Participation in RFQs
If you do not override the default, participation in RFQs is by invitation only and you must invite at least one supplier.
However, you can choose to open your RFQ to all suppliers. If you do, you do not have to explicitly invite any suppliers.
Participation in Auctions
Unless you specified differently on the negotiation Controls page, auctions are open to all bidders by default. Bidders will see your auction when they search using the Active Auctions page. Even though the auction is already open to them, you can choose to also send certain bidders notifications of a particular auction to encourage their participation. You can select the bidders you wish to notify from a list of suppliers, or if you frequently invite a certain group of bidders, you can apply a predefined invitation list that identifies these bidders.
You can restrict your auction to bidders you specifically invite by selecting the appropriate control on the negotiation Controls page.
Inviting suppliers
After entering your negotiations header, line(s), and any response controls, you can create a participants list on the Create Negotiation: Suppliers page:
Select how you wish to search for suppliers:
Click the Add Supplier to search for and add suppliers to your invitation list. You can add approved suppliers and/or prospective suppliers (suppliers whose registration requests have not yet been approved).
Click Add Invitation List to apply a predefined list of suppliers. Search for and select the Invitation List you want to apply. You can use the same list for different negotiations.
From the search results, select the suppliers you wish to invite and click Add to Invited Suppliers. You can continue to search and add additional suppliers.
You can click the Register New Suppliers button to create a registration request on behalf of a new supplier (if you have the authorizations, you can both register and approve the supplier). The prospective supplier is added to the invited suppliers list.
When clicking on the Supplier Name column, users can sort the suppliers by name.
Use the Delete and Delete All buttons to delete suppliers. When users click on Delete after selecting one or more suppliers, the suppliers get deleted from the invitation list. Users need to select at least one supplier for the delete operation to work, otherwise a warning message displays. Delete All ensures that all the suppliers get deleted from the invitation list. A confirmation window displays, asking if you want to proceed. If you click Yes, all suppliers will be deleted.
The system ensures that there are no duplicate suppliers in the invitation list when a reusable supplier list is added to the Suppliers tab (using Add Supplier List) and there are existing suppliers in the invitation list. The following situations are addressed:
If a supplier without a site is in the invitation list already, and the reusable list consists of the same supplier name, the supplier name (regardless of site) will not be added again (multiple times) to the invitation list from the reusable list.
If the invitation list consists of a supplier with one or more site names, the system will not add the supplier name without any site or with the same site from the reusable list. However, the supplier with a different site may be added to the invitation list.
Once you have added all your suppliers, click Apply, you return to the Create Negotiation: Suppliers page.
If there are multiple supplier sites (Supplier Site is another term for Address Name), select the specific site you wish to invite to the negotiation. Users at different sites for the same supplier can each submit a response.
If there are multiple contacts for each site, select which contact you wish to notify about this negotiation from the contact list. Additionally, if you know the e-mail addresses of any other contacts at the company (including possibly a distribution list), you can enter it in the Additional Contact Email field (approved suppliers only).
If the contact is specified in the Additional Contact Email unregistered, a notification is sent to invite the contact to register and participate in the negotiation. The supplier user receives an email notification with the negotiation invitation and a link to access the user registration page. Once the registration request has been approved, the user can participate in negotiations.
Note that if you added a line from the Unified Catalog or one of your Favorites Lists, there may be a supplier associated with that item. If so, that supplier has been added to your invitation list and you must select a contact.
The system sends notifications to the invited suppliers providing them details of the negotiation.
Registering Suppliers
If you know the necessary information about a supplier, you can register that supplier directly through Sourcing. The supplier then shows up as a prospective supplier and can be added to an invitation list using the directions above. A registration request is generated for the invited supplier user. Once the registration is approved, that supplier user can respond to the negotiation. If you have the necessary authorizations, you can both register and approve the supplier. The supplier user shows up with the address added as an RFQ-only site for the supplier.
Note:You can also invite and register additional suppliers while the negotiation is in progress. Your invitees will receive email notifications inviting them to participate once the negotiation is successfully submitted.