Kroger PRGX Supplier Connect: How to Dispute a Deduction (Step-by-Step Guide)
How to dispute a Kroger deduction inside PRGX Supplier Connect — Partner Pass login, -CM invoice lookup, claim submission, and 180-day deadline explained for CPG suppliers.
If you sell to Kroger, deductions are eating your margin right now. Across the Kroger banner — Fred Meyer, Ralphs, King Soopers, Harris Teeter, Smith's — suppliers routinely lose 4–5% of invoice value to shortages, compliance fines, cost-difference chargebacks, and promotional allowances. For a brand doing $3M in Kroger revenue, that's up to $150,000 a year in deductions, many of which are invalid and fully disputable.
The problem for smaller suppliers is not the math — it's the portal. As of October 27, 2025, Kroger completed its migration from Lavante to PRGX Supplier Connect as the primary system for all deduction disputes and AP inquiries. If your team hasn't logged in since the transition, this guide will get you oriented and disputing within a single session.
What Is PRGX Supplier Connect?
PRGX Supplier Connect is a third-party vendor management and dispute platform that Kroger uses to receive, route, and respond to supplier claims. PRGX (a recovery audit firm) operates the platform on Kroger's behalf. As a supplier, you do not interact directly with Kroger's AP team for most disputes — you interact with PRGX, which reviews your documentation and either approves, denies, or requests additional information on the claim.
The system replaced Lavante, which PRGX also operated. Historical Lavante data was migrated into Supplier Connect, so your prior claims should remain accessible. The interface is substantially different, however, and the dispute submission workflow has changed.
Before You Start: The 180-Day Hard Deadline
Kroger gives suppliers 180 days from the deduction date to file a dispute. This is a hard cutoff — there is no extension process and no appeals pathway once the window closes. Claims submitted at day 179 will be accepted; claims submitted at day 181 will not.
If your team reviews remittances monthly and files disputes on a rolling basis, you have plenty of runway. If anyone in your organization has been setting aside "unclear" deductions for a future batch review, check the dates now. Any deduction from more than five months ago needs to go first.
One additional constraint that matters more than many suppliers realize: once you submit a dispute inside Supplier Connect, you cannot edit it. You can receive a "Pending Update" status if PRGX requests additional documents, but you cannot revise the claim amount, claim type, or description after submission. Get it right before you click Submit.
Step 1: Access Supplier Connect Through Partner Pass
Supplier Connect is not a standalone portal. It lives inside Partner Pass (partnerpass.krogerapps.com), Kroger's single sign-on dashboard for all supplier applications.
Authentication requires Okta Verify. Before your first login, download the Okta Verify app (free, iOS or Android) to the smartphone or tablet you'll use for authentication. Every Partner Pass login requires a push notification or code from this app.
Which onboarding path applies to you?
| Your situation | Action |
|---|---|
| Your company has never accessed Lavante or Supplier Connect | Email [email protected] with your company's corporate TIN and a recently paid Kroger invoice or W-9. PRGX will provision your account. |
| You had Lavante access through Partner Pass | Log into Partner Pass and select Open Supplier Connect from the dashboard. Access should transfer automatically. |
| You use Partner Pass for other Kroger apps but never had Lavante | Your company's Vendor Admin must grant you Supplier Connect access from within Partner Pass. |
| You are a new user being added to an existing account | Your Vendor Admin adds you. You'll receive a "Welcome to Partner Pass" email with Okta Verify setup instructions. |
Support contacts:
- Portal access issues: [email protected]
- Supplier Connect platform questions (error messages, navigation): [email protected]
- Compliance-specific issues: [email protected]
Allow 3–5 business days for new account provisioning if you are emailing [email protected]. Do not wait until day 170 to request access.
Step 2: Locate the Deduction in Supplier Connect
Once logged into Partner Pass, select Open Supplier Connect from the dashboard tiles.
Inside Supplier Connect, navigate to the Transactions section. This is where all invoice activity — both payments and deductions — appears.
Understanding the -CM naming convention: Deduction invoices in Kroger's system are identified by a "-CM" suffix appended to the original invoice number. If your invoice was INV-20250315-447, the deduction document will appear as something like INV-20250315-447-CM. Search by the base invoice number or the CM document number to locate the specific deduction you want to dispute.
You can also filter Transactions by date range, deduction code, or status to work through a backlog of open items.
Step 3: Understand the Deduction Code
Before you click Add Dispute, identify the deduction code on the CM document. The code tells you what Kroger is claiming and what documentation you'll need. Kroger uses approximately 13 deduction types:
| Code / Label | What It Means | Typically Disputable? |
|---|---|---|
| Code 2 / Promo Allowance Difference | Mismatch between promotional terms Kroger has on file and what was applied. Subcodes include OI (Off-Invoice), PC (co-op), and KSD/KSI/KSP (salvage allowances). | Yes — with signed deal sheet |
| Code 3 / Cost Difference (LC — List Cost) | Price discrepancy between your invoice cost and Kroger's system cost. Often triggered by cost changes that weren't confirmed in advance. | Yes — with email buyer approval and invoice |
| Code 4 / Shortage (SH) | Kroger claims fewer cases were received than billed. One of the highest-volume deduction types. | Yes — with BOL and signed POD |
| Code 5 / EDI Non-Compliance (EV) | EDI document was missing, late, or formatted incorrectly. Penalty is $250 or 1% of invoice, whichever is greater. | Yes — with transmission records and functional acknowledgments |
| Code 6 / Item Not Received | Specific SKU-level shortage. | Yes — with shipping confirmation, BOL, POD, ASN, carrier tracking |
| Code 7 / Overage (OV) | Kroger received more cases than billed. Rarely disputed from the supplier side. | Rarely |
| Code 8 / Net Dollar Difference | Catch-all for unclear discrepancies. Root cause determines documentation. | Depends on root cause |
| Code 9 / Pickup Allowance (PU) | Freight charge when Kroger's carrier picks up the PO at your warehouse. | Yes — with freight agreement and carrier confirmation |
| ORAD / Late Shipment (displayed as ###-G) | Penalty for missing Kroger's required on-time delivery rate (98%) or case fill rate (95%). Late fill penalty is typically 3% of the value of missing items. | Yes — with signed POD showing actual arrival time |
| Cash Discount (CD) | Early payment discount taken by Kroger. | Occasionally — with payment terms documentation |
| EDI Non-Compliance (EV) | See Code 5 above. | See above |
| Slotting (S) | One-time shelf placement fee, displayed as 092-S#####. | Generally no — contractual |
| Return / Reclamation (V) | Various return formats. Route to [email protected], not through standard Supplier Connect dispute flow. | Separate process |
Important: Some invoice formats route outside the standard Supplier Connect dispute flow entirely:
| Invoice Format | Contact Instead |
|---|---|
| ###-H | [email protected] |
| ###-V (Returns) | [email protected] |
| ###-CB (Corporate Brands) | [email protected] |
| 092-A (Promotional Allowance) | [email protected] |
| E-Commerce / Vitacost | [email protected] |
If your CM document falls into one of these formats, do not attempt to file through Supplier Connect — it will either be rejected or ignored.
Step 4: Gather Your Documentation Before Clicking Anything
Because you cannot edit a dispute after submission, pull all supporting documents together before you open the claim form. The standard guidance from experienced suppliers: more documentation is better than less.
By deduction type:
Shortage (Code 4 / SH):
- Signed Bill of Lading (BOL) — carrier signature confirming pickup
- Signed Proof of Delivery (POD) — receiver signature at Kroger DC confirming case count
- Packing list or shipping manifest
- Original invoice
Cost Difference / List Cost (Code 3 / LC):
- Email from your Kroger buyer confirming cost change approval
- Original purchase order showing agreed cost
- Invoice matching the approved cost
Promo Allowance (Code 2 / OI):
- Signed deal sheet or promotional agreement
- Invoice showing off-invoice discount applied
- Payment record
EDI Non-Compliance (Code 5 / EV):
- ASN transmission timestamp
- Functional acknowledgment from Kroger's EDI system
- Backup format documentation if applicable
Late Shipment / ORAD:
- Signed POD showing actual DC arrival date and time
- Dock appointment confirmation if applicable
- BOL with carrier pickup timestamp
Code 8 (Net Dollar Difference):
- Compare your invoice total to the PO total line by line; documentation depends on what the root cause turns out to be
Critical document visibility step: When you upload documents inside Supplier Connect, you will see a visibility toggle. Mark all evidentiary documents as "public" — this makes them visible to the PRGX reviewer. Documents marked "private" are visible only to your internal team and will not be seen by PRGX. This is a common source of avoidable claim denials.
Step 5: Submit the Dispute
With your documentation ready, navigate back to the deduction's CM document in Transactions and select Add Dispute.
The claim form will ask you to:
- Select claim type — match this to the deduction code (shortage, off-invoice, list cost, pickup allowance, etc.)
- Enter claim amount — this should equal the deduction amount on the CM document
- Write a claim description — be specific: reference the original PO number, the invoice number, the DC location, and the shipment date. Explain in plain terms why the deduction is invalid.
- Upload supporting documents — attach all files gathered in Step 4; mark each as "public"
- Submit
Once you click Submit, the claim status changes to Pending. At this stage:
- No edits are allowed
- The PRGX team has the claim for review
- You can add questions using the "Q" icon (top right of the claim view) if you need to communicate with PRGX — this generates a notification to their team. The general comments field is not monitored.
Verify: Confirm whether the claim form labels in the current Supplier Connect UI use "Add Dispute" or a different button label — the iNymbus source confirms "Add Dispute" but the SupplierWiki Lavante-era guide used "Create Claim." If the UI has been updated post-October 2025 migration, update this step accordingly.
Step 6: Track Status and Respond to Requests
Claims move through four statuses:
| Status | Meaning | Action Required |
|---|---|---|
| Open | Draft created, not yet submitted | Submit before 180-day deadline |
| Pending | Submitted, under PRGX review | None — wait |
| Pending Update | PRGX has requested additional information | Upload requested documents promptly; this is the only state in which you can add information to an active claim |
| Closed | Decision issued | Review outcome; if partially paid or denied, note reason for future prevention |
Resolution timelines: Published PRGX guidance suggests 90 days for most dispute types (shortages, overages, late delivery fines, list cost disputes). Unpaid invoice inquiries typically resolve in 30–45 days on paper, though suppliers commonly report 2–3 months in practice. Approved disputes are credited on the next remittance cycle.
If your claim reaches Pending Update, respond quickly. PRGX does not publish a hard deadline for responding to information requests, but a delayed response on a claim approaching the 180-day window is a real risk.
Practical Tips for Smaller Brands
Build a dispute calendar, not a dispute pile. Set a recurring monthly task to pull all CM documents from the prior 30 days and assess each one for dispute potential. This keeps you well inside the 180-day window and prevents the "batch panic" that happens when someone finds 14 open deductions with 30 days left.
Know your Vendor Admin. If you are a founder or part-time controller at a small brand, the Vendor Admin for your Partner Pass account may be someone in your broker's office or a third-party logistics contact. Confirm who it is before you need emergency access.
Photograph and timestamp at the dock. The most common reason shortage disputes are denied is missing or unsigned PODs. If your 3PL does not consistently obtain signed PODs, that is the highest-leverage operational fix in your deduction strategy. A signed POD at the DC makes most shortage deductions immediately disputable.
Promotional deductions: verify before you dispute. Before filing on a Code 2, confirm with your buyer that the promo was correctly entered in Kroger's system at the agreed rate. A mismatch on Kroger's side is disputable; a mismatch because your deal sheet and Kroger's records genuinely differ is not.
Code 8 is a research task, not a dispute task. When you see a Code 8 "Net Dollar Difference," your first step is to compare your invoice to the PO line by line. Only when you have identified the discrepancy's root cause will you know whether it is disputable and what evidence to gather.
FAQ
Q: Kroger says my company already had Lavante access, but we can't find the login credentials. What do we do?
A: Contact your company's Partner Pass Vendor Admin first — they may be able to restore access. If there is no active Vendor Admin, email [email protected]. For Supplier Connect-specific access issues, [email protected] is the provisioning contact. Have your corporate TIN and a recent paid invoice ready.
Q: The deduction on our remittance shows an invoice format ending in -H (or -V, -CB). Can we dispute it through Supplier Connect?
A: No. These formats route outside the standard Supplier Connect dispute workflow. Refer to the contact table in Step 3 above. Filing through Supplier Connect on one of these formats will likely result in no response — the claim will sit without being reviewed by the right team.
Q: We missed the 180-day dispute window on several deductions. Is there any recourse?
A: For standard deductions processed through Supplier Connect, the 180-day deadline is enforced and there is no published appeals pathway. Some suppliers have had limited success escalating to their Kroger buyer contact for deductions that were genuinely erroneous and recently discovered, but this is not a reliable recovery path and is not guaranteed. The more useful response is to treat missed deductions as tuition and build a process to catch them within 60–90 days going forward.
Q: How do we know if our shortage dispute has a good chance of being approved?
A: The core question is whether you can show, with signed carrier and receiver documentation, that the cases were picked up and delivered. If you have a signed BOL (carrier confirms pickup of X cases) and a signed POD (Kroger's DC confirms receipt of X cases), and those numbers match your invoice, the dispute is strong. If you are missing either document — or if the POD is unsigned — the dispute is significantly weaker. The quality of your logistics documentation, not the quality of your dispute filing, determines most shortage outcomes.
Q: Does disputing a deduction affect our relationship with Kroger?
A: Disputing legitimately invalid deductions is a normal and expected part of the supplier-retailer relationship at this scale. Kroger's system is built for it — PRGX processes claims from thousands of suppliers. What can create tension is disputing deductions that are contractually valid (promotional allowances that were agreed to, pickup allowances spelled out in your trading terms) or routinely filing without documentation. Dispute what you can actually support; write off what you cannot.
This guide is part of a free deduction-defense resource series for emerging CPG brands.