Guide to Understanding and Working Within Threshold Limits

  • Updated

This guide provides details on the set thresholds for Supplier selection in Marketplace RFx and for Subcategory/Region selection in Tenders, explaining how to work within these limits to ensure relevant targeting and reduce unnecessary notifications for suppliers.

Prerequisites

This information is for Buyers who are creating a Marketplace RFx (Request for Quote) or a Tender.

Reference: Threshold Limits

Thresholds are in place to ensure Buyers target the most relevant Suppliers and to reduce the impact of large volumes of irrelevant notifications on Suppliers.

The default limits are:

  • Marketplace RFQ: Limit of 100 Suppliers.

  • Tender Subcategories: Limit of 20 Subcategories.

  • Tender Regions: Limit of 20 Regions.

Steps: Working within Thresholds

1. Working within Marketplace Supplier Thresholds (RFQ)

Limiting the number of Suppliers selected for an RFQ saves the Buyer administration time and prevents Suppliers from committing resources to a quote with a low chance of success.

To effectively filter your Supplier selection:

  • Use a specific keyword search to identify Suppliers.

  • Use the Distance filter to find Suppliers near where the work is needed.

  • If multiple Categories are selected, use the Category Match filter to see which Suppliers can provide all necessary services/products.

Note: Selecting a larger number of Suppliers does not guarantee a better outcome; selecting relevant, qualified, and appropriately located Suppliers is generally best.

2. Working within Tender Subcategory Thresholds

Suppliers select the Categories that align with the services or products they offer. To ensure relevance, Buyers should only select the necessary Subcategories for their Tender.

  • Once posted, all Suppliers matching the selected Category(ies) and Regions will be notified.

  • The most common selection for a Tender is between one and five Subcategories.

Note: User data suggests that selecting fewer, more targeted Subcategories yields better results than selecting a large number.

3. Working within Tender Region Thresholds

Suppliers select the Regions where they can provide a quality service or deliver products. Buyers must select only the relevant Regions for their Tender.

  • The list of regions available to the Buyer is based on the regions they selected in their account.

  • Once posted, all Suppliers who stated they can service the selected Region are notified, regardless of their office location.

  • In the majority of Tenders, Buyers will only need to select one region.

Troubleshooting: Exceeded a Threshold

If you exceed a threshold, you will be unable to proceed past the Save & Post step of the Request Wizard.

  • A message will clearly advise you of the threshold type, the set threshold value (default or custom), and the number of selections you need to reduce.
    Screenshot_1.png

  • Recommended Course of Action: Return to the step outlined in the message and reduce your selections to fall below the limit.

Limits & notes: Threshold Changes

The default threshold values are optimised based on historical user behavior and response rates, and should be suitable for the vast majority of requests.

In rare exceptions:

  • Once-off Exception: Contact the Support team to approve a once-off exception to the exceeded threshold.

  • Global Review: If the thresholds are too restrictive for your overall use case, contact your Customer Success Manager to initiate a review of your global settings related to thresholds.