While a tender runs, suppliers ask questions. You have two channels, and which one you choose affects fairness.
Rule
If the answer to a question also affects other suppliers' bids, write it in the FAQ so everyone gets the same information at the same time. Use Messages only for matters that concern that supplier alone (a missing document, a question about its own bid).
Frequently Asked Questions
- Click Add Question in the Frequently Asked Questions tab.
- Write the question and the answer all suppliers will see. Do not write the name of the company that asked.
- In a live tender, tick Email suppliers to notify suppliers. If you do not tick it, the entry still appears in the portal; only the email is not sent.
- Save. The entry appears in the Tender Details tab of every invitee's portal.
- FAQ entries you add in draft become visible to suppliers when you publish; no email is sent in draft.
- You can reorder entries with the up and down arrows.
- After publishing, an entry cannot be deleted. You can edit a wrong answer; the edit is written to the activity log.
- Entries cannot be added to a concluded or cancelled tender.
The FAQ does not change the rules. To extend the deadline, add a document or change the specification, publish an addendum.
Messages
- In the Messages tab there is a separate conversation with each supplier. A supplier cannot see your correspondence with another supplier.
- When you write a message, the supplier receives a "New Message" email. When the supplier writes, you get an email and an in-app notification.
- Everyone who can view the tender can read the messages; writing requires the permission to run the tender.
- Message contents are stored encrypted (AES-256) in the database.
Still stuck?
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