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The category request process lets vendors request that new procurement categories be associated with their account. Those procurement categories can then be used by the related procurement and sourcing processes. (Learn more in Procurement catalogs overview.)
Category requests are initiated by vendors in the Vendor information workspace. They are then submitted to your agency for review and approval. Approved categories are added to the list of procurement categories for the vendor's account.
To use this feature, it must be turned on for your system. As of Supply Chain Management version 10.0.25, it's turned on by default. As of Supply Chain Management version 10.0.32, this feature is mandatory and can't be turned off. If you're running a version older than 10.0.32, then admins can turn this functionality on or off by searching for the Allow vendors to apply for procurement categories through vendor collaboration feature in the Feature management workspace.
If this feature is turned on, you can still manually add procurement categories to vendor accounts. For information, see Approve vendors for specific procurement categories.
Before a vendor can interact with category requests, it must be set up for vendor collaboration.
The vendor must have at least one vendor collaboration user. Only vendor users with the Vendor admin (external) security role can create and submit category requests.
Learn more in Set up and maintain vendor collaboration.
The Vendor category request workflow must be set up in the procurement and sourcing workflows. Vendors will submit new category requests that you can review and approve. Requested procurement categories are added to a vendor account after a category request is approved.
The following example shows how to set up a simple Vendor category request workflow that has a single approver. You must review your internal processes to determine the appropriate workflow setup for your agency.
Tip
If your agency doesn't require approval of category requests, you should configure the workflow for automatic approval.
For more information about how to set up workflows, see Workflow system overview.
This section describes how vendors can use the Vendor information workspace to create, edit, view, and submit category requests.
To start a new category request, follow these steps.
In the Vendor information workspace, select the Category requests tile.
On the Category requests page, on the Action Pane, select New category request.
In the New category request dialog box, find the category that you want to apply for by navigating the tree and/or using the filter at the top of the list. Select the checkbox for each relevant category.
Note the following points:
Select OK to create the draft request.
The new draft request now appears on the Category requests page.
Open the new draft request to review and edit it as required.
If you're ready to submit the request, select Submit on the Action Pane. Otherwise, just close the page and skip the remaining steps of this procedure. You can then return to the request later.
Read any submission instructions that appear, and then select Submit.
In the Comment box, enter any additional information that is required. Then select Submit to complete the request.
To edit a draft or recalled category request, follow these steps.
To submit a draft or recalled category request, follow these steps.
In the Vendor information workspace, select the Category requests tile.
Select the draft or recalled request that you want to submit.
On the Action Pane, select Submit.
Read any submission instructions that appear, and then select Submit.
In the Comment box, enter any additional information that is required. Then select Submit to complete the request.
The status of the category request is changed to one of the following values:
To recall a category request that has been submitted but hasn't yet been approved, follow these steps.
In the Vendor information workspace, select the Category requests tile.
Select the pending request that you want to recall.
On the Action Pane, select Recall.
In the Enter a comment box, enter any additional information that is required. Then select Submit to complete the request.
The status of the category request is changed to Canceled. The request will remain in this status until you delete or resubmit it.
To delete a draft or recalled category request, follow these steps.
To view completed requests, open the Vendor information workspace and select the Category requests tile. Category requests that have been completed will have one of the following statuses:
This section explains how to approve, reject, and delegate category requests that vendors submitted, and how to view completed requests. These workflow actions are for the whole category request.
To view category requests, follow these steps.
Go to Procurement and sourcing > Vendors > Vendor collaboration requests > Category requests.
The Category requests page appears. The default page view shows category requests that have a status of Pending action.
To view all requests, select All in the Show requests field.
Open a request to review and edit it as required.
To approve a pending category request, follow these steps.
Go to Procurement and sourcing > Vendors > Vendor collaboration requests > Category requests.
Select the pending request to approve.
Review the category request.
Optional: On the General FastTab, in the Reason code field, select a reason code. Then, in the Reason comment field, enter a comment about the reason code.
On the Action Pane, select Workflow.
In the workflow options, select Approve.
In the Comment field, enter any additional information that is required. Then select Approve to complete the request.
The status of the category request is changed to Approved, and the procurement categories are added to the vendor account.
To reject a pending category request, follow these steps.
Go to Procurement and sourcing > Vendors > Vendor collaboration requests > Category requests.
Select the pending request to reject.
Review the category request.
On the Action Pane, select Edit.
On the General FastTab, in the Reason code field, select a reason code. Then, in the Reason comment field, enter a comment about the reason code.
On the Action Pane, select Save.
On the Action Pane, select Workflow.
In the workflow options, select More and then Reject.
In the Comment field, enter any additional information that is required. Then select Reject to complete the request.
The status of the category request is changed to Rejected. At this point, the vendor can create a new category request as required.
To delegate a pending category request to another user, follow these steps.
To view procurement categories for a vendor after a category request is approved, follow these steps.
Go to Procurement and sourcing > Vendors > All vendors.
On the All vendors page, select the vendor that you want to view procurement categories for.
On the Action Pane, open the General tab and, from the Set up group, select Categories.
The Categories page appears. The Procurement FastTab shows procurement categories that were added through the category request.
On the Procurement FastTab, you can make changes if needed. For example, you can set the Vendor category status field to Preferred.
Events
Power BI DataViz World Championships
Feb 14, 4 PM - Mar 31, 4 PM
With 4 chances to enter, you could win a conference package and make it to the LIVE Grand Finale in Las Vegas
Learn moreTraining
Learning path
Configure and manage procurement and vendors in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management - Training
The process of finding and working with vendors, purchasing products, and ensuring the quality of goods and services are all important factors that impact a company's reputation and success.
Certification
Design and configure Dynamics 365 Supply chain Management and related tools.