Skip to content

Uploading a file with the upload wizard (suppliers)

The upload wizard is the guided form suppliers use to submit a file — a price list, promotion, report or certificate — against one of their agreements. It collects the file plus the details the buying group needs, files it in the right folder automatically, and sends it for approval.

Requires: a login for your company on the buying group's site, and at least one active agreement with them. No special permission is needed — the wizard is available to every supplier contact on sites where it is switched on.

Where to find it

In the left-hand menu, under Documents, choose Upload File.

If you can't see that entry, the buying group has not enabled the wizard on their site; send your file to your usual contact instead.

Steps

  1. Pick the type of file you are uploading. Each tile is a document type configured by the buying group — for example Prices, Promotions, Reports — with a short description and, where one applies, a filename prefix badge (such as PIMR). The type decides which folder the file lands in, who is told about it, and which extra questions you'll be asked.
  2. Choose the agreement the file belongs to. Only your own company's currently active agreements are listed, with their start and end dates. Your company is filled in for you; you cannot upload against another supplier.
  3. Enter the details.
  4. Short description — required. A one-line summary; this is what reviewers see in their queue and in the notification.
  5. Full description — optional, for anything longer.
  6. Start date / End date — shown only for document types that ask for validity dates, and required on types configured that way. An end date makes the document expiring: it drops out of view for members after that date, so leave it blank for files that don't lapse.
  7. Select the file. Press Select file… and choose it. The file uploads straight away to a holding area — you'll see a progress bar, then "reading and checking the contents of your file…". Nothing has been submitted yet at this point.
  8. Check the file name. The wizard builds a standard name for you: the type's prefix, the month and year, and your company name. The free text box is for a distinguishing suffix — for example revision 2 — and the original file extension is kept.
  9. Press Upload. The button only becomes available once every required field is filled in; until then an Incomplete form notice tells you something is still missing.

Some document types ask extra questions after the file is chosen — price files in particular may ask you to confirm price-change ranges, effective dates or a justification. Answer these before pressing Upload; they are stored with the file and shown to the reviewer.

What happens next

You'll see a "Thank you for your submission" screen naming the person who will review it — the negotiator on that agreement.

Behind the scenes:

  • Your file is filed in the agreement's folder for that document type, under the standardised name.
  • It is saved with the status pending. It is not visible to members yet — a supplier submission always goes through approval.
  • The agreement's administrator and negotiator (plus any extra contacts the buying group has configured on that document type) are emailed "Document upload needs approval" and given a task to action it.
  • Whoever reviews it can approve it (it goes live, and on many document types it is announced in the group's daily digest), reject it with a reason, or place it under review.

If it's rejected, you receive an email from the reviewer explaining why. Correct the file and run the wizard again — there is no way to edit a submitted file in place.

Use Start another upload on the confirmation screen to submit the next file.

Who can see the file once it's live

Visibility comes from the document type you picked in step 1, not from anything you set — the buying group configures which roles can see files in each folder. Price and rebate-related files are typically restricted to a small group plus you as the uploader.

If it fails

  • No agreements are listed. Only agreements that are currently active appear. If yours has ended or hasn't started, or your login isn't attached to the right company, contact the buying group.
  • "Your document did not upload. You'll have to reupload it." The file arrived empty (0 bytes) and was discarded — nothing is saved. Check the file opens on your machine and try again.
  • A price file is refused after upload. Price files are validated before you can submit them. Re-export from your system using the buying group's template and check for blank or misformatted rows.
  • The Upload button stays greyed out. A required field is empty — most often the short description, the agreement, or a required date.
  • No Upload File entry in the menu. The wizard isn't enabled on that site.
  • You picked the wrong type or agreement after uploading. Don't press Upload — reload the page and start again. Once submitted, ask the reviewer to reject it so you can resubmit.