Create a request

Getting started

To create a request, click the "Create Request" button in this top right of the Requests` page. This will open the Request submission form. Note: draft requests are not saved until submitted.

Requests are grouping of similar parts that need to be procured. When sending an RFQ to suppliers, all items on the Request are included. Tags can be used to group several Requests together (e.g., a project or BOM).

Screenshot of New Request form

Request fields

Field	Instructions
Requester	Select the user who is requesting the items. Requests can be submitted on behalf of other users.
Short description	Enter a brief summary of the request.
Drop zone	Select the receiving location from the dropdown menu. These values come from your organizations settings.
Need date	Enter an overall need date for the Request. If no need date is entered, supplies will be asked to quote standard lead time. For requests marked as hot, suppliers are asked to quote ASAP. Requests cannot be marked as hot at the time of submission.
Suppliers	The requester can select suppliers from the organization's supplier list if they have suppliers in mind for the request. If the items need to be sourced, this field can be left blank. Supplier approval statuses show in the supplier selection if they are set. When working with a new supplier that doesn't exist in Silkline yet, leave the suppliers field blank and specify supplier(s) in the internal notes.
Tags	Specify tags to organize and group requests. For example, tags can be used to specify: a commodity group of the requested item a department or team a budget code a project or build
Files	Upload files relevant for the request. Note: files are shared with suppliers when sending RFQs from the Request.
Notes for Suppliers	Specify notes that will be shared with suppliers on RFQs.
Internal notes	Specify internal notes that are not shared with suppliers.
Parts	Specify the items on the request. Items can be parts selected from your parts library, or free text descriptions (or both)

If your organization needs to collect custom fields for Requests, reach out to [e-mail] for assistance.

Screenshot of Parts input for a Request

Request item fields

Field	Instructions
Line	Automatically assigned line number. Deleting a request item does not reorder line numbers.
Part	Select a part from your organization's Parts library, enter a free text description, or both. Use the buttons on the right edge of then field to toggle between part selection and free text inputs. When a value is entered for either, the button icon highlighted blue.
Quantity	The quantity requested. If you'd like the vendor to quote multiple quantities for a part, specify that in the line description or add new lines for the additional quantities.
Pedigree	Select the Pedigree (or quality level) from the list of options.
Quality Clauses	Quality Clauses are not displayed when submitting a Request because Requesters are not generally expected to know which quality clauses are applicable. Quality Clauses should be added by the Buyer when managing a request if necessary.
Need Date	If items on the request have different need dates, you can optionally specify dates at the line item level.

Bulk upload

If you have a BOM or long list of request items, you can import request items from a CSV file. Silkline uses AI to automatically map your column headers so it's ok if the column headers don't match the Request item fields exactly.

Screenshot of bulk upload button