FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

    Business directory

    How can I use business category?

    On ALEO.com you you have access to profiles of several dozens of companies - active Users of the platform. Additionally you can find business cards with basic information on every company registered in KRS and CEIDG.

    What kind of information do we publish on the profiles:
    - capital and personal connections,
    - register data, companies authorities,
    - financial documents, including financial e-statements,
    - opinions and ratings of customers.


    Your company profile

    Company profile

    How to fill your company profile?

    Phone number - provide a number which will be used by your customers to contact your company.

    E-mail address - provide an e-mail address which will be used by your customers to contact your company.

    Logo - add your company logo with maximum size of 5 MB, in JPG, PNG, JPEG or GIF format.

    About us - describe your company, its pros, its history.

    Offer - describe products and services offered by your company, their specification and why the customers choose them.

    Address - provide address of your company

    Edition of profile is available after clicking the company name on "My office" page or "Go to profile" button.

    Why should I fill information about my company?

    The more more information you provide, the more potential cotractors will be attracted. Take care of assigning most suitable category for your company. If you do so, you will be receiving invitations to RFPs, purchase auctions and requests for offer. We take care of high positions of our pages in Google. Profile on ALEO.com will be an additional way of promotion of Your company.

    How can I find a public profile of my company?

    To see public profile of your company, click on My office » Company » Company profile » See.

    WHere are my data on ALEO.com from?

    We publish data from public and official registers of KRS and CEIDG.

    Can I delete my company profile on ALEO.com from Google results?

    If you don't want to have your profile visible in Google, you have to issue a request by filling the following form Google Search Console.

    What's going on with my company profile when its suspended?

    Data on ALEO.com comply with information available in official registers CEIDG/KRS. Because of temporary status of the company, until its closed, we publish the data with a symbole "company suspended" what is consistent with the actual state.

    What are notifications on ALEO.com?

    Notifications are information about recent RFPs and auctions, sent to ALEO.com users within the observed categories and keywords specified by the user. They are also notifications about received offer, invitation to RFP or auction.

    Users management

    How to manage permissions of your company employees?

    Edition of your profile is available in Company » Employees tab. Here you can find information on people having access to company profile. Employees with administrator permissions can also manage permissions of other users.

    What does request to join the company mean?

    Zgłoszenie dołączenia oznacza, że niezalogowany użytkownik zgłasza, że jest pracownikiem Twojej firmy i chciałby korzystać z ALEO.com. Sprawdź, czy jest tak w rzeczywistości oraz ustal, jakie uprawnienia powinien posiadać. Jako administrator masz możliwość akceptacji lub odrzucenia zgłoszenia.

    What does Confirmed / Unconfirmed / Blocked status mean?

    It is a status of employees of the company:
    - unconfirmed - employee did not click the activation link of your company, e-mail has been sent to them when their e-mail address to ALEO.com was added,
    - confirmed - employee account is active,
    - blocked - employee has been blocked by the company administrator or ALEO.com operator. Login is not available.

    Where can data about employees activity on ALEO.com be found?

    On My office » Company » Activity monitoring page you can find information about activities of your company users on ALEO.com during past 2 months.

    Profile confirmation

    How can I confirm my profile?

    The most convenient way to confirm you profile is to make a bank transfer for the amount of 1 zł from your company bank account on the individual account number visible on My office page. We wil return this money onto your account after the profile is confirmed.

    Why should I confirm my company profile?

    This way you confirm your company data. This option is also required to use Supplier Financing.

    Relations between companies

    How can I invite my own business contractors to take part in auctions and RFPs?

    By placing an RPF or offer you can invite companies not registered on ALEO.com, by providing their e-mail addresses in the input field form of invited companies.

    Why should I invite other companies to contact?

    After adding a company to the list of your contractors you may receive information about their activity, for example about purchase and sales activities they have recently conducted.

    What is the difference between references and transactions ratings?

    References regard the general cooperation with the supplier and can be issued to the company by any contractor whereas transaction rating is added after finalization of transaction (RFP, auction, order) by both sides of the cooperation.

    Opinions received and issued

    Who issues opinions on ALEO.com?

    Ratings and opinions can be issued on behalf of a private person and a company as well.

    Ho can I rate a company?

    Visit the profile of a company that you would like to rate. Click the specified number of stars and add an opinion about the company. If you publish an opinion on your behalf, provide your firstname, lastname and an e-mail address. If you rate on behalf of a company - you need to login or register your profile on ALEO.com first.

    Rating scale

    Rate a company with a rating of from 1 to 5 stars. 1 - is the worst, 5 - is the best rating.

    Who is responsible for the text of an opinion?

    The person whoi is responsible for the text of the opinion is the one who added the opinion.

    Can I delete opinions about my company?

    Opinions can be deleted only in case of breaking The Terms of Use of ALEO.com or the applicable law. In other cases you may respond to the text of the opinion by adding a comment.

    Notifications

    What are notifications visible on My office page?

    They are informstion about events on ALEO.com.

    How can I manage notifications?

    To add or delete observed categories or keywords, on basis of which you will receive information on business opportunities on ALEO.com, in right top corner on Settings » Notifications settings . Next, add categories the the list of observed categories and specify your keywords. This is the way how you can manage business opportunities and you receive live updates on RFPs and auctions published on ALEO.com (option available in PRO and PRO+ packages).

    Observed categories

    What are categories on ALEO.com?

    Category is a branch of activity of a company. We specify it to easily find and categorize companies and their products by their field of activitty. ALEO.com has a three-level tree of categories.

    My categories - how to add them?

    During the registration process system will ask you to choose the field of activity of your company. You can add new categories at any time. To do so, click the icon in top right corner Settings » Notifications settings » Add categories to observed.

    Why should I add a category to list of observed categories?

    If you specify observed categories, you will be receiving notifications about purchase and sales procedures on ALEO.com, regarding the branches. Information about RFPs and auctions is visible directly from the My office mainpage. Thanks to this function you save time to respond to the newest business oportunities on ALEO.com faster and more effective.


    Purchase

    Requests for proposal

    What is a request for proposal?

    It is a purchase tool. If you want to buy product or service, you can use the tool to gather offers. You can do it in three simple steps:

    1. Fill the form, adding a specification. The better your purchase demand is described, the more suitable offers you will receive.
    2. Publish your RFP - send it to chosen or all companies on ALEO.com and companies not registered on the platform as well. Therefore offers will be issued by suppliers interested in placing an offer.
    3. Browse and compare gathered offer in only one place.

    What should an effective RFP consist of?

    If you ask your suppliers about sales conditions of a product or service, take care of precise description of your expectations. Your RFP should consist of:

    1. Detailed specification, add more items - if you're looking for more products or services.
    2. Optimal deadline for placing offers (we recommend at leas 7 days), so that the suppliers have enough time to prepare them.
    3. Optionally, list of questions to suppliers - thanks to it you provide more details about purchase conditions.
    4. E-mail addresses suppliers, whom you would like to invite to the RFP. Adresy e-mail dostawców, których chcesz zaprosić do zapytania. You can do so in closed as well as in public processes.

    What types of RFPs can be issued on ALEO.com?

    RFPS can be open (public) or closed (visible only for selected companies).
    Additionally you may decide what type of RFP you would like to publish:
    Single - it will be visible only in catalogue of RFPs. It won't be republished after being finished.
    Permanent – it will be additionally paid in "Permanent RFPs". Suppliers will have no deadlines to send offers and you will be able to see them whenever you would like to.
    Cyclical - after specified period of time it will be republished under the same conditions on your behalf.

    Do I have to choose a supplier after an RFP is finished?

    You do not have to choose a supplier on ALEO.com. After the RFP is finished, you can continue negotiations by publishing Overtime or Sales auctions, if you cannot make a decision on this stage of the purchase process.

    What are the best purchase practices?

    1. Aggregation of purchase demand of your company and its connections. You will increase the value of your purchases and improve your negotiation position.
    2. Purchase demand planning, analysis of historical amortization. Wisely plan long-term purchases on this basis, concerning parcial deliveries in specified field of your company activity.

    Overtime

    What is an overtime?

    If your purchase process is finished (auction or RFP), but you cannot decide which supplier to select on this stage of negotiations, you can choose this option.

    Can I limit the number of companies in overtime?

    All companies that took part in the RFP will be automatically invited to the overtime. To limit the number of invited bidders, you only have to uncheck the invitation box.

    Offers and orders

    How can I place an offer?

    You can place an offer for an RFP or auction you are interested in. After receiving an e-mail confirmation, go to details and click "Place an offer". It doesn't matter if you take part in the RFP / auction after receiving a notification or finding it in our system - you will be redirected to the form, which will help you easily and rapidly answer the inquiry and place an offer.

    How can I ask the supplier about special business conditions (e. g. when you seek for a pricing of a single volume of product)?

    Have you found a product or sevice in the catalogue? You can request special business conditions for this single item. Click button "Ask for offer". Specify a volumen, deadline for the answer and additional comments or requirements which could have some impact on the price.

    Monitoring the offer ranking

    What's monitoring the offer ranking?

    It is a mechanism which facilitates monitoring of the of the offer position in comparison to your competitors. The position is is calculated on the basis of the rating. This option is not available for the partial offers. Monitoring the offer ranking is can be found in the inquiry form (section "Advanced RFP options").

    Can I update my offer?

    Yes. You can propose a new price at any time. It helps you in reacting to changes of your position in ranking.

    Can I deactivate the ranking?

    Yes. The Organizer decides which option is active.

    Purchase auction

    What's a purchase auction?

    Purchase auction is online negotiations. During the bidding the suppliers lower their offered prices. Purchase auction starts when at least 2 users accept the invitation to take part in auction.

    When should I use purchase auction?

    The best way to use purchase auction is to use it when:

    1. value of the order is sufficient for the contractor to fight for the contract,
    2. large amount of suppliers take part in the acution,
    3. parameters of the purchased product is precisely specified.

    How can I transform an RFP into purchase auction?

    This option is available in RFP panel after the inquiry is finished. If you decide to create the auction in the next step, select companies which have placed an offer as a response to the RFP. The system will automatically send invitatatuibs to theses companies. Each supplier will start bidding from the price he has declared. Bidding published from another purchase process has to include the same conditions of purchase of product or service.

    How can I create my own, not concerning RFP, auction?

    Select "Purchase" tab in My office. Before publish the auction describe specification of the product or service, and specify parameters, including bidding starting price, as well. Decide whether the auction is open (public for all companies) or closed (you decide which companies you invite). Before the bidding starts, you have to visit the bidding panel and accept participation of the companies.

    What's an outbid in auction?

    While creating an auction, you specify value of minimum and maximum outbid (admissible value of a single process). The system will automatically suggest that value.

    What period of time of the auction should I set?

    Standard duration of the auction is 20 minutes. The activity of the bidders in last 3 minutes of auction extends this time by 3 more minutes.

    What information about their offer is seen by the user?

    Generally the bidders see their position in the ranking during every bidding. As the organizer you can also make available the information about the sum of the next better offer, and the lowest price among the offers as well. The Users do not know how many bidders take part in the auction, it is also impossible to communicate between each other (in contrary to the organizer).

    Is the result of an auction final and binding?

    Organizer, according to the Terms of Use of ALEO.com, does not have to decide to choose any offer. But the proposition of sales for bidders is final and binding for them.


    Sales

    Sales auctions

    What are sales auctions?

    If you would like to sell products or services, you can create a bidding. All you need to do is to add a description and specification, and provide starting price. The auction will be published in the catalogue. Buyers will be able to send offers and you will easily compare them in one place.

    What are the main settings of sales auctions?

    - Maximum duration – 14 days,
    - Users interested in purchasing the product may join the sales auction every time within the duration of the auction,
    - Overtime extends the duration of the sales auction by 1 hour.

    What should I sell on sales auctions?

    - Post-leasing vehicles,
    - Post-leasing devices,
    - Storage surplus,
    - Products from liquidation.

    What's important before the auctions starts?

    - Selection of suitable categories,
    - Adding photos and precise description of products,
    - Optimal deadline - up to 14 days,
    - Invitation for potential buyers.

    Requests for proposal

    What's an RFP?

    This is a tool which can be used by a company to gather offers for buying a product or services. This is the way how you can user an RFP to sell on ALEO.com by placing offers.

    How can I place an offer?

    If you observe selected categories, the system will automatically send you a notification abou an RFP or auction. If you have a product or service - go to details of the inquiry and select "Place an offer". Your offer will be sent to the organizer after filling the form.

    UNotifications settings

    What are types of events I can be informed about with notifications?

    Thanks to the notifications you will be informed about your business opportunities. If a new RFP or auction will be published, the system will notify you and you will be able to place an offer.

    How can I set notifications?

    After registering new company profile, we ask you to to select a category which represents the field of activity of your company. After you specify the branch you would like to be notified about, you will receive messages about sales opportunities. Notifications can be additionally precised. After logging it, click the gearwheel icon in the top right corner. You will specify the frequency of notifications, as well as limit the results by filtering by region or keywords. You will receive more suitable and valuable informayion about RFPs and auctions.

    Catalogue of products

    What is a products catalogue?

    You can promote your offer at any time, by creating a catalogue of products and services. It will be visible in search results on ALEO.com and in search engine results. Your own products catalogue will help you increase your sales and acquire new customers.

    Can I import many items at once?

    If you already have a products catalogue in XML format, you can easily import it to the system. In order to do it, click My office » Sales » Products catalogue » Products import. You can also add, delete end edit single items manually.

    Availability of products update - file specification

    ALEO.com downloads list of products with their availability every day. This the availability of products of your company on ALEO.com is constantly updated.

    Do update these data correctly the following information is required:
    - product ID (same as product ID in ALEO.com catalogue);
    - availability status specified in tag.

    Products availability status settings:
    - if your product does not include tag - product status will be changed to unavailable; - if your product includes 0 tag - product status won't be changed to unavailable; - if your product includes 1 tag - product status will be changed to available.

    How can I create a catalogue for a service company?

    If you offer services, and you can clearly specify prices for them, you create such an item in your own catalogue. You have to describe the offer, while not specifying a permanent price, so that your potential contractors wil be able to send you individual inquiries for pricing.

    How do prices positions in catalogue work?

    We propose a few formats of prices in your catalogue, so that you can choose the most suitable price for each product. Example price options: price range, showing and hiding prices. The aim of these elements is to make your offer more flexible. And the companies interested in your products will send the requests for individual pricing on their own.

    How can I manage the catalogue?

    There are plenty of options to manage the products in the catalogue.You can for example set the product availability status or make the price more flexible by setting a price range. It is important that you will be able to choose the most suitable category for each item, so that the potential customers will rapidly find a product that meets their expectations.

    How can I manage pricelists?

    You can easily manage pricelists of your products. For example, you can set individual pricelists, dedicated only to selected companies or permanent suppliers. This is an example of ideal solutions for long-term customers.


    Premium packages

    Basic information on premium packages

    Is registration of new company on ALEO.com free?

    Registration of company on ALEO.com is free. While creating your company account you receive a START package, which fives you the availability to serve purchase and sales process at the same time. To check and compare the details of premium packages and their functions, log in and go to Manage packages » Premium functions.

    Are notifications about auctions and RFPs in My office free?

    Function of notifications about RFPs and auctions is free. Each package gives you access about new RFPs and auctions in My office section and in e-mail notifications section. Information about new auctions and RFPs are sent according to observed categories and keywords defined by the user. To set notifications go to: gearwheel icon » Settings » Notifications settings.

    Are RFPs limited?

    Number of available RFPs depends on the type of a package:
    - START package: 2 per month,
    - PRO and PRO+ packages: unlimited.

    Is placing offers free?

    Placing offers is unlimited and free.

    Are auctions limited?

    Purchase auctions are limited in PRO and PRO+ packages. To check and compare the details of limits within premium packages log in and go to Packages management » Premium packages.

    How can I set advanced users permissions?

    Permissions configuration is uesed to give various role and access levels to users. It is and advanced option, available in PRO and PRO+ packages. Administrator of the company package can manage roles of other employees. Roles and permissions configuration is available in tab: Company » Employess.

    Is the number of users of my company account limited?

    Number of users managing the company account depends on the type of active package. Two administrative accounts are available in START premium package. To check and compare the details of available limits, go to Zarządzaj pakietami » Funkcje premium.

    Do I pay any fees or commissions as a Seller?

    There are no fees nor commissions on transactions on ALEO.com. Additionally, premium packages are not obligatory and START package is free.

    Buying, changing and cancelling premium packages

    I have not bought premium package, but I want to use ALEO.com. What should I do?

    While using your company account on ALEO.com you receive a free and unlimited START package. It will help you proceed basic purchase and sales processes. It gives you, among others, unlimited access to RFPs and placing offers, access to account for 2 user (with administrative role), as well as to promote 100 products and services in ALEO.com products catalogue.

    How can I pay for premium packages?

    On ALEO.com you can pay for premium packages in two ways: online payments with PayU or traditional bank transfer. Payment methods can be chosen during the placing offer process.

    How can I pay for another month of my premium package?

    Users who have chosen 1-month subscription, will receive a 7-day pro-forma invoice before another package validity period begins. Pro-forma invoice is available in section Packages management » Payment history.

    How can I pay for another year of my premium package?

    Users who have chosen 1-year subscription, will receive a 30-day pro-forma invoice before another package validity period begins. Pro-forma invoice is available in section Packages management » Payment history.

    Can I change a payment method?

    Payment and subscription methods to choose can be changed. All you have to do is to select "Premium management" tab. Decision on which payment method to choose can be made every time a payment is made.

    What do I gain with 14-day trial PRO package?

    ALEO.com provides a free and on-time trial PRO package which gives you full access to Premium functions. User who activates a test PRO package gains opportunity to try advanced purchase and sales tools. They gain access such options as: configuration of roles and permissions, higher limits of products (published in public catalogue on ALEO.com), purchase and sales auctions.

    Can I buy a Pro package during 14-day trial period?

    To buy a PRO package, you have to go to section "Packages management" and place an order. Decision can be made during the trial package as well as after it's finished.

    When can I buy a higher package?

    You can do it at any time. It will be active until the next billing period, after we receive a payment. If this is an instant change, we kindly ask you to contact us. Our contact data can be found under this link.

    Can unused limits be used during next validity period?

    Limits cannot be used during next validity period?

    Does ALEO.com issue VAT issues?

    ALEO.com issues VAT invoices, which are available in section Packages management » Payment history.

    Where can I find information about payment for premium package?

    All available information regarding payment for packages can be found in "Packages management" section.

    Do I have to pay for a PRO package after using a free, 14-day trial period?

    Premium package validity extension is not obligatory. Trial package is not extended automatically. After the trial package is finished, the user decides whether he would like to place an order for a paid package or functions of START package are satisfactory for them.

    Can I buy a paid package when the trial package has expired earlier?

    You can order a PRO package at any time after the trial package is finished. It will be activated after we receive the payment. If this is an instant change, we kindly ask you to contact us. Our contact data can be found under this link.

    What does automatical packages renewal mean?

    We want to give our users the availability to permanently use premium functions. This is why we provide the option of automatical renewal of packages. User can resign from this type of subscription at any tim. Resignation does not concern any additional fees and is valid until the next billing period.

    I have not paid for the premium package for a new billing period. What are the consequences?

    In case of no payment for premium package we restore your package to START level.

    How can I resign from subscription?

    Resignation from next package validity period does not concern any additional fees. Resignation option is available in "Packages management" section. In order to resign from already started billing period please contact us to [email protected].

    I am going to change my package for a lower version - what will happen with my products?

    If you decide to change a package for lower one, limit of products will also change. If you have more products than available limit of your current package, your "last products" (by publication date) will be marked as invisible.

    I am going to change my package for a lower version - what will happen with my users?

    If you decide to change your package for lower one, a limit of your company account users will be decreased. It means that some part of your users accounts will be blocked (by login date).

    I am going to change my package for a lower version - what will happen to advanced permissions settings?

    If you decide to return to START package, users will be awarded with administrator role and you will not be able to change it.

    Promotion for premium packages for ING Bank Customers

    Do you provide promotion for ING Bank Customers?

    There are two types of promotion for Customers of ING Bank:
    ING customer: 2999 zł (yearly), 299 zł (monthly)
    Another bank: 4999 zł (yearly), 499 zł (monthly)


    Roles and permissions

    Roles and permission - advanced configuration of User permissions. This function lets the Account Administrator specify range of available tools, visibility of purchase and sales process of each employee

    Administrator permissions - administrator gains full access to edition of all objects published and created by other company employees (RFPs, auctions, offers etc.). Administrator in PRO and PRO+ packages have 7 dedicated types of role which can be assigned to employees.

    Roles assigned to buyers

    Buyer

    User - Buyer has full access to purchase auctions but can only edit RFPs, auctions and order created by them. This role does not provide access to RFPs and auctions created by other Buyers in the company.

    Purchase manager

    User - Purchase manager gains access and right to edit all RFPs, auctions and orders created by the company employees.

    Purchase observer

    User - Purchase observer has full access to all RFPs, auction and orders created by this company employees, but with no availability to edit them. They cannot publish their own processes.

    Roles for sellers

    Seller

    User - Seller can place offers for all RFPs and auctions. They can edit offers placed by them and order received for their own offers.

    Sales manager

    User - Sales Manager can place offers for any RFP and auction. Their role gives them permission to access and edit all created offers and orders received in the company

    Sales observer

    User - Sales observer gets acces to all offers and orders in the company, but they cannot edit these objects and create their own processes.


    Support

    Customer Service Team

    ALEO.com consultants are specialists of support for purchase and sales processes. They will answer the technical questions. Additionally, they will help you with any question about purchase policy, negotiations strategy or advisory in optimization of costs and processes.

    Working hours of ALEO.com consultants

    ALEO.com consultants work from 8 a. m. to 5 p. m. from Monday to Friday. You can contact us e. g. by e-mail address: [email protected], chat (available in top right corner).

    Purchasing Advisory

    How does Purchasing Advisory work?

    ALEO.com consultants are experts in purchase processes, who may help you in organizing purchase processes in your company. For more detailed information, please contact ALEO.com specialists by chat or by e-mail [email protected].

    How can ALEO.com purchase consultants help you?

    Our experts have wide purchase knowledge and willingly help you in specifying purchase policy, negotation stratety, they will advise you in optimizing costs and purchase processes of your company. More information on the following page: https://aleo.com/int/functions/purchasing-advisory.

    Will ALEO.com consultants help me to find new Customers?

    Support Team and Business Development Team constantly work on enlarging the database of suppliers. Additionally consultants invite ALEO.com suppliers and suppliers not registered on the platform to publish RFPs and auctions.


    Safety

    Data privacy

    Do other bidders see my offers, placed in response to RFP or auction?

    Your offers will be visible only to organizer of the RFP or auction. You and another bidders cannot see the offer of competitors. It means that you cannot see their offers and attachments. You can only see your offer in RFP, whereas in purchase auctions you can check your ranking before seeing your offer, see the best price in bidding and, if the organizaer gave a permission, price offer placed in ranking right before you.

    Can bidders communicate with each other

    The bidders cannot communicate with each other during the RFP or auction - they have no information about other users taking part in the process.

    How is protected my data I provide while creating an RFP, auction or offer?

    You decide who will be able to see an RFP or auction created by you by choosing whether the RFP / auction is public or closed, where you select companies that will receive access to details of your RFP or auction.

    The whole communication between you and our servers is conducted in safe and secure way. We use 128-bit SSl (Secure Socket Layer). Additionally, for your safety we use an EV-type (extended validation) SSL certificate so that you could know who the owner of the website is. On the browser's address bar, next to a green padlock, you will see the owner of the platform, ING Services for Business. Thanks to that information you know that no other company impersonated us trying phish your data.

    Co inni o mnie wiedzą?

    All types of information you provide on you profile are visible for any user the platform. Your offers in catalogue, public auctions, RFPs and your business card of your company can be displayed by any person who visits our website. Remember that you can publish closed events, available only for users ivited by you. Additionally, received as well as sent orders will be seen only by you and your contractor.