A survey template is the set of questions you send to suppliers. Build it once, then send it to as many suppliers as you need.
Create a template
Go to Supplier Engagement › Survey Templates.
Select Create New Survey.
Name it and select Create new survey.
Set the Title and the Introduction text. The introduction becomes the body of the email your supplier receives.
Add your questions.
Select Save template.
Use Preview survey to see what the supplier sees.
Question types
Type | Use it for |
Activity Based | A quantity you will convert to emissions, such as litres or kilowatt hours |
Emissions | A figure the supplier has already calculated, in tonnes CO2e |
Binary | A yes or no question that opens different follow-up questions |
Multiple Choice | A fixed set of options |
Text | Free text, for context rather than calculation |
Information Block | Text you want the supplier to read. Not a question |
Only Activity Based and Emissions questions become emissions data. Everything else is context.
Activity Based questions
Set the scope, the GHG category and the input unit.
You can ask for up to three numbers that multiply together. Use this where the supplier holds the parts but not the total, such as a number of trips multiplied by a distance.
Every answer option needs an emission factor. The template will not save without one.
For flights, turn on the distance calculator and ask for the start and end airports. Avarni works out the distance.
Branching
A Binary question creates a yes branch and a no branch automatically. Add questions to each using Add question to yes case and Add question to no case.
Branching goes one level deep. A question inside a branch cannot itself branch.
You cannot branch on a Multiple Choice answer. If you need that, use a Binary question first.
Metadata blocks
Metadata blocks set the attribution on the emissions the survey produces, such as the entity, facility or a custom field.
Add them in the Metadata blocks section, separately from your questions.
Two types:
Hidden sets one value that the supplier never sees. Use this when you already know the answer.
PickList asks the supplier to choose from a list.
Each field can be used once per template.
One survey covers one site
Metadata applies to the whole survey, so every answer lands against the same entity and facility.
If a supplier serves several of your sites and you need the split, send them a separate survey per site.
Copy a template
Select the copy icon on a template in the list. There is no way to copy a single question between templates.
What suppliers can attach
Suppliers can attach supporting documents to an answer. You can also attach reference files to a question, which the supplier downloads before answering.