Reopening a Project

The Reopen Project feature is ideally used in a Best and Final Offer (BAFO) situation, multi-phase evaluation, or project with multiple mandatory deadlines. It allows a buyer to collect additional information from existing vendors, while preventing them from modifying the documents/data they've previously uploaded. A project can be reopened as many times as necessary. 

NOTE: If you want to reopen your project to the broader public after it has closed, so that you might receive additional submissions from new vendors (i.e., in a case where not enough submissions were initially made), please see How do I change the Open/Close/Evaluation dates?

This feature can be used as part of a Best and Final Offer process, or to run complex projects where vendors have to work against multiple deadlines to submit their documents. Let's take a look at how to reopen a project:

1. Setting up the Requested Information
2. Eliminate Vendors (Optional)
3. Reopen the Project
4. Vendor's Point of View

1- Setting up the Requested Information

This is the most important step in the process. You must determine how many slots to add to the project that vendors can use to upload documents into.

Click on Manage under the Requested Information section, and add a new slot. In the example below, we added a "New Pricing Proposal" slot.

You might have noticed the padlock icon next to each Requested Document. Vendors will not be able to add or delete any document in a locked slot. Vendors can only upload files into unlocked slots. For example, if the Pricing Proposal was left unlocked, vendors will be able to delete the files they initially uploaded into the slot. For this reason, we recommend that you only unlock the new slots you wish to add.

2- Eliminate Vendors - Optional

When a project is reopened, all vendors who submitted to the project will be able to see the project and will have the ability to modify their submission. You can Eliminate vendors who you don't wish to grant access to the reopened project.

In the case of a BAFO process, you may want to Eliminate all vendors who were not shortlisted to take part in the BAFO round.

A few notes on Invite Only Projects:

All Vendors who have been invited to your project will always be able to see your Project Details (unless you delete the project). This means that if your project is invite only, and you have eliminated Vendors, they will still be able to see Project Details and the updated Required Information when you reopen your project. However, they will not be able to submit to your project. Only those who have not been eliminated will be able to submit to a reopened project.

3- Reopen the Project

Now you are ready to Reopen the project. To set new project deadlines first navigate to the Actions menu at the top right of the Project Details page. From there select the "Reopen Project".

This will open a new window where you will be able to set new dates, review which document slots are locked/unlocked, as well as which vendors will have access to the reopened project.

Once the dates are entered, you will be able to immediately Reopen the project by clicking on the button at the bottom of the modal.

Your project is now open, and will only be shown to vendors who participated in the first phase of the project and who have not been eliminated. Evaluators will no longer be able to access project documents or enter any scores until the project closes again.

Bonfire will prompt you to issue a Public Notice to notify vendors of the project reopening. Please note that a Public Notice will notify all vendors, regardless of whether they were eliminated or not.

If you choose to notify only certain vendors of the project reopening, you can dismiss the Public Notice prompt and choose to email the vendors directly to let them know.

4- Vendor's Point of View

Vendors who can participate in the reopened project will first need to log in. Once logged in they will see the project under the My Opportunities tab as shown below.

Once they click on the View Opportunity button they will be taken to the project page where they can elect to Modify Submission.

From there, vendors will be able to upload new documents to any unlocked slots as shown below. 

Once the vendor submits the additional files, and once the project closes, you will see the new document in the dropdown list as shown below.

NOTE: At this time this feature is not available on Multi-Category Decision Projects.