Previously, once a vendor submitted their application, you could either Approve or Decline their submission ([read more here]). However, many customers found that “Decline” felt too final in cases where vendors simply needed to update their application before resubmitting. This often led to lower resubmission rates and confusion about the vendor’s status. To avoid this, some customers started using the Unlock workflow as a workaround, benefiting from its flexibility and softer language. However, this approach lacked visibility for requesters, making it unclear whether the application was with the procurement team or back with the vendor. 

The new Resubmission Workflow makes it easier to request updates from vendors, improving both internal visibility and the vendor experience. 

Note: This feature is currently in Beta. To enable it, please contact your Customer Success Manager. 

New options for vendors pending approval 

When a vendor submits an application and is Pending Approval, you’ll now see a banner at the top of their profile with three options: 

• Approve 

• Request updates 

• Not Proceeding 

Approving a vendor 

If the application is fully reviewed and you’re ready to add the vendor to your Approved Vendor Directory, select Approve Vendor. 

• Users with “Review compliant vendor applications” can approve only if there are no outstanding sign-off assignments, unvalidated compliance documents, or pending payment details. 

• Users with “Review all vendor applications” can approve even if the review isn’t complete, for cases where approval needs to be expedited. 

When you click Approve, a confirmation window will appear where you can: 

• Add an optional message to the vendor (e.g., thanking them and outlining next steps). 

• Review indicators:  

• • Panels where the vendor is Pending Approval (these will update to Approved automatically unless you untick this option). If you would like to handle the updates for each panel individually, you may untick this option and update panel statuses after or before approving the vendor. 

• • Warnings for any outstanding sign-off assignments. 

Once approved, the vendor receives a notification with your optional message included. 

Not proceeding 

If you decide not to include the vendor in your Approved Vendor Directory, select Not Proceeding. You’ll be asked to provide a short message explaining your decision to help the vendor understand the outcome. Vendors will be notified of the decision via email. 

Important: Vendors in Not Proceeding status cannot resubmit their application. If they wish to reapply later, you’ll need to manually update their status to Pending Approval or Pending Resubmission. 

The vendor will see their status and your reason in their organisation list. 

Requesting updates (NEW) 

If the application needs corrections before a final decision, use Request Updates. 

Both “Review compliant vendor applications” and “Review all vendor applications” roles can access this option. 

When you click Request Updates, you’ll see: 

• A required comment field to explain what changes the vendor needs to make. 

• If there are sign-off comments, you’ll see a section listing these comments and an option to include them in your message, making it easy to share SME feedback. 

Once submitted, the vendor receives an email with your instructions, and their status changes to Pending Resubmission. 

New status - Pending Resubmission 

Reminders 

For vendors in Pending Resubmission, you’ll see a new Reminder section in their profile. Automated reminders make follow-ups easier and show how many reminders have been sent, helping you decide whether to keep waiting, follow up manually, or move the application to Not Proceeding. 

Vendors receive 4 automated reminders: at 3, 7, 14, and 21 days after changes are requested, until they resubmit. 

Sourcing with Pending Resubmission Vendors 

By default, vendors in Pending Resubmission are treated like Pending Approval - they’re not yet approved. If your organisation sends RFQs only to approved vendors, these vendors won’t appear in RFQ workflows. If you include all statuses, they will appear and can receive RFQs. 

Other actions 

You can still interact with vendors in Pending Resubmission as you would with Pending Approval: upload documents, edit tags or summaries, and create evaluations.

New default view 

When you enable the Improved Resubmission Workflow, you’ll see a new default view in the Vendors navigation. This view helps Procurement teams track applications requiring resubmission, especially those pending for a long time. 

New columns include: 

• Resubmission Reminders - shows the number of reminders sent and flags when all automated reminders have been exhausted. 

• Resubmission Requested - shows the date the update was requested, helping you identify applications waiting the longest. 

FAQs 

• What happens with vendors that have previously been Declined once I enable this feature?  

• • The vendors will continue to be in Declined status. Their experience will be the same as before the feature was enabled. 

• Could I migrate my vendors to a new Not Proceeding or Pending resubmission status?  

• • For customers in Beta, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager to discuss available options.  

• Can I set a deadline for a resubmission?  

• • At this stage, there is no option to set a deadline for resubmission. We recommend using the reminder schedule and the new Pending Resubmission view to make decisions about waiting for a vendor’s resubmission or moving them to Not Proceeding status. 

• Can I move a vendor in Pending Resubmission to Not Proceeding or Pending Approval?  

• • Yes, once the vendor is Pending Resubmission, you can manually update their status back to Pending Approval or Not Proceeding. 

• Are the new statuses available for Internally Managed Profiles?  

• • Yes, Internally Managed Profiles will use the new Resubmission workflow and Not proceeding statuses.