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1. Onboarding & Setup

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Add Supplier Partners

  1. Navigate to the Partners tab in the app.
  2. Click + Add Partner.
  3. Choose how to connect:
    • Find Team – for companies already on Seminode. Search their company name and select them.
    • Email Connection – for companies not on Seminode. Enter their Partner Email(s) (e.g., john@company.com) and Company Name.
  4. Optionally record partner terms (contract name, renewal and expiry dates, notes) and send an invite email so they can create their own account.
  5. Click Add Partner.

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Configure Company Quoting Email

  • In Settings , configure a central quoting email (e.g., quotes@company.com) for all customer and supplier communications. Read more at Outlook Email Integration .
  • All email partner quoting threads will be routed here and then stored successfully in your Inbox .

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Create Demand / BOMs / Shortage Node

  1. Navigate to My Nodes in the Network Tab.
  2. Select Create Node.
  3. Provide a name, contact information, and description.
  4. Configure authentication (read/write) and discoverability options. When checked, read/write protection requires authorization - when unchecked the data becomes public and anyone with the node URL can read or post data.
  5. Click Create Node to finalize.
See docs on Nodes for more information.

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2. Posting Demand

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Upload Demand List / BOMs

Prepare and upload your demand data. See Upload Tools for detailed field requirements and examples. You can also email lists directly to email partners from the platform.

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3. Supplier Actions

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A. Supplier with Seminode

  • Search materials, filter, export, and upload mass quote files.
  • Centralized and structured quoting threads in-platform.
  • Intelligent pricing analysis from network and web data.
  • API usage to programmatically quote and create unique workflows.

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B. Suppliers without Seminode

  • Receive an Excel list via email to your shared email.
  • Submit quotes via email to your shared email.

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4. Working Quotes

All quotes from network partners (in-platform) and email partners (via email) appear in your Inbox . A typical per-line loop looks like:
  1. Triage each incoming quote against your own cost basis — map your cost files as reference data and the margin on every offer is calculated automatically.
  2. Compare competing offers side by side in the comparison view, with your reference and program data alongside partner quotes.
  3. Counter or message the partner directly from the thread until the offer is where it needs to be.
  4. Route the best offer for approval — send it through your team’s approval flow so the owning program or site signs off before you commit. Custom thread statuses work well as handoffs when different people handle sourcing, pricing, and the final response.
  5. Record the outcome and close the loop — accept or reject in-platform; email partners automatically receive notifications based on your response actions.
Run this as a weekly cadence: refresh your reference data, upload the week’s demand lines, work the inbox, approve, and close. Automations and qualification rules can pre-sort arriving quotes so your team starts each cycle from a triaged queue — see Automations.

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5. Orders

Quotes accepted by both parties turn into Orders, shown in the app at Orders . You can also click on the 3 dots to generate invoices and PO’s.
Some demand programs close on a single acceptance instead: the buyer accepts the winning offer in Seminode, places the purchase order through their own purchasing system, and records the PO reference back on the line. Both models are supported — see single-party acceptance in Settings.