The oboloo Sourcing module lets you run RFQs, RFPs, RFIs and tenders online: build an activity, invite suppliers to respond through the supplier portal, score and compare their responses, and award the winner. Open it from Sourcing in the main menu.
Before you start
What's on the page
Menu item | What it shows |
Sourcing > eSourcing | Every sourcing activity you can see, with filters and Create Sourcing Activity. See Navigating the eSourcing Home Page. |
Sourcing > Supplier Questionnaires | Reusable sets of questions grouped into weighted categories. A set of ready-made questionnaires is included. |
Sourcing > Sourcing Library | Reusable internal sections (information for suppliers) and supplier sections (written answers you want back). |
Sourcing > Scoring Assignments | The activities you've been asked to score. Only shown if your role has the Scoring Assignments permission. |
How a sourcing activity works
Build it: the wizard asks which areas to include (Internal Sourcing Sections, Supplier Sourcing Sections, Supplier Questionnaires and Pricing), then the title, dates and classification on Activity Overview. Supporting documents and requested documents are always available, and a Weighted Scoring step appears when there's more than one area to score.
Choose a Sourcing Type: RFI, RFP and RFQ are set up by default. The type is a label for reporting; any combination of areas works with any type.
Invite suppliers: each invited contact gets an email with a unique access code for the supplier portal. You can invite more suppliers and contacts after sending.
Collect responses: suppliers answer sections and questionnaires, quote prices and upload documents. Several contacts from one supplier can work on a single response, and you can message suppliers from the Chat tab.
Evaluate: scorers give each question or section a score from 0 to 5. Questionnaire scores are combined using each Category/Area weighting, and the activity's weighted scoring sets how much each section, questionnaire and pricing counts. Pricing is scored automatically from cost.
Decide: compare results on the Scoring Analysis and Financials tabs, then award a supplier, reopen the activity for another round, or cancel it.
What you can do from here
To… | Do this | Guide |
Create an activity | Sourcing > eSourcing > Create Sourcing Activity | |
Choose what to include | Tick the areas on the first wizard step | |
Reuse sections and questionnaires | Set them up in Sourcing Library and Supplier Questionnaires | Sourcing Library Overview: Internal and Supplier Sections, Overview of Supplier Questionnaires |
Ask suppliers for files | Use the Request Documents wizard step | |
Invite suppliers, or add more later | Last wizard step, or Invite New Suppliers on the Overview tab | |
Message suppliers | Chat tab | |
Assign scorers | Scoring Management tab > Add Scorer | |
Compare scores and pricing | Scoring Analysis and Financials tabs | Supplier Scoring Analysis and Insights, Financial Analysis of Supplier Pricing in oboloo |
Get a quick summary | Summarise with AI on the activity | |
Award, reopen or cancel | Award Supplier, Reopen/Edit or Cancel on the activity | Award a Supplier, Reopen or Edit a Sourcing Activity, Cancel a Sourcing Activity |
Share responsibility or restrict access | Sourcing Owners tab and Record Access | Add and Remove Sourcing Owners, Record Access – Restricting Individual Records |
Export the activity list | Export on Sourcing > eSourcing. The file includes every activity; on-screen filters aren't applied. |
Inside a sourcing activity
Tab | What's in it |
Overview | The activity's details, the Invited Suppliers table with each supplier's response status and contacts, and Latest Activity. |
Internal Sections / Supplier Sections | The sections you included and suppliers' written answers. Only shown if the activity includes them. |
Financials | Suppliers' pricing, compared by supplier and by product. Only shown if you requested pricing. |
Questionnaires | Suppliers' questionnaire answers. Only shown if the activity includes questionnaires. |
Supporting Documents | Documents you shared and documents suppliers uploaded. |
Scoring Analysis / Scoring Management | Scores and scorer assignments. Only shown if the activity includes supplier sections or questionnaires. |
Chat | Messages with each supplier. |
Sourcing Owners | The people responsible for the activity, who receive its notifications. |
Custom Notifications | Your own reminders for the activity. |
Free plan and Sourcing Plus
Plan | What you can do |
Free | Create activities with pricing, share supporting documents, request documents, invite suppliers, and award, cancel and export activities. |
Sourcing Plus | Everything on the free plan, plus internal and supplier sections, supplier questionnaires (and so weighted scoring and scorers), Reopen/Edit, sending chat messages, Summarise with AI, custom notifications, and creating sections in the Sourcing Library. |
On the free plan, Plus features show an Upgrade to Sourcing Plus message. See What's Included on the Free Plan and Plus Plans.
Common questions
Does the Sourcing Type change the wizard?
No. Sourcing Type classifies the activity, for example as an RFQ. The wizard steps depend only on the areas you tick. Administrators can add types under Settings > Configurations (Sourcing Type). See Add or Delete Dropdown Values.
Is there an audit trail?
Changes suppliers make to a submitted response are tracked in that response's change log. Key events, such as responses, scoring, awards, cancellations and reopens, are recorded on the activity and sent as notifications, and notes, calls, meetings and tasks you log appear in Latest Activity.
Where do I create a questionnaire or section?
Create questionnaires on Sourcing > Supplier Questionnaires and sections on Sourcing > Sourcing Library before you start the wizard. The wizard only lets you choose existing ones.
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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.