Basic COMMBUYS Navigation and Searching for the Seller Role.pdf

Job Aid:

Basic COMMBUYS Navigation and Searching for the Seller Role

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This Job Aid shows how to:

Navigate through COMMBUYS under the Seller Role

Use various icons within COMMBUYS

Use the Control Center tabs to locate documents including Purchase Orders, Bids, and Quotes

Use the Documents navigation dropdown menus to locate documents including Purchase Orders, Bids, Contracts, and Quotes

Use the Advanced Search feature to enter multiple search criteria to assist in locating a variety of Bids and Purchase Orders

Of Special Note:

This job aid provides a basic overview of COMMBUYS navigation and describes key icons, menus, and fields used within the Seller role of the COMMBUYS system.

There are multiple ways for those with the Seller role to search for documents in COMMBUYS.

Searching functionality is not included in the Seller Administrator role. Only users with the Seller role can conduct searches in COMMBUYS. These instructions assume the logged in user has Seller credentials.

Screenshot Directions

Step 1: Launching COMMBUYS

1. Enter the uniform resource locator (URL) address for COMMBUYS (https://www.commbuys.com) or (commbuys.com) in your browser.

2. Once the COMMBUYS landing page displays click on the Sign In button.

3. Enter your Login ID and Password and sign in to COMMBUYS.

file:///C:/Users/pgmartin/Documents/commbuys.com

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Step 2: Homepage

1. The top white Header Bar appears on every screen. It contains the COMMBUYS logo toward the left side of the screen, and three navigation icons located on the right side of the screen.

2. The blue Documents navigation link is just below the header bar and it appears on every screen.

3. Located within the blue vertical side-bar on the right side of the screen is the Dashboard icon. Clicking this icon will take the user back to the Homepage of COMMBUYS. The Dashboard icon appears on every

4. Below the Welcome message is a set of tabs called the Control Center. The Control Center does not appear on every screen.

5. The blue bar located at the bottom of the screen displays your company’s name and the COMMBUYS clock.

This blue bar appears on every

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Step 3: Header Bar

1. The right side of the Header Bar displays three navigation icons:

Settings, Help, and Account.

2. The Settings icon contains:

An Advanced Search link.

A Reports link. Please note that the Reports link is currently inactive.

3. The Help icon contains:

An About link that displays COMMBUYS version information.

A User Manual link that opens the BuySpeed user manual in a separate web browser or tab. BuySpeed is the platform on which COMMBUYS operates.

A Customer Service link that allows a user to send an email to the COMMBUYS Helpdesk to report an issue.

A NIGP Code Browse link that allows a user to search for UNSPSC commodity codes.

4. The Account icon contains:

A dropdown menu that allows users to switch their role in COMMBUYS.

Available roles include Seller and Seller Administrator.

A My Account link that allows a user to view or edit their user account information.

A Logout link that allows a user to log out of COMMBUYS.

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Step 5: Documents Navigation

1. Use the Documents navigation menus to look for documents either created by your company or sent to your company through COMMBUYS.

2. With the exception of the Contracts, each document menu can be expanded by clicking on the down-facing on the arrow for the relevant document type. For example, if you are looking for a Bid, click the arrow next to the Bids dropdown menu.

3. Expanding the view of the dropdown menus allows users to filter documents by status.

Step 6: Documents Navigation – Locating Your Contracts

1. Clicking on the arrow next to Contracts in the Documents navigation menu will take you to the Master Blanket/Contract POs Browse page.

2. To view any contracts awarded to your company, click on the Master Blanket tab on the Master Blanket/Contract POs Browse page.

Note: The COMMBUYS term for contracts is Master Blanket Purchase Order (MBPO).

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Step 7: Control Center

1. The Control Center is the set of tabs that appear below the “Welcome” message.

2. Each tab contains documents related to functions performed under the Seller role in COMMBUYS. Some of the tabs include sub-tabs and sub-sections that contain documents in a particular status.

3. The number in parenthesis indicates the number of documents available within that tab.

4. The Invoices and Vendor Performance tabs are not currently being used by the Commonwealth.

Step 8: Vendor Communication Tab

1. The Vendor Communication tab is located in the Control Center.

2. If a buyer requests that you revise a quote that was previously submitted, that Request for Revision notification will appear in the Vendor Communication tab.

3. Any attachments uploaded along with the Request for Revision will also be available in this tab.

4. On rare occasions other types of notifications from your buyers may appear in the Vendor Communication tab.

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Step 9: Bid Tab

1. The Bids tab is located in the Control Center.

2. The bids contained in this tab are arranged in five sections.

3. The Request for Revision section displays requests from buyers for a revised quote response to a Bid.

4. The Bids/Bid Amendments (Un- Acknowledged) section displays the Bids and Bid Amendments that have not yet been acknowledged.

5. The Open Bids section displays bids that are available for response to eligible bidders. Note the Create Quote hyperlink. By clicking on this link you can respond to the bid by creating a quote.

6. The Open/Rolling Enrollment section displays bids that will either re-open at set intervals to allow buyers to add new vendors, or bids to which a quote can be submitted at any time during the enrollment period.

7. The Closed Bids section displays bids that are no longer available for response.

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Step 10: PO Tab

1. The PO tab is located in the Control Center.

2. The purchase orders contained in this tab are arranged in two sections.

3. The Purchase Orders / Change Orders (Un-Acknowledged) section displays purchase orders from buyers that you have not yet acknowledged.

4. The Purchase Orders – Sent section displays all purchase orders sent to you. This includes Master Blanket Purchase Orders that have been awarded as well as POs that have not yet been acknowledged.

Step 11: Quotes Tab

1. The Quotes tab is located in the Control Center.

2. The Quotes contained in this tab are arranged in five sub-tabs.

3. The Informal sub-tab displays quotes that have been extemporaneously submitted directly from an agency Requisition.

4. The Working sub-tab displays the quotes that have been started, but not yet submitted to the buyer.

5. The Submitted sub-tab displays all the quotes that have been sent to the buyer by your organization.

6. The Revision sub-tab displays quotes that the buyer requested to be revised.

7. The Withdrawal sub-tab displays quotes that have been submitted to the buyer by your organization, but have since been withdrawn.

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Step 12: Accessing the Advanced Search Screen

1. Click on the Settings icon (wheel) at the located on the right side of the Header Bar.

2. Click on Advanced Search to open the Advanced Search Screen.

Step 13: Advanced Search Screens

1. The Advanced Search feature first presents a “Search For” box. Users can search for Document Types.

2. From the Document Type dropdown menu, users can select the documents they wish to search for.

3. The appropriate Advanced Search screen for a Document Type appears as soon as the Document Type is selected from the dropdown menu.

4. Each Document Type has its own Advanced Search screen with some search fields that are unique to the screen and Document Type.

Note: Purchasing Module is currently the only available choice in the module field.

Users can search for documents using a combination of the available search fields found on each Advanced Search screen.

The Search Using field found on each Advanced Search screen can be used to present results that match ALL the specified search criteria, or to present results that match ANY of the specified criteria.

Press Enter or click the Find It button found on each Advanced Search screen to generate your search results.

To reset an Advanced Search screen and remove search criteria from all fields, click the Clear button.

To return to the main Advanced Search screen, click on the plus sign located above your search results.

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Step 14: Advanced Search Screen for Purchase Orders

1. Use the PO# field to search for a PO by its COMMBUYS-generated purchase order number.

2. Use the PO Date field to search for a PO by the date it was sent to your company. This field can only be used for a specific date, not a date range.

3. Use the Organization dropdown menu to search for POs by the purchasing agency.

4. Use the UNSPSC Segment-Family, UNSPSC Class, and Commodity- EPP fields to search for a PO by commodity code.

5. Use the PO Description to search for POs by the short description entered by the agency.

6. Use the Item Description to search for POs by the goods or services purchased by the agency

Note: Only those who have been awarded an MBPO or received a purchase order through COMMBUYS will have results within this search.

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Step 15: Advanced Search Screen for Bids

1. Use the Bid# field to search for a Bid by its COMMBUYS-generated bid number.

2. Use the Bid Description to search for Bids by the short description entered by the agency.

3. Use the Organization, Department, and Location dropdown menus to search for Bids by the posting agency.

4. Use the Type Code dropdown menu to search for bids that have either been designated Statewide (SW) or Non-Statewide (NS).

5. Use Purchase Method to search for bids by the method of purchase as designated by the posting agency.

6. Use the UNSPSC Segment-Family, EPP fields to search for a bid by

7. Use the Bid Opening Date field to search for bids by its deadline to respond.

8. Use the Purchaser field to search for a bid by the person within an agency that posted the bid.

9. Use the Entered Date to search for a bid by the date it was entered into

COMMBUYS.

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Step 16: Advanced Search Screen for Items

1. Use the PO # field to search for an item on a purchase order using its COMMBUYS-generated PO #.

2. Use the UNSPSC Segment-Family, EPP fields to search for an item by

3. Use the Item Description field to search for an item by its short description.

Note: The Stock Item Number field is not currently being used.

Only those who have been awarded an MBPO or received a purchase order through COMMBUYS will have results within this search.

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Step 17: Advanced Search Screen for Contracts/Blankets

1. Use the Contracts/Blankets # field for search for a contract or blanket by its COMMBUYS-generated Contract/Blanket #.

2. Use the Contract/Blanket Description field to search for a contract or blanket by the short description entered by the buyer.

3. Use the Buyer field to search for a contract or blanket by the person within an agency that created the contract or blanket.

4. Use the Vendor Name or Vendor Legal Name fields to search for contract or blanket by vendor.

5. Use the Type Code dropdown menu to search for contracts or blankets that have either been designated Statewide (SW) or Non-Statewide

(NS).

6. Use the Expiration Date field to search for a contract or blanket by the contract end date.

7. Use the Item Description field to search for a contract or blanket by an item’s short description.

8. Use the UNSPSC Segment-Family, EPP fields to search for a contract or blanket by commodity code.

9. Use the PO Type field to search for a contract or blanket by its PO type.

10. Use the Bid # field to search for a contract or blanket by the COMMBUYS-generated bid number associated with the bid that the contract or blanket originated from.

Note: The Catalog field is not currently being used.

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Step 18: Advanced Search Screen for Commodity Codes

1. Use the UNSPSC Segment-Family and UNSPSC Class dropdown menu to search for commodity codes by the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code® (UNSPSC) classification system.

2. Use the Description field to search for commodity codes by keyword.

Note: The UNSPSC Group field is not currently being used.

Step 19: Action Buttons

1. Many documents within the COMMBUYS system contain action buttons that allow users to perform functions and navigate through the system.

2. The Save & Exit button saves the data entered on the current screen and returns the user to the previous

3. The Save & Continue button saves the data entered on the current screen and remains on the current screen.

4. The Reset button clears unsaved data from the fields on the current screen.

The Reset button will not clear data that has already been saved.

5. The Cancel & Exit button returns the user to the previous screen without saving any of the data entered on the current screen.

6. The Add File button allows a user to upload an attachment to a COMMBUYS document.

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Step 20: System Messages

1. Users will occasionally see system messages that could impact their navigation. Such messages would appear at the top of the screen.

2. Red messages indicate a condition that must be addressed before the document can be saved or submitted.

Red messages could also appear after a user attempts to save a document and the system encounters an error.

3. Yellow messages indicate warnings that do not prevent navigation additional conditions that need to be addressed.