Introduction 

The 2025x FD03 release introduced a new cloud-only role: 'Supplier Request Manager' (SRQ-OC).
The 'Supplier Request Manager' role empowers OEMs and suppliers to collaborate seamlessly on design, prototype, sustainability, and design-change requests through a secure supplier portal. It ensures end-to-end traceability, protects sensitive data, and supports a streamlined, structured request process.

At the core of this solution is a single application:

• 'Supplier Request Management' application

  This app is used to create Technical and Sustainability Requests, share them with suppliers, and review and analyze their responses.

In this blog, we'll walk through the full Request process and explain how to establish the communication channel with suppliers, so they can actively participate and provide the required inputs throughout the process.

Managing Supplier Requests in ENOVIA 

Let's begin by looking at the different types of requests available in ENOVIA using the 'Supplier Request Manager' role:

• Technical Requests:

  Technical requests are used to manage and streamline collaboration with suppliers on product or component related technical topics. 
  Technical request sub types include:

  • Prototype Request 
  • Design Request 
  • Design Change
     

• Sustainability Requests: 

  Sustainability requests allow suppliers to provide sustainability declarations that confirm the compliance status of a Manufacturing Equivalent Item (MEI). 
  Sustainability Classifications / Types include:

  • Material compliance regulations 
  • Weight related metrics

Note: to support the above Sustainability Requests, you need to have the following roles:

- Materials Compliance Engineer (MCV-OC) to create sustainability requests on materials regulations.

- Weight and Balance Manager (KPW-OC) to create sustainability requests on weight metrics.  

Establishing the communication channel with suppliers

Before you submit Requests to suppliers, you must establish the communication channel with them. 

To do that you have two other ENOVIA roles, which are co-requisite of the 'Supplier Request Manager' (SRQ-OC) role:

• 'Supplier Company Collaboration Token' role (YCT-OC)
• 'Supply Network Manager' role (PTN-OC) 

The 'Supplier Company Collaboration Token' (YCT-OC) is a license role. It is not a user-based role. It is the mechanism / token that allows you to activate the communication channel between your company and your Suppliers.

The 'Supply Network Manager' Role (PTN-OC) contains two applications:

• The Supply Network Management app, which allows you to create suppliers, supplier users and manage their information and relationship definition in the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform.
  
   
• The Supplier Connect Administration application allows you to allocate the Token to the Supplier Company, enabling its users to access the Supplier Connect Portal. 

Requests Process

Step#1 – Create a Request and send it to a supplier.

Create a request using a predefined template or start from scratch. 
Add key details such as the due date, request type, instructions, selected supplier, attachments for supporting information, and the approval workflow or reviewer.

For Sustainability Requests, additional elements are required, including the Manufacturer Equivalent Item (MEI) for which you are requesting metrics information, as well as the specific sustainability metrics to be provided.

Step#2 – Supplier receives the request and provide response.

Once the request is submitted, the Supplier representative can log in to the Supplier Connect Portal, review the request, respond to it and send it back.

• Supplier uses the Engineering tab to access all the Technical requests assigned to the supplier.

• Supplier uses the Sustainability tab to access all the Sustainability requests assigned to the supplier.

  

   

Step#3 – Review & manage the supplier response

Once the supplier returns their response, the response is available in the Response tab in the 'Supplier Request Management' application.

The request's owner can review the response, and decide if a new round is needed or not. 
A round acts like a new revision of the request, and initiated when further clarification or communication is required. 

For Sustainability requests, you can choose to publish the Declarations provided by the supplier.

When a Supplier Declaration is published, the system automatically updates the definition of the corresponding MEI.
Once published, you can:

• Use the ‘Material Compliance Assessment’ app, which is available with the 'Materials Compliance Engineer' (MCV-OC) role - to perform compliance analyses and view compliance status across all configured regulations.
• Use the 'Weight and Balance' app, which is available with the 'Weight and Balance Manager' (KPW-OC) role - to analyze, assess, and compare objective values with the evaluated (assessed) values.

The following videos illustrate the ‘Supplier Request Manager’ role in more details:
Technical Request video:

Sustainability Request video: