As an Achilles supplier, being considered for key contracts is instantly much easier. Your information is readily available to buyers and you don’t have to waste time filling in countless pre-qualification questionnaires. However, there are times when a potential client will need more information. That’s when it’s important you know how to meet their request as part of the Achilles system.
If a buyer applies additional criteria to refine the tender list, above and beyond the initial pre-qualification questionnaire filled out by Achilles suppliers, the Additional Questions, equivalent of a Request for Information (RFI), feature kicks in.
This is designed to ask contract-specific questions to shortlisted suppliers and should be seen as another opportunity to showcase your work. However, if you’ve never had to complete an RFI before, the process may feel daunting. It’s important to remember that if you do not wish to be considered for the contract opportunity, you do not need to complete the questions but you should tick the box to say your company is not interested. However, if you are interested in the opportunity, there are a few things to bear in mind.
1. We reach out to you
Don’t worry that you may have to answer an Additional Questions questionnaire but just haven’t heard about it. We will email your primary business contact and, if available, your secondary business contact with an invitation when your company has met the criteria for a buyer’s search results. This will outline information about the opportunity, the deadline date and the name of the buyer who has sent the invitation.
You can review your Additional Questions through your online Achilles account. Simply click on ‘Additional Questions for suppliers’ in the left hand menu and view any outstanding invitations. Alternatively, further details can be found by clicking on the Open Tab and Select, within the ‘Additional Questions for suppliers’ section.
2. Make your interest known
Once you have viewed the request, you need to let the buyer know if you are going to proceed with the process. Use the drop down options to make your selection and click Confirm. If you’re not interested, don’t write anything in the text box, as this will revert the above field from ‘not interested’ to ‘interested’. It’s important that you double check you have entered the right response, both to ensure the buyer doesn’t waste their time and to preserve relationships for any future work you may choose to do together. 3. Check your formats If you are filling in your Additional Questions, you need to be sure you don’t use the html tags @ ” [ / ^ + * ]. Use of these tags will prevent you from saving and submitting the answers. This means you run the risk of wasting time and effort. 4. Ensure you fill out all the information It’s crucial you check that you have completed all the information requested by the buyer, as some will ask you to complete a document that is relevant to the tender. This is found hyperlinked beneath the contact details of the Additional Questions. All you need to do is hover over the title of the document, click it and then save it to your computer. When you have completed this, upload the document and click submit. Your answers can be saved and you will be able to return to the area before submitting. 5. Don’t forget about it It’s easy to leave an application and go back to it later, but if you do it’s important not to forget about it. All questions need to be completed and submitted before the deadline. If you are already not part of an Achilles community, find the right one for your company
