Vendor Document Schedule (VDS)
Template (Excel)

A Vendor Document Schedule (VDS) is the EPC tracking register for all vendor documents required across the life of a Purchase Order. It captures every document listed in the Vendor Document Requirements (VDR) section of the Material Requisition, tracks planned versus actual submission dates per stage (bid, pre-engineering, manufacturing, FAT, as-built), records review cycles, review codes (A / B / C / D), and closes the document into the final Master Document Register (MDR). One VDS exists per Purchase Order; the EPC document controller maintains the VDS through the project life.

Required columns: VDS number and revision, project number, Purchase Order number, vendor name and vendor document number, equipment or package description, equipment tags covered, MR or VDR reference, vendor document title, document type (datasheet, drawing, calculation, NDE report, MTR, FAT report), discipline, submission stage (bid, pre-engineering, manufacturing, FAT, as-built), planned and actual submission dates, review cycle number, review code (A / B / C / D), reviewer (EPC / client / third party), planned and actual review return dates, status, final document for MDR closeout flag, remarks. The template covers all required columns.

Pathnovo, an engineering document intelligence platform, builds the VDS by ingesting the Purchase Order, the underlying Material Requisition, and the VDR section of the MR. For every VDR entry, Pathnovo creates a VDS row with the document type, submission stage, planned submission date (derived from PO milestones), reviewer, and final MDR flag. As vendor documents arrive, Pathnovo extracts the document title and number, matches against the VDS, updates the actual submission date, and routes for review. See the MDR automation workflow.

Code A (Approved): document accepted as-is, no further action, the document may proceed downstream (fabrication, procurement, construction). Code B (Approved with Comments): document accepted, vendor must incorporate comments in the next revision but may proceed with the work. Code C (Revise and Resubmit): document not accepted, vendor must resubmit a corrected revision before any downstream action. Code D (Rejected for Cause): document rejected because the scope is fundamentally wrong, vendor must restart. Codes A and B close the document; codes C and D open a new review cycle. EPC review return targets are typically 10 to 15 working days per cycle.

The VDR (Vendor Document Requirements) is the section of the Material Requisition that lists what documents the vendor must submit, at what stage, in what format. It is issued once with the MR and frozen at PO. The VDS (Vendor Document Schedule) is the tracking register that captures every actual submission, review, and closeout event against the VDR list across the PO life. The VDR defines the requirement; the VDS captures execution. One VDR creates one VDS at PO; one PO has one VDS through completion. See the material requisition template.

At PO closeout, every VDS row flagged Final Document for MDR Closeout migrates from the VDS into the project MDR. Typical final documents: certified vendor datasheet, as-built general arrangement and detail drawings, mechanical and electrical calculations, U-1A or U-1B form for ASME vessels, mill test certificates (MTRs), NDE reports, hydrostatic test certificate, FAT report, packing list, IBR Form III if applicable, PESO certificate if applicable. The MDR is the lifelong plant record handed to Operations at handover. See the master document register template.

Indian PSU clients (IOCL, BPCL, HPCL, GAIL, ONGC) typically require two parallel review tracks: EPC contractor (EIL, L&T-S&L, Tata Projects) reviews per their internal procedure, then the PSU owner reviews per their internal procedure. The VDS captures both reviewer columns and both review return dates. Statutory documents (IBR Form III, PESO certificate, CCOE certificate) get an additional statutory inspector review row. Pathnovo auto-applies the two-track review template when the project profile flags Indian PSU client. See the vendor datasheet compliance workflow.