Participating in a tender
There are two ways you can get access to a tender:
Published tenders: navigate to the ‘Published Tenders’ page using your menu on the right and find the tender. You can use the search bar at the upper right part of your screen to enter the name of the buying organization, the tender registration number on our platform (if known) or the title of the published tender. By clicking on the name of the tender you are guided to the information page of this specific tender. If this is indeed the tender you are looking for, then click the ‘Participate’ button below the explanation. Now the tender is added to the list of tenders you participate in, which you can acces under the 'Tenders (Supplier)’ page in your menu on the right.
Private tenders: in some cases (e.g. a private procurement procedure) the tender is not publicly published or the 'Participate' button is not shown. In this case the buyer will have to personally invite you as a participant in its tender. In order for the buyer to invite you he'll need the registered name of your organization on Negometrix and the name of the contactperson within your organization that you would like to be invited for this tender.
When the buyer has invited you for the tender, you will first have to accept the invitation. The invitation link is personal, so if you try to open a link that was addressed to someone else (a colleague), an error message will pop up in your screen. Once you have accepted the invitation, the tender will be added to the list of tenders you are participating in. You can access this list by clicking on 'Tenders (Supplier)' in the menu on the right.
Submit a digital offer
The procurement process will take place online, using Negometrix. Digital sourincing (or tendering) means that your registration, all communication and the entire procedure will take place within this platform. This applies both for buyers and suppliers.
A digital sourcing process includes the following:
The vendor will answer to all listed criteria (questions in the questionnaire) and pricing sheet(s) online.
Downloading, uploading and linking all requested documents in Negometrix.
A clarification dialogue between buyer and vendors using the ‘Question & Answer’ module;
Communication through the ‘Messages’ module.
Submitting your offer online before the digital vault closes (strict deadline).
Using the Negometrix platform
The platform refers to so called ‘Tenders’ as sourcing projects. Each tender contains a digital request for a product or service needed by a buying organization. Every tender you are participating in is listed under the ‘Tenders (Supplier)’ page, which you can find under your menu on the right. Within this list you can click on the name of the tender you want to access. Opening any tender you are directed to the Tender- page.
Each tender page displays the unique tender number followed by the name of the tender and the 'phase' the tender is in at the upper left part of the screen. Below the name of the tender three different tabs (Information, Fill out submit, Submitted) are displayed which will guide you through the process.
To submit a complete and correct digital offer, you must follow the next three steps:
Start your digital offer.
Fill out questionnaire(s) and pricing sheet(s).
Submit your offer.
Step 1: Start your digital offer
Tab 1> ‘Information’ provides general information about the tender. It gives you access to the schedule, questions & answers, documents, pricing sheet, tender options and questionnaires.
Based on this information you can decide whether you want to continue participating in this tender or not. If necessary you can add colleagues, set BCC recipients and press ‘Start’, or you can remove your organization as a participant in the tender (see below).
If you decide, based on the displayed information, that you want to submit a digital offer, press the blue ‘Start’ button. Next you will be guided to the second tab ‘Fill out & submit’ and you will be able to fill out the questionnaire(s) and pricing sheet(s).
Step 2: Fill out questionnaire(s) and pricing sheet(s).
A digital offer represent your answers to the listed criteria accompanied with your pricing.
Under the Fill out & submit tab, you are presented with pricing list(s) and/or questionnaires.
Starting your digital offer you will have to fill-out these questionnaire(s) in order to answer/ proof, to what extent your are able to fulfill the listed requirements. By clicking on the name of a questionnaire, a pop-up window is opened in which you can navigate through the different questions and question groups and populate your answers. Whilst answering the questions, the platform shows your progress in completion using an orange/green progress bar at the top of your screen.
Every question is introduced using the letter Q:
Depending on whether the buyer has enabled the options, the platform indicates weather the question is a Knock Out (KO) question (Non-responsive), weather the question has a weight attached to it and, in case of a question that has to be evaluated, which evaluation method will be applied. Each question is followed by the letter A: introducing the possibility for you to answer to the question.
Upload attachments to your answers
To answer all questions it might be necessary to upload an attachment and link it to your answer.You can link an attachment by clicking ‘Select from Documents’ or ‘Upload from my PC’. If you choose‘Select from Documents’ you are able to select a document that is already uploaded to Negometrix under ‘My Documents’. If you want to upload a document from your own computer, choose the option ‘Upload from my PC’. Then select the appropriate document from your hard drive and click ‘Open’. The document will be linked to the question. Do not forget to save your answers using the 'Interim save' button.
Saving answers
To save your answers, you have to click ‘Interim save’ or the button ‘Save group and go to next’ that is displayed below the last question in the specific questions group. Once you have saved your answers you can always erase them again by clicking the trash can icon.
Fill-out the pricing sheet
In addition to the questionnaire(s) you also need to fill out the pricing sheet (if applicable). After opening the pricing sheet you can enter your prices by clicking on ‘Fill out prices’ on the right side of the pop-up window.
Step 3: Submitting your offer
When all questions and prices are completely filled out, the percentage bar turns green and will show 100%. The offer is ready to be submitted by the contact person of the tender. Submitting means that your will lay your offer in the digital vault and you can not amend it anymore.
Once you press the button ‘Submit’, the platform asks you to confirm the submission by entering your password. This is the same password as the one you used to log in with. Then you must press 'Submit' again to finalize your submission. In the third tab 'Submitted' you can check if your offer is successfully submitted. After successfully submitting the offer the platform will also send you a notification by email.
The submitted offer will be visible for the buyer only after the expiry of the deadline of the selection-or offer phase.
Note 1: the questionnaire(s) and pricing sheet(s) can only be evaluated by the buyer if you submitted your digital offer by using the ‘Submit’ button before the expiry date of the selection- or offer phase.
Note 2: In order to submit a tender, you must be the tender contact person or company administrator. If you are not the tender contact person, please ask the correct contact person to press the button ‘Submit’, or ask him/her to make you the contact person. You can find out who the contact person is by clicking on the button ‘Add colleague / colleague overview’.
After submitting your digital offer the third tab ‘Submitted’ will become available. This tab shows the time and date of your formal submission. If you want to adjust/edit one or more of your answers, it is possible to ‘Unsubmit’ your offer. After changing the answer(s) you have to submit your offer again before the deadline.
Note: it is only possible to submit or to unsubmit your offer before/until the expiry date of the selection- or offer phase. After the deadline it isn’t possible anymore to perform these actions.
Lots (sub-tenders)
If the tender includes (multiple) lots, you need to run all steps as explained in this document for each lot (‘sub-tenders’). Next to the main tender, you should complete the following steps per lot:
Start your digital offer.
Fill out questionnaire(s) and pricing sheet(s).
Submit your offer.
Note: adding colleagues, changing the primary supplier contact or submitting the lot, should also be done per lot.
Communication
All communication concerning the tender must be done through the menu item ‘My Messages’. To send a message, open ‘My Messages’ and click at the top left of the page on ‘New message’, select the tender it relates to and select the recipient. Fill out the subject, write your message and press ‘Send’.
Question & Answer
The buyer can allow you to submit questions and comments concerning the tender. The platform offers three options in which these questions and comments can be delivered. It is the responsibility of the buyer to inform you about the form in which they want to receive your questions.
Option 1. Question & Answers module: the questions and comments should be delivered through anintegrated module. You can approach this module in the following two ways:
Open the first tab ‘Information’ and click on ‘Question & Answer’.
If you are working in the second tab ‘Fill out & submit’, at each question there is an option to
click ‘Pose a question’.
Next you can link your question to a specific question from the questionnaire-list and send it to the buyer.
The (Questions &) Answers will be provided by the buyer by publishing all the asked questions (from all suppliers) including the answers. Per question you are able to view the asked question(s)and the response(s) from the buyer. It’s also possible to open a list of all questions and answers by clicking on the module ‘Question & Answer’.
Option 2. My Documents: a document containing your questions should be uploaded in the relevant tender folder. After pressing the menu item ‘My Documents’ you are able to choose the relevant tender at the top of the screen. The document containing your questions should be uploaded in the folder containing the right tender number and name.
The buyer will upload all asked questions, from all suppliers, including the answers in this tender folder. The timing will be mentioned in the schedule.
If your document with questions is uploaded in the wrong tender folder (containing a different tender number and name), the document will not be visible for the buyer. In that case the questions will probably not be taken into consideration.
Option 3. My Messages: you are able to send a message with or without attachments to the buyer.The buyer will share all asked questions and the answers by sending a message back to all suppliers.
Note: It is only possible to use one of the options mentioned to submit your questions and/or comments to the buyer. It’s the responsibility of the buyer to inform you about the form in which they want to receive the questions and comments.
Liability and support
The vendor is responsible for the timely and complete submission of the tender. The risk of system- and internet failure is for the vendor/supplier. Neither the client/buyer nor Negometrix will be liable for any mistakes made by the tenderer/supplier in the information submitted through the Negometrix software platform.