Concern Inkoop CCA

Manual Ariba Sourcing Events for Suppliers Nederlandse Spoorwegen

Version 0.6 0.7

Date 30-10-06 01-06-07

Authors Alexander de Vreede Alexander de Vreede

Concerninkoop CCA

Sourcing Support:
For all Ariba related questions you can contact the CCA of NS. Please check the FAQ first to see if your question has already been answered. You can contact the CCA during office hours (8.30-17.00 CET). Event related questions can be posted on the Q&A board of the event. NS Competence Center Ariba Edwin Nijland Alexander de Vreede T: +31 (0) 30 235 38 97 @: procurementsupport@ns.nl

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Definitions
RFI Request for Information. An RFI is used to obtain information from suppliers to decide which suppliers will be invited to proceed to the next phase (RFP). Request for Proposal. An RFP is used to obtain bids / prizes / tariffs for goods and services to decide which supplier will get the order / contract. Request for Quotation. An RFQ is used to run an auction where suppliers can place bids on 1 or more sections of the event. General term for all three definitions An RFX process in Ariba Sourcing Putting an event online and making it accessible for suppliers. A reaction /answer from the supplier to the RFX see response

RFP

RFQ

RFX Event Launch Response Bid

Q&A board Question and Answer board: Here you can post your questions about the event. The owner/initiator will answer the questions according to the in the RFX info described process. Save Saving your response on your Ariba account makes it possible to continue working in phases. By saving you do not submit your response to NS! By submitting your response you send it to NS. You can update / revise your response until the event closes.

Submit

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NS Ariba Sourcing
The NS Ariba Sourcing site can be found at https://e-sourcing.ns.nl. Depending on your

browser / firewall settings, you can get a security message first. By clicking OK you will see below site.

NS has sent you an email with your userid and password that you can use to access the site. If you have participated in events previously and you have changed your password, this changed password is still valid. If you have forgotten your password, you can send an email to procurementsupport@ns.nl to obtain a new one. When you have entered events in the past, or are attending more events, you start in a screen where all your events (closed or running) are shown. Select the one you want to work on. If this is the first time you participate in an event and you have access to a single event, you directly start in this event.

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1 The event details

In this screen you see the RFX 'dossier' with several tabs. These contain the information and questions of the event. In addition there are event independent buttons in the black header: Message center: here you receive the event and system messages about all your events. By entering the message center and clicking the icon below the cross, you can access the complete list. Preferences: here you can manage all you personal settings and preferences. We advice you to change the initial password to a personalized one here. History and Toggle tips are two functions that are currently not supported / used. TIP: for a printable version of the event, you have to set up your printer settings. At the Preferences tab, check if the 'Maximize tables for printing' parameter is on Yes. If not, click Edit and change the setting. Open the event and close the menu on the left by clicking on the tab. Go to the File menu of your browser and print the event data. Please note: if an event contains several pages, you have to print each page separately.

Important: the on screen clock indicates the remaining time for this event. This clock time is leading over all other time indicators (f.i. your system time). Available tabs:: 1. RFX info 2. Items (only visible with RFP's) 3. Q&A board 4. Rules 5. Event Change History Ad.1 RFX Info Here NS provides all information that is required to prepare a response. Attachments can be downloaded; information and questions can be read etc. To print this section you need to set your preferences as described. Please notice that some RFX info sections consist of more pages! You need to print them separately. Ad 2. Items When participating in an RFP, this tab is used to ask specific information (prices, value) for one or more items. After clicking Prepare Response this step is named Enter Values

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Ad.3. Q&A board (Question and Answer board) Here you can post questions about the event. The owner/initiator or one of the NS project team members will answer the questions according to the process as described in the RFX info. You can see the questions that you have asked and the questions and answers of other parties. Questions are anonymous, participants can not see who posted the questions but are able to see the content and answer. The owner/initiator will screen the questions and remove all specific supplier information. Kind request not to put information in your question that can be related to your company ('kind regards', 'we at.' Etc.). Ad.4. Rules Here you can read information about running time, the initiator and rules and settings. Ad.5. Event Change History When a change is made to the event, the change is logged in the system and can be found here. You also receive an email with this information.

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2. Preparing the Response

When you have read the information and want to participate in the event, you click the 'Prepare Response' button. The lay-out changes to below example: on the left a menu with a couple of steps, on the right the RFX info, now with the possibility to enter answers to the questions.

Please keep the following in mind when working on your response:

1. You can save your response to be able to continue later. NS does not see this saved information, so it is not a valid response to the RFX 2. The submit button sends your response to NS. You can click the submit button only when all questions have been answered according to the process. 3. You can change/revise your response during the remainder of the event. 4. Do not wait until the last moment to work on or submit you response!

Scroll through the RFX info and answer all questions in the correct, requested answer type. When asked to upload a file, the following applies: File size can not exceed 4Mb Multiple files have to be uploaded in a single .zip file. This .zip file also can not exceed 4Mb.

In some events the RFX info consist of more pages, this is indicated on the bottom of the RFX Info. The 'Next' button takes you to the next step in the process, not to the next page!

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Enter values (RFP only): As mentioned before, in an RFP you are requested to provide prices and/or values. In the RFX info part is described what the items consist of and what kind of data you have to provide. Select the item you are working on and enter the value/price. Do this for all requested items and click Update Totals to check your answers (layout). If all is correct, click Next to continue.

Submitting your Response In the final screen is displayed if you have forgotten some questions or have made any mistakes when filling out the questions. If there are no remarks (highlighted in red) you can submit your response.

If there are some remarks, you can solve these by clicking on the specific remark. You are taken to the part where you have to make the changes. YOU HAVE TO CLICK THE SUBMIT BUTTON TO SEND YOUR RESPONSE TO NS! You can see confirmation of your response in three places: 1. In the message center 2. The 'Prepare Response' button is replaced by the 'Revise response' button 3. A new tab 'My Response' is added to your event. If you do not see these 3 changes, you can be sure that NS did not receive your response!

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FAQ Q: I can not log in. A: Check if caps lock is on, your userid and password are case sensitive. If you copy the password from an email, make sure that you do not copy extra spaces. If the problem still persists, contact the CCA via +31 (0) 30-235 38 97 / procurementsupport@ns.nl Q: When I (try to) enter the site, I receive error messages and not all functions are working. A: Some companies have strict internet policies that prevent some sites from working properly. Please try the site on a different computer that is not on your companys network. This is not a situation that can be solved by NS, it has to be solved by your company. Q: I want to answer the questions, but I see no option to do so. A: To be able to provide answers, you have to click the 'Prepare Response' button first. If you can see this button on the top of your screen, click the button to continue. Q: I see a screen with a 'Page can not be displayed' or other error message and I can not continue. A: Most likely you have used the 'Back' button of the Internet Browser. Ariba Sourcing only allows navigation with the buttons of the application (Next, Previous). You have to log on again and continue with the last saved data. Q: How can I be sure that NS has received my Response? A: See page 8: there are three ways to see that you have submitted a successful response. Q: How can I print the RFX info? A: At Preferences you have to set the indicator at 'Maximise tables for printing' to yes. Use the edit button to do so. Print the RFX from your browsers print option. Please check if there are more pages! Q: I want to upload several files at one answer but the system only allows 1? A: If you want to upload multiple files, you have to use a .zip file to do so. There is a maximum of 4 Mb upload per answer.

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Q: I can not submit my response because I get error messages, what am I doing wrong? A: Make sure that you use the correct answer type. For instance, do not enter text when requested to upload a file. Or do not enter text when asked for numbers, etc. If you read the message and click on it, you are instantly taken to the point where you have to correct your response. Q: I receive many emails from the system about the event. How can I manage / set the email settings? A: After logging in to the system, click on Preferences. Click on the tab Message Settings. Here you can select the type of notifications you want to receive by mail and/or on-line. Please Note: all consequences (no /too late receipt of information) of changing these settings are your own responsibility. If you have limited your email receipt, you can monitor changes and information after logging in at the Message Center, Q&A board and the Event Change History tab.

If your question is not listed here, or if the answer is not sufficient enough, you can contact the CCA of NS via +31 30-235 38 97 / procurementsupport@ns.nl

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