Create a request for information

When you need to gather information from potential suppliers about items and services, request for information (RFI) events in Fairmarkit help you compile information for your next project. On a request for information event, Fairmarkit walks you through the process to create an event, add questions, and invite suppliers to submit information. A request for information event is typically submitted before creating a request for proposal event to obtain initial details for a project.

For detailed descriptions of the available fields, see Request for information - available fields.

Access: To access Fairmarkit’s request for information module, please contact your Fairmarkit Customer Success Manager.

Collaborators: For information on how to add a collaborator, see Manage collaborators. You can select if they are able to view or edit select areas of the event.

1. Create a request for information

You can create a blank event, create an event based on a template, or create an event using AI-generated sections. For additional information, see Create an event. Once created, you can access your events from your Events list.

1. From the menu, click Create. A window displays, asking What would you like to create?

2. Click Request for information.

3. Select Blank event.

4. In Title, enter a brief title that describes the event

5. Click Continue. A new, blank request for information event is created.

2. Add event information

Next, you will need to add information to your event. The header contains general information about your event, including a description, timeline, and project details. For a detailed description of the available fields, see Header descriptions.

Enter the following required fields:

Tip: While not all required fields, the location and category assist in returning supplier recommendations, helping to make your event more successful.

• Event title

• Event description

• Close date

• Close time

• Currency

• Category

• Event Justification

• Value of event

• Projected savings

3. Add questions

Next, you will need to add sections and questions to the event. You can add and rename any sections to match your needs. Each event needs to have at least one section with at least one question in each section.

Your sections and questions help you communicate with suppliers. For example, you can ask suppliers general questions about their experience, proposal scope, proposal component pricing, or specific questions about required items or services. You can add up to 3000 questions (lines) to an event and 100 questions per section. For each question, you can select if the question is required or optional, allowing you to add optional questions that may only apply to some suppliers, define conditional questions to collect more information when a supplier provides a specific response, or define a drop-down question to control responses to your question.

Example question: Are you able to perform the requested services in Toronto, Canada? (UOM: Yes/No)

Example question: What is your daily FTE rate for a certified public accountant? (UOM: FTE or Each)

1. Add a section.

2. Click one of the following buttons to add a question.

   • Add item question

   • Add service question

   • Import / Export

3. Enter any required fields. While some fields are optional, but you’ll receive better responses if you provide suppliers with more information.

4. Add additional information

Using the Appendix docs section, you can add some additional information to your event:

• Notes to supplier: Add additional information and communication (up to 4,000 characters) about the event with all invited suppliers. For example, you might enter a shipping account number or detailed steps to explain the process further.

• Files: Attach files, such as a scope of work, to share with suppliers. Files can be up to 100mb, and the File name cannot be longer than 255 characters. See Attachments for more information.

5. Add supplier invitations

On the Suppliers List page, you can invite trusted suppliers from the Fairmarkit database to submit a response to your event. Based on the information you entered, Fairmarkit will recommend a list of suppliers to invite. You can adjust the list by manually selecting or removing suppliers from the list. For more information, see Manage supplier invitations.

6. Add evaluation criteria

On the Evaluation criteria page, you can set up the criteria to use when scoring and evaluating your event. For your event, you'll want to set an evaluation timeline and then set an evaluation weight for each section, skipping any unnecessary sections. In addition, you'll need to use the Share button to add any evaluators to the event. You can edit evaluation criteria while the event is in draft, open, or closed status. For more information, see Evaluation and scoring.

7. Review

From the Review section, you can review, download, schedule, and publish your event.

• Review / Edit a section: The review section provides a summary of your event, allowing you to review and edit before you submit the event to suppliers. Each event section provides a link back to the section to edit if needed.

• Download PDF: In the top, right corner, click the Download PDF link to generate and download a summary report of your event. For example, you might use this to share an overview of your event with stakeholders before sending it to suppliers.

8. Publish

Finally, you will send your event to the selected suppliers. You can publish the event at a future date and time or publish the event immediately.

Schedule

For scheduled events, you can set a date and time when the event will be sent to suppliers.

1. Click Schedule. A confirmation window displays, allowing you to confirm the scheduled publish and close dates. If you didn't enter dates earlier, you can set the dates while scheduling.

2. Click Yes. You are returned to the Events list, and the event is scheduled to be published at the specified date and time.

Publish Now

You can immediately publish if you are ready to send the event to suppliers.

1. Click Publish Now. A confirmation window displays, allowing you to confirm the date the event will close.

2. Click Yes. Your invitations are sent to the selected suppliers via email and will display on their Fairmarkit portal. Your event moves to Open status. You can review this and other events on the Events list. You'll be able to review responses and close the event when completed.