Overview Tab (FAQ)

This guide answers common questions about the Overview tab in Olive — from writing your project description and setting up a timeline, to managing vendor questions.

General

Q1: How do I get started with the Overview tab?

Click the Overview tab from the top navigation bar of your project. You'll land on the Description sub-tab by default. The Overview tab contains three sub-tabs:

Sub-tab	What you'll find there
Description	Project write-up, budget fields, live vendor dashboards, and must-have requirements
Timeline	Key milestones and dates — visible to all invited vendors
Project Discussion	Shared Q&A forum where vendors post questions and you reply publicly

The Overview tab — showing the Description, Timeline, and Project Discussion sub-tabs

Q2: How do I write the content vendors will read about my project?

Go to the Description sub-tab and use the 'Add New Section' button at the bottom of the page to build out your project write-up. You can create as many sections as you need — for example: Strategic Goals, Current State, Desired Future State, and RFP Process.

💡 Tip: Cover everything vendors need to understand your project — company background, strategic goals, current systems, desired outcomes, and any process instructions. The more context you give, the better their responses will be.

Description Sub-tab

Q3: How do I add a new section to my project description?

Scroll to the bottom of the Description sub-tab and click 'Add New Section'
A blank section appears — double-click the heading field and type the section name
Click the chevron (drop arrow) on the left to expand the section
Write your content in the description text area using the formatting toolbar

'Add New Section' button — a new blank section with a heading field appears above it

Expanded section — type your content in the description text area with the formatting toolbar

💡 Tip: Use descriptive section headings like 'Strategic Goals', 'Current State', and 'Desired Future State' so vendors can quickly find the information they need.

Q4: How do I reorder, delete, or hide a section?

Each section has controls on the right side of its heading bar. Use the table below as a quick reference:

Control	What it does
↑ Up arrow	Moves the section up the page
↓ Down arrow	Moves the section down the page
Delete icon	Permanently deletes the section and all its content
Hide from Vendor toggle	Hides the section from all invited vendors when turned on (green)

Section heading bar — Up/Down arrows, Delete icon, and Hide from Vendor toggle

📌 Note: The Hide from Vendor toggle applies to all vendors at once — it cannot be set for individual vendors. For per-vendor section control, use the Section Visibility settings in the Permissions sub-tab under the Solutions tab.

Q5: How do I share our budget expectations with vendors?

Scroll to the bottom of the Description sub-tab to find the 'Solicit Vendor Pricing' section. Fill in the following fields:

First Year Budget — your expected spend in the first year
Total Cost of Ownership Budget — the total you expect to spend over the full period
Over Years — the number of years your TCO covers

You can also add a description below the budget fields to give vendors more context about your pricing expectations.

The Solicit Vendor Pricing section — with budget fields for First Year, TCO, and Over Years

💡 Tip: Sharing a budget range helps vendors tailor their proposals to your needs, making it easier to shortlist and compare pricing quickly.

Q6: How do I see how my evaluation is progressing at a glance?

The Description sub-tab has four live dashboard elements that update automatically as your evaluation progresses:

Dashboard element	What it shows
Top 3 Solutions	The three highest-scoring vendors with their status, completion %, and score — updates in real time as responses are scored
Vendor Engagement Status	Bar chart showing vendor counts at each stage: Included, Contacted, Engaged, In Progress, Disqualified, Submitted, Completed
Evaluation Status	Donut chart showing vendors split between Active, Shortlisted, and Disqualified
Must Have Requirements	All requirements flagged as must-have in the Requirements tab, with star ratings and pagination

The Top 3 Solutions table — showing the top-ranked vendors by score, status, and completion

The Vendor Engagement Status bar chart — showing vendor counts per stage

The Evaluation Status donut chart — showing vendors split by Active, Shortlisted, and Disqualified

The Must Have Requirements list — showing all must-have requirements with star ratings

Timeline Sub-tab

Q7: How do I add a milestone or key date to the project timeline?

Click the Timeline sub-tab
Click '+ Add Event' at the top right — the Add Event panel opens on the right
Enter the name of the milestone
Select the date and time
Click the Save icon

The event will appear in the Timeline Events list and on the calendar.

The Timeline sub-tab — with the '+ Add Event' button highlighted in the top right

The Add Event panel — enter a Name and select a Time & Date, then click Save

💡 Tip: Add all key milestones as early as possible — RFP release date, submission deadline, demo week, shortlist announcement, and final decision. This gives vendors a clear picture of the process from day one.

Q8: How do I manage existing timeline events?

In the Timeline Events list on the right side of the page, each event has four options:

Complete — marks the event as done; a green checkmark appears next to it
Incomplete — reverts a completed event back to open
Edit — updates the event's name, date, or time; click Save when done
Delete — permanently removes the event from the timeline

Timeline Events list — each event has Complete, Incomplete, Edit, and Delete options

Q9: How do I change the calendar view on the Timeline page?

Use the controls above the calendar to navigate and adjust the view:

Year dropdown — select a different year
Month dropdown — select a different month
Month / Year toggle — switch between a detailed monthly calendar view and a high-level yearly overview

The Timeline Calendar — with Year/Month dropdowns and Month/Year view toggle

Q10: How do I make sure vendors know about key project dates?

Add your key dates in the Timeline sub-tab using the '+ Add Event' button. All timeline events you create are automatically visible to every invited vendor in their opportunity view — so once you've added them, vendors can see the full project schedule without any further steps.

📌 Note: You do not need to notify vendors when you add events — timeline visibility is automatic for all invited vendors the moment you save an event.

Project Discussion Sub-tab

Q11: How do I reply to a vendor's question?

Click the Project Discussion sub-tab
Find the question you want to reply to
Click 'Add Reply' below the question
Type your reply in the text area that appears
Click the Save icon to publish it

Your reply is posted publicly and visible to all vendors simultaneously.

The Project Discussion sub-tab — showing vendor questions and the Add Reply button

The Add Reply text area — type your reply and click the Save icon to publish

💡 Tip: Encourage vendors to use the Project Discussion for all RFP-related questions. It keeps communication centralised, consistent, and documented — reducing the chance of giving different answers to different vendors via email.

Q12: How do I reply to multiple vendors asking the same question at once?

Use the 'Add Reply' button under the relevant question. Your reply is posted publicly and visible to all vendors simultaneously — so you only need to reply once. Every vendor in the project will see your answer, regardless of which vendor originally asked the question.

Q13: How do I know which vendor asked a question in the discussion?

On the client side, you can see exactly which vendor posted each question — their identity is visible to your team in the Project Discussion view. However, vendors cannot see who asked which question. In the vendor's view, questions appear as posted by a 'Vendor User' to keep each vendor's identity confidential from the other vendors in the project.

What's Next?

Once your Overview tab is set up, you're ready to move forward with your evaluation. Recommended next steps:

Complete your project description — ensure vendors have all the context they need before the RFP opens
Fill in your budget expectations in the Solicit Vendor Pricing section
Add all key milestones to the Timeline so vendors can see the full project schedule from day one
Monitor the live dashboards on the Description sub-tab as responses come in
Check the Project Discussion regularly and reply to vendor questions promptly to keep the evaluation moving

Still have questions? Contact your Olive project administrator or reach out to Olive support for assistance.