An indication of need comes first
A Demand Pool starts with a product requirement and quantities that companies indicate they may need. This can make compatible demand easier to understand before a supplier prepares an offer. Each company's quantity remains an expression of its own need, rather than an order placed on behalf of the group.
That distinction gives the early discussion room to develop. Buyers can understand the product and supplier proposals before deciding whether a later purchase fits their business. Joining a pool does not create a payment, contract or purchase commitment.
A proposal must be selectable
The company that created the pool has a specific role in moving it forward. Its authorized representative can select an unexpired supplier proposal only when the current eligible combined quantity reaches that proposal's minimum order quantity. Other platform eligibility checks still apply.
Reaching the quantity threshold does not automatically choose a supplier. It makes selection possible when the relevant conditions are met. The creating company still needs to consider whether the proposal addresses the shared requirement and provides a useful basis for the next stage.
A simple way to read the progression is:
- Companies describe compatible indicative needs.
- Eligible suppliers propose product and production terms.
- The creating company evaluates a selectable proposal.
- The chosen supplier can prepare a Supplier Campaign.
- Each buyer reviews the resulting campaign independently.
Selection gives the next stage a starting point
Selecting a proposal freezes participation and proposals in that pool. It records the creating company's sourcing choice so the selected supplier can work from a defined starting point.
It does not mean that every participant has accepted a purchase. One company's selection should not be treated as consent from all the others, even where their indicated quantities helped reach the minimum.
The supplier can prepare and save campaign details based on the selected product, original price and currency, minimum quantity and production lead time. Remaining commercial terms still need to be completed. Preparation is not publication: the usual campaign review and publication requirements continue to apply.
Read the campaign as a new decision
Final campaign terms may differ from the earlier proposal. Check the product, your own quantity, price, payment conditions and delivery arrangements against what your business needs at that time.
The value of the Demand Pool is a clearer route from a shared need to a concrete offer for review. It does not remove the buyer's separate decision or turn an earlier indication into automatic acceptance.
Explore Demand Pools and follow each stage with a clear understanding of what has, and has not, been decided.