Sourcing Guide
Purpose: This document is intended to provide a high level overview of functionality and configuration of the Sourcing Project type within the Levelpath Platform from the role of a Project Lead or an Organization Administrator.
What is a Sourcing Project?
The Sourcing Project is Levelpath’s first iteration of “Quick Sourcing” or a sourcing event by requesting information from proposed suppliers. This new module gives procurement and sourcing teams a fast and easy way to gather information from multiple suppliers. You will have access to view all supplier submissions and award the sourcing event all within Levelpath!
NOTE: The supplier will ONLY be able to view the information within the configured Sourcing Project. The supplier does not have access to the Projects and can only see the fields you share with them and the responses they provide. No other information from the Project is visible to the supplier.
How can I use Sourcing?
A Sourcing event can be initiated in two ways: via Sourcing, Hub, or within a Project type itself:
- Sourcing Hub
Select “Sourcing” along the main toolbar on the left, then select “+ New Event”.
- Within a Project Type
Organizational Admins can configure a “Sourcing” step within a Project type on the Project Configuration page. With this method, users can create and run a sourcing event without ever leaving the request.
Users can begin with a Blank event, Duplicate an existing event, start from a template, or Mark as not needed.
Note: When duplicating an existing event, users will be provided the option to bring over collaborators from the other project. Feel free to select all, multiple, or no collaborators.
When duplicating an event, users will see a preview of the event they are about to duplicate in order to decide if it’s the correct one. Clicking “Create Event” does not publish the event, it just sets it up for editing and later publishing.
How do I create a template?
To create or edit a template, users should navigate to the Sourcing home page, then click “New Template”.
This template can then be used when creating a Sourcing event, following the steps above.
Users can begin with a Blank event, Duplicate an existing event, start from a template, or Mark as not needed.
Note: When duplicating an existing event, users will be provided the option to bring over collaborators from the other project. Feel free to select all, multiple, or no collaborators.
When duplicating an event, users will see a preview of the event they are about to duplicate in order to decide if it’s the correct one. Clicking “Create Event” does not publish the event, it just sets it up for editing and later publishing.
How do I Compose a Sourcing Event?
When in a Sourcing Project, the Project lead will see step by step instructions on composing the event by selecting Manage Event in the upper right hand corner of the Event details hub.
From here, users can build their entire sourcing event - set the email subject and message, create the questions suppliers need to answer, and define the response deadline.
Users can also select suppliers and their contacts from your Supplier Repository to receive the bid. If a supplier isn’t in your repository yet, users can choose Request a new supplier to add suppliers to the bid and to your Supplier repository in a pending state.
Once within Configure Event, users will find the following sections to build their bid:
1. Event Invitation
This is where your team can format the email subject and message, and set supplier deadlines that will appear in the Supplier Hub. For a full example of what suppliers will see, refer to the Supplier Hub Walkthrough Guide.
You can also use the AI Assistant to help draft the email subject and message, and to set deadlines down to the exact minute - including a different time zone if needed.
2. Supplier Instructions
Supplier Instructions allow you to provide additional guidance to suppliers directly in the Supplier Hub. This field supports rich text formatting, including bold, italics, bullet lists, as well as the ability to add links and images. Users can also quickly prompt the AI Assistant on the right side of the page to help generate a clear draft for this section.
Click Through Terms
Creators of sourcing events can also add Click-through terms that the supplier must accept before they are able to view the questionnaire.
To create click-through terms, click “Include Click-through Terms”. From there, an additional text box will appear to specify the details of the terms and conditions.
3. Supplier Questions
There are two ways to compose a Supplier Questions:
Option 1: Quick Bid with AI Assistant
Under Supplier Questionnaire, you will see two options: Quick Bid and Questionnaire Builder. Users can toggle between the two without losing responses. The option that is selected is the one that will go to suppliers.
To create a Quick Bid, you can type directly in the supplier questions box, or you can use AI Assistant to help.
To use AI Assistant, type in the "What are you buying?" box, hit Generate Bid, and AI Assistant will assist in creating a Quick sourcing event.
To add AI Assistant's suggestions to the sourcing event, click the blue text with the left facing arrow. Once it is added to the sourcing event, it can still be edited.
As users are configuring Sourcing Events, it’s important to note that there is now an RSVP Timeline. Suppliers will have the option to select that they intend to Bid, or that they do not Intend to Bid.
Setting an RSVP due date is optional, as well as a questions due date.
However, the final response due date is required. This is the date that Supplier responses are due.
This is what the Intend to Bid question looks like from the Supplier side.
Option 2: Questionnaire Builder
Switching from Quick Bid to Questionnaire Builder offers greater flexibility in gathering information and assessing supplier responses. Unlike Quick Sourcing, which is designed for simpler purchases, Questionnaire Builder enables you to build custom questionnaires, allowing for more detailed and tailored evaluations.
To build a questionnaire:
Toggle to Questionnaire Builder, then click Go to questionnaire builder.
Start by clicking "Create a new questionnaire"
To add sections to a Questionnaire, click "Add section". Users will then be prompted to create a name for your Questionnaire section.
To add questions, select the section you want to add questions to. You can also create a subsection.
When adding a question, users can choose the Question Type:
- Free text – suppliers type their answer with no limit on characters.
- Short text - suppliers type their answer, but limited to short phrases (think: names, contact information).
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Multiple choice – suppliers select from answer options you define.
- Users can enable ‘Allow multiple answers’ and ‘Add additional comments fields’ if desired.
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File upload – suppliers attach a document or file as their response.
- Users can enable ‘Add additional comments fields’ if desired.
Provide the question text and any answer options (if applicable).
Users can choose to make any question required.
Note: For Multiple Choice or File Upload questions, enabling Add additional comments fields adds an Additional comments field label field in Levelpath, where your team can enter the title for the supplier’s comments box. When enabled, suppliers will see an extra text box in the question with your custom label and can provide additional information related to the question.
As users are creating the questionnaire, they will see the sections and subsections on the left hand side.
Need to change the order of the sections? Users can click on the six dots to the left of the section name to drag and drop into a new order for a simplified user experience.
4. Supporting Documents
This is where your team can upload supporting documents for suppliers to review outside of the question set. Most common file formats are supported, including PDF, DOCX, XLSX, and image files such as PNG and JPG.
Internal Sourcing Documents
Users can upload internal sourcing documents, and this helps users manage all sourcing documents internally and in one central location. The user can do this within a sourcing event by navigating to “Docs” on the sidebar and uploading an internal document (ex: Software MSA.pdf) under “Sourcing Documents” and when they toggle to “Project Documents” the internal document will not be there.
5. Add Suppliers
Once all the appropriate fields have been filled out, the user is ready to select the suppliers from the drop down menu. Select all desired recipients of the sourcing event by checking the boxes of the individual contacts and then choosing ‘Add suppliers to event’.
Once each step is filled out, the user can send the information to the selected suppliers and contacts by clicking “Publish event" in the bottom right hand corner.
As a user is building the Questionnaire, they can preview in a new tab what the event will look like from the Supplier side by utilizing the “Preview event” button at the bottom of the Configure Event page:
Option 3: Downloading and Uploading Questionnaires
At the top right corner of the Questionnaire Builder in any published BID you can:
Download a questionnaire to export your current set of questions into a file.
Upload questionnaire to import questions in bulk using the provided template.
These tools help save time when configuring more complex questionnaires.
What happens after a Bid is composed and sent?
After a user chooses to Publish event to suppliers, users will automatically be directed back to the Sourcing overview page.
From here, users will have access to several hubs:
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Event Details: Click Manage Event to make revisions to the bid and add or manage suppliers.
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Invited Suppliers: View up to five suppliers, or click View All to see the full list of suppliers sent the sourcing event with each supplier’s status, last submission date, terms and conditions acceptance if applicable, and more.
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Compare Suppliers: See a high level overview of Suppliers that have responded. Click View to easily compare supplier responses side by side.
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Evaluations: See a high level overview of evaluations that have been completed by your team. Click Create Evaluation to invite stakeholders, upload a template, set an evaluation due date, and view teammates responses if a user has the appropriate permission.
Invited Suppliers
When a user selects View All on the Invited Suppliers hub, they will see a list of all suppliers who have been sent the bid, along with a high-level view of their response status.
From each supplier’s row, click the three-dot menu to take additional action. Available options include waiving click-through terms if applicable, resending an invite to a contact through Contact Actions, adding contacts, or awarding the bid.
To be taken back to the Sourcing Event overview page, simply click the X in the upper right hand corner of the hub
Compare Suppliers
When suppliers respond, users will be able to view each response in detail through the Compare Supplier hub. Within Compare, users can also utilize the Focus View button to hone in on certain questions and answers.
Users can also export all of the Supplier responses by utilizing the Export button.
What if a supplier sends me their responses outside of Levelpath?
If a supplier sends their response outside of Levelpath, users can upload it on their behalf. Within Compare, select the three dots next to the supplier’s name, then “Submit on behalf of”. If you have submitted a response on behalf of a supplier, below that supplier’s name you will see a “Uploaded by:” note with your name.
How do I message suppliers within a Bid?
Users can message suppliers within a sourcing event by clicking on the specific sourcing event. From there, users should click on the "Supplier Messaging" button on the right hand side.
Next, click on the supplier that you would like to message.
Note: The message will only go directly to the single supplier selected. To update the entire list of suppliers, users can utilize the "Bulletin Board" tab on the right hand toolbar.
When suppliers have a message, they will see a red dot next to the messaging tool. Suppliers will also receive an email notification when they have unread messages.
When suppliers respond, the owner of the Bid will be notified on the Levelpath side as well. Similar to Suppliers, users within Levelpath will also see a red dot on the Supplier Messaging tool once a Supplier has sent a response or sent a new message to the sourcing team.
Evaluations
Within a Sourcing Project, the Evaluation hub provides a dedicated space to upload and track evaluation templates and submissions. This tab allows you and your collaborators to keep all evaluation files in one place, making it clear who submitted what and when.
To use the Evaluation hub:
- Open your sourcing event and navigate to the Evaluation hub.
- Upload evaluation templates or drag and drop files directly into the section.
- Track submissions as they come in - users will see the file name, who submitted it, and the date submitted.
- Review and compare evaluation files without leaving the platform.
This feature ensures that evaluations are completed in a transparent, organized way and reduces the need for manual follow-up or external file sharing.
What if I need to revise the due date?
Users can revise the RSVP Due date, Questions due date, and Responses due date all from the Event details tab on the right hand toolbar.
This is a seamless way to extend due dates without having to revise and re-publish the entire event.
How do I award a Supplier?
Once a user has made a choice on which supplier to use, they can award the sourcing event to that supplier. This is an internal notification that will automatically close the sourcing event Project and utilize a trophy to signify that the selected supplier has been awarded the sourcing event. Suppliers are not notified.
NOTE: Sourcing are external to-dos for the supplier. Once invited, the supplier will have access to the configured form in the Levelpath Supplier Hub. The supplier does not have access to the Project and can only see the fields you share with them and the responses they provide. No other information from the Project is visible to the supplier.
What is the Supplier’s Experience?
Click Here for the Supplier’s view of the Supplier Hub User Guide
You have now mastered Sourcing! 🏆
If you have any additional questions, please reach out to Levelpath Support.