This article explains what the Strategic Sourcing module does, which sourcing event types you can run, how a sourcing event moves from draft to award, and which screens you will use as a buyer. A sourcing event (shown as an "RFx" in the interface) is a structured request you publish to invited suppliers so they can submit pricing, answers, and documents in one place.
What does the Strategic Sourcing module do?
The Strategic Sourcing module lets procurement teams create sourcing events, invite suppliers, collect responses, and evaluate and award the results. As a buyer you build the event in a 7-step wizard: core details and deadlines, a questionnaire, document requirements, a pricing structure with lots and line items, commercial terms, and the supplier invitation list. When you publish the sourcing event, every invited supplier contact receives an email with a secure personal link. Suppliers respond through a dedicated supplier portal, and you track submissions, answer questions in Q&A, negotiate prices, run award simulations, and record award decisions, all inside the same event workspace.
Which sourcing event types are available?
The Strategic Sourcing module supports four sourcing event types. You choose the type in the first wizard step, and the type cannot be changed after publishing. The following table lists each type and when to use it.
Type | Full name | When to use it |
RFI | Request for Information | Gathering information about supplier capabilities before a formal bid. |
RFQ | Request for Quote | Standardized products or services with clear specifications, where price is the main factor. |
RFP | Request for Proposal | Complex projects that require detailed solutions and approaches, not just prices. |
RFA | Request for Application | Pre-qualifying suppliers before formal bidding. |
What is the lifecycle of a sourcing event?
A sourcing event moves through a fixed lifecycle that you can follow on the event's status badge. The statuses are: Draft (you are still building the event; suppliers cannot see anything), Scheduled (you published with a future go-live date; invitations go out at that date), Live (suppliers can access the event and submit responses until the submission deadline), In Review / Evaluating (the deadline has passed and you are scoring and comparing responses), Completed, and Awarded (you have recorded award decisions and notified suppliers). Every sourcing event has a submission deadline (last moment suppliers can submit a response) and an optional questions deadline (last moment suppliers can ask questions in Q&A). A late submission policy (Do Not Allow, Allow Late Submissions, or Allow with Penalty) controls what happens after the submission deadline. A sourcing event can also run multiple rounds: you set the expected number of rounds during setup and use Advance Round to move selected suppliers into the next round.
Which screens will you use most?
The buyer side of the Strategic Sourcing module is organized around a few main screens. The following table maps each screen to where you find it and what you do there.
Screen | Where | What you do there |
Home | Sidebar: Home | See active sourcing events, pending reviews, upcoming deadlines, and quick actions. |
RFx Overview | Sidebar: RFx Overview | Kanban-style board of all sourcing events by status, with search and filters. |
RFx Builder | Sidebar: RFx Builder | Create a new sourcing event from scratch, by duplicating, from a template, or with the AI generator. |
Event workspace | Open any sourcing event | Tabs for Overview, Q&A, Supplier Responses, Pricing, Questions, Documents, Negotiations, Simulations, and Awarding. |
Templates | Sidebar: Templates | Reusable pricing templates, column templates, material groups, and question libraries. |
Glossary of core terms
The Strategic Sourcing module uses a small set of recurring terms. The following table defines each one.
Term | Meaning |
Sourcing event | The published request (RFI, RFQ, RFP, or RFA) suppliers respond to. |
Response | A supplier's full submission: pricing, questionnaire answers, and documents. |
Lot | A group of line items priced together in one currency with its own settings. |
Line item | A single material or service inside a lot that suppliers price. |
Pricing column | A field suppliers fill for each line item, such as Unit Price or Lead Time. |
Formula column | A read-only pricing column calculated from other numeric columns. |
Bulk discount | A volume-based discount a supplier offers on quantities, when you allow it for a lot. |
Questionnaire | Sections of questions suppliers answer, optionally scored and weighted. |
Document requirement | A file you require suppliers to upload, checked by AI compliance analysis. |
Q&A | The question-and-answer thread between suppliers and your team. |
Announcement | A broadcast message you publish to all or selected suppliers. |
Round | One bidding cycle; multi-round events advance selected suppliers to the next round. |
Invitation | The personal, single-use access link emailed to each supplier contact. |