Setting Opening and Closing Dates in Your Sourcing Activity

Setting opening and closing dates in your sourcing activity defines the response window for supplier submissions.

Suppliers must submit responses within this timeframe to ensure fair participation and structured evaluation. The time zone is automatically applied based on your organisation’s Company Settings to maintain consistency across regions.

📌 Key Features:

• Opening Date: The moment suppliers begin responding to the sourcing activity.

• Closing Date: The deadline by which all responses must be submitted.

• Automatic Time Zone Settings: Aligns with the organisation’s Company Settings to prevent confusion.

• Flexible Adjustments: Users can reopen an activity to modify deadlines if necessary.

When to Use This Feature

• When setting submission deadlines for supplier responses.

• When ensuring all suppliers have a fair and equal opportunity to submit proposals.

• When extending or modifying the response window after launching an activity.

Step-by-Step Guide: Setting Opening and Closing Dates

Step 1: Access the Sourcing Wizard and Activity Summary Page

1. Navigate to Sourcing from the left-hand menu.

2. Click on eSourcing to access sourcing activities.

3. Click Create Sourcing Activity to launch the Sourcing Wizard.

4. On the Activity Summary page, locate the Opening Date and Closing Date fields.

Step 2: Setting the Opening and Closing Dates

1. Enter the Opening Date:

   • This defines when suppliers can begin responding the sourcing activity.

   • Before this date, suppliers submit responses.

2. Enter the Closing Date:

   • This is the submission deadline for supplier responses.

   • After this time, suppliers cannot submit or amend their responses.

📌 Note:

Step 3: Managing the Response Window

7. Confirm the response window in the Activity Summary page before finalizing the activity.

8. The sourcing activity will only be accessible to suppliers after the Opening Date and will automatically close on the Closing Date.

9. Click Next to continue setting up the sourcing activity.

Step 4: Adjusting Opening and Closing Dates (Reopening the Sourcing Activity)

If an extension or adjustment is required after launching the sourcing activity, users can reopen the event to modify the dates.

How to Reopen a Sourcing Activity and Change the Dates

1. Navigate to Sourcing from the left-hand menu.

2. Locate the sourcing activity that requires a date adjustment.

3. Click on the Reopen button at the bottom of the page.

4. Enter the new Opening Date and Closing Date in the corresponding fields.

5. Click Confirm to save the changes and reopen the activity with the updated response window.

📌 Tips:

Key Considerations & Best Practices

✅ Set Realistic Deadlines – Ensure suppliers have sufficient time to review the activity and respond.

✅ Time Zone Awareness – Verify that the time zone settings in Company Settings match your organisation’s preferred region.

✅ Confirm Dates Before Sending – Double-check the opening and closing dates to prevent unnecessary reopening.

✅ Use the Reopen Feature Wisely – Extending deadlines can be helpful but may delay decision-making.

✅ Monitor Supplier Engagement – Keep track of supplier activity status to ensure timely responses.

Additional Resources

📌 Related User Guides:

• Creating a New Sourcing Activity – A full guide on setting up sourcing activities from start to finish.

• Reopening a Sourcing Activity – How to modify and relaunch a sourcing activity when necessary.