Create a Request or Tender

This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to create a Request or Tender using the Request Wizard. This task is performed when you need to solicit proposals or tenders from suppliers.

Prerequisites

You must have Buyer Rights, which are allocated by an Administrator.

Steps

1. Start a New Request

Click the '+ create new' button located at the top of your home page under My Requests.
- Alternatively, hover over My Requests in the menubar and select Create a new request.

2. Name the Request

Enter a name for your Request in Name step.
Optional: Add your own reference number (e.g., an internal ID number).
Click Save and Continue.

3. Select Supplier Lists

Select the type of Supplier Lists you wish to use: Internal (managed by your organisation), External (managed by another organisation), or Public Marketplace.
- You can click on the View Lists button to see available lists under each option.
- Note: Once you save this step, you cannot change your selection of list types.
Click the Use These button.

4. Select Suppliers (If applicable)

For a select-Supplier Request:

Choose the Categories of goods and services.
Select the specific Supplier List(s).
Select the specific Suppliers you want to invite by ticking the checkbox next to their name.
- You can filter Suppliers by name/keyword using the Filter Suppliers textbox, or by Filter Tags or SI Badges using the filter button.
- You can also change the distance to filter by Supplier location or click the Map button to view a map.
- Note: Once the Request is posted, you cannot uninvite Suppliers.
Click the Use these Suppliers button.

For a Tender (Public Tender):

Choose the Categories of goods and services.
Select the specific Supplier List(s).
Specify the Regions where the work will be carried out/delivered.
- It is recommended to use only the specific Region(s) where the work needs to be delivered or completed.

5. Add Details & Information

Describe what you are requesting from the Suppliers.
Optional: Provide background information or desired outcomes.
Click Save and Continue.

6. Ask Questions (Optional)

Enter your question in free text.
Choose if the question is mandatory or optional.
Set the answer format (Text, Numbers, Money, Date, Yes/No, or Custom Selection Dropdown).

Text: Provides a free text field for Suppliers to respond within.

Numbers: Requires Suppliers to enter only a valid number, which can be positive or negative and include any number of decimal places.

Money: Requires Suppliers to enter a monetary value, which must have a maximum of two decimal places.

Date: Provides Suppliers with a calendar tool to choose a date. The selected date may be in the past or the future.

Yes/No: Presents Suppliers with a simple Yes or No radio button choice.

Custom Selection Dropdown: Allows you to customise a dropdown list for Suppliers to choose from. You enter each option on a new line in the supplied textbox, and these options appear in the dropdown for selection.
Click Save and Continue or Skip this step.

7. Add Files (Optional)

Upload up to 50 files (max 15 Mb each) or click Switch to large file upload mode to upload up to 5 large files (max 150 Mb each).
- Supported file types include:
  Documents/Spreadsheets: pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, xlsm, csv, mpp, ppt, pptx, ppsx
  Images: jpg, jpeg, png, x-png, bmp, x-bmp, img, tif, tiff, gif, x-jpg, psd, eps, ai
  Media/Video: avi, mp3, mp4, mpg, 3gp, qt, mov, swf, wmv, flv
  Engineering/CAD: dwg, acad, dxf
  Compressed/Geographic: zip, kmx, kml, kmz
Click Save and Continue or Skip this step.

8. Set RFx Budget

Set whether a 'total cost' is mandatory for the Supplier's response.
Select an estimated value and set whether it is hidden or visible to Suppliers.
Optional: Add a budgeted value, which is automatically hidden from Suppliers.
Click Save and Continue.

9. Set Submission Dates

Set the open and close dates and the specific closing time.
- The open date is set to today by default but can be edited to a future date.
Select an evaluation period (1 day to 6 months), which is shown to Suppliers as the Expected Decision Date.
Click Save and Continue.

10. Save & Post

Select an evaluation method (Quick Select, Evaluation Matrix, Multi-Party Evaluation (MPE), Advanced Evaluations).
- You can change this later.
Select if your name and contact details should be kept private or made visible to Suppliers.
If enabled for your organisation: Set a Supplier query cut-off period.
- This time-frame is capped at 21 days prior to the closing time and matches the closing time. It should be noted that if the Request close date is subsequently edited, the Buyer will be prompted to re-select the query cut-off period to appropriately reflect the new closing date.
Click Post request to send the Request to Suppliers, or Save as draft to save your progress.

Results / Validation

After clicking Post request, suppliers will receive an email notification and be able to submit a response by logging into their account.

What's Next / Related

Frequently Asked Questions

Question	Answer
Why is my request 'Pending Approval'?	Your Local Group has been setup so that requests require approval by your manager before being released to Suppliers. You can find more information on this here: Pre-Market Request Approvals.
I hid my contact details from the Supplier, but when I preview the Request, I can see them. Why?	If you have hidden your contact details, the Supplier will be unable to view them, but they are shown to you so you can confirm they are correct. There is a note below your details that states if they are hidden from the Supplier.
What happens when I post a Request?	The request is sent to Suppliers to review and then respond to. Invited Suppliers are notified via email of the invitation. You are able to track the status of Supplier responses when viewing the request and clicking on the statistics icon (which looks like a graph).

Limits & Notes

Saving Progress: Your progress is saved as a draft when you click Save and Continue on each step.
Request Wizard Controls: At any point, you can:
- Preview (shows the Supplier version).
- Delete (deletes the Request you are working on).
- Exit (takes you out, keeping all saved changes as a draft, but losing unsaved changes).
File Upload: You can use both standard (max 50 files, 15 Mb each) and large (max 5 files, 150 Mb each) file upload modes on the same request.
Supplier Visibility: Suppliers will not be able to view which other Suppliers have been included in a Request.
Decision Date: You can extend the decision date a maximum of 3 times after the Request has closed.