Wesfarmers

Agentrics e-Sourcing

Vendors can read about the prerequisites and processes involved in participating in an e-Sourcing event.

Agentrics Auctions Terms & Conditions (pdf) - sets out and explains the key terms of agreement between suppliers and Coles Group Limited in conducting an auction.

Agentrics Auctions - Agentrics e-Sourcing website.

Quick Reference Guides - information on attending auctions (must be an Agentrics registered user).

Contacts

For any questions relating to the use of the Agentrics Sourcing tools, please contact the Coles Group Limited Agentrics team:

• J'aime Meddings ph. +61 3 9829 3515 mobile +61 (0) 400 680 355 email jaime.meddings@coles.com.au

Common questions

My buyer has told me they are going to auction XXX product. What do I have to do?

Be patient. There is a long process we follow before we get to an auction. The buyer's advice is probably just a courtesy to let you know this is how they intend to determine the price of the particular product or service.

What is the process?

• You will be formally invited to indicate your preparedness to supply a product or service. If it is a product you will be required to submit samples to the buyer's specification.
• The buyer will send samples from all participants to Coles Group Limited Quality Control facilities for evaluation against the specifications that have been published. In the event of a service, the buyer will evaluate your capability using the resources that are available to them. That may mean on online RFx.
• After evaluation, the qualified suppliers will be formally invited to participate in the auction. Suppliers that fail the qualification will be advised. Resubmissions of samples may be allowed.
• Qualified suppliers (not already registered) will be contacted by Agentrics with a request to complete their registration on the Agentrics site.
• When you have completed registration, a Coles Group Limited team member will train you in the use of the Agentrics Sourcing tool. Note that you can access the Agentrics Sourcing Quick Reference Guides after you become registered.
• You will be invited to participate in a mock auction.
• You will be invited to bid in the live auction.
• The buyer will notify all participants of the outcome.

What is an online RFx?

RFx is the collective acronym we use for:

• Request for Information - purely questions to gather information
• Request for Quote - gathering pricing only. This is 'non-competitive' in the sense that you will not know how your price compares to other participants.
• Request for Proposal - gathering both information and pricing for the product or service.

What is an auction?

An auction is purely price gathering in a competitive environment. You will be provided with real-time feedback on where your price ranks and you may adjust and re-adjust that to a more favourable position.

Is there any cost for me to be in a sourcing event?

No. Neither Coles Group Limited nor Agentrics apply any charge to suppliers to participate in a sourcing event. Registration is free and everlasting.

Is price the only criteria on which the contract will be decided?

Not necessarily. It is agreed that an auction is a bidding event. However the software enables the buyer to recognise the value of non-price elements of the negotiation. The process is known as 'factoring' or 'weighting'.

Why would a buyer use 'weighting'?

It is our earnest intention to award all auctions to the bidder that has the lowest bid on the site i.e. ranked "Best" or 1. Although all participants have products that meet the specifications and that the buyer would buy from, there will inevitably be differences between those products. The buyer is encouraged to evaluate any differences at the conclusion of a competitive pricing event before the issue is confused.

How do I know if I am bidding against a comparable product?

Eligible suppliers are filtered in the quality control process or in the buyer evaluation phase, which may be in the form of an RFI. It is Coles Group Limited policy that we will only invite suppliers from whom we would purchase the product or service to an auction.

Will I be able to see my competitors' bids in my auction?

It will depend on the style of the auction. In an 'open' auction, the buyer has determined that all participants will be able to see the bid values from the other bidders. In a 'blind' auction, the buyer has determined that bidders cannot see other bids. However, your rank will be visible. Blind auctions are used particularly in industry segments where price is sensitive and successful bidders do not want other participants to see the final price.

• eSourcing, Negotiations, Terms & Conditions
• Agentrics