Quoting Settings

The Quoting Settings module is where Buyer Admins can configure all general settings related to Quoting in a given Marketplace. 

For reference, here is some quoting terminology:

1. Quote Request: Created by a Site User on a Marketplace, a Quote Request is a form that collects information from the Site User about what they’re looking to purchase. The Site User then submits the Quote Request to one or more Suppliers who can provide what they’re looking for.
2. Quote: Created by participating Suppliers for a specific Quote Request, a Quote indicates how much the requested goods or services will cost, and when they can be delivered.

[Screenshot of Quoting Settings (Disabled)]

It’s possible to have a Marketplace without Quoting enabled. A Marketplace like this will be used purely to organize and provide visibility of participating Suppliers in the Supplier Directory. But to make the most use of a Marketplace, enable Quoting. When Quoting is enabled, a Quoting tab will appear in Site Users’ dashboard, allowing them to submit Quote Requests and review Quotes. 

[Screenshot of Front-End Quoting Dashboard]

Set the toggle on the Quoting Settings page to On to enable Quoting. Additional page content will appear.

Enable Payment Methods for Quotes

Site Users must be able to pay for Quotes. There are several payment method options that can be enabled in a Marketplace for Quote orders:

[Detail Screenshot with all four payment methods enabled]

1. Handshake: No transaction takes place in the Marketplace when this payment method is used. When a Quote is ordered by a Site User, they will be responsible for completing the transaction with the Supplier outside the system. When enabled, the block will expand, and you can enter a display name for this payment method that will be visible to Site Users on the front end at checkout. You will also be able to enter a message that a Site User will see before their order is sent to the Supplier for fulfillment. This message should be used to indicate how the Site User should pay the Supplier.
   
   [Detail screenshot of Front-End Handshake checkout with message]
   
2. Purchase Order: If the Purchase Order block is grayed out, Purchase Order must be enabled in Payment Methods. Once enabled in Payment Methods, Purchase Order can be enabled for Quoting. When using this payment method at checkout, the Site User must enter a Purchase Order number before placing the order. Similar to the Handshake method, the Site User will be responsible for completing the transaction with the Supplier outside the system.
   
   [Detail screenshot of front-end PO checkout]
   
3. Credit Card (Your Gateway): If the Credit Card (Your Gateway) block is grayed out, Credit Card must be enabled in Payment Methods. Once enabled in Payment Methods, Credit Card can be enabled for Quoting. When using this payment method at checkout, the Site User will complete the transaction with their credit card in the Marketplace. Instead of going directly to the Supplier, the payment will come to the Buyer organization through their own credit card gateway as configured in the Credit Card module. The Buyer organization will then be responsible for paying the Supplier outside the system.
   
   [Detail screenshot of front-end Credit Card checkout]
   
4. Credit Card (Supplier Gateway): This is the only payment method where the Supplier is paid directly through the system by a Site User. When using this payment method at checkout, the Site User will complete the transaction with their credit card in the Marketplace. The payment will be processed by the Supplier’s credit card gateway. If the Credit Card (Your Gateway) option is also an enabled method for Quoting, the Supplier’s gateway will be used by default unless the Supplier does not have an active credit card gateway. If Credit Card (Supplier Gateway) is the only enabled payment method for Quoting in the Marketplace, invited Suppliers will need to enter their credit card gateway details before they can actively participate in the Marketplace.
   
   [Detail screenshot of front-end Credit Card checkout]

Supplier Profile Settings

The Supplier Profile Settings section configures the way that Supplier profiles display, behave, and are edited. Edit individual Supplier profiles in Manage Suppliers. When the Supplier Profile Settings section is expanded by clicking the arrow on the left-hand side of the section, three blocks will appear:

[Detail Screenshot of Supplier Profile Settings section]

1. Information Visibility: The Supplier Star Rating toggle allows you to enable or disable star ratings for Suppliers in your Marketplace. When star rating is enabled, Site Users will be asked to rate Suppliers after an order placed from that Supplier has been delivered. Suppliers’ average star ratings will appear on their profiles and in the Supplier Directory, and can be used to sort and filter Suppliers.
   
   [Detail Screenshot of front-end star rating section of supplier profile]
   
   The Show Supplier Statistics toggle allows you to show or hide certain statistics on a Supplier’s profile.  Site Users will be able to see a Supplier’s average response time, percentage of Quotes won, number of orders processed, and most recent order date.
   
   [Detail Screenshot of front-end statistics section of supplier profile]
   
   The Show Contract and Term toggle allows you to show or hide a Supplier’s contract with the Buyer organization and the term of that contract on the Supplier’s Marketplace profile. Contracts can be uploaded on the Edit Supplier page, and when shown, will be downloadable by Site Users and the contract term will be displayed. If contract and term are hidden, contracts can still be uploaded on the Edit Supplier page, but will not be visible or downloadable by Site Users.
   
   [Detail Screenshot of front-end contract and term section of supplier profile]
   
2. Supplier Edit Ability Defaults: Use the checkboxes to set defaults indicating which pieces of a Supplier’s profile can be edited directly by the Supplier. Supplier name, logo, description, and contact information are all details that Buyer Admins can enter when inviting or editing Suppliers, but it’s up to you to decide if the Supplier can also edit those details. These edit rights can be configured on a per-Supplier basis on the Edit Supplier page, but the checkboxes here in Quoting Settings determine the default settings when inviting new Suppliers to the Marketplace. Changes made here will not affect the edit abilities of Suppliers who have already been added to your Marketplace.
   
3. Contract Term End Defaults: Supplier contract management in Agora can be a key piece of Buyer organizations’ control and oversight of Suppliers. Upload a Supplier’s contract with the Buyer organization and enter the tem of the contract on the Edit Supplier page. Then choose an Admin to receive a notification email before the defined contract term has lapsed. This can be configured on a per-Supplier basis, but the contract term defaults here in Quoting Settings determine the default settings when inviting new Suppliers to the Marketplace. Changes made here will not affect the contract term settings of Suppliers who have already been added to your Marketplace.

Supplier Category Defaults

All Suppliers participating in your Marketplace must be organized into Supplier Categories to properly appear in the Supplier Directory and be eligible to receive Quote Requests. Create Categories to group Suppliers based on the kinds of products and services they can provide. The “Supplier Category Defaults” section allows you to configure default Quote Request forms, royalty settings, and Order Approval settings for all Supplier Categories. Edit individual Supplier Categories in the Supplier Categories module. When the “Supplier Category Defaults” section is expanded by clicking the arrow on the left-hand side of the section, three sections will appear:

[Detail Screenshot of Supplier Category Defaults section]

1. Select a Default Quote Request Form for All Categories: Each Supplier Category must be assigned one of two Quote Request forms, depending on the type of product the Suppliers in that Category can provide:
   
   1. Supply Products: This Quote Request form is a table-style form that allows Site Users to add name, SKU, quantity, description, and attachments for each line item in the Quote Request.
      
      [Detail Screenshot of front end Supplies Quote Request]
      
      When this Quote Request form is selected as the default for new Supplier Categories, default display names for three fields in the form (“Product Name,” “SKU,” and “Item Description or Notes”) will be editable, providing a degree of customization to the specific information collected using the form.
      
   2. Apparel/Promotional Products: This Quote Request form is a questionnaire-style form that collects product detail, pricing, quantity, and decoration information specific to apparel items and promotional products.
      
      [Detail Screenshot of front end Apparel/Promo Quote Request]

Quote Request forms can be set on a per-Category basis in the Supplier Categories module, but the selections here in Quoting Settings determine the default form to be used for new Supplier Categories. Changes made here will not affect the Quote Request forms for existing Categories.

2. Default Royalty Settings for All Categories: If royalties must be paid by the Supplier on some or all of the products your Suppliers provide, use the toggle to make royalty collection the default for all Supplier Categories. When “Products are Royalty-Bearing” is toggled to “Yes,” enter the default royalty percentage that will be automatically added to the Supplier’s quoted price for all quoted items. Royalty settings can be set on a per-Category basis in the Supplier Categories module, but the selections here in Quoting Settings determine the default royalty settings to be used for new Supplier Categories. Changes made here will not affect the royalty settings for existing Categories.
   
   [Detail Screenshot of “Royalty” column in the Supplier Quote Response module]
   
3. Default Approval Settings for All Categories: If some or all of the Quotes ordered by Site Users in the Marketplace will require Order Approval, use the toggle to indicate that orders of Quotes from all Supplier Categories should be sent through an Order Approval process. When “Send All Quote Orders for Approval” is toggled to “Yes,” select the Approver responsible for approving all Quote orders. Order Approval settings can be set on a per-Category basis in the Supplier Categories module, but the selections here in Quoting Settings determine the default Order Approval settings to be used for new Supplier Categories. Changes made here will not affect the Order Approval settings for existing Categories.

Tax Exemption

When the “Tax Exemption” section is expanded by clicking the arrow on the left-hand side of the section, a toggle will appear allowing you to enable Site Users to upload tax exemption documentation to their Quote Request. This documentation will be visible to Suppliers quoting the Request, and they will know to not add tax to the Quote.

[Detail Screenshot of “Tax Exemption” section]

Processing Fee

When the “Processing Fee” section is expanded by clicking the arrow on the left-hand side of the section, a toggle will appear allowing you to enable a per-Quote processing fee that will be added by default to each Quote that is created. This can be used to build in service fees, transaction fees, or platform fees at the Buyer organization’s discretion. When “Charge a per-quote processing fee” is toggled to “Yes,” a “Processing Fee Display Name” field will appear. This display name will appear to Site Users as a line item in Suppliers’ Quotes. Use the “Fee Type” toggle to indicate whether the processing fee is a set dollar amount applied to all Quotes or a percentage of the pre-tax, pre-shipping subtotal of a given Quote. Enter the percentage or dollar amount in the following field. 

[Detail Screenshot of “Processing Fee” section

Quote-Only Products

This section will only appear when the Buyer Platform has been upgraded to include product management tools. When products exist in a Marketplace, those products can be added directly to “Supply Product” Quote Requests by clicking the “Add Products from Catalog” button. 

[Detail Screenshot of front end “Add Products from Catalog” button]

When the “Quote-Only Products” section is expanded by clicking the arrow on the left-hand side of the section, a toggle will appear allowing you to restrict purchase of products in the Marketplace to only orders placed from Quotes. The products will not be able to be purchased directly from the Marketplace. When “Are the products on this Marketplace Quote-Only?” is toggled to “Yes,” products will be hidden from searches and standard eCommerce checkout will be prevented. Products will only appear in the “Add Products from Catalog” popup in Quote Requests. 

[Detail Screenshot of front end “Add Products from Catalog” popup]

When you’ve finished making your changes, click the “Save” button at the top or bottom right-hand side of the page.