1. ePPSS 1 Frequently Asked Questions What are the recommended technical specifications for using ePPSS? 1 Relatively modern workstation and recent Operating System (e.g. Windows 7 or above). MS Office 2003 or above. Email client (e.g. MS Outlook). Relatively recent web-browser, with session cookies and Javascript enabled (e.g. Internet Explorer 8). Compression/decompression tool (e.g. winzip). Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.6.

2. ePPSS 2 Frequently Asked Questions What is the registration process? 2 Suppliers self-register in the system using the “Register as Supplier” left-hand side menu link. To register, a Supplier must provide details of the Organisation being registered and personal information. The Organisation account will be checked by PPS and either accepted or rejected. The user, at first login, must provide the transactional code sent via email in order to activate the account.

3. ePPSS 3 Frequently Asked Questions I am not receiving emails from the system. What should I do? 3 Check whether the ePPSS emails are automatically saved by your email client in a spam folder. Verify that your email client does not have antispam filters to automatically delete ePPSS notifications as spam. Contact your IT support team to verify that ePPSS emails are not blocked by your firm’s mail server. Check your personal profile within ePPSS to verify that the correct email address has been provided to the system. Seek PPS helpdesk support.

4. ePPSS 4 Frequently Asked Questions What should I do if I forget my username or password? 4 If the username is forgotten, the Supplier can contact the PPS helpdesk. If the password is forgotten, the Supplier can use the “Forgot your password?” left-hand side menu and follow instructions to reset it.

5. ePPSS 5 Frequently Asked Questions What is the prequalification process? 5 Upon registration, the system will send to the supplier an email notification containing the PPS Prequalification Form. The Form must be printed, completed, signed and sent back to PPS. PPS will follow all prescribed internal procedures before updating the Supplier Organisation profile accordingly.

6. ePPSS 6 Frequently Asked Questions Which are the PPS approved manufacturers? How do I include their details in my tender? 6 The list of PPS approved manufacturers is published by PPS together with the QDS of a PPS pooled procurement competition. Suppliers need to download the PPS approved manufacturers XLS from the Contract Documents section. Supplier need to copy/paste information from the PPS approved manufacturers XLS into the respective QDS columns for the products they provide offers.

7. ePPSS 7 Frequently Asked Questions How can I ask PPS for clarifications for an ongoing pooled procurement competition? 7 Suppliers may use the “Clarifications” area of the PPS pooled procurement workspace.

8. ePPSS 8 Frequently Asked Questions How will I be made aware of forthcoming PPS pooled procurement competitions? 8 PPS will advertise forthcoming PPS pooled procurement competitions in the “PPS tender advertisements” left-hand side menu section. Typically, when the PPS pooled procurement competition commences, PPS will invite all qualified Supplier to participate. Hence, if a Supplier is not qualified with PPS and is interested in a forthcoming PPS pooled procurement competition, the Supplier must promptly follow the PPS qualification process.

9. ePPSS 9 Frequently Asked Questions How will I be made aware of new PPS pooled procurement competitions? 9 All invited Suppliers will be automatically notified by the system upon commencement of the competition. Suppliers may also view the competitions they are associated with by using the “List of my CfTs” left-hand side menu.

10. ePPSS 10 Frequently Asked Questions How do I prepare and submit my tender? 10 Suppliers must download the QDS and fill it in correctly, as per the Contract Documents and system user manual. Suppliers must use the Tender Preparation Tool (TPT) of ePPSS to create a valid tender, which is used to encrypt a completed tender and secure it until tender unlocking The encrypted tender needs to be uploaded onto the system. Upon uploading, the supplier will receive information on whether the submission was successful and receive a unique submission ID. A submitted tender can be replaced by a new one as many times as needed until the tender submission deadline.

11. ePPSS 11 Frequently Asked Questions Can I submit my tender in an offline manner? 11 As a transition phase, PPS will initially allow the submission of tenders outside the context of the system. Suppliers must check the Contract Documents for precise PPS instructions for each PPS pooled procurement competition. A valid offline tender must include electronic media containing a valid QDS. Suppliers must download the QDS and fill it in correctly, as per the Contract Documents and system user manual.

12. ePPSS 12 Frequently Asked Questions What happens after I submit my tender? 12 As soon as the tenders are unlocked, the system will generate a Bid Consolidation XLS containing all valid offers for all products of the QDS in a comparative manner. The Bid Consolidation XLS, along with information on the participating suppliers, will be made available by the system in the “Opened tender details” left-hand side menu. Once evaluation is completed, PPS will announce the final results. If successful, a Supplier will be invited to sign a contract with PPS.