This article explains when and how you can change your response to a sourcing event in the Strategic Sourcing portal: editing your draft before the deadline, what happens after you submit, what the deadline and the buyer's late-submission policy mean for you, and how to respond again when the buyer starts a new round.
How do I edit my draft before the deadline?
To edit a response you have not submitted yet, open the sourcing event and click Continue Response, either on the event overview header or on the event's card in your dashboard's Action required tab. A draft response (status Draft, shown as In Progress) is fully editable at any time before the submission deadline: change questionnaire answers, adjust prices, replace documents. Every change saves automatically (the wizard header shows Auto-saved), and Save and Exit returns you to the dashboard without submitting. There is no limit on how often you can come back to a draft.
Can I change my response after submitting?
To view a response you already submitted, click View Submission on the event overview. A submitted response is read-only in the portal: the wizard opens in view mode and the Send Response button is replaced by Back to Overview. You cannot edit or withdraw a submitted response yourself. If you discover an error after submitting, contact the buyer through the event's Q&A tab or by email. The buyer controls whether a correction is possible, for example by advancing the event to a new round in which you can respond again.
What happens at the submission deadline?
To know your options once the submission deadline passes, check the buyer's late-submission policy for the event. This table lists the three policies a buyer can configure and what each means for you.
Policy | What it means for you after the deadline |
Do Not Allow | Responding closes exactly at the deadline. The event header shows a red Submission Closed badge and the overview shows the Submission Deadline Passed alert: you can no longer submit a response. |
Allow Late Submissions | You can still open your response and submit after the deadline, without a stated penalty. |
Allow With Penalty | You can still submit after the deadline, but late submissions may be scored lower by the buyer's evaluation. |
Do not rely on a late policy being in place. The countdown in the event header (N days remaining or N hours remaining) and the reminder emails titled Deadline approaching (N hours remaining) are your cue to submit on time. If the buyer extends the deadline, you receive an email titled Submission deadline extended stating the new date and time, and the event's Key Dates update automatically.
How do multi-round events work?
To respond in a new round, wait for the buyer's round invitation. Buyers can run a sourcing event in several rounds. Each round is a fresh invite-and-respond cycle, often with updated pricing items, new questions, or additional document requirements. When the buyer advances the event and selects your company:
You receive a new invitation email with a fresh invite link (the new link is valid for 30 days).
Open the link and verify with the emailed 6-digit code, or sign in at the supplier login page as usual.
The event overview's Bid Rounds card now shows the new round as active (for example Round 2 Active), with your earlier rounds listed as Submitted with their dates.
Click Start Response. A banner confirms: You've been invited to Round [N]. Your previous responses have been preserved. Please review and complete the new items below.
Complete the questionnaire, pricing, and documents for the round. Items from earlier rounds are shown for reference: document requirements from before appear under a Previous round heading, new ones under New in Round [N].
Click Send Response to submit for the round, exactly as in round one.
Each round has its own submission deadline and its own Draft → Submitted cycle, so you submit once per round.
What if my old invite link stops working after a new round?
To get back in when your bookmarked link shows Invite Link Outdated, use the Resend Email button on that page. The portal emails you the current link for your participation status (you see Email sent! Please check your inbox.). This happens because every round issues a new personal invite link and retires the previous one. Alternatively, sign in with your email at the supplier login page; your accessible events are listed on the dashboard regardless of which invite link you used last.
What do Accepted and Rejected mean for my submitted response?
To interpret the final statuses, remember that after you submit, the buyer reviews all supplier responses and can mark yours Accepted or Rejected. Accepted means the buyer approved your response for the next stage. It does not by itself mean you won the business; awards appear separately in your dashboard's Awarded tab. Rejected means the buyer declined your response for this event or round. Both statuses appear in the event overview header and on the dashboard card, and your response stays read-only in either case.