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Getting started with the Supplier portal...
Getting started with the Supplier portal...

Everything you need to know to work with the LSP.expert Supplier portal.

Caroline Bries avatar
Written by Caroline Bries
Updated over a week ago

➡️ If you're using LSP.expert V1, click here.

In this article, we will tell you how to use the LSP.expert Supplier portal.

View of the person outsourcing the job

Let's start with the view of the person outsourcing the job (Outsourcing tab in the job):

To know how to outsource a job, you can have a look at this article: http://help.lsp.expert/en/articles/1168599-how-can-i-outsource-a-job-to-a-supplier

In the Outsourcing tab of the job, you will find a unique link that can be sent to your supplier to give them access to the files, the instructions and the PO related to the job. You can send this link directly from there (by clicking on Actions > Send email for portal access) or you can copy it (using the square icon next to the link) to send it from somewhere else. You can also regenerate the link (Actions > Reset portal access).

To add instructions about the job for the supplier, click on Edit in the Supplier portal panel. The popup that opens will also allow to define other options concerning the access to the portal.

You can also share files with the supplier. There are three ways to do that:

1) You can upload the files to be shared in the Files tab of the job, and then click on the three dots at the end of the line of the uploaded file and select "Share with all suppliers".

2) You can upload the files to be shared in the Files tab of the job, and then edit the "Files shared with the supplier" panel in the outsourcing page of the job and click on Share next to the files.

3) You can click on Edit in the "Files shared with the supplier" panel in the outsourcing page of the job and upload the files from there. The files uploaded there will also be automatically uploaded in the Files tab of the job. The advantage is that the files uploaded from here will be automatically marked as shared with the supplier.

Whatever the method, the files can be uploaded from your computer, Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive. You can select all the files you wish to add and upload them at once.

Below the Files panel, there is also a "Recent events" part, where you will be able to see when your supplier downloaded a file, downloaded a PO, uploaded files or closed the job.

To send the link to your supplier, click on Actions > Send email for portal access. You will arrive in a sending screen:

The default text of the email can be adapted under Settings > Document and email configuration (select the document configuration concerned and then go in the Emails tab of this document configuration). You can also adapt the text just for this email by modifying it in the sending screen above.

View of the supplier

Now let's see the view of the supplier:


Job details, price, instructions and files

The supplier first sees the details of the job (name, due date, quantity, etc.). On the right, they can see the pricing of the job, and click on "View pricing details" to know more about the calculation. The supplier can also see the instructions the client entered for the job and the files that have been shared with them (and download them). At the bottom of the supplier's view are the details of the client outsourcing the job, as the client defined them under Settings > My company in their LSP.expert account.


Purchase order

If the PO is defined as Sent in the client's system, the supplier can also see and download the PO from the portal.

How to close a job?

To close a job on the Supplier portal, the supplier first has to upload their finished files by clicking on "Upload files". The supplier can select more than one file and upload them all together.

The system then shows a popup asking the supplier if they're finished and wish to close the job.

  • If the supplier answers YES: then the job is closed and the system offers the supplier to add a comment for their client.

  • If the suppliers answers NO: then the job isn't closed and the supplier can continue working on it. When they're done, they can upload other files and select YES when the system asks if the job is complete.

If the supplier wished to close the job without uploading any files, they can do that by clicking on "Close the job" at the top of the screen on the Supplier portal. The system then offers the supplier to add a comment for their client.

When the supplier uploads a file, a blue cloud icon with an arrow pointing up appears next to the file on the portal, to indicate that this file has been added by the supplier.

Once a job is closed, the supplier can't upload files anymore, but they can still download the files related to the job and the PO (if marked as Sent by the client). Here is what it looks like when a job has been closed:

Accept/reject the job on the portal

When a supplier receives a job through the Supplier portal, he can very easily accept or reject this job on the portal, using the corresponding buttons:


When the supplier is done...

Now let's go back in the outsourcer's view to see what it looks like when a supplier closes a job:

You get an email informing you when a supplier closes a job.

You can see the files that have been uploaded by the supplier (icon with the photo or the initials of the supplier) in the Outsourcing tab of the job:

The files can also be found in the Files tab of the job.

In the details of the outsourcing, the job automatically switched to "Ready for review", and you can see the comment of the supplier in the "From [name of the supplier]" panel.

You can also see all the recent events related to the job:


Good to know: When you receive an automatic email (sent from no-reply@lsp.expert) notifying you that a supplier has accepted, rejected or finished a job on the portal, you can start a conversation with this supplier by just replying to this email (the email will be sent to the email address of the supplier).


If you're using LSP.expert V1

In this article, we will tell you how to use the supplier portal in LSP.expert.

View of the person outsourcing the job

Let's start with the view of the person outsourcing the job (Outsourcing tab in the job):

To know how to outsource a job, you can have a look at this article: http://help.lsp.expert/en/articles/1168599-how-can-i-outsource-a-job-to-a-supplier

Unique link to access the job, instructions for the supplier and files to be shared with the supplier

In the Outsourcing tab of the job, you will find a unique link that can be sent to your supplier to give him/her access to the files, the instructions and the PO related to the job. You can send this link directly from there (blue envelope button), you can copy it to send it from somewhere else (light grey copy button) or you can regenerate the link (dark blue button).

Just below the link, you can add instructions about the job for your supplier. For that, simply click on "Add instructions".

You can also share files with the supplier, by clicking on "Manage your files". When you click on this link, this pop-up window appears:

The files you added at the job level (in the Files tab of the job) are automatically added to this list. In the example above, it means that the file "Newsletter.docx" was already there at the job level. You can add new files by clicking on "Select file...".

To share a file with the supplier, click on the dark blue eye button next to the corresponding file. A green eye appears on the left of the file, to indicate that the file has been shared with the supplier. The eye button on the right is then replaced by a red eye button, on which you can click if you don't want the file to be shared with the supplier anymore.

Good to know: the files you add/remove through the supplier portal are also automatically added in/removed from the Files tab of the job. You can also see if the files are shared (green eye) in this Files tab.

Below the link, the instructions and the files, there is also a "Recent events" part, where you will be able to see when your supplier downloaded a file, downloaded a PO, uploaded files or closed the job (see at the end of this article).

How to send the link to the supplier?

To send the link to your supplier, click on the little envelope button next to the link. You will arrive in a sending screen:

The default text of the email can be adapted under Settings > Document and email configuration (select the configuration concerned and then go in the Emails tab of this configuration).

View of the supplier

Now let's see the view of the supplier:


Job details, price, instructions and files

The supplier first sees the details of the job (name, due date, quantity, etc.). On the right, he/she can see the pricing of the job, and he/she can see the details of the amount by clicking on "View pricing details" (same as when you click on an estimate in a job). The supplier can also see the instructions the client entered for the job and the files that have been shared with him/her (to download these files, he/she has to click on the cloud button with the arrow pointing down). At the bottom of the supplier's view are the details of the client outsourcing the job, as he defined them under Settings > Accounting.


Purchase order

If the PO is defined as Sent in the client's system, the supplier can also see and download the PO from the portal.

How to close a job?

To close a job, the supplier first has to select and upload the finished files by clicking on "Upload files from your computer". When the supplier uploads a file, a cloud icon with an arrow pointing up appears next to the file, to indicate that this file has been added by the supplier:

After the finished files have been uploaded, the supplier has to click on the green "I'm done" button in the portal. He/she will arrive in a screen where he/she can add comments for the client:

Then, the supplier has to click on "Close the job". Once a job is closed, the supplier cannot upload files anymore, but he/she can still download the files related to the job and the PO (if marked as Sent by the client). Here is what it looks like when a job has been closed:

Accept/reject the job on the portal

When a supplier receives a job through the supplier portal, he can very easily accept or reject this job on the portal, using the corresponding buttons:


When the supplier is done...

Now let's go back in the outsourcer's view to see what it looks like when a supplier closes a job:

You can see the files that have been uploaded by the supplier (little cloud with an arrow pointing up):

The files can also be found in the Files tab of the job.

You can also see all the recent events related to the job:


In the details of the outsourcing, the job switched to "Ready for review", and you can see the comment of the supplier by hovering your mouse over the little icon next to the status:


You also get an email informing you when a supplier closes a job:

When you receive an automatic email (sent from no-reply@lsp.expert) notifying you that a supplier has accepted, rejected or finished a job on the portal, you can start a conversation with this supplier by just replying to this email (the email will be sent to the email address of the supplier).

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