This article shows you how to ask the buyer questions about a sourcing event in the Strategic Sourcing portal, follow the answer threads, and read the buyer's announcements. Q&A is the built-in message board of each sourcing event: you post questions, the buyer replies in threads, and announcements are one-way broadcasts from the buyer to invited suppliers.
Where do I find Q&A?
To open Q&A, go to the sourcing event and click the Q&A tab next to Overview (the page lives at /supplier/sourcing-project/[event-id]/qa). The left panel lists question threads with All, Open, and Resolved tabs and a search box; the right panel shows the selected thread with its replies. Announcements, when the buyer has posted any, appear in a collapsible banner at the top labeled with the count, for example 3 Announcements.
How do I ask a question?
To ask the buyer a question, follow these steps before the questions deadline:
Open the event's Q&A tab.
Click Ask question above the question list. The Ask a Question dialog opens, stating that your question will be sent to the buyer for this event.
Type your question in the text field.
Click Submit Question. You see Question submitted successfully and the new thread appears in your list with the label Awaiting reply.
When the buyer replies, the thread shows a New reply marker and you receive an email titled New message from buyer with a View Message link, plus an in-app notification.
How do I link my question to a line item or document?
To make a question unambiguous, ask it from the exact place it concerns instead of the generic Ask question button. While editing your response you can start a linked question from three places: right-click a row in the pricing grid and choose Ask a question about this item (also available for a lot or group), use the question action on a questionnaire question, or use the question action on a document requirement in the Documents step. The Ask a Question dialog then opens with the item attached under Asking about. The buyer sees a badge naming the exact line item, lot, questionnaire question, or document requirement. Click the small remove control next to the badge if you want to detach the link before submitting.
What is the questions deadline?
To know how long you can ask questions, check Questions Due under Key Dates on the event overview. After that date and time pass, the Q&A tab shows The question period has ended. You can no longer ask new questions. The Ask question button disappears, and reply boxes on open threads close as well. You can still read all existing questions, answers, and announcements after the deadline.
How do I follow my question threads?
To track the conversation, watch the state labels in the question list. A thread with no buyer answer yet shows Awaiting reply; a thread where the buyer answered and you have not seen it yet shows New reply with a red dot; a thread the buyer closed with an accepted answer moves under Resolved and displays This question has been resolved; no further replies can be added there. In an open thread you can continue the conversation: type in the reply box at the bottom and click Reply (pressing Enter also sends; Shift+Enter adds a line break). Each thread shows the full history with sender, date, and reply count.
Who can see my questions?
To understand visibility, know the two levels a question can have. By default your question is private between your company and the buyer, so other suppliers cannot see it. The buyer can additionally publish a question so that all invited suppliers benefit from the answer; published questions from other suppliers appear in your list too, with the asker anonymized (shown simply as Company), and your published questions are anonymized for others the same way. Because any question may be published, avoid putting confidential details in the question text itself.
What are announcements?
To catch event-wide updates from the buyer, expand the announcements banner at the top of the Q&A tab. An announcement is a one-way message from the buyer (for example a specification change or a deadline clarification) with a title, date, and content; you cannot reply to an announcement (ask a question instead if you need clarification). The buyer sends an announcement either to all invited suppliers or to selected suppliers only; you see every announcement addressed to your company.
What notifications will I receive about Q&A?
To stay on top of Q&A activity without watching the page, rely on notifications. You receive an email titled New message from buyer whenever the buyer writes in one of your threads, and in-app notifications in your notifications inbox (/supplier/notifications) for New Q&A Message, Answer Accepted (the buyer marked an answer as the resolution of your question), and New Q&A Published (the buyer published a question and answer to all suppliers). Clicking a notification opens the related thread directly.