How do I respond to an RFI?

 When a supplier is invited to participate in an RFI, they will receive an email with context and a link. The new RFI will show up under the RFI menu item, marked with a red dot to indicate attention is required.

RFI List

Clicking on the RFI menu item as a supplier opens the list of RFIs directed to the supplier.

For each RFI, the list displays:

• Project Name: This is the descriptive name of the project.
• Last Update: This is the date the information in the RFI was last updated.
• Response By: This is the date when the response to the RFI is due.
• Company: This is the company that has invited the supplier.
• Status: This is the status of the RFI. Under status are the different identifiers below.
• Invited: The supplier has been invited but has not yet viewed the RFI.
• Opened: The supplier has opened the RFI invitation but has not yet accepted it.
• Accepted: The supplier has accepted the RFI.
• Declined: The supplier has declined to respond to the RFI.
• Canceled: The buyer has canceled the RFI.
• Qualified: The buyer has qualified the supplier to continue to the next stage of the procurement.
• Not Qualified: The buyer has not qualified the supplier for the next stage of the procurement.
• Closed: The buyer has completed the RFI process.

The supplier can filter the RFI list by status:

• All: Show all RFIs
• Active: Only show active RFIs (Invited, Opened, Accepted, Declined)
• Inactive: Only show inactive RFIs (Qualified, Not Qualified, Cancelled)

                                                                     

Users can select the RFI they are interested in from the RFI list and open the detail page for the specific RFI.

Opening an RFI

When a supplier receives the invitation to an RFI, the first step is to open it. This presents the Terms and Conditions for the RFI to the supplier user and requests acceptance of them.

                       

If the user selects No and confirms, the RFI will be marked as Declined, and no further action can be taken.

Once the user clicks Yes, the Continue button is displayed, and the user can move on to view the contents of the RFI. This changes the RFI status from Invited to Opened and displays the RFI invitation information.

RFI Overview

On the RFI page, you will see details regarding the RFI Overview.

• Buyer: Who has invited you to participate in the RFI event.
• Summary: Information regarding the RFI request.
• Response By: When the Buyer would like your decision.
• Projected Decision Date: The deadline for the Buyer's selection.
• Detailed Response: The buyer would like a detailed response.
• Response Instructions: Additional information the Buyer has requested.

                                           

You may also see optional criteria that the buyer may request from you.

Q&A

If the Buyer has enabled this option, you would also have the opportunity to ask questions. The questions and answers that you pose to the Buyer may be shared anonymously with all other suppliers participating in the RFI.

Our Response

To accept an RFI, suppliers need to indicate their interest and ability to meet the mandatory requirements. They do this by first clicking on the Respond button. This opens the Interest confirmation.

If the user selects No, the status will be set to Not Interested, and no more actions are required.

If the user selects Yes, the status will be set to Interested, and the critical criteria are displayed for confirmation.

If the user selects No, the status will be set to Does Not Meet Criteria.

If the user selects Yes, the status will be set to Meet Criteria and the RFI response form is displayed.

Outcome

The last tab will show the status of the RFI. 

From here you will see if the RFI is pending, canceled, or Approved.

Should you have further questions about how to manage your RFI invitation as a supplier please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team at [e-mail]!

Effective January 2nd 2025, our Support Team will be available to assist you during the following hours:

9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Monday to Friday