Streamlining Your Monthly Vendor Activity Report with a Smart Spreadsheet Setup

Managing multiple roles such as Director, nurse, and writer means juggling many responsibilities at once. One of the most time-consuming tasks is compiling the Monthly Vendor Activity Report (MVAR) while keeping compliance data organized for Supply Ontario. A well-designed spreadsheet can automate much of this work, saving you hours and reducing errors. This post walks you through setting up a single workbook with three distinct tabs in Excel or Google Sheets to make your MVAR process smoother and more efficient.

Setting Up Your Workbook: Three Essential Tabs

The key to managing your MVAR effectively is organizing your data in a way that supports automation and clarity. Using one workbook with three tabs helps separate daily data entry, summary reporting, and compliance tracking. Here’s how to build each tab.

Tab 1: Daily Service Log – Your Source of Truth

This tab is where you and your staff enter daily service data. It acts as the foundation for billing and reporting, so accuracy here is critical.

| Date | Staff Member | Service Category | Client Type | Hours | Rate | Total | GST/HST Exempt? |

|------------|--------------|------------------|-------------------|-------|--------|---------|-----------------|

| 2026-01-02 | [Name] | Nursing: RPN | Provincial Facility | 8 | $XX.XX | $XXX.XX | Yes |

| 2026-01-02 | [Name] | PSW | Private Home | 4 | $XX.XX | $XXX.XX | Yes |

| 2026-01-03 | [Name] | Homemaking | Private Home | 3 | $XX.XX | $XXX.XX | Yes |

Tips for Daily Service Log

• Add a Notes column for advocacy insights or story ideas that come up during shifts. This helps keep your writing grounded in real-world experience.

• Use data validation to create dropdown lists for Staff Member, Service Category, and Client Type. This reduces errors and speeds up data entry.

• Format the Date column to ensure consistency and ease of filtering.

  
  

By keeping this tab up to date daily, you ensure your MVAR summary and compliance tracking will be accurate and ready when you need them.

Tab 2: MVAR Automation – The Summary

This tab pulls data from the Daily Service Log using formulas, giving you a ready-to-copy summary for your Master Agreement #tender_20973 report.

Key Calculations to Include

• Provincial Facility Totals

Use a formula like `=SUMIF(DailyServiceLog!D:D, "Provincial Facility", DailyServiceLog!E:E)` to total hours for provincial clients.

• Private Care Totals

Use a similar formula for private home clients:

`=SUMIF(DailyServiceLog!D:D, "Private Home", DailyServiceLog!E:E)`

• Tax Audit Summary

Count all entries marked "Yes" in the GST/HST Exempt column to simplify year-end tax filings:

`=COUNTIF(DailyServiceLog!H:H, "Yes")`

Example Layout for Tab 2

| Category | Total Hours | Total Amount |

|------------------------|-------------|--------------|

| Provincial Facility | [Formula] | [Formula] |

| Private Home | [Formula] | [Formula] |

| GST/HST Exempt Entries | [Formula] | |

This tab saves you from manually calculating totals and ensures your report is consistent with your daily logs.

Spreadsheet setup for Monthly Vendor Activity Report with daily logs and summary

Tab 3: Compliance & Roster Tracker – Keeping Your Team Ready

As the Company Security Officer (CSO), you must ensure no staff member is barred from service. This tab tracks essential compliance details.

| Staff Name | Position | VSC/CRJMC Expiry | Status | Insurance Verified? | Nurse's Eye Trained? |

|------------|----------|------------------|--------|---------------------|----------------------|

| Jane Doe | RPN | 2026-12-31 | Active | Yes | Yes |

What to Track Here

• VSC/CRJMC Expiry Dates to avoid lapses in clearance.

• Status to quickly identify active or inactive staff.

• Insurance Verification to confirm coverage.

• Training Completion such as "Nurse's Eye" certification.

  
  

Set up conditional formatting to highlight upcoming expiries or missing verifications. This visual cue helps you stay proactive and compliant.

How This Setup Saves You Time and Reduces Errors

• Centralized data entry in Tab 1 means your team only inputs information once.

• Automated summaries in Tab 2 eliminate manual calculations and reduce mistakes.

• Compliance tracking in Tab 3 keeps your roster audit-ready at all times.

• Using formulas like `SUMIF` and `COUNTIF` ensures your reports update automatically as new data is added.

  
  

This structure supports your multiple roles by simplifying reporting and compliance, freeing you to focus on care and writing.

Practical Tips for Implementation

• Start with a template: Build your workbook with the three tabs and test formulas before rolling it out.

• Train your staff on data entry standards to maintain accuracy.

• Back up your workbook regularly to avoid data loss.

• Review your summary tab weekly to catch any inconsistencies early.

• Customize columns as needed to fit your specific service categories or compliance requirements.

  
  

Final Thoughts?