The Supporting Documents step of the sourcing wizard lets you share files suppliers need to prepare their response, such as specifications, drawings, terms or templates. This guide is for users who create sourcing activities.

Before you start

Only users whose role lets them create or edit sourcing activities can add supporting documents. Each document needs a Sourcing Document Type. Your administrator can set these up under Settings > Configurations > Sourcing Document Type.

Skip to 4 minutes 10 seconds for the supporting documents step.

Add a supporting document

Go to the Supporting Documents step

In the sourcing wizard, click Next until you reach Add Supporting Documents for Suppliers. It comes after the sections, questionnaires and pricing you've included.

Click Add New Document

The Add Document dialog opens.

Enter a Document Title

Suppliers see this title, so make it clear, for example Technical Specification v2.

Choose the Sourcing Document Type

Select a type from Sourcing Document Type. If the one you need isn't listed and you have permission, click New Document Type to create it.

Add a Document Description

Explain what the document is and how suppliers should use it. This field is required.

Select the file

Click Select Document and choose the file. You can upload PNG, JPG, JPEG, PDF, XLS, XLSX, TXT, DOC, DOCX, CSV, PPT, PPTX and ZIP files of up to 16 MB. Complete any custom fields shown below.

Click Save

The document is added to the table on the step. Repeat for each document, then click Next.

💡 Note: To ask suppliers to upload their own documents, such as insurance certificates, use the next step, Request Documents. See Request Documents From Suppliers in a Sourcing Activity.

Remove a supporting document

Click the delete icon

In the documents table on the step, click the delete icon on the document's row.

Confirm

In Are you sure you want to delete?, click Yes.

What happens next

  • Suppliers see the documents: when you send the activity, invited suppliers can view and download them from their response.

  • You can see who has opened them: on the activity record, the Supporting Documents tab lists Documents Shared with Suppliers, with a Viewed or Unopened status for each supplier.

  • Supplier uploads appear alongside: the same tab shows Documents Uploaded by Suppliers, including any you requested.

  • No new documents after sending: you can view and download shared documents but not add new ones. To change them, reopen the activity with changes. See Reopen or Edit a Sourcing Activity.

Troubleshooting

My file won't upload

Check that it's one of the allowed file types and no larger than 16 MB. Compress large files or split them, or upload them as a ZIP.

The document type I need isn't in the list

Ask an administrator to add it under Settings > Configurations > Sourcing Document Type, or click New Document Type if your role allows it.

I can't add a document to an activity I've already sent

Documents can't be added once an activity has been sent. Use Reopen/Edit and choose Yes, make changes to add them, or share a file with suppliers through the Chat tab.

Related articles

📌 Need Further Help?
If you need further assistance, please contact your internal platform administrator for support. Otherwise please reach out to oboloo's support team. If you are unable to view the above area in the oboloo platform, please check your user permissions and access rights.