Procurement User · Department User
Raise a need
Capture a request so that procurement does not have to come back with questions.
- Duration: 15 min
- Level: Getting started
- Read first: An overview of e-Request
Most delays do not arise in procurement but before it: in a request that still triggers questions.
What belongs in a good request
- What exactly is needed — and what for
- By when
- Which requirements are non-negotiable, and which are wishes
- Who can answer technical questions, with a number that is answered
The split between “non-negotiable” and “desirable” is the most valuable line in your request. The award criteria and their weighting come out of it — if you do not supply it, procurement guesses.
The right category
Assign your need to a category. That is not a formality: the category is how procurement finds who is even eligible, and how your purchase gets found again later.
Setting a realistic date
Between your request and a signed contract sit several steps outside your control: internal approval, invitation, a question round with a deadline, submission itself, then evaluation.
So give the date you need the goods or service, not the date you would like them. And give it early — the question round cannot be shortened without losing the comparability of the offers.
Rule of thumb
If somebody from another department can read your request without asking a question, it is complete.