This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to create and customize "Consultation Templates" in Buymanager. These templates are essential for standardizing and streamlining your interactions with suppliers for Request for Quotations (RFQs), receiving supplier quotations, and generating internal quotation comparison reports.
Jump directly to the paragraph:
- What is it?
- Why do users need it?
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How to create a new consultation template:
- General Information Tab
- How to Add/Modify Displayable Data in the Template
- How to Modify Multi-Language Field Names
- How to Add Complementary Fields
- How to Customize the Excel File Template
- How to Add Global Information to the Excel File
- How to Apply the Excel Template to the Consultation Model
- How to Define Specific Excel Models for RFQ, Quotation, or Analysis Reports
- How to Define Fields used in your RFQ documents
- How to Initialize Fields from Another Configuration (RFQ or Analysis)
- How to link an RFQ template to a specific part family
- How to duplicate a template
What is it?
Consultation Templates are customizable frameworks in Buymanager that define the structure and content of Excel files used in various procurement processes. They allow you to control exactly what information is requested from suppliers, what data is displayed in their responses, and how internal analysis reports are formatted.
Why do users need it?
- Standardization: Ensure consistent data collection and reporting across all procurement activities.
- Efficiency: Automate the generation of RFQ forms, quotation response sheets, and analysis reports, saving significant manual effort.
- Customization: Tailor communication with suppliers to your specific needs, including branding and required data fields.
- Clarity: Present information clearly and concisely to both internal teams and external suppliers.
- Prerequisites & Audience:
- Audience: This guide is primarily for Buymanager administrators or power users responsible for setting up and customizing procurement workflows. General users will benefit from the standardized outputs.
- Permissions: Administrator rights in Buymanager are required to create, modify, and manage Consultation Templates.
How to Create a New Consultation Template
1. From the main Buymanager window, navigate to the "Database" tab.
2. Click the "RFQ Template" button.
3. Click the "Create" button.
4. Enter a name for your new template.
5. The Consultation Template editor will open.
General Information Tab:
- Default Template: Specify if this template should be the default for its type.
- Consultation Type: Define how quantities and descriptions will be organized in the Excel file:
- Quantity in row: Each required quantity will be on a separate line in the Excel file.
- Quantity in Column: All quantities for the same item will be on a single line, with quantities spread across columns.
- Description in row: Information is organized in blocks within the Excel file.
- Custom RFQ: Used for specific models, such as those for custom-designed parts.
How to Add/Modify Displayable Data in the Template
All data fields available for display in the various stages of a consultation model are found under section "1 Information".
How to Modify Multi-Language Field Names:
1. Go to the tab "Data" on your menu, on the link
2. Select the line (field) you wish to modify.
3. Double-click on the "for this model" column on that line to modify the description as you wish.
4. You can also click on the "translation" symbol to enter different names in French, English, and Chinese
How to Add Complementary Fields:
1. Go to the tab "Data" on your menu, on the link
2. Click the "Add a Complementary Information" button.
3. Define the information code and the multi-language label for the new field.
4. Define the Information Type:
Note: If it's a technical characteristic, the code must match the technical characteristic's code (see article about the Technical Characteristics here)
Note: If it's a "cost" type of information, you can specify if these costs are amortizable or not.
Note: If it's "calculated information by formula," you can define the formula later.
How to Customize the Excel File Template
A Buymanager consultation template consists of a dynamic part (the data table) and a static part (an Excel file) that can be customized with your company's branding. Access this static file in the section "XLS Models."
Important: The dynamic data area is managed automatically by Buymanager.
How to Define Formatting Styles for Headers and Data:
1. Click on the section "XLS Models."
2. Open the desired Excel template and save it to your local workspace.
3. In the Excel file, add style cells.
A style cell must have a style name starting with the character "§"
Important: Style cells must be located below the row containing the mandatory "###" cell. >>
How to Add Global Information to the Excel File:
Buymanager allows you to add dynamic fields that will be precisely positioned in the Excel file, personalizing the consultation for each supplier.
1. Click on the section " XLS Models."
2. Open the desired Excel template and save it to your local workspace.
3. In Buymanager, retrieve the desired Excel codes.
Codes starting with `#BM_` can be inserted into the Excel file and will be dynamically replaced when the RFQ is generated for a specific supplier.
Example: `#BM_A_Contact` will be replaced by the supplier's contact name.
To avoid input errors, copy the code directly from Buymanager and paste it into Excel.
4. In the Excel file, paste the copied field at the desired position above the "###" field
5. Format the cell so that the information appears in the correct format after dynamic replacement.
How to Apply the Excel Template to the Consultation Model:
1. Click on the section "XLS Models."
2. Click the "Load Report Template" button.
3. Select the Excel template you previously defined.
Note: You can load the same Excel template for all languages using the "Import a Single Template" button. In this case, ensure that the information within the Excel template itself supports multiple languages.
How to Define Specific Excel Models for RFQ, Quotation, or Analysis Reports:
You can assign a unique Excel template for each of the three scenarios:
- Sending Request for Quotations (RFQs)
- Supplier Quotations (Responses)
- Generating Analysis Reports
Note: If no specific Excel model is assigned, the general model defined in the section "XLS Models" will be used.
1. Click on the respective section: "RFQ", "Quotation" (for supplier responses), or "Analyze" (for comparison reports).
2. Click the "Import a Single Template" button.
3. Select the specific Excel template.
How to Define Fields used in your RFQ documents
This section details how to configure the fields that will appear in your RFQ documents.
How to Add/Remove Fields and Order Them:
1. Click on the "RFQ", "Quotation" or "Analyze" section.
2. Add or remove desired information fields and position them according to the order in which they should appear in the quotation request.
How to Apply Styles to Headers and Data:
If you have defined styles in your Excel template, you can now apply them to the headers and data automatically generated by Buymanager.
1. For each visible data field in the RFQ:
2. Select a "header style" and a "data style" > the style will be the one that you have added to your Excel model.
How to define specificties for the data
- If you are creating a "Quantity per Column" type consultation model, you can group certain information to be repeated for each quantity requested.
Check the "Repeated" column for the relevant fields.
2. Pre-fill Visible Fields for Suppliers:
1. Check the "Information provided to supplier" column.
3. Trigger a Warning for Missing Supplier Responses:
Check the "Mandatory supplier response" column. When importing the quotation, a warning will automatically be raised to notify the user if this field is not provided by the supplier.
4. Constrain Suppliers to Enter Consistent Information:
Check the "Data Validation" column to prohibit any entry of erroneous information.
Example: For currency fields, this will implement a list of allowed currencies, and the supplier will not be able to enter a currency other than those proposed.
How to Initialize Fields from Another Configuration (RFQ or Analysis):
Quotation response models and RFQ models are generally very similar. You can initialize the quotation response model from the RFQ configuration to save time.
1. Click on the "RFQ", "Quotation" or "Analyze" section.
2. Click the "Init from Configuration" button.
3. Select the configuration you wish to copy from.
How to link an RFQ template to a specific part family:
- Open the parts section of your Buymanager
- Click on "family"
- Select a family and open it
- On the "general info" section, find the RFQ template field, and click on it to search and select the suitable template
How to duplicate a template:
If you want to create a new template with only small adjustments for a specific type of project, you can start by duplicating the existing template.
- Open your template
- On the header, you will find a button "duplicate"
- Change the name of your new template in the "description" field under the "General info" section.
- You can now modify the template to fit your project: the Excel template, and the field chosen on your original template will be available and only awaiting your modification.