Free templates · Supplier emails · UK
Every supplier chasing email, written for you.
These are the emails behind our supplier compliance checklist: the requests, reminders and escalations that keep documents current when you run supplier management manually. Each one is written to be firm, polite and specific, with the placeholders in [brackets]. Pair them with our free Excel templates for the tracking side.
Onboarding
Getting a new supplier through your intake without a three-week email thread.
New supplier onboarding invitation
Send when a new supplier is approved to start onboarding.
Subject: Supplier onboarding for [Your company]: what we need from you
Hi [First name], We're looking forward to working with [Supplier company]. To set you up as an approved supplier, we need a few things from you: 1. Company details and key contacts 2. Insurance certificates (employers' liability and public liability) 3. Relevant certifications ([e.g. ISO 9001]) 4. [Any category-specific items, e.g. Modern Slavery statement, signed code of conduct] Please send these by [date] so we can complete approval before your first order. If anything on the list doesn't apply to your business, just say so and we'll note it. Any questions, reply to this email. Best regards, [Your name] [Your company]
Chasing incomplete onboarding
Send when onboarding has stalled and documents are outstanding.
Subject: Outstanding items for your supplier approval, needed by [date]
Hi [First name], Thanks for the documents you've sent so far. To complete your approval as a supplier to [Your company], we're still missing: - [Item 1, e.g. public liability insurance certificate] - [Item 2, e.g. ISO 9001 certificate] We can't raise purchase orders until approval is complete, so it's in both our interests to close this out. Could you send the remaining items by [date]? If there's a problem getting hold of any of these, let me know and we'll work around it. Best regards, [Your name] [Your company]
Insurance and certificates
The fastest-expiring documents on file, and the ones nobody notices until it matters.
Insurance certificate renewal request
Send 30 to 60 days before a certificate expires, so the supplier has time to get the new one from their insurer.
Subject: Your insurance certificate expires [date]: updated copy needed
Hi [First name], Our records show [Supplier company]'s [employers' liability / public liability] insurance certificate expires on [date]. To keep you as an approved supplier without interruption, please send the renewed certificate once your policy renews. We need it to show the insurer, policy number, cover level and new expiry date. If the policy has already renewed, a copy of the current certificate now would be great. Thanks, [Your name] [Your company]
Expired insurance escalation
Send when a certificate has lapsed and the supplier has not responded to the renewal request.
Subject: Action needed: expired insurance on file for [Supplier company]
Hi [First name], Following my earlier email, the [employers' liability / public liability] insurance certificate we hold for [Supplier company] expired on [date] and we haven't received a replacement. Without current insurance on file we have to suspend [new orders / site access] under our supplier policy, which neither of us wants. Please send the current certificate by [date]. If there's a delay at your insurer's end, reply and tell me where things stand so we can note it. Thanks for the quick turnaround, [Your name] [Your company]
Certification renewal request (ISO and similar)
Send ahead of an ISO or industry certificate expiring, or after a surveillance audit.
Subject: [Certification, e.g. ISO 9001] certificate renewal for our records
Hi [First name], The [ISO 9001 / BRCGS / other] certificate we hold for [Supplier company] shows an expiry of [date]. Could you send the renewed certificate when it's issued? We check that the scope covers the goods and services you supply to us and that the certification body is accredited, so please send the full certificate rather than a screenshot. If recertification is delayed or the scope has changed, let me know; it's much easier to handle in advance than at audit time. Thanks, [Your name] [Your company]
Compliance requests
The annual and contractual asks that keep your due diligence defensible.
Modern Slavery statement request
Send annually to suppliers in scope of the Modern Slavery Act, or when a customer audit asks for your supply-chain due diligence.
Subject: Modern Slavery statement request from [Your company]
Hi [First name], As part of our supply-chain due diligence under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, we ask suppliers for their position on modern slavery each year. If [Supplier company] has a turnover of £36 million or more, please send a link to (or copy of) your current published slavery and human trafficking statement. If you're below the threshold, a short written confirmation of your approach to preventing modern slavery in your business and supply chain is all we need. Please come back to us by [date]. Thanks, [Your name] [Your company]
Data processing agreement (DPA) request
Send when a supplier will process personal data on your behalf and no DPA is in place.
Subject: Data processing agreement needed before we share personal data
Hi [First name], As part of the services [Supplier company] provides to us, you'll be processing personal data on our behalf. Under UK GDPR (Article 28) we need a data processing agreement in place before that starts. I've attached our standard DPA. Please review, sign and return it by [date]. If you'd prefer to work from your own processing terms, send them over and we'll review. Happy to answer any questions on the terms. Best regards, [Your name] [Your company]
Audits and corrective actions
Scheduling the visit, and making sure findings actually get closed.
Supplier audit scheduling
Send to arrange a routine or for-cause supplier audit.
Subject: Scheduling our supplier audit of [Supplier company]
Hi [First name], As part of our supplier review programme, we'd like to carry out an audit of [Supplier company] covering [quality management, traceability, health and safety]. Could you offer two or three dates in [month]? The visit typically takes [half a day] and we'll send the audit agenda and checklist in advance so your team can prepare the evidence. In the meantime, it would help to have your current [ISO certificate / process documentation] so we can review before the visit. Thanks, [Your name] [Your company]
Corrective action follow-up
Send when an audit finding or non-conformance is open and the response is due.
Subject: Corrective action [reference] due [date]: response needed
Hi [First name], Following [the audit on [date] / non-conformance [reference]], the corrective action below is due back to us by [date]: Finding: [short description] Required: root cause, corrective action taken, and evidence of implementation. Please reply with your response or an updated timeline. Open corrective actions affect [Supplier company]'s performance score and can affect future orders, so it's worth closing this out promptly. Any questions on what's needed, just ask. Best regards, [Your name] [Your company]
The honest postscript
Every email on this page exists because a document expired and a human had to notice. Supplio tracks the expiry dates, sends these chasers automatically, and gives suppliers a free branded portal to upload into, so the only emails you write are the ones that need a human. Plans from £599 per year.
Not here? Email founder@supplio.co.uk
Can I use these supplier email templates for free?
Yes. Copy any template, replace the bracketed placeholders with your details, and send. No sign-up and no attribution needed. They're written for UK businesses, referencing UK requirements such as employers' liability insurance, the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and UK GDPR.
When should I chase an expiring insurance certificate?
Start 30 to 60 days before expiry. Suppliers usually need to wait for their policy to renew before their insurer issues a new certificate, so a single email the week it lapses is too late. The sequence that works: a renewal request ahead of expiry, a reminder at expiry, and an escalation with consequences (order or site-access suspension) shortly after.
How do I stop sending these emails manually?
This whole page is the manual version of what supplier management software does on a schedule. Supplio tracks every document's expiry date, emails the supplier automatically before it lapses, chases until the new document is uploaded through their portal, and escalates to you only when a supplier doesn't respond.