When Suppliers register onto a Supplier List, they must be allocated to at least one Category on that list. These categories are used to organise suppliers based on the goods or services they provide. The categories enable Buyers to find the Suppliers on a list that provide the specific goods or services needed. Categories are added by Super Admin or a Panel Administrator at an enterprise level.

When Buyers are selecting suppliers on a request, they have the option of viewing potential suppliers by category. After selecting the list group/type (ie. Internal, External or Public lists) they will be using for the request, Buyers then choose which categories of goods and/or services the request falls under. They will then be shown what supplier lists cover those selected categories. After selecting the supplier lists for their request, Buyers will then see the Suppliers registered on those supplier lists who are registered to those selected categories.

How you setup and configure your categories can vary between supplier lists. To avoid overwhelming the buyers navigating a supplier list, the categories should be kept concise. This can be achieved by creating supplier lists for a specific type of good or service, rather than trying to cover a broad range of suppliers on a single list.

Subcategories

Subcategories can be added to these categories if needed. Once these categories have been created, they can then be added to the Supplier Lists.

Subcategories are used to narrow down the suppliers by filtering out those who do not match your criteria. This works by using subcategories to form groups of suppliers within your supplier list. For example, selecting a single subcategory should ideally produce a smaller number of suppliers than if more subcategories were selected. You should avoid situations where selecting just one subcategory will show all suppliers on that supplier list. See an example of a category setup with subcategories below:

• Trade Services (Top-Level Category)
  • Plumbing (Subcategory)
  • Electrical
  • Painting
  • Building

Creating Categories

1. To add new categories, select Enterprise Supplier Lists under the Admin Tools menu (either in the top menubar or on the homepage on the left-side menu)
   
   
   
   
2. Click the Manage Categories link on the left.
   
   
   
   
3. Click the Add new button above the list of current categories.
   
   
   
   
4. Select the UNSPC Segment your category matches, and then the category’s name before clicking the Save button. If you want to immediately add another category, click the Save & add new button instead.
   
   
   
   
5. The new category will appear in the list and should already be expanded. To add subcategories, click the Add new link that appears.
   
   
   
   
6. Add the subcategory’s name, add any Category Tags (you can find information on this here: Assigning & Using Category Tags) and click the Save or Save & add new button, if you need to add another subcategory.
   
   
   
   
7. Once you have created your categories and subcategories, you can link them to supplier lists.

Linking Categories to a Supplier List

1. To add Categories to a Supplier List, you will need to be in the Supplier List Wizard (for the relevant list). This can be done when either creating a new supplier list or editing a pre-existing supplier list.
   
   
2. At the Linked Categories step, select the category you want to add (on the left) and select any of the relevant subcategories you want to add (on the right).
   
   
3. Click the Add selected categories button to attach these to the list.
   
   
   
   
4. These will then appear under the Current categories list. To delete a category you have linked to the list, click the bin icon to the right of the category.
   
   
5. Click the Continue button to save your changes.
   
   
6. If editing an existing list, you should be taken to the List Complete step. Click on the Finish button to save your changes.