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Procure: Two-Way Q&A Roles

Overview of Two-Way Q&A Roles and their respective capabilities within the Two-Way Q&A process.

Ciara Martin avatar
Written by Ciara Martin
Updated over a week ago

Q&A Roles are an additional, optional role that are specific to the Q&A module within any given data room. To allow a user's access to Q&A within the room, a Q&A Role will need to be assigned to that individual.

The available Q&A Roles for Two-Way Q&A are:

Internal Author

Internal Approver

Internal Main Contact

Internal Observer

Bidder Author

Bidder Approver

Bidder Main Contact

Internal Team

Q&A Roles available to the Internal Team include:

Internal Author

Internal Authors have the ability to not only draft questions, but to answer questions that have been assigned to them as well. Any questions and answers they submit are first routed to a Internal Approver within their team for approval. If there are no Internal Approvers within their team, their questions and answers go directly to the Internal Main Contact.

When answering questions, Internal Authors can only see and respond to questions that have been assigned to them. They will have three actions to choose from:

  1. Answer Question and Request Approval - Sends their drafted answer to a Bidder Approver for review

  2. Answer and Forward the Question - Draft an answer and forward to another Bidder Author for review/completion

  3. Forward Question - Forward the question to another Bidder Author

Internal Authors receive e-mail notifications when questions are assigned to them for answering.

Internal Approver

Internal Approvers have the responsibility of reviewing all questions and answers drafted by an Internal Author before they are sent to the Internal Main Contact. This is to filter out any duplicate questions, or vet the quality of questions and answers before they make it to the Internal Main Contact for action.

Internal Approvers can ask questions and send them directly to the Internal Main Contact.

When answering questions, Internal Approvers will only be able to see and respond to questions that are assigned to them.

When reviewing a question drafted by an Internal Author, they will have four actions to choose from:

  1. Approve Question - Approve the question and send it to the Internal Main Contact

  2. Approve Question and Request Additional Approvals - Approve the question but request additional approval by another Internal Approver on their team

  3. Modify and Approve Question - Modify the question before sending it to the Internal Main Contact

  4. Reject Question - Sends the question back to the original Internal Author to modify and resubmit

When reviewing an answer drafted by an Internal Author, they will have five actions to choose from:

  1. Approve Answer and Send to Main Contact - Approve the answer and send it to the Internal Main Contact

  2. Reject Answer - Send the answer back to the original Internal Author for revision

  3. Answer Question and Send to Main Contact - Modify the answer before sending it to the Internal Main Contact

  4. Answer and Forward the Question - Modify the answer and forward to another Internal Approver or an Internal Author on their team

  5. Forward Question - Forward the answer to another Internal Approver or an Internal Author on their team

Internal Approvers receive e-mail notifications when questions are assigned to them to approve or answer.

Internal Main Contact

Internal Main Contacts are responsible for overseeing the entire Q&A process for their bid team. They are the question and answer gatekeepers, responsible for approving all questions and answers provided by their team before they are sent to the Bidder Main Contact.

Internal Main Contacts have the ability to see all questions and answers being worked on by their team, regardless of who they are assigned to. They can even ask and answer questions themselves when necessary, and send them directly to the Bidder Main Contact.

When reviewing a question drafted by their team, the Internal Main Contact will have three actions to choose from:

  1. Approve Question - Approve the question and send it to the Bidder Main Contact

  2. Modify and Approve Question - Modify the question and send it to the Bidder Main Contact

  3. Reject Question - Reject the question and send it back to the Internal Approver to modify and resubmit

When reviewing an answer drafted by their team, the Internal Main Contact will have six actions to choose from:

  1. Disclose Answer - Approve answer and disclose to either "Question Author's team" or "All data room people"

  2. Answer Question and Disclose the Answer - Revise the drafted answer and disclose to either "Question Author's team" or "All data room people"

  3. Answer Question and Request Approval - Revise the drafted answer and request additional approval from another Internal Main Contact or an Internal Approver

  4. Answer and Forward the Question - Revise the answer and forward it to an Internal Author or Internal Approver on their team

  5. Forward Question - Forward the question to an Internal Author or Internal Approver on their team

  6. Reject Question - Reject the question and send it back to the Bidder Main Contact

Internal Main Contacts receive e-mail notifications when question are assigned to them and when answers are disclosed by a bidders team.

Internal Observer

Internal Observers can view only.

When Q&A is enabled in the room, the Internal Observer can see all questions and answers being worked on by their internal team, but they cannot process questions and answers like the Internal Main Contact can.

Internal Observers do not receive e-mail notifications, as questions and answers cannot be assigned to them.

Bidder Team

Q&A Roles available to the Bidder Team include:

Bidder Author

Bidder Authors have the ability to not only draft questions, but to answer questions that have been assigned to them as well. Any questions and answers they submit are first routed to a Bidder Approver within their team for approval. If there are no Bidder Approvers within their team, their questions and answers go directly to the Bidder Main Contact.

When answering questions, Bidder Authors can only see and respond to questions that have been assigned to them. They will have three actions to choose from:

  1. Answer Question and Request Approval - Sends their drafted answer to a Bidder Approver for review

  2. Answer and Forward the Question - Draft an answer and forward to another Bidder Author for review/completion

  3. Forward Question - Forward the question to another Bidder Author

Bidder Authors receive e-mail notifications when questions are assigned to them for answering.

Bidder Approver

Bidder Approvers have the responsibility of reviewing all questions and answers drafted by a Bidder Author before they are sent to the Bidder Main Contact. This is to filter out any duplicate questions, or vet the quality of questions and answers before they make it to the Bidder Main Contact for action.

Bidder Approvers can ask questions and send them directly to the Bidder Main Contact.

When answering questions, Bidder Approvers will only be able to see and respond to questions that are assigned to them.

When reviewing a question drafted by a Bidder Author, they will have four actions to choose from:

  1. Approve Question - Approve the question and send it to the Bidder Main Contact

  2. Approve Question and Request Additional Approvals - Approve the question but request additional approval by another Bidder Approver on their team

  3. Modify and Approve Question - Modify the question before sending it to the Bidder Main Contact

  4. Reject Question - Sends the question back to the original Bidder Author to modify and resubmit

When reviewing an answer drafted by a Bidder Author, they will have five actions to choose from:

  1. Approve Answer and Send to Main Contact - Approve the answer and send it to the Bidder Main Contact

  2. Reject Answer - Send the answer back to the original Bidder Author for revision

  3. Answer Question and Send to Main Contact - Modify the answer before sending it to the Bidder Main Contact

  4. Answer and Forward the Question - Modify the answer and forward to another Bidder Approver or a Bidder Author on their team

  5. Forward Question - Forward the answer to another Bidder Approver or a Bidder Author on their team

Bidder Approvers receive e-mail notifications when questions are assigned to them to approve or answer.

Bidder Main Contact

Bidder Main Contacts are responsible for overseeing the entire Q&A process for their bid team. They are the question and answer gatekeepers, responsible for approving all questions and answers provided by their team before they are sent to the Internal Main Contact.

Bidder Main Contacts have the ability to see all questions and answers being worked on by their team, regardless of who they are assigned to. They can even ask and answer questions themselves when necessary, and send them directly to the Internal Main Contact.

When reviewing a question drafted by their bid team, the Bidder Main Contact will have three actions to choose from:

  1. Approve Question - Approve the question and send it to the Internal Main Contact

  2. Modify and Approve Question - Modify the question and send it to the Internal Main Contact

  3. Reject Question - Reject the question and send it back to the Bidder Approver to modify and resubmit

When reviewing an answer drafted by their bid team, the Bidder Main Contact will have six actions to choose from:

  1. Send Answer to Internal Main Contact - Approve answer and send it to the Internal Main Contact

  2. Answer Question and Send to Internal Main Contact - Revise the drafted answer and send it to the Internal Main Contact

  3. Answer Question and Request Approval - Revise the drafted answer and request additional approval from a Bidder Approver

  4. Answer and Forward the Question - Revise the answer and forward it to a Bidder Author or Bidder Approver on their team

  5. Forward Question - Forward the question to a Bidder Author or Bidder Approver on their team

  6. Reject Question - Reject the question and send it back to the Internal Main Contact

Bidder Main Contacts receive e-mail notifications when question are assigned to them, or when answers are disclosed by the Internal Main Contact.

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