Frequently Asked Questions (v.1.1)
1. My Account
1.1 Q. How do I register on the In-Tend website to access business opportunities in the Black Country?
1.1 A. Suppliers are advised to use the Register/Sign In button located on the left hand menu. This will bring up a wizard guiding suppliers through the registration process. It is important that as much information is completed as possible notwithstanding the mandatory fields of information indicated in yellow. Note: suppliers may also register via one of the individual buyer websites.
It is particularly important that suppliers put at least two points of contact into their registration. Buyers will usually send out items of Correspondence, or the system will generate automated reminders of return dates, therefore it is important for suppliers to be able to cover absence. The presence of two contacts ensures continuity of information on behalf of the supplier.
1.2 Q. How will I know when business opportunities appropriate to my company are available?
1.2 A. Part of the registration process involves suppliers self-classifying their area of work using the Pro-Class coding system. It is important that the most appropriate category be chosen at this point.
When the participating buyers publish documentation they will use the Pro-Class coding system to relate appropriate suppliers to each project. A notification email will then be distributed to individual email accounts.
However, it is still important that suppliers regularly review the website
Copy of Proclass Coding nomenclature:
1.3 Q. I have forgotten my password. How do I retrieve it from the system?
1.3 A. Suppliers should use the Forgotten Your Details? Click Here button in the first instance on the Sign In page. Suppliers will be invited to input the email address on the account and an email containing login details will be automatically generated to this address.
Alternatively, if the email address is unknown or the person on the account has left the organisation please contact the System Administrator via the Contact Us area of the website.
1.4 Q. How do I update my company details held on the system?
1.4 A. Suppliers should use the View/Amend My Details button located on the menu on the left hand side of the screen.
2. Correspondence
2.1 Q. I have received notification via email of Correspondence being published to my In-Tend account. How do I locate this?
2.1 A. Correspondence is always published to the secure area of the website to your individual In-Tend account. Therefore you must sign in in the first instance.
Once successfully logged-in correspondence will be published under the Correspondence button on the toolbar on the left of the screen.
In some cases many items of correspondence may have been published, or the supplier is involved in a number of projects. Suppliers are advised to use the project filter to ensure that they locate the most relevant information. This is a dropdown menu of all available projects with which the supplier is associated.
2.2 Q. I have located the item or correspondence and wish to respond. How do I do this?
2.2 A. Within the correspondence received will be the option to Reply. Selecting this button will open up a new screen where suppliers can type their response. Documents may be attached using the same process detailed below in Submitting Documents (4.5).
3. Clarifications
3.1 Q. I have received an email stating that a clarification has been published in relation to a project I am involved in. How do I access this information?
3.1 A. The Council will issue any PQQ/Tender related information of significant importance via the Clarifications function. This information is published to all suppliers who have expressed an interest in a project as well as any future expressions of interest.
Information may be located following the steps in 4.2, however, instead of selecting the View Documents button, suppliers should select the View Clarifications button.
4. Submitting Documents
4.1 Q. How do I express an interest in a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire/Tender?
4.1 A. Suppliers are required to express an interest in a project via the In-Tend system; it is not sufficient to email the Council for a copy of the documentation.
Tenderers should locate the project under the All Opportunities link and select the View Tender Details button within the description field. This will bring up a new screen providing further details of the project within which sits a red Express Interest button.
Upon selecting this suppliers will be directed to either sign in to the website or to register for the first time. An expression of interest will usually be accepted when either of these processes is complete.
4.2 Q. I have expressed an interest in a project and was expecting a copy of the PQQ/Tender document to be emailed to me but have not yet received anything. What should I do?
4.2 A. PQQ/Tender documents will not be sent from In-Tend to individual email addresses. They are published to your account on the secure area of the website and you will need to log back into the website. Documents, upon expressing an interest in the project the project, will appear under the My Tender button. Tenderers should select the View Tender Details button within the description field and then the red View Documents button. All associated Pre-Qualification/Tender documents will be itemised in this screen.
4.3 Q. What needs to be returned with my submission?
4.3 A. There will usually be a list of the required documents for return detailed within the stage description. Further detail will also usually be included within the Pre-Qualification/Tender documentation.
4.4 Q. How do I submit the Questionnaire?
4.4 A. The Questionnaire is a web based document that must be completed online. Suppliers are able to prepare answers in a package such as Microsoft Word and copy these into the Questionnaire. All mandatory fields, indicated by yellow answer fields, must be complete before the Questionnaire can be submitted. These are tracked on the left hand side of the screen which details all outstanding questions.
It is important to note that suppliers will not be able to submit a return without completing the Questionnaire. The SUBMIT button will not be available until this is complete.
Suppliers are able to save their progress so that they can return to the document at a later date.
4.5 Q. How do I upload documents for return?
4.5 A. Located at the bottom of the documents screen is a section entitled My Documents for Return with a browse box.
Suppliers should select the Browse button to locate documents on their own server/hard disk drive. Once the document has been located, select Open from the browse window. The file path to the document will appear in the browse box; suppliers should select the Upload button to add the document to their return. This should be repeated until all relevant documents have been uploaded.
4.6 Q. How will I know that my submission has been successfully received?
4.6 A. Upon selecting the Submit button a receipt will be generated by the system detailing the time and date of submission and a list of documents returned.
Suppliers are advised to print and retain a copy of this receipt for future reference.
If no receipt is generated then the submission has failed and supplier should attempt to re-submit as soon as possible.
For any questions not covered by this document please contact the System Administrator using the Contact Us area of the website.