This article is intended for buyers. If you’re a supplier, check out our supplier help articles here.
Introduction
Approving suppliers through Pre-qualification will add them to the Pre-qualification list in your Supplier library in the Network tab, allowing you to filter suppliers, only seeing those who have been approved across all the necessary questionnaires.
The article will cover:
Supplier Network
Automatic Reminders
Automatic reminders will be sent to suppliers when they have an outstanding actions. These reminders will be sent every five days until the task has been completed. Outstanding actions include:
No response (accept or decline) to a sent questionnaire
A questionnaire is incomplete with no recent actions taken against it
A complete but un-submitted questionnaire
How to Review
After a supplier completes their questionnaire, they'll submit it, transitioning the status from 'In Progress' to 'Pending Review.' At this stage, head to the Pre-qualification tab to review the supplier's questionnaire. The status can be seen by the icon to the left of the Questionnaire, or the status label underneath. The approval process kicks in when a questionnaire is in the 'Pending Review' status.
Click on the Pre-qualification tab.
On the left hand side click on Questionnaires tab.
Click Active on the left hand side and you will see your questionnaire.
Select the one that says Pending Review or has the yellow triangle icon, by hovering over it and clicking Open.
At the top it will say, ‘A decision is required’, you have three options to choose from: Approve, Reject or Require more information.
Buyer’s Review Capabilities
As a buyer, you have powerful tools at your fingertips during the review phase. These tools come in the form of commenting and reviewing responses.
Commenting
Allows you as a buyer to provide feedback on any or all questions directly within the platform. The suppliers will be notified about the comments and can respond directly. To do this:
Click on a question.
On the right hand side there will be an ‘Activity & Comments’ box, use the comment box to leave comments, questions or feedback for the Supplier.
Review Responses
By clicking on a question you will be able to see their answers. For longer responses, such as long-answer questions, you may have to scroll down to see their response in full.
Decision-Making Options
Once you’ve thoroughly reviewed the supplier's questionnaire, it’s time to make a decision. To do this, you have 3 options to choose from:
Option 1: Approve
If you're satisfied with the submission, choose Approve.
This action moves the questionnaire status to 'Approved,' adding them to your list of trusted suppliers. It will also disable all questions from being updated, so the Supplier cannot update their responses or leave new comments.
Option 2: Reject
If the submission doesn't meet your expectations, select Reject.
This action moves the questionnaire status to 'Rejected,' clearly indicating your decision to Reject the Supplier on the basis of their answers. It will also disable all questions from being updated, so the supplier cannot update their responses or leave new comments.
Option 3: Require More Information
If additional information is required, choose Require more information.
This action sends the questionnaire status back to 'In Progress,' allowing for further collaboration from the Supplier. This action will re-enable all questions for updating/commenting, opening communication with the Supplier again.
Supplier Network
On the Pre-qualification home page there is Supplier tab next to the Questionnaires and Questions tabs. All companies that you send a questionnaire to will be added to this list, creating an Internal Supplier Network.
Users will be able to see which suppliers have received questionnaires, seeing the status of all questionnaires in one place.
For further queries, please use our live chat feature or email support@deepstreamtech.com