Create requests for contractor submissions

To dispatch a request for a formal response from contractors:

1. Enter the core details of the request.

2. Assign the Opening Authority.

3. Add documents.

4. Add recipients from the contractor database.

5. Optional: Add internal notes to the dispatch - see Schedule item notes.

6. Perform the dispatch.

Enter request details and content

7. Navigate to the home page of the tender. If necessary, click the Schedule tab.

8. Click the name of the Despatch/Tracking schedule item.

   The Despatch/Tracking page is displayed.

9. Click the icon in the Enter Despatch Content section.

   The Enter Despatch Content page is displayed.

10. Enter information as required in the relevant fields.

    Note Fields marked with an asterisk are required.

Field	Description
Contracting Address	Select the appropriate company address.
Additional Information	Any additional information for prospective contractors.
Response Required	Select Yes to notify contractors that they are required to respond to the notification.
Return Address	The return address for the application (if Yes has been selected for Response Required).
Final Submission Date	The final date for accepting submissions (if Yes has been selected for Response Required). Note Company users cannot open responses sent by contractors before this date has passed.
Automated Notifications Enabled	Select Yes to send automatic notifications about this request to contractors, to remind them when the request response is due. The number of days before the Final Submission Date that the notification is sent (Notifications Activation Period) is set by the Administrator and cannot be edited.
Task Label for Contractors	The label for the contractor's task as displayed in the Contractor Portal.

11. Click Save.

    The Despatch/Tracking home page is displayed.

Assign the Opening Authority

The Opening Authority is a representative of the awarding company tasked with opening contractor submissions as part of the formal opening ceremony. This feature is designed to mirror the standard formal opening ceremony when sealed paper submissions are made to operators.

No user can access contractor submissions until the final submission date has passed, and the user assigned as the Opening Authority is the ONLY user who can open contractor's submissions. Once the Opening Authority has opened the submissions, they can then release the contractor's submissions to allow tender team members assigned to the schedule item access to submissions.

The Opening Authority can be assigned after the dispatch content has been entered and can be reassigned at any stage.

Tip If the dispatch does not require a response, there is no need to assign an Opening Authority.

Note Only tender administrators can assign the Opening Authority.

To assign the Opening Authority:

12. Once you have entered the dispatch content, click the icon for Opening Authority on the Despatch/Tracking home page.

    Note This is displayed after dispatch content is added.

    The Assign Opening Authority window is displayed.

13. Apply the required search filters.

14. Enter any required search text in the Search For field.

15. Click Search.

    All users that match your search are displayed.

16. Select the user you want to assign as the Opening Authority.

17. Click OK.

    The Despatch/Tracking home page is displayed.

Add dispatch attachments

Only documents in the tender library marked as available to send to the contractor can be linked to a dispatch.

To select a dispatch attachment:

18. On the Despatch/Tracking home page, click Link Library Documents.

    The Attach Files page is displayed.

19. Click Link Tender Files.

    The Link Tender Files window is displayed, listing documents in the tender library which have Can Send to Contractor set to Yes.

    You can also upload a new document to the tender library, or build a document from a template:

    • Click Add File and select Add file to upload a document. See Add a document to the tender library for more information.

    • Click Add File and select Generate from template to build a document from a template. For more information, see Generate documents from a template.

20. Select the documents you want to add.

21. Click Add.

    The documents are displayed on the Attach Files page.

22. Click Save.

    The Despatch/Tracking home page is displayed.

Note When a tender library document has been added to a dispatch, and the dispatch has been performed, the document is no longer available for editing from the tender library.

Select recipients and set the dispatch options

The following table lists the emails that are sent to contractors according to the selected dispatch option.

Warning Emails with attached documents may not be sent or received due to restrictions on attachment size that are dependent on your email server or that of the recipient.

To select recipients:

23. On the Despatch/Tracking home page, click Manage Recipients and select Add Contractors.

    If contractors have been included in a previous Shortlist schedule item, the Shortlist Contractors page is displayed.

    Otherwise, the Contractor Search page is displayed. Use the search filters to find contractors. See Search for contractors for more information.

24. Select the contractors you want to add.

    Note Contractors with a Trading Recommendation of We cannot work with this contractor are displayed but cannot be selected.

    If contractors with a Trading Recommendation of We can work with this contractor with restrictions are selected, a warning message is displayed.

25. Click Include Contractors.

    The Despatch/Tracking home page is displayed with a list of contractors.

    The following table shows the columns which are displayed in all contractor lists in the Despatch/Tracking schedule item, to indicate the status of the contractors.

    Column	Description
    (Contractor Login Account Alerts)	Indicates if the status of contractor login accounts will affect the receipt of communications from the company, including dispatch requests. Click the icon for the contractor to open the Contractor Login Account Alerts window. See Contractor list.
    (Trading Recommendation Status)	The trading recommendation for the contractor: We can work with this contractor We can work with this contractor with restrictions We cannot work with this contractor

To select the dispatch options for a recipient:

26. On the Despatch/Tracking home page, click Manage Recipients and select Edit Despatch Options.

27. The Recipient Despatch Options page is displayed.

    Edit the information as required in the relevant fields.

    Note The Email option is only available if email is enabled at organization level.
    The Contractor Portal option is only available if the contractor uses the Contractor Portal.

    Option	Description
    Contact	The recipient of the email. The recipient's email address is displayed in the Contact email field.
    Email	Select the required contractor to send the dispatch documents as email attachments.
    Contractor Portal	Select the required contractor to send the dispatch items via the Contractor Portal.
    Post	Select the required contractor to send the dispatch items manually via post.

28. Click Save.

    A confirmation message is displayed.

Dispatch a request

Once all information and documents have been added to a dispatch, you can send the information to selected contractors.

29. On the Despatch/Tracking home page, click Despatch.

    Note If email or Contractor Portal is selected as the dispatch method for any of the recipients, a message is displayed asking if you want to compress the dispatch documents for emailing.

    A warning message is also displayed if no documents have been attached to the dispatch.

    A warning message is displayed.

30. Click OK.

    A confirmation message is displayed.

    If you are the Opening Authority, an additional message is displayed to confirm you cannot take any further action on this Despatch/Tracking schedule item until the Final Submission Date has passed.

    An email with the dispatched content attached is sent to contractors that communicate with AVEVA Contract Risk Management via email. Contractors that use the Contractor Portal are notified both through the Contractor Portal and through an email notification with the dispatched content attached.

    Once the dispatch is complete, you can no longer modify dispatch details, dispatch recipients or attachments. If you need to modify any details this can be done through a redispatch - see Modify and redispatch requests. The original dispatch however cannot be undone.

Example email sent when a request is dispatched

Tender Name: [TENDER NAME] / Tender Reference: [TENDER REFERENCE]

COMPANY has invited you to make a submission for the following:

Task Title: [TASK TITLE]

BIDDER INFORMATION: [ADDITIONAL INFORMATION]

Final Submission Date: [FINAL SUBMISSION DATE/TIME]

Contracting address:
[CONTRACTING ADDRESS]

Return address:
[RETURN ADDRESS]

If you have an AVEVA Contract Risk Management login account, you can respond securely via the Contractor Portal. Click this link to AVEVA Contract Risk Management:
[LINK TO PORTAL]