Identifying and Substantiating Categories: Basic steps on how to substantiate categories for a ProServices Solicitation
Note
This page only contains information for suppliers about how to ensure that 'category substantiation' is correctly entered during a ProServices Request for Supply Arrangement (RFSA) solicitation bid response. It does not describe all the other mandatory sections within the ProServices online response template and it is assumed that a supplier has followed the more detailed instructions available on the Supplier Easy Steps—for Data Collection Component page regarding how to prepare an overall bid response.
The identifying and substantiating of categories is completed in the "Mandatory Criteria" section of the ProServices online response template.
Streams
- Your first step will be to indicate which streams you will be offering
- Click the "Stream Information" link
- Populate all dropdowns – select those you wish to offer ("Currently Offered" or "Newly Offered") and those you do not wish to offer ("Not Offered")
- Quick Tip: here is a list of all ProServices—Streams And Categories to use for reference
- Click the 'Save' button at the bottom of the page
- Links will appear beside each stream being offered
Categories
- It is now time to offer specific categories
- Click the "View Categories" link for the stream(s) you wish to offer
- On the "Categories" page, again populate all dropdowns, either offering the category ("Newly Substantiated" or "Currently Substantiated") or declining ("Not Offered")
- Click the 'Save' button at the bottom of the page
- Links will appear beneath each category being newly offered
References
- It is now time to enter your category references
- Click on the "Substantiate Reference" link beneath each category you are newly offering
- On the page marked "Category—Substantiation" enter the category reference information into all fields
- Quick Tip: each category has its own "Category—Substantiation" page, and each "Category-Substantiation" page can only hold one reference (but two e-mail addresses)
- When you are done entering the reference information click on the "Update the Reference" button
- Click on the "Back to Categories" link at the bottom of the page to return to the list of categories
- Repeat this process for each category that is being "Newly Substantiated" within a stream
- Click on the "Return to streams" link at the bottom of the page to return to the "Streams and Categories" page. Repeat this process for the remaining offered streams if necessary
- When all relevant streams and categories have been substantiated, click on the "Return to Response Home Page" link at the bottom of the page to return to the "Supplier Response – Home" page
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