Do you need to ask the Sourcing Manager questions, clarify submission requirements, or better understand what they are looking for on a Worksheet?

The Message Center enables you to submit questions to the Sourcing Manager and view Q&As that other suppliers on the Event have asked!

Here, we'll discuss:

• What is the Message Center?
• Where is the Message Center?
• Functions of the Message Center

What is the Message Center?

Each Event (i.e. RFP, RFQ, etc.) in Scout has its own Message Center that allows you to:

1. Submit questions to the Sourcing Team 
2. View any Q&As from other Suppliers that the Sourcing Manager has decided to share. 
3. Chat with the Sourcing Team

Ask Questions

The Message Center allows you to submit questions directly to the Sourcing Manager in an easily answered manner. 

View Q&As

The Message Center also provides you with a list of any questions and answers from other suppliers that the Sourcing Manager has decided to share with everyone. All supplier names are completely anonymous, so no need to be worried about your privacy when asking questions!

Chat

If the Sourcing Team initiates a conversation thought the Chat feature within the Message Center, you will be able to respond and communicate with the Sourcing Team through Chat as well. 

Where is the Message Center?

To access the Message Center for a particular Event, open your response from your Scout homepage, then scroll past the Bid Details and click the green Message Center button:

Note: If you are unable to submit a new question, it is likely that the Supplier Question Deadline has passed. Check the Event Timeline to view the Question Deadline, as well as the deadlines to RSVP and to submit your response.

Functions of the Message Center

There are five key things that you can do in the Message Center:

1. Ask a question
2. View the questions you have asked + the Sourcing Manager's answers
3. View Q&As from other suppliers that the Sourcing Manager has shared 
4. View general messages from the Sourcing Manager
5. Chat with the Sourcing Manager

Ask a Question

Click into the text box at the bottom of the Message Center to make the "Send Question" button appear. You will also see a place where you will be able to attach files to your question.

View Q&As

When the Sourcing Team replies to one of your questions, you will receive an email notification alerting you to log on to Scout and view their response in the Message Center. Responses will appear to the right of the question. 

Note: Sourcing Managers can make any Supplier's question available for all Suppliers to view in the Message Center, but Suppliers' identities will remain anonymous. Sourcing Managers often do this if they feel that the question and its answer will be beneficial to share with all participants.

View Chats

If the Sourcing Team initiates communication through the Chat feature, you will see this button become active within the Message Center:

Click on the Chat icon to open a side panel where you will be able to view and respond to the Sourcing Team's message: 

Scout Support is here to help!

We provide you with US-based customer support from 9am to 9pm ET, Monday through Friday.

IN-APP SUPPORT

Reach us via our in-app support form by clicking the Support button in the top-right corner of your screen from any page within Scout: https://go.scoutrfp.com

EMAIL

If running into issues accessing your Scout account, you can also reach us via contact support button.

Click here for more articles about Communicating with Sourcing Managers