You use the Regular Vendor indicator in the info record to specify that a material is preferably to be procured from this vendor at client level - that is, throughout the corporate group. The regular vendor is thus comparable with the fixed vendor that can be specified in the source list for the lower organizational level plant. You should use the regular vendor only if you have nothing other than info records stored in the system for a material and if you prefer not to create a source list to control the source determination process.
You set the indicator for the regular vendor in the general data of the info record. In order for the regular vendor to be pulled during source determination, regular vendor usage must be activated in Customizing for the relevant plant. If the indicator has been set in the info record and the appropriate Customizing setting has been made, the regular vendor is proposed as the only source. If any additional outline agreement items exist in the system, the result of the source determination process depends on the existence of a source list. We therefore recommend that you only use the regular vendor facility in a scenario in which only info records have been created in the system. If you try to use a regular vendor along with a source list, and enter a different vendor than the regular vendor in the source list or quota arrangement, the system issues a warning message.
To Activate regular vendor per plant:
R/3 Customizing - Implementation Guide - Materials Management - Purchasing - Source Determination - Define Regular Vendor
Differences
Regular Vendor
Regular Vendor is the one where you purchase material or service regularly. This you can maintain in Info Record (ME11).
Fixed Vendor
Based on the price contract or your understnding with vendor, you can fix the vendor for supplying material or service. This you can maintain in Source List (ME010). Here also you can block a vendor for material or service procurement.
Fixed vendor is defined in Source list and the regular vendor is defined in Info record.
Source list (ME01) is in plant level but regular vendor is in client level.
