Evaluating SOW Bid Responses from Suppliers

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to list the options available for comparing and responding to a supplier's SOW Bid response.

Viewing and Comparing SOW Bid Responses

Buyer users with appropriate permissions can use the SOW Bid Responses tab to view and compare supplier responses. In this example below, the buyer has received responses from three suppliers, so they will use the Responses tab to compare the suppliers.

Response tab on an SOW Bid, displaying the suppliers who have responded. They are displayed in a column format for easy comparison, and include details such as Response ID, Response Status, Transactional Supplier, Presented Budget, Schedule Cost, Events Cost, Fees Cost, My Rating, Average Rating, Version, Attachments, and the Response Submit Date. Each supplier name is preceded by a checkbox. Below the list are two fields that can be selected to sort the information: Response View, which contains a button labeled Characteristics, and Group By, which contains the buttons Type and Supplier. Further details of suppliers are listed below those fields.

1	Select Supplier - Selecting a supplier activates the Create Statement of Work and Reject buttons. Rejecting an SOW bid response sends it back to the supplier, who can then make adjustments on the rejected bid response and resubmit. When rejecting an SOW bid response, you must specify a rejection reason.
2	Response View - Response View allows you to toggle between different aspects of the bid responses. In this example, you can toggle between a view of the responses to Characteristics or Questions answered.
3	Group By - Depending on the data provided, Group By allows you to toggle between views of the responses. In this example, when the Response View is set to Characteristics, you can group them by the type of characteristic or according to each supplier's response.

Buyer users with SOW Create permission can create SOWs by selecting a supplier then selecting the Create Statement of Work button. The resulting SOW will carry over the information entered in the SOW Bid so that users don't have to re-enter the information.

Evaluations for SOW Bid Responses

In cases where there needs to be a more intensive, quantifiable, and objective selection process when reviewing SOW Bid responses from suppliers, buyers can configure an evaluation Wizard. Various questions can be created within the wizard, which is then associated to applicable SOW templates, so that buyers can respond to them once suppliers submit their bids.

Once configured, the evaluation Wizard can be completed by multiple evaluators when reviewing SOW Bid responses, and when applicable, an average score will be displayed on the SOW bid response records.

SOW Bid displaying the Evaluate SOW Bid Response modal window. A basic evaluation appears within it, containing two questions.

Summary

Suppliers review, edit, or decline SOW Bids within allowed parameters. Changes are highlighted for buyer review and either reject or accept the bid.

Key Points:

Handling Supplier Questions: Suppliers must respond to any embedded questions in the SOW Bid before submission.
Withdrawal and Resubmission: Suppliers can withdraw responses, providing a reason. Resubmission is possible until the SOW Bid closes.
Comparing Responses from Suppliers: Buyers can view, compare, and evaluate responses from multiple suppliers. They can reject responses, requiring suppliers to adjust and resubmit.
Evaluation Wizard: Buyers can use an evaluation wizard for objective scoring of supplier bids. Multiple evaluators can participate, and average scores are displayed.

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