Short answer: maybe, but only after you check your employer's code of conduct
You can introduce a supplier, but accepting a reward for it is the sensitive part. Many codes of conduct bar employees from taking payments or benefits from vendors, and a reward tied to a company you buy from can look like exactly that, even when the introduction is genuine and unrelated to your purchasing. The safe path is to ask in writing, disclose, and be ready to decline the reward.
Nothing here is a legal conclusion about your employer's policy. Read it yourself and ask your compliance or legal team.
What is actually true
- The conflict is about perception and influence. A vendor that owes you a favor, or that pays you, can compromise how your employer evaluates it, whether or not anything improper happens.
- Policies differ. Some prohibit any payment from a supplier. Others allow outside income if disclosed and approved. Some cover only people with buying authority; others cover everyone.
- The reward does not come from the supplier. Under this program the reward is a share of SourceX's fee, never deducted from what the company receives. That helps, but your employer's policy may still treat a payment connected to a vendor as covered.
- The supplier's decision stands alone. Nothing is binding until the company agrees price and terms and signs, and your employer's purchasing should never depend on whether the supplier does.
Four situations and how to treat them
| Situation | Risk level | Suggested approach |
|---|---|---|
| You have buying authority over this supplier | High | Ask compliance first; consider declining the reward or not referring |
| You influence selection but do not sign | Medium to high | Disclose to your manager and compliance in writing before anything else |
| The supplier is a vendor in a different department you do not touch | Medium | Check whether the policy covers all employees; get written confirmation |
| A past vendor, relationship ended, no renewal pending | Lower | Still disclose; wait for the relationship to be clearly closed |
The 3-gate test before you introduce
- Policy gate: does the code of conduct, conflict policy or outside-activity policy mention vendor payments, gifts or referral income?
- Influence gate: do I have any say in this supplier's contract, pricing, renewal or performance review in the next 12 months?
- Disclosure gate: can I describe the arrangement to my manager and compliance without discomfort, and have I done so in writing?
If the policy gate finds a relevant clause, or the influence gate shows any say over this supplier, do not take a reward until the employer approves in writing. Your employer can also route the arrangement through the firm, if it chooses.
What a firm-level arrangement can look like
Some companies handle this by having the employer, not the individual, hold the partner relationship. In that case, the reward goes to the organization under a signed agreement, and the employee takes nothing personally. The terms depend on the signed agreement and the published program terms; do not assume tiers or arrangements that are not written down.
What to say to compliance
What to say to the supplier
Be open about the relationship. Say that you buy from them, that you are not asking for anything related to your purchasing, that this is optional, and that nothing is shared without their signed agreement.
You can also hand the owner a link to sourcex.si/apply with no reward involved.
When the concern is valid
If your policy forbids it, you have three clean options: decline the reward and let the supplier apply directly, ask the employer to hold the relationship, or skip it. Declining keeps the introduction ethical; it simply removes your payout.
Is the supplier even a fit? Check the basics first: 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), years of records across several systems, rights to license, and an authorized sponsor. The company fit checker gives a preliminary, non-binding view, and who qualifies lists the baseline. If part of a supplier is what you know, see referring a division. If the supplier is abroad, read this. Suppliers also tend to ask whether SOC 2 is required, which the linked page answers.
Rewards
Partners earn 25% of the eligible platform fees SourceX actually collects from the referred company's licensing deals, capped at $100,000 per referred company, payable only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee. No reward is guaranteed.
Next step
Read your code of conduct this week and send compliance the note above. If cleared, register as a partner; if not, point the supplier to the direct application.