Manage your tenders

Your buyer dashboard can be found by clicking on the Cimple’s ‘Finder’, using the four dots in the top-right corner. Your interface features a sidebar to the left hand side. Listed within that sidebar, you’ll see:

Notifications:

You’ll see a red dot next to your notifications if there’s anything new which might require your attention. 

Live:

Any actively running competitions that your organisation has created can be found here. 

Awarded:

If you’ve already awarded a competition to a successful supplier, you’ll be able to review the notice here. 

Cancelled:

Perhaps your organisation has cancelled a competition – you’ll be able to access it here.

Closed:

If you’ve set up a competition, but allowed the deadline date to pass without awarding a supplier, you’ll find those opportunities here. Your next step is to shortlist or award a supplier for this opportunity – don’t forget!

Drafts:

If you’ve started putting together an opportunity, you can always stop and come back to complete it later. You’ll find your drafts in here.

Create opportunity:

By clicking on this button, you’ll be able to create a new opportunity. Jump to our ‘Create an opportunity’ chapter in the Help Centre to find out more about the different kinds of notices you’re able to publish.

Search Cimple:

This function will take you back to our main search bar. Here you can search for suppliers, organisations, frameworks, existing tenders – anything, basically. 

View as supplier:

Since you’re using Cimple as a buyer, this little toggle button will be grey. If you click on the toggle, you’ll see it turn blue and your interface will change. This enables you to use the platform as a supplier, in case your organisation needs to bid on an opportunity.

Occasionally there might be a need to upload extra documents or give additional information on a particular tender. The best place to do this is within the ‘Clarification questions’ section of a tender. We’ll walk you through the process:

1. Log in to Cimple 

2. Navigate to your dashboard by clicking Buyers along the top-navigation bar and then click on 'Buyer dashboard'

3. Select ‘Live’ from the competitions list in the left-hand sidebar

4. Find the opportunity you’re looking for, and click ‘View details’

5. A box will appear with a list on the left-hand side

6. Select ‘Clarification questions’

7. You’ll see that there’s a box for you to type an update, and below that box, there’s a section where you can upload documents

8. Add your extra information and click ‘Post update’ just underneath the upload box

9. Your documents and extra info will automatically be shared with all suppliers who have been selected or already applied for the opportunity

10. Next, keep an eye on your notifications regarding the opportunity as suppliers may have follow-up questions to answer

Once you’ve put out a tender, you may occasionally receive emails notifying you that a supplier has asked a question about the opportunity. Clarification questions to help suppliers to better understand what you need from the project or prospective partner. Here’s how to answer any clarification questions that might come in.

1. Log in to Cimple

2. Navigate to your dashboard by clicking Buyers along the top-navigation bar and then click on 'Buyer dashboard'

3. You’ll notice a red dot next to your ‘Notifications’ at the top of your right-hand side bar

4. Click on this section and you should see a notification telling you that a supplier has submitted a clarification question

5. Click into where it says ‘You can view this here’ and you’ll be taken directly to the tender

6. Now, using the left-hand sidebar, select ‘Clarification questions’ and scroll down to view the supplier’s question

7. Click ‘respond’ and a box will appear in which you can type an answer

8. When you’re done, you can choose to post your answer directly to the supplier, or make your response publicly viewable to all. Making your response publicly viewable may be useful if you think other suppliers might have the same questions. 

9. Finally click ‘submit answer’ when you’re done, and the supplier will be notified that you’ve answered their question