> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.visotrust.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Configure vendor tiers for due diligence and oversight

> Configure vendor tiers in VISO TRUST from Settings → Tiers — set how many tiers your program uses, describe each one, and assign relationships to them.

**Vendor tiers** group your relationships into up to five tiers so you can apply the right level of due diligence, oversight, and reporting to each group. Tiers are typically defined by risk level, business criticality, or the sensitivity of the data a vendor handles.

Tiers are configured in **Settings → Tiers**. Changing the tier structure requires Admin or Program Manager access; assigning a relationship to a tier requires edit access to that relationship.

## The Tiers Page

**Settings → Tiers** lists every tier your organization has configured, in order. Each tier shows:

* **Tier name**
* **Description** — the criteria your team uses to decide what belongs in this tier
* **Relationship count** — how many relationships are currently assigned to the tier; select the count to open the Relationships list filtered to that tier

If no tiers exist yet, the page shows a **No tiers configured** state until you create them.

## Setting Up Tiers

From **Settings → Tiers**, select **Manage tiers**:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose how many tiers your program uses">
    Pick a number from 0 to 5. Tiers are created in order — selecting 3 gives you Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Describe each tier">
    Add a short description for each tier explaining what belongs in it. Descriptions appear on the Tiers page and in the tier picker when someone assigns a relationship, so they help your team choose consistently.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save changes">
    Select **Save changes** to apply the new tier structure.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Reducing the number of tiers removes the tiers above your new count, and any vendors assigned to a removed tier move to **Unassigned**. The dialog tells you which tiers will be removed before you save.
</Warning>

## Assigning Relationships to a Tier

A relationship is **Unassigned** until you put it in a tier. There are four ways to assign one:

* **When creating a relationship** — set the optional **Tier** field in the Add Relationship form
* **On an existing relationship** — open the **Relationship configuration** dialog (gear icon) and select a tier under **Tier**; the picker shows each tier's description
* **In bulk** — select relationships on the Relationships list page and use the **Move tier** action (Admin only)
* **Via bulk import** — include a `Tier` column with a value of 1–5 in your CSV (see [Bulk Import](/third-parties/bulk-import))

The **Move tier** menu also offers **Unassigned**, which removes relationships from their current tier.

<Note>
  If no tiers are configured, the **Move tier** bulk action is disabled. Create tiers in **Settings → Tiers** first.
</Note>

## Where Tiers Show Up

Once relationships are tiered, the tier is available across the platform:

* **Relationships list** — filter the portfolio by tier, and save that filter for one-click reuse
* **Risk Insights** — the **Relationships by Tier** metric breaks your portfolio down by tier
* **Risk advisories** — filter by tier when choosing which vendors receive a response request
* **VISO Chat** — ask questions scoped to a tier, such as "Tier 1 vendors"

## Tiers vs. Tags vs. Business Units

| Structure                               | Purpose                                                                  |
| --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Vendor Tiers**                        | A single ranked structure (up to 5) for how much oversight a vendor gets |
| [**Tags**](/organization-settings/tags) | Free-form, multi-select labels for cross-cutting or temporary groupings  |
| **Business Units**                      | The internal part of your organization that owns the relationship        |

A relationship belongs to at most one tier, can carry many tags, and rolls up to one business unit.