Suppliers submit their offers directly to the contacts named in the publication of requirements.

All further steps are determined by both parties.

Suppliers submit their bids directly on the platform. The purchaser is not obliged to accept any of the offers.

RFI (Request for Information)
The bids submitted are not binding.

RFP (Request for Proposal)
The bids submitted are binding.

Suppliers submit their bids directly on the platform. Suppliers underbid each other in the minimum bid-range laid down by the buyer. The offers submitted are binding.

Depending on what the purchaser has stipulated at the beginning of the auction, he is obliged to accept the best or one of the best offers if it is lower than the binding limit price he has set.

All Items have to be awarded before the end of the declaration period, otherwise the best bid will be accepted automatically.

Purchasers may combine successive RFIs, RFPs and auctions in a multi-stage procurement process (MPP).
The suppliers admitted at a procurement stage are not obliged to have already submitted a bid at a previous one. This allows that a supplier may be deliberately included in the negotiations at a later time.

Suppliers may view all Requests for Quotations, whose circles of suppliers are not restricted.

Requests for quotations with a limited circle of suppliers can be seen only by the suppliers in the respective group.

Purchasers may additionally publish a "Request for Quotation with Reply" or a "Request for Quotation with Bid". This applies to all types of Requests for Quotations in which the bids are submitted on fairpartners.

A Request for Quotation "with Reply" is subject to a predetermined deadline (reply deadline) and restricted to suppliers who have previously replied on the platform. Only these suppliers are able to see the Request for Quotation furthermore and to submit bids. The reply deadline is normally before the beginning of the bidding period. If it is after the start of the bidding period, the submission of a valid bid also counts as a "reply".

A Request for Quotation “with Bid” differs from the one “with Reply” in that instead of an informal reply, the submission of a bid by a predetermined deadline determines the further circle of suppliers. The reply deadline can only be within the bidding period.

If a purchaser wishes to allow only a certain circle of supplier, he can determine on an individual basis, and by means of the supplier management, which suppliers (e.g. strategic suppliers, internal departments) will be entitled to submit a bid. If internal departments are also to submit bids in response to the request for quotation, they have to be registered with fairpartners as a supplier as well. The decision which suppliers may submit bids can still be changed after publication of the RFQ. However, a supplier may be deliberately included in the negotiations at a later time.

For all purchasers, the operator of the platform, Skill Portal AG, offers an additional service in respect of tendering for IT Services. In this case, Skill Portal takes over the full processing of the RFP, from quality control and placing the tender, selecting the best proposals, to forwarding proposals to the purchasers. The final decision is made by the purchaser.