When a Supplier asks the Buyer of a Request/Tender a question, the Buyer will be sent an email notification to alert them. Through their VendorPanel account, the Buyer can either answer this question(s) or delegate it to someone else to answer.

You can find information on how a Supplier asks a question here: How Suppliers ask the Buyer a Question against a Request.

Answering a Question

1. Click the Supplier questions to answer link below the ‘To-Do Tasks’ heading (or click the link in the email received).
   
   
   
   
2. Click the view question button on the right of the question you want to answer or delegate.
   
   
   
   
3. If required, you can edit the Supplier's question by clicking the Edit question button.
   
   For example, if you plan to reply publicly then you should remove any personal details from the Supplier's question.
   
   You can select Delete question if you don't wish to answer it at all.
   
   
   
   
4. Select whether the response to the Supplier should be posted Publicly or Privately.
   
   
   • Selecting Public sends the question and the answer to ALL Suppliers included on the Request/Tender. Please ensure no personal Supplier details are included in the question or your answer. This is because the full details of the question are included and made public to all Suppliers invited to the Request/Tender. Other Suppliers will see this question and the answer will appear below the Questions asked by others section of the Request Details. It will not include the details of who asked the question.
     
     
   • Selecting Private means the answer is ONLY sent to the Supplier that asked the question.
     
     
     
     
5. To answer the question yourself, stay on the default Answer question tab and type your answer in the textbox below. If you want to delegate the question to be answered by someone else you can find steps below.
   
   Click the Post answer button at the bottom of the page to send your reply to the Supplier(s).
   
   

Once the question has been answered, you will be able to view all questions and answers in the Request Details (accessible by clicking on the magnifying glass icon against the request). It will least all questions and answers, regardless if they were answered publically or privately. It will also list the supplier contact details of those who asked each question.

Suppliers will only see the questions they've asked and all publically answered questions and answers. They will not see the details of the Suppliers who asked the questions.

Delegating the Question

To delegate the question to someone else, select the Delegate question tab instead of 'Answer Question'. Here, you will need to add the email address of the person(s) that you want to answer the question on your behalf and click on the Add button.

Please note that the person you delegate the question to does not need to be a VendorPanel user. You can delegate a question to multiple people. However, only the first answer received will be sent to the Supplier(s).

When answered, the Question and answer visibility (public or private) selection that was made prior to delegating the question will apply when the answer is submitted. It's important to review the selection for visibility and the supplier's question before saving the delegates.

Click the Save button at the bottom of the page to send the question.

Once saved, the delegate(s) will receive an email with a link to follow to view the question and provide an answer. If you have selected the answer to be made public, then they are provided with the following information:

Please Note:

• Your answer will be made public which means that your answer may be sent to all suppliers and attached to the request details.
• Please do not include your name or any contact details in your answer without first consulting the buyer.
• If you would like to amend the question, or have any other queries please contact the buyer [contact name and email address of buyer]

Once this person submits an answer, it will immediately be sent to the Supplier who ask the question.