RFP Project subsection

You can upload Word (.docx) or Excel (.xlsx) file questionnaires into the RFP Project subsection. For best results, we recommend that you prepare your document before you upload it.

Note: The more pages or tabs, cells, tables and paragraphs, the longer it will take for the RFP to load.

Preparing Word Files

If you are uploading a Word file, it is recommended that you remove column breaks, which are not supported, and extra paragraph markers. Blank lines will create empty slices. While this will not hinder the project functionality, it will create unnecessary blank spaces in your workspace that cannot be deleted. There is no need to leave spaces for answers in Word RFPs. The system inserts answer paragraphs when answers are added. If you have single cells within tables that span across page breaks, set the content in the cell to remain together. To do this, highlight the table row, click the Paragraph Dialog Box launcher on the Word Home tab, select the Lines and Page Breaks tab, and then select the Keep with next checkbox.

Track Changes

If the Word file that has been uploaded into the RFP Project subsection with the Track Changes feature enabled is updated and dragged and dropped into the workspace, the Track Changes will be displayed in the workspace, but not in the "Previous Revisions" tab. Track changes must be enabled in the source file prior to being loaded into the RFP Project subsection in order to work properly. When a questionnaire with Track Changes enabled is first uploaded and answers are added from the Library or via AutoFill, these are considered the initial baseline content and not tracked as new text. Any subsequent edits made in Word will appear as new tracked changes in both the Word slice and in the RFP Project screen. Once you build the Project, all the changes are automatically accepted and track changes is turned off. The RFP file in the Project subsection will continue to have the changes tracked and visible until build. You can download the file directly form the subsection (as opposed to performing a build) if you need a copy of the questionnaire with the track changes displayed.

Additional Considerations

Caution: The following are not supported for Word documents in the RFP Project subsection: macros (if you are using a .docm file, save it as a .docx file before uploading), documents with columns, and password protected files that only allow users to fill in form fields.

Note: If you rebrand your Word questionnaire to match your company’s branding, apply your style template prior to uploading it.

Preparing Excel files

If you are uploading an Excel file, we recommend that you set the print area and remove unnecessary spaces. When you upload an Excel file, Upland Qvidian imports the print area you have defined for each sheet. Tabs for each sheet display along the bottom of the workspace. If the print area is not set, a tab will display for the sheet, but the information on the sheet will not be loaded. Set the print area, under Page Layout > Page Area, so that only the appropriate cells are imported. If the print area is not set, the project will load all of the cells in the file which will extend the time it takes to load and refresh. For more information on setting the print area in Excel, visit Microsoft Support.

The cells will display the same size the in the workspace as they do in Excel. The text in a cell without text wrapping will bleed into the cell next to it. However, if the cell next to it has a blank space in it, the text in the previous cell will not bleed into it. While you can see the entire text of a cell by using the View Cell Inline function, it will be easier for users to read within the workspace if you remove the space. The size of the answer cells in Excel will not display larger when content is added. However, the cells will be expanded in downloaded versions of the file.

Projects support the cell character limits set in Excel on Data tab, under Data Validation > Settings. If you add content that exceeds the limit, the cell border and info icon will turn red and an error message will display. The cell border and info icon will remain red and the error message will display in the cell's activity card until the characters are within accepted limit. You cannot build a project until the error is resolved. For more information on character limits in Excel, visit Microsoft Support.

Calculations in Excel and Word tables will work as they do in the original document and will update as new information is entered. The project supports drop-downs in Excel files.

Additional Considerations

Caution: The following are not supported for Excel files in the RFP Project subsection: macros (if you are using a .xlsm file, save it as a .xlsx file before uploading) and password protected files that only allow users to fill in form fields.

1. From the Sections tab on the navigation panel, click the RFP Project subsection.

   Note: Your RFP Project subsection may be named differently.

2. Drag and drop a file from your computer or the library to the drop target on the workspace or click the Browse Files button to add files from your computer. The "Import Files" dialog will appear.
   
   Example of the Import Files dialog for Word (left) and Excel (right) files. Click to enlarge.
   1. Select your Editing Model: 
      • Work in Qvidian: Select this editing model if your team will work on these documents directly in Qvidian.
      • Work in Qvidian for Office: Select this editing model if your team will work on these documents using Microsoft Word, Excel, or Office for the Web.

      Note: You can select the Make this my default editing model checkbox to make your current selection the default.

      Caution: Protected Microsoft Word and Excel RFPs that do not require a password to open can be imported into a Project via the “Work in Qvidian for Microsoft Office” Editing Model. If the RFP is password protected or if the protected file is imported via the “Work in Qvidian” Editing Model, the following error message will be displayed: “One or more of the selected Word documents/worksheets is password protected. Please unlock the file/worksheets and try again.” Please note, if importing a forms document that restricts editing only to the form fields, the assignment functionality is not available.

   2. If importing a Word file, select your Word Style Settings:
      • Maintain Format of RFP Questionnaire: Select to keep the style template used in the document. The project's template will have no effect on the document's original styles.
      • Use Qvidian Project Style Template: Select to apply the style template selected when you created the project to this document. If the project's style template changes, the document's styles will also change. Style Templates are Microsoft Word and PowerPoint template files (.dot, .dotx , .pot, or .potx) containing a collection of text styles that control the format in the text areas of the document, such as headings, body text, bullet points, captions, and section numbering. When a user builds a document in Word or a slide presentation in PowerPoint in Upland Qvidian, the text the user selects is assembled and formatted to the formatting instructions contained in the style template that the user selects when building the document.

      Note: When an RFP Project is created with a Project Style Template that uses a default style and an answer is added to a Word RFP using Word or Word for the Web, the default style will be applied to the answer. If an answer is added to a Word RFP using inline edit, the HTML will mimic the formatting of the default style.

      Note: You can select the Make this my default editing model checkbox to make your current selection the default.

   Caution: If importing an Excel file, ensure that your print areas are set before importing your file. Only predefined print areas will be imported. You can set a different print area for each tab in your workbook. Any workbook tab or sheet without a predefined print area will not be imported.

   3. Select the Populate library reference codes during import checkbox if you want the document's library references to be replaced immediately upon import.

   Example: Store files containing reference codes in the library, then populate them in the project to collaborate on the answers with your team members.

   Note: You can also periodically update your questionnaires with the latest version of the answers by replacing data on loaded RFPs.

   4. Click Import.

Tip: Click the RFP file name in the Sections tab of the navigation panel, or double-click the image in the workspace to review the document and confirm it has been sliced appropriately. Questions that contain multiple paragraphs or lists may be separated into individual slices. It is not necessary to have empty slices for answers that will come from content records. A new slice will automatically be created when you drag and drop a content record into the RFP.

3. (Optional) Repeat to upload additional RFPs.

If your project has a data entry screen, you can enter values for custom fields to replace corresponding merge codes in the file. You can preview the file in the workspace with these custom fields populated.

1. Do one of the following: 
   • Double-click the thumbnail.
   • Click the More menu and select View Full Preview.
   • Right-click the file and select View Full Preview.
2. Slide the Preview Custom Fields toggle to On. This setting will be remembered for this and any other projects you open.

If you load more than one file, you can change the order in which the files will print as part of the package. Files types other than Word will be built separately regardless of the order in which they are arranged in the project.

• Click and hold a file in the workspace and drag it to a new location.

Project owners and participants can download individual RFP files, either in their original format or as they are in progress.

1. Right-click the file in the workspace or click the More menu.
2. Select Download Original to download the RFP as it was loaded or Download Current to download the RFP in progress.

Note: Project participants can download the original or current RFP project if the Download RFP as a Participant setting has been enabled in their System Permissions.

Note: If you are using Qvidian for Microsoft Office, your past versions will be available for download in the Versions tab (accessed by right-clicking your RFP file and selecting View Details).

You can periodically update your Word and Excel questionnaires with the latest version of the answers by replacing data on loaded RFPs.

1. Right-click the file in the workspace or click the More menu.
2. Select Replace Library References.

Note: Library references can also be populated upon import.

Only project owners or writers assigned to a project overview task can delete RFP files.

1. Right-click the file in the workspace or click the More menu.
2. Select Delete. You will be asked to confirm the deletion.

The Settings menu option allows you to take the following actions within your File List and RFP subsections: rename Project files, maintain Word file section formatting, and build files separately.

Example of the File Settings panel in a project RFP. Click to enlarge.

Rename files

Rename files in File List and RFP Project subsections.

Example: This can be helpful when many files are being added to the same subsection and you want to provide more meaningful file names to keep everything organized.

1. Right-click the file in the workspace or click the More menu.
2. Select Settings. The "Settings" panel will appear to the left of the workspace.
3. Update the File Name.
4. Click Save.

Note: This will not change the file name in the Qvidian Library.

Section formatting

Formatting, such as margins, headers/footers, paper size, and orientation can be maintained in File List and RFP Project subsections when built.

Example: When the Document Type section breaks are configured in portrait orientation, but the RFP questionnaire or File List file are in landscape orientation, you can maintain the landscape orientation for the file without reconfiguring anything in Architecture.

1. Right-click the file in the workspace or click the More menu.
2. Select Settings. The "Settings" panel will appear to the left of the workspace.
3. Choose one of the following options: 
   • Maintain Section Formatting: This option preserves the headers/footers, margins, orientation, and paper size of the document.
   • Use Document Type Section Formatting: This option uses the headers/footers, margins, orientation, and paper size from the document type.
4. (Optional) Select the Save this as my default preference for X files checkbox, where "X" refers to the type of file loaded in the project (e.g. DOCX, JPG, PNG).

Note: This setting is not applied retroactively to existing files and only saves as a user preference for each unique file type.

5. Click Save.

Build preferences

All files within Project File List and RFP subsections can be included in the main assembled document/presentation (as content or as an embedded object, depending on the file type), or be built separately from the main document/presentation.

Example: When answering an Excel RFP, you may choose to build the Excel file as an embedded object in the larger Word file that is being produced. When adding PDF files to a File List screen, you may choose to have them built as an embedded object in the larger Word file.

1. Right-click the file in the workspace or click the More menu.
2. Select Settings. The "Settings" panel will appear to the left of the workspace.
3. Choose one of the following options: 
   • Build Separately: This option keeps the file separate from the assembled document.
   • Include in the Main Document: This option inserts/embeds the content into the document created on build.
4. (Optional) Select the Save this as my default preference for X files checkbox, where "X" refers to the type of file loaded in the project (e.g. DOCX, JPG, PNG).

Note: This setting is not applied retroactively to existing files and only saves as a user preference for each unique file type.

5. Click Save.