When to use it
- A stakeholder asks sourcing to find suppliers but the requirements are still loose.
- A category owner needs to confirm scope, timing, approvals, and exclusions.
- The team needs a repeatable intake packet before market research begins.
Intake
Sourcing Intake Playbook
The intake playbook prevents sourcing teams from beginning supplier research before scope, owners, constraints, and source material are stable.
Version 1.1. Last reviewed July 11, 2026.
Overview
Convert an informal business request into a scoped, reviewable sourcing effort.
The intake playbook prevents sourcing teams from beginning supplier research before scope, owners, constraints, and source material are stable.
Workbook example
Sourcing Intake Checklist in the starter kit.
Business need, scope boundaries, timing, decision owners, known constraints, source material, and readiness gates.
Decision or review supported: Whether the request is ready for market scan and supplier discovery.
When it is not sufficient
It is not a substitute for legal review, clinical review, security review, finance approval, or technical requirements definition. If the need involves regulated services, protected data, clinical equipment, or specialized operational risk, the intake packet should identify those review owners before the sourcing effort proceeds.
Decisions supported
- Whether the request is ready for market scan and supplier discovery.
- Who owns the sourcing decision and review gates.
- Which constraints, exclusions, and timing requirements must shape the next step.
Inputs required
- Business need and success criteria
- Known suppliers and incumbent context
- Timeline and budget cycle
- Stakeholder list
- Approved source material
- Constraints and exclusions
Included artifacts
- Sourcing request checklist
- Decision-owner map
- Constraint and risk flag log
- Source-material checklist
- Readiness gate notes
Example prompts and questions
- What problem is the sourcing effort meant to solve?
- What is explicitly out of scope?
- Who can approve scope changes?
- What source material is approved for use?
- What would make this request not ready?
Illustrative use case
Illustrative example: a facilities leader asks sourcing to explore regional maintenance suppliers for 24 business sites. Intake captures included services, excluded clinical equipment, response expectations, site list, budget timing, and decision owners before supplier discovery begins.
Common mistakes
- Treating a stakeholder request as a finalized scope.
- Starting supplier outreach before exclusions are documented.
- Missing decision owners.
- Using unapproved or confidential source material.
Frequently asked questions
Is intake just a form?
No. It is a decision gate that determines whether sourcing has enough business context to proceed.
Should supplier names be collected during intake?
Yes, but they should be treated as starting inputs rather than final shortlist decisions.
Related playbooks and examples
Next step
Use the starter kit, then request the full sourcing playbook overview.
The free kit shows the workflow. The full package discussion can cover team use, advisory use, category-specific adaptations, and implementation support.