invitations.

Invite a member

Click "Invite Member." Enter their email address and select a role: Owner (full access), Editor (can manage content), or Viewer (read-only).

They receive an invitation

The invited person gets an email with a link to join. They'll need to create a VendorLens account if they don't have one.

Change roles

As an owner, click the role dropdown next to any member to change their role. Only owners can modify roles.

Remove a member

Click the menu icon next to a member and select "Remove." They'll immediately lose access to the company dashboard.

Open Assessments

From the dashboard sidebar, click "Assessments." This is the supplier register: every supplier you depend on, with its owner, category, criticality and next review date.

Add a supplier

Click "Add supplier." Search the shared catalogue for common suppliers (logo and domain fill in automatically) or type any name to create a custom supplier. Set the internal owner and category.

Answer the exposure questions

Six questions about data, access, criticality, payments, sub-processing and jurisdiction. VendorLens scores inherent risk server-side and shows which factors drove the rating.

Send the assessment

Accept the recommended questionnaire pack — Lightweight Core plus only the add-ons your exposure answers justify — enter the supplier contact and send. They receive an expiring link; no account needed.

Review answers and evidence

Accept answers, request clarification on weak ones, and open the uploaded evidence. Uploads are size-limited and inspected before they are accepted. Every state change is recorded with the actor.

Record a decision

Approve, approve with conditions or reject, with a rationale, residual risk and a next review date. Reassessment later carries the previous answers forward so the second round is a review, not a rewrite.

Go to Billing

From the dashboard sidebar, click "Billing." This shows your current plan, usage, and payment information. Current plans: Community (Free), Pro ($99/month), Business ($299/month).

Upgrade your plan

Click "Upgrade" next to the plan you want. You'll be taken to a secure Stripe checkout to enter payment details. Upgrades take effect immediately with prorated billing.

Downgrade your plan

Click "Downgrade." The change takes effect at the end of your current billing period. You'll keep access to current-tier features until then.

View invoices

Scroll down to the "Invoices" section to see all past charges with downloadable receipts.

Manage payment method

Click "Manage Subscription" to open the Stripe customer portal where you can update your card, billing address, or cancel your subscription.