Creating Question Libraries for SOW Bids

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to create a Question Library in SAP Fieldglass for use on an SOW Bid.

SOW Bids

Organizations can distribute bids for upcoming statements of work to multiple suppliers using the SOW Bid functionality. SOW Bid functionality is designed for buyers who have a project requiring a statement of work but do not have a particular supplier identified and may want to collect bid responses from multiple providers before selecting one.

SOW Bids often include Questions to help assess the suitability of suppliers. Suppliers would be required to answer the questions when responding to the bid, and buyers would use answers to determine whether the supplier is capable of completing the project and the budget necessary.

The Question Library allows you to create and maintain the collection of questions that can be added to SOW Bids.

The Questions tab of an SOW Bid showing the questions for the bid. A Section column lists the question groupings, while a window to the right displays the contents of the selected Section. Questions are listed in an order defined during creation, and include the Question and Answer Type.

Using questions on an SOW bid is optional, and question libraries are not required: questions can be added manually to an SOW Bid. However, individual questions added manually are only good for the SOW bid they've been added to; the can't be reused elsewhere. A question library allows the questions to be used on multiple SOW bids.

Navigating the Question Library Admin Object

Services section of the Admin Menu, the Question Library link is highlighted.
1To view a list of Question Libraries in the tenant, select Question Library from the Services section of the admin menu.

Question Library List Page

Question Library List page displaying the question libraries created for the tenant. For each library, information on the Module, Section, Description, Categories, and number of Questions is provided. The items in the Section column are selectable links. The Categories and Questions columns, as well as the IT Experience link in the Section column, are highlighted.

The Question Library functionality requires that questions be organized into categories so that predefined questions can be easily used on SOW bids. Questions can pertain to such things as worker skills, rates, company experience, or any relevant to a project that an organization may need to effectively evaluate a supplier's bid.

2Categories indicates the number of categories that the question section has been divided into. A question section must have at least one category.
3Questions indicates the number of questions included in the question section.
4To view the details of a Question Library, select an appropriate link in Section column

Question Library Details Page

Question Details page displaying the same information as on the library list page, but also including the associated questions, arranged by section and listed in the order they were configured during creation.

In addition to the information indicated on the list page, a question record shows the details of the categories and questions contained in the question section.

Questions can be grouped into categories—such as IT Experience and Experience in Industry, as illustrated here—in order to group questions that follow a similar theme or intent.

Configure a Question Library

WorkingNet Networking, Inc., a global manufacturer of data networking equipment, is building several new distribution centers in several countries, while simultaneously implementing new logistics software and processes.

As WorkingNet builds an internal expertise with logistics, they will need to consult with third-party logistics firms. However, they've never engaged a services provider for this type of work before, so to help determine the suitability of new vendors, they would like some specific questions created for use on SOW bids.

As the SAP Fieldglass administrator for WorkingNet, it's your job to add those questions to the Question Library.

ExerciseStart Exercise

Summary

The Question Library helps create and maintain a collection of common questions that can be added to SOW (Statement of Work) Bids. These questions assist buyers in evaluating suppliers' responses. The use of the Question Library is optional, as questions can be added manually to an SOW Bid.

Key Points:

  • SOW Bid Functionality: Allows organizations to send project statements to multiple suppliers for review.
  • Question Library: A centralized collection of questions that can be added to SOW bids for supplier evaluation.
  • Optional but Useful: Using a Question Library is optional but provides efficiency and consistency in the bidding process.
  • Adding Questions: Questions can be added manually to individual SOW bids but lack reusability; the Question Library facilitates reuse.
  • Configuration: Includes creating categories and specifying answer types (e.g., Yes/No, Descriptive) for each question.

Learning

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