Frequently asked questions

Look here for answers to questions most frequently asked

	What is Emptoris?

	How do I gain access?

	I have forgotten my IBM ID, what can I do?

	I have forgotten my password, how can I retrieve it?

	I cannot see the RFx I was invited to, why not?

	I need help,is there someone I can contact?

	I don't seem to be able to access the tool. Are there particular desktop settings I need to have?

	What is the process for registering in Emptoris SP?

	What are the roles of the main contact and others in my company?

	Nothing happens when I click a button, link or when I try to select a calendar date.

	My company is registered but I need access to participate in an RFx.

	What changes will I see after the 5.2 Upgrade takes place?

What is Emptoris?		Emptoris Sourcing Portfolio, is used by IBM as the primary method to make sourcing decisions. IBM will use Emptoris SP to post requirements to the supply base, collect responses and then determine the best overall solution to meet IBM's requirements.

How do I gain access?		To gain access to the application, please refer to detailed directions in the Emptoris SP Getting started section of this site

I have forgotten my IBM ID, what can I do?		If you need assistance regarding a forgotten IBM ID, please contact the IBM registration help desk. US and Canada: 1-888-426-4409 US and Canada: 1-416-383-3906 Japan (Monday to Friday only, except Japanese holidays and 12/30-1/3): 0570-030-555 All other geography's outside North America and Japan, contact the IBM registration help desk for "Level 1 (basic)" support and report the problem at: +1-416-383-3906 (support in English only).

I forgot my password, how can I retrieve it?		You can go to the IBM password reset site and request a new password.

I cannot see the RFx I was invited to, why not?		If you have logged on to Emptoris and are in the view "Bids->View FXs" and you believe you should be able to view an RFx, there is a drop-down list available next to the binocular icon on your screen, this drop-down contains different RFx status you can select to view on your screen, ensure that you have an appropriate view status selected from this drop-down.

I need help. Is there someone I can contact?		Please feel free to contact the Procurement application support center for assistance.

I don't seem to be able to access the tool. Are there particular desktop settings I need to have?		There are no custom installation requirements for a web browser application, although using Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or higher is recommended. There will not be any additional components to install just to use Emptoris SP, other than the standard-install web browser, only the speed of the connection to the server is the bottleneck.

What is the process for registering in Emptoris SP?		Details on how to register can be found in the Getting started page.

What are the roles of the main contact and others in my company?		There are two supplier roles, these are the supplier application manager (SAM) and the supplier agent (SA). The SAM will be the key supplier contact who will have authority to create supplier agents (SA) within their organization and will be able to invite SAs from within their organization to an RFD. The SAM is also responsible for maintaining the company profile and the other supplier user access.

Nothing happens when I click a button,link or when I try to select a calendar date.		You probably have a 'pop-up blocker' active, this could be with the Google toolbar, MSN toolbar, Yahoo toolbar or other toolbar, all within Internet Explorer, it also could be other programs which have a pop-up blocker functionality such as Ad-Aware or Zone Labs, also Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack (SP2) installs a pop-up blocker within Internet Explorer. You can usually bypass the pop-up blocker by holding the 'Ctrl' key whilst selecting the button/link, if this does not work you need to remove pop-up blocking through the pop-up blocker you have installed, you may be able to remove pop-up blocking for a particular web address.

My company is registered but I need access to participate in an RFx.

If your company is registered to use Emptoris SP, but you do not yet have authorization, you will need to request access to the application. However, you first need an IBM ID that is used with many of the IBM applications.

Go to the page to request your username and password.
Once you have your username and password, you can then register to use Emptoris SP. Please follow these steps to request registration for use of Emptoris SP.
First, if you know who your supplier application manager (SAM) is (often times the first person that registered your company for use of Emptoris SP at IBM), please contact them directly and they can grant you access as a new supplier agent.
If you do not know who your SAM is and you are sure that your company is registered to use Emptoris SP at IBM, go to the supplier user registration.
You will be prompted for your username and password as obtained above.
You will then need to enter your supplier organization name (i.e. company name). The organization name must be entered exactly as it was originally registered. If you are unable to find your organization name, you should request a new registration for your company as described above.
If you were able to find your organization name, you will then be provided a short questionnaire about yourself to create your own user profile. While completing the questionnaire, you should select a role of supplier agent. Complete all mandatory fields and as many optional fields as applicable.

Your request will then be reviewed and approved by your company SAM and you will receive an e-mail confirmation of your request completion and status.
If you have any questions or problems, please contact the Procurement application support center.

What changes will I see after the 5.2 Upgrade takes place?		See Emptoris 5.2 Upgrade changes.

Frequently asked questions

Content navigation