ANTE User Manual

Canvassing

Canvassing is the step in the procurement workflow where you collect price quotes from suppliers for a Purchase Request, compare them side by side, and then choose the best supplier for each item. ANTE handles this on a single screen that walks you through two phases — Price Canvassing and Supplier Selection — and ends by creating Purchase Orders for the suppliers you picked.

Overview

Canvassing belongs to the Assets → Purchasing area and is part of a Purchase Request's procurement workflow (see Purchase Requests). After a request passes Materials Approval it enters the Canvassing stage, and the Canvassing screen becomes available for that request.

The screen is organized as a two-step workflow, shown by a stepper at the top:

  1. Price Canvassing — Enter supplier prices. Add the suppliers you want to compare and fill in their quoted price for each item.
  2. Supplier Selection — Choose best supplier per item. Click the winning price for each item, then submit to create Purchase Orders.

The current step is driven by the request's status: a request in Canvassing status is on step 1, and a request in Supplier Selection status is on step 2. You cannot step backwards once you have moved forward.

Opening the Canvassing Screen

  1. Open Assets → Purchasing in the sidebar.
  2. On the Purchase Requests tab, click a request whose Status is Canvassing or Supplier Selection.
  3. The Canvassing screen opens for that request.

At the top you will see:

  • A Back arrow to return to the request.
  • The page title Canvassing with the request code (for example, "Comparing suppliers for PR-0001").
  • The workflow stepper (Price Canvassing → Supplier Selection).
  • An overview bar showing the request code, the number of items, the number of suppliers, the current status, and the Estimated Total.

Step 1 — Price Canvassing

In this phase you build a comparison table by adding suppliers and entering each supplier's price for every item.

Adding a Supplier

While the request is in Canvassing status, two buttons appear in the top-right of the page:

  • Add Supplier
  • Done Canvassing

To add a supplier:

  1. Click Add Supplier (top right). If no suppliers have been added yet, you can also click Add Supplier in the center of the empty table.
  2. In the Add Supplier dialog, choose an existing supplier from the Supplier dropdown. Suppliers already added to this canvass are not listed again.
  3. Click Add to attach the supplier.
  4. Repeat for each supplier you want to compare.

If there are no more existing suppliers to add — or if you simply need a new one — use the Or create a new supplier link inside the dialog to enter a brand-new supplier (name, contact number, email, tax type, and payment terms).

Each added supplier becomes a column in the comparison table, with the supplier name and a meta line summarizing its payment terms · delivery terms · tax type.

Entering Prices

The comparison table lists one row per item and one column per supplier:

ColumnMeaning
ItemItem name and description
QtyQuantity requested
Est. PriceThe estimated unit price carried over from the Purchase Request
(one per supplier)The supplier's quoted unit price for that item
Best PriceThe lowest quoted price for the item, with how much less it is than the estimate (e.g. "12% less")

To enter or change a price:

  1. Click a supplier's price cell for an item. A pencil icon marks cells you can edit.
  2. Type the unit price.
  3. Press Enter to save, or Esc to cancel. Clicking away also saves the value.

As you fill in prices, the table updates automatically:

  • The lowest price for each item is highlighted as the Best Price, with the savings versus the estimate.
  • The Grand Total row at the bottom shows each supplier's total (price × quantity, summed across all items) next to the estimated grand total, so you can compare suppliers at a glance.

Removing a Supplier

To drop a supplier from the comparison, click the small × in that supplier's column header.

Finishing Canvassing

When you have added your suppliers and entered their prices, click Done Canvassing (top right). This moves the request to the Supplier Selection phase and advances the stepper to step 2.

Warning

You must add at least the company's configured minimum number of suppliers before you can finish canvassing (default 2; an administrator can change this to 1–5 — see Minimum Canvass Suppliers). The Done Canvassing button stays disabled until enough suppliers are attached.

Step 2 — Supplier Selection

In this phase you pick the winning supplier for each item and create the Purchase Orders.

Selecting a Supplier per Item

  1. For each item row, click the price cell of the supplier you want to award that item to. The selected cell is marked with a check mark.
  2. The lowest price for each item is tagged Lowest to guide your choice — but you can select any supplier, not only the cheapest.
  3. To change your mind, click the selected cell again to clear it, or click a different supplier's cell.

Only cells with a price greater than zero can be selected.

The Selection Bar

A summary bar stays fixed at the bottom of the screen during Supplier Selection:

  • Items selected — a running count (for example, "3 / 5 items selected").
  • Selected Total — the combined cost of your current selections.
  • Savings vs estimate — the percentage you are saving against the estimated total, shown when your selections come in under the estimate.
  • The action button:
    • While selections are incomplete it reads Select N more item(s) and is disabled.
    • Once every item has a selected supplier it becomes Create Purchase Orders.

Creating Purchase Orders

  1. Make sure every item has a supplier selected — the count in the selection bar must reach the total number of items.
  2. Click Create Purchase Orders.
  3. The selections are submitted, Purchase Orders are generated for the chosen suppliers, and you are taken to the Purchase Orders view.
Tip

You must select a supplier for every item before you can create Purchase Orders. The button stays disabled until all items are selected.

Field Reference

Comparison Table

FieldDescription
ItemThe item name and (if any) its description
QtyThe quantity requested for the item
Est. PriceThe per-unit estimate inherited from the Purchase Request
Supplier price cellA supplier's quoted unit price; editable during Price Canvassing, selectable during Supplier Selection
Best PriceThe lowest quoted price for the item, with savings versus the estimate
Grand TotalEach supplier's total cost across all items, alongside the estimated total

Add Supplier Dialog

FieldRequiredDescription
SupplierYesChoose an existing supplier to add to the comparison
Or create a new supplier—Switch the dialog to create a new supplier instead
Supplier NameYesName of the new supplier (create mode)
Contact Number—Phone number of the new supplier (create mode)
Email—Email address of the new supplier (create mode)
Tax Type—Tax treatment for the new supplier (create mode)
Payment Terms—Default payment terms for the new supplier (create mode)

Selection Bar

FieldDescription
Items selectedHow many items have a supplier chosen, out of the total
Selected TotalThe combined cost of the current selections
Savings vs estimatePercentage saved against the estimated total
Create Purchase OrdersSubmits the selections and generates Purchase Orders (enabled only when all items are selected)

Common Tasks

Compare suppliers for a request

  1. Open Assets → Purchasing and click a request in Canvassing status.
  2. Click Add Supplier and add each supplier you want to compare.
  3. Click each supplier price cell, enter the quoted unit price, and press Enter.
  4. Read the Best Price column and the Grand Total row to compare.

Award items and issue Purchase Orders

  1. Once prices are entered, click Done Canvassing to move to Supplier Selection.
  2. Click the chosen supplier's price cell for each item (look for the Lowest tag as a hint).
  3. When the selection bar shows all items selected, click Create Purchase Orders.

Add a supplier that isn't in the system yet

  1. Click Add Supplier.
  2. Click Or create a new supplier.
  3. Fill in the supplier name (required) and any other details, then add it to the canvass.

Tips

  • Add all your suppliers first, then go across each item entering prices — the Best Price and totals recalculate as you type.
  • The "Lowest" tag is a hint, not a rule — you can award an item to any supplier based on terms, reliability, or delivery, not just price.
  • Every item needs a selection — you cannot create Purchase Orders until all items have a chosen supplier.
  • Use the Grand Total row to see whether one supplier is best overall, even when item-by-item prices are mixed.

💡 Note: Canvassing is a two-phase step inside a Purchase Request's procurement workflow. Phase 1 collects and compares supplier prices; phase 2 selects the winning supplier per item and turns those choices into Purchase Orders.

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