A tender on the Rootie platform goes through several stages during its lifecycle. Each state defines what actions the buyer or seller can perform, which tools are available, and how the tender behaves within the system. Understanding these states is essential for effectively managing the tender process.
Overview of States
A tender can be in one of the following states:
- Draft
- Scheduled
- Active
- Closed / Awarded
- Cancelled
Each state has clearly defined rules, described below.
1. Draft
The Draft state means that the tender has not been published yet. The buyer can prepare, complete, and edit the tender without it being visible to sellers.
Key characteristics:
- The tender is visible only to the buyer.
- The Save as Draft button allows the tender to be saved without publishing.
- The Publish Tender button changes the status to Active.
- The buyer can edit any field — product, quantity, incoterms, payment terms, documents, or dates.
Note
If the buyer sets a future publication date, the tender remains in the Draft state until it is automatically published.
2. Scheduled
The Scheduled state means that the tender has a publication date set in the future. The tender is saved, but not yet visible to sellers, and will be automatically published on the specified date and time.
Key characteristics:
- The tender is visible only to the buyer.
- The buyer can edit all details — product, quantity, incoterms, payment terms, documents, and dates.
- The tender will be automatically published at the scheduled date without any action required from the user.
- After publication, the state automatically changes to Active.
Note
After publication, the tender must still meet the minimum required duration of 24 hours. If the publication and expiration dates violate this rule, the system will not allow the tender to be saved or scheduled.
3. Active
The Active state means that the tender has been published and is visible to all sellers on the platform.
Key characteristics:
- The tender is visible to all sellers in the Active Tenders section.
- Sellers can create and submit their offers.
- The buyer can see the number of received offers.
- The buyer cannot edit the tender after the first offer is submitted.
- The buyer may cancel the tender if they do not wish to proceed.
Note
The tender must remain active for at least 24 hours (the publication and expiration dates must not overlap).
4. Closed / Awarded
The Closed state occurs when the buyer accepts one of the submitted offers.
Key characteristics:
- The tender is considered completed with a winning offer.
- The tender moves from the Active Tenders list to the Closed Tenders list.
- No further offers can be submitted.
- Neither the buyer nor the seller can edit the tender anymore.
5. Cancelled
The buyer may cancel the tender if they no longer wish to proceed with the tender process.
Key characteristics:
- The tender is marked as Cancelled and becomes inactive.
- The buyer can cancel the tender only until the first offer has been submitted.
- Sellers will no longer be able to submit offers.