Buyer: evaluating offers and ordering

Screening incoming offers, comparing a shortlist, accepting, rejecting or requesting a revision, and how orders are created.

By Atilla Ilhan KARTAL

• 5 articles

Split award board: awarding lines to different suppliers

When to use it In an itemised (line-by-line) demand, one supplier is rarely the best on every line. One may quote a better price on marble slabs, another on travertine blocks. Splitting lets you award each line to a different supplier, turning a single demand into several orders. The split board opens under the heading Split Award Board once you have screened the offers and moved on to comparison. The screen describes itself like this: "Build the line→supplier split, track each supplier's approval, re-assign a declined line." Building the split 1. In the comparison table, every product row ends with an Award basket column. From the list in this column, pick the supplier you want to award that line to. Only the suppliers that priced that line appear in the list. 2. The selection list never opens empty: each line comes pre-filled with the supplier offering the lowest EUR-equivalent amount for that line. You change what you want to change and leave the rest as it is. 3. Your selections are listed by supplier immediately below the table; each row shows how many lines that supplier has won and the EUR-equivalent subtotal. 4. The Optimal split button re-assigns every line to the supplier with the best price on that line — which also resets any manual changes you made. In the table, those cells are marked with the cheapest badge. 5. If a single supplier can cover all the lines on its own, a comparison line appears beneath the table: if the split is cheaper, "Single supplier (…): … · Optimal split: … — … saved", and if it is not, "Single supplier is cheaper (…)". This calculation does not cover line prices alone; it also apportions expenses and tax. Read the warnings If your split breaks up an offer, a warning with its reasoning appears under the Split warning heading. These do not stop you — they help you decide. - Non-splittable line: the supplier ships that line only bundled with its own other lines. The line's cell in the table shows the Non-splittable tag; awarding that line separately breaks the offer. - Shared expense warning: if the freight and packaging expense covers the whole offer, awarding only some of the lines orphans that shared expense. In the supplier column header, the expense is shown as Expense/Shipping · shared. Sending it for supplier approval When you click Finalize split, orders are not created straight away. The split is sent to the winning suppliers, and each one approves or declines its own slice from its own screen. From this stage on, the comparison table is replaced by the list of supplier approvals. The Split Award Board In the Supplier approvals section, every supplier is listed with the number of lines it won and its subtotal. The status badge beside it takes three values: Pending, Approved, Declined. Until the approvals are complete, the note "Waiting on all suppliers to approve before starting orders." stays at the bottom and the Start orders button is disabled. Once they have all approved, that line changes to "All suppliers approved — ready to start … orders." and the button becomes available, with the number of suppliers that orders will be opened for shown in parentheses. When you press it, the board displays "Orders started — awaiting supplier confirmation." Re-assigning a declined line If a supplier declines its slice, the lines in that slice drop into the Re-source section at the very top of the board. Each row reads "… — declined by …. Re-assign."; if the supplier gave a reason, that appears on the row as well. When you press Re-assign, the other suppliers that priced that line are listed with their ratings and their line-level amounts. The list also covers suppliers that submitted an offer after you built the split; the supplier that declined does not appear in it. When you pick one, the line moves to them and that supplier's slice returns to Pending. If no other suitable supplier is available, you will see the message "No other eligible supplier quoted this line." This is a higher-plan feature Split orders and the multi-supplier handshake are open to the paid buyer plans (Pro and Business); they are closed on the free plan. If your plan does not cover it, the board does not open at all — in its place you see the Pro feature badge, the note "Split/partial award + the multi-order handshake are a Pro feature." and the Upgrade to Pro button.

Last updated on Jul 29, 2026

Creating and managing shortlists

What a shortlist is A shortlist is a named set of finalists that you pick from the offers received on one of your demands. When dozens of offers arrive, reading them all side by side becomes impossible; a shortlist lets you narrow the field first and then compare only the standouts. Comparison shows only the offers in the active shortlist. A shortlist is a working tool: putting an offer on a shortlist does not mean you accept it, and it does not send any notification to the supplier. Creating a shortlist 1. Open your demand from My Demands and go to the Offers tab. 2. In the Shortlists section on the left, choose + New shortlist. 3. Type a name in the box that appears (the box shows the hint "Shortlist name (e.g. Finalists)") and choose Create. The list you just created automatically becomes your active shortlist. If you have no lists yet, this section reads "No shortlists yet". Adding offers On any of the offer cards on the right, choose + Add to shortlist. The window that opens lists the shortlists belonging to that demand with checkboxes; you can select one or several at once. To the right of each row, the list's fill level appears in the form "2/6". In the same window you can create a new list on the spot with + Create a new shortlist and then choose Create and add. You complete your selection with the confirmation button at the bottom of the window; that button also shows how many lists you selected (for example Add (2)). Once the offer has been added, the button on the card changes to In shortlist; pressing that same button again lets you add the offer to further lists as well. Capacity limit A single shortlist holds a maximum of six offers. A full list is marked with the Full tag in the add window, its checkbox becomes unselectable, and the window displays the notice "Full shortlists (6 offers) cannot be selected". Lists that already contain the offer are marked with the Added tag. If six offers are not enough for you, create a second shortlist; you can keep as many lists as you like per demand. Quick fill The Quick fill options below the shortlists section let you build the active list in a single tap: - AI top 5 — the offers highlighted by AI. If AI has produced no recommendation, this option stays disabled. - Cheapest 5 — the offers with the lowest approximate EUR equivalent. - Full coverage — the suppliers that have quoted every item in your demand. This option appears only on detailed demands where you have defined product items. Quick fill replaces the contents of the active list with the set you choose; the offers you added manually give way to the new ones. If you have no active list, one is created under the name "Shortlist". If AI has highlighted offers, an Add to shortlist button also appears in the strip above the offer list; that button adds the highlighted offers straight to the active list. Multiple shortlists You can keep several shortlists for the same demand — for example "Fast lead time" and "Best price". In the Shortlists section, each row shows the list's name and a badge with the number of offers it contains (such as "3 offers"). Tapping a row makes that list active and highlights it. The pencil icon on the right of the row serves as Rename and the trash icon as Delete. To rename, simply type the new name and press the confirm icon. Moving to comparison As soon as the active list holds at least one offer, the Compare shortlist → button becomes enabled. You will find this button both below the shortlists section and in the bottom strip of the offer list; the bottom strip also states how many offers are currently listed and how many of them are in the active shortlist. To return from the comparison screen to the offer list, choose ← Back (triage).

Last updated on Jul 29, 2026

Finalizing a demand and how orders are created

How you make the decision depends on the type of demand. On Basic demands you accept a single offer as a whole; on Detailed demands the decision is made on the Split Award Board, where you distribute the lines across suppliers. The board unlocks on the Pro package (it is also open on Business). You can still award a Detailed demand to a single supplier — simply assign every line to the same supplier on the board. Path 1 — Accepting an offer on a Basic demand 1. On the Offers tab of your demand, open the offer you want to award (for example via Review on the AI Recommendation card). 2. On the offer review screen, click Accept. 3. The Finalize demand dialog that opens summarises the supplier name and the amount. Confirm and finalize locks in your decision. Once confirmed, the demand is locked and accepts no new offers; a "1 order created" summary appears on the Offers tab. This path requires no additional package. On Detailed demands, the offer review screen shows an Add to compare button instead of Accept; the decision is made on the board described in Path 2. Path 2 — Splitting lines on a Detailed demand (Pro) Splitting an award is available for demands of the Detailed type and is done on the Split Award Board, which unlocks on the Pro package. The board comes into play as soon as you take your shortlist into comparison. In the Award basket column at the far right of the comparison table you pick one supplier per line; the list only shows suppliers that actually priced that line. The Optimal split button assigns each line to the supplier with the best offer for it, giving you a starting proposal. Below the table you see a per-supplier summary of the split and the difference against awarding everything to a single supplier (a saving or an excess). Non-splittable lines and shared expenses Two markers appear in the table, and the warnings related to them are collected below the table under the Split warning heading: - The Non-splittable badge next to a line: the supplier ships that line only bundled with their other lines. Awarding the line to that supplier on its own breaks the integrity of their offer. - The Expense/Shipping · shared note in the supplier column header: costs such as freight and packaging are not per-line but cover the entire offer. If you award only part of that supplier's lines, the shared expense is left orphaned. The warnings do not block the split; the decision is yours. Finalizing the split and supplier approvals 1. Build the split, then click Finalize split. 2. The board now shows the Supplier approvals list: each supplier, the number of lines they received, the amount and the status. The status takes one of three values — Pending, Approved, Declined. 3. Each supplier approves their own share from their own screen. This list is read-only for you; you cannot approve on a supplier's behalf. 4. The Start orders button stays disabled until every supplier has approved, with the note "Waiting on all suppliers to approve before starting orders." next to it. Once they have all approved, that note turns into the "All suppliers approved" message and the button becomes active. Orders are created only after you click Start orders — finalizing the split does not create orders on its own. Re-assigning a declined line If a supplier declines their share, that supplier's lines are listed in the Re-source section at the top of the board. Re-assign next to a line opens the other suppliers that priced it (including those that offered later, excluding the supplier who declined); once you pick one, the line moves to them and their approval becomes the one you wait for. Orders & confirmation When orders are created, the Orders & confirmation section opens below the board. There is a separate record for each supplier, headed Order confirmation record, containing: Document no, Buyer, Supplier, the Issued date, the Confirm by date if any, the Incoterm · Payment · Delivery terms, the line list and the total amount. This document is a record kept purely inside the platform: there is no downloadable file and no electronic signature step. It exists to preserve an immutable summary of the terms the parties agreed on. Each record carries a status line at the top: Issued → Confirmed. The summary line at the head of the section shows how many orders have been confirmed ("Order placed — awaiting confirmation"). If the supplier proposes a change Instead of confirming the order outright, a supplier can propose a change. The order then moves to the Change proposed status, a step is added to the status line, and the old and new amounts are shown side by side. Your decision is awaited: - Accept change — the order is confirmed at the new amount. - Reject — the order moves to the Cancelled status. Although the screen says "the line returns to re-sourcing", that step is not automated at present; a cancelled line does not move into the Re-source section of the board by itself. If you want to discuss the reasoning with the supplier before rejecting, use the Messages tab of the demand. Demand completion When every order belonging to the demand has been confirmed, the notice at the head of the section turns into the "All orders confirmed — demand completed." message and the demand moves to the Completed status. Removing a completed demand from the marketplace A completed demand stays in the listings until you remove it. The Remove from marketplace button at the top of the demand page takes it out of visibility. This button only appears on demands in the Completed status that have not already been removed, and only the party that opened the demand can remove it. A demand you remove is not deleted. It stays in your records, and your orders and correspondence remain accessible; it simply no longer features in the listings. The action is logged on the Activity tab of the demand as "Demand removed from marketplace". My Orders in the top menu is for the orders that come to you as a supplier. The orders you place through a split are tracked, as a buyer, in the Orders & confirmation section below the Offers tab on the demand screen.

Last updated on Jul 29, 2026

Accepting, rejecting and requesting a revision on an offer

Opening an offer does not commit you to a decision. The review screen shows you the whole offer first; you decide afterwards. The offer review screen At the top of your demand's Offers tab, the AI Recommendation card carries a Review button, and pressing it opens the review screen. For the other offers in the list, first use Add to shortlist on their cards, then choose Compare shortlist →: the Accept or Reject button on the comparison screen opens the same review screen. The left-hand side holds the detail of the offer: the supplier's country, score, lead time, Incoterm, payment term and validity date; the line table (quantity, unit price, line total); subtotal, discount, tax, charges and grand total; and the supplier's note along with any images or documents attached. On the right you will find the My private note section, marked with a padlock, and the decision buttons. The three decisions available to you The buttons in the right-hand panel are Request revision, Reject, and — depending on the type of your demand — either Accept (General request) or Add to compare (demands opened with a line-by-line product list). These buttons appear only while the offer is still open to evaluation. On an offer you have already rejected, or one where you are waiting for a revision, you see a status explanation in place of the decision buttons. Request revision If the offer works for you overall but certain lines or terms give you pause: 1. Press Request revision. 2. In the dialog that opens, tick the lines you want updated from the Lines concerned list. 3. If you wish, write your reasoning in the Reason (optional) field (for example, "lead time is too long"). 4. Finish with Send revision request. You must tick at least one line or write a reason; if both are empty, the request cannot be sent. Once sent, the offer moves to Awaiting revision: until the supplier updates their offer, it stays out of comparison and out of the award. On their own offer screen the supplier sees the lines you ticked and, if you wrote one, your reason, then updates and resubmits the offer. When the offer comes back it becomes open to evaluation again and re-enters comparison. Reject The Reject button opens a confirmation dialog. You are not obliged to fill in the Rejection reason (optional) field; you can leave it empty and confirm with Reject. A supplier you have rejected cannot resubmit the same offer, but they can come back with a different offer. The system checks this itself: the new offer must show either a price improvement of at least 1% or a change in one of the material terms. The supplier's re-offer screen lets them change the price, the Incoterm and the payment term among these. If the price stays virtually unchanged and no material term has moved, the new offer never reaches you. The comparison is always made against the supplier's own previous offer. Another supplier's offer is never used as the benchmark; the sealed-bid principle stays intact. My private note Pressing the My private note heading in the right-hand panel opens a text field that belongs to you alone: "Only you can see this — never shown to the supplier". Nothing you write here is added anywhere in the offer or passed to the supplier; it is for your own reminders during negotiation. The note is saved as you type. If saving fails, a warning appears immediately beneath the field — if you see that warning, assume the note was not saved. Accept For general requests the third button is Accept. Pressing it brings up a confirmation dialog summarising which company you are awarding and at what amount: "The demand will lock and accept no new offers." When you choose Confirm and finalize: - Your demand closes and is removed from the marketplace, taking no new offers. - An order is created against the offer you accepted. - All other offers on the same demand move to Not selected. This step cannot be undone, because an order is created. What happens next is covered in the article on finalising a demand and the order process. If you opened your demand with a line-by-line product list, Add to compare sits in place of this button: the review screen closes and you move to the Split Award Board, where you distribute the lines among suppliers. This button does not add the offer to your shortlist by itself; since the board only shows offers on your shortlist, you must have added the offer with Add to shortlist first. The Split Award Board is a Pro feature and appears locked on the Free plan. Ask questions before you decide If missing information is making the decision hard, use the Message button on the review screen. It takes you to your conversation with that supplier, in the Messages tab of your demand. The conversation is specific to this demand only, and other suppliers cannot see the exchange. Once you have clarified the lead time, the payment term or the detail of a line, you can make your decision.

Last updated on Jul 29, 2026

Screening and comparing incoming offers

Your demand may attract a large number of offers. That is why the Offers tab works in two stages: first you screen most of them out and build a small shortlist, then you compare only the offers on that shortlist side by side. To see your offers, open your demand from My Demands and switch to the Offers tab. Stage 1 — Triaging offers The triage screen is split in two: search, sorting, filters and your shortlists on the left; offer cards on the right. Type part of a company name into the Search supplier box to narrow the list down. The options in the Sort list are: - AI recommendation - Lowest price (≈EUR) - Lead time - Coverage (only shown on demands with an item list) - Supplier rating The Filters section gives you: the Full coverage tag, a country selection (All countries or one of the listed countries — each country shows how many offers it has), the Min ≈EUR and Max ≈EUR price range, Max lead (days), Min rating (4.8+, 4.5+, 4.0+) and Quoting this item. Full coverage and Quoting this item are only shown on demands with an item list. Every filter you apply appears as a small tag on the left; click a tag to remove it individually, or use Clear filters to reset them all. Full coverage and Partial badges On demands where you supplied an item list (Detailed), every offer card carries a coverage badge: - Full coverage — the supplier has priced every item in your demand. - Partial {n}/{total} — the supplier has priced only some of the items; a 3/5 badge, for example, means three of the five items were quoted. Partial offers are not necessarily incomplete — they can be complementary: if you plan to source the missing items from another supplier, keep them in consideration. The AI recommendation is a signal, not a decision The information bar above the list shows how many offers the system has highlighted, and highlighted offers carry an AI badge on their card. This is a ranking suggestion — it does not pick, accept or reject an offer on your behalf. It has no knowledge of the factors only you know, such as lead time, payment terms or your past dealings with the supplier. The final call is always yours. The AI recommendation is a Pro feature. On the Free plan, this highlighting and the AI top 5 preselection do not work. Adding to a shortlist On an offer card you like, press the Add to shortlist button. The window that opens lists your shortlists for this demand with checkboxes; tick one or more of them. When nothing is selected, the confirmation button at the bottom reads Add to shortlist and is disabled; once you make a selection it becomes Add ({n}) and is clickable. In the same window you can start a new list with + Create a new shortlist. The new list is created immediately and comes pre-ticked for the offer; to complete the addition you still have to press the confirmation button at the bottom. A shortlist can hold at most 6 offers. A list that is full is marked with a Full tag and cannot be selected; to add a new offer you first have to remove one of the offers already in it. Lists that already contain the offer show an Added tag. Multiple shortlists and Quick fill You can keep as many named shortlists as you like for the same demand — for example "Finalists" and "Backups". In the Shortlists section of the left panel you create a new list with + New shortlist, rename lists with the pencil icon and delete them with the bin icon. Each row shows how many offers that list holds. Clicking a row makes that list active; the Quick fill shortcuts and the comparison always operate on the active list. When adding an offer you choose the target list yourself in the window — once the addition is done, the list added to last becomes the active one. The Quick fill shortcuts populate the active shortlist in one click: AI top 5, Cheapest 5 and (on demands with an item list) Full coverage. These shortcuts rebuild the contents of the active list; offers you added manually give way to the new selection. Stage 2 — Comparing the shortlist As soon as your active shortlist holds at least one offer, the Compare shortlist → button becomes available. The comparison shows only the offers on the active shortlist. On demands with an item list, a table view opens: the columns are suppliers and the rows are the demand items. Each cell shows the unit price and the line total; the cheapest cell in a row is highlighted with a cheapest marker. Below the table you will find per-supplier Expenses (freight/packaging) and GRAND TOTAL rows; if the currency is not the euro, the approximate euro equivalent is shown as well. If a supplier has not priced every item, a Partial offer ({n}/{total} items) notice appears in the column header, and a dash is shown on the rows they did not price. This comparison table for demands with an item list is a Pro feature. On the Free plan an upgrade card appears in place of the table. On general requests without an item list, the offers are laid out as side-by-side columns; the Total ≈EUR, Lead time, Incoterm, Payment and Rating rows are compared, with a Lowest tag on the cheapest offer and a Shortest tag on the shortest lead time. This view has no plan requirement. To return from the comparison to the triage stage, use the ← Back (triage) button. You can change your shortlist and compare again. Get to know the supplier Price alone is not enough to decide on. Clicking the supplier name on an offer card opens that company's company profile, where you can review the firm and back up your decision. Wherever you are unsure, you can ask the supplier directly via Message.

Last updated on Jul 29, 2026