Ariba E-Tendering - Vendor Guidance Hub

Awareness to Award — Process Flow

The seven steps below cover the entire journey from initial registration to contract award:

Step	Action	Who?	Key Details
1	Register on UNGM	You	Create a free account at ungm.org. Keep your contact information always current.
2	Review UNGM	You	Identify business opportunities. Continually review EOI (Expression of Interest) requests published on UNGM and respond accordingly.
3	Receive Invitation	UN	Watch for an EOI or solicitation email from @ansmtp.ariba.com. Check your spam/junk folder and ask your IT team to whitelist this domain.
4	Log In to Ariba	You	New vendors: click Register Now on the Ariba login page. Existing users: enter your Ariba username and password at supplier.ariba.com.
5	Find Your Event	You	App menu (top-left) → Ariba Proposals & Questionnaires → filter by Status: Open.
6	Submit Your Response	You	Attach files (max 100 MB each), complete all required fields, and click Submit before the deadline. You can revise your submission until the event closes.
7	Await Award Notification	UN	The UN buyer notifies you of the outcome via Ariba and/or email.

⚠️ Before you start: Check your spam/junk folder for emails from @ansmtp.ariba.com. Ask your IT team to whitelist this domain. Bookmark supplier.ariba.com — the link in your invitation email expires 24 hours after first access.

Step 4 Detail: New vs. Existing Account

Your path at login depends on whether your company already has an Ariba account:

🆕 New to Ariba

Click the link in your invitation email.
On the Ariba login page, click Register Now.
Your username defaults to your email address.
While registering, ignore the DUNS number field.
Set a password.
Accept the Terms of Use and SAP Ariba Privacy Statement.

🔄 Existing Ariba User

Click the link in your invitation email.
Enter your Ariba username and password.
If you see an Ariba username mismatch error, see FAQ: Login and Account Issues, Question 1.
Bookmark supplier.ariba.com for future logins.

🌐 UNGM Account Issues (separate from Ariba): If you cannot access your UNGM account, check the UNGM Help Center first:

How to manage contact details in your UNGM account
How to access UNGM when the account holder has left the company

If the problem remains, contact UNGM via the Help Center contact form at ungm.org/Help.

Frequently Asked Questions

UNGM Account

I am having trouble accessing my UNGM account. What should I do?

UNGM account access is separate from the Ariba platform. Check these two UNGM Help Center articles first:

If the problem persists, contact UNGM directly via the Help Center contact form.

Login and Account

I see an 'Ariba username mismatch' error when logging in. What does it mean?

Your username is associated with a different Ariba username than the one invited to the event. Your company has more than one Ariba username.

Resolution:

On the login page, click Register Now.
Uncheck "Use my email as my username".
Create a username variation, e.g., firstname.lastname1@company.com (must look like an email but can vary).
Set a password.
Accept Terms of Use. The event will now appear.

💡Tip: Link your accounts later via Settings > Link User IDs for easy switching.

The link in my invitation email has expired. How do I log in?

Invitation links expire 24 hours after first access. Use either of these direct login URLs for all future access — bookmark them now:

If you are logging in for the first time, you may need to register. If difficulties persist, contact aribae-tendering@un.org.

I get a security warning when logging in. What should I do?

This appears when you log in from a device different from your last session.

Fix: Clear your browser's cache and temporary files, close the browser, reopen, and try again. Or open a private/incognito browser session.

How do I register if I have never used Ariba before?

Open your invitation email and click the link.
On the Ariba login page, click Register Now.
Your username will default to your email address.
While registering, ignore the DUNS number field.
Set a password.
Accept the Terms of Use and SAP Ariba Privacy Statement.

📧Note: If you did not receive the email, check your spam folder for messages from @ansmtp.ariba.com. The UN does not allow you to register an account in Ariba without having been invited to an event.

I am unable to log in with my password. What can I do?

On the Ariba login page, click Forgot Password and follow the steps to reset it. Your new password must be at least 8 characters and contain at least 1 number. If you do not receive a reset email, check your spam folder for messages from @ansmtp.ariba.com.

Finding Events

Where do I find my event after logging in?

Two ways:

Option A: Click the link in your original invitation email.
Option B: After logging in directly to Ariba (supplier.ariba.com), click the app dropdown (top-left) → select Ariba Proposals and Questionnaires. Your events appear with Status: Open.

I cannot find and event I was invited to. What should I check?

Work through this checklist in order:

Did you receive the invitation? Only the invited person can access the event. If you require additional team members, please update UNGM and notify aribae-tendering@un.org.
Are you logged into the correct account? You may have multiple Ariba accounts.
Are you in the Ariba Sourcing app? If you see Ariba Network or Ariba Discovery top-left, switch via the app dropdown to Ariba Proposals & Questionnaires.
Is the event still Open? A countdown timer means it is open; Closed/Paused/Pending Selection means bidding has ended.
Were you locked out? Check your email for a lockout notice, then contact aribae-tendering@un.org.
Blank page on clicking the event? Change the URL from HTTP to HTTPS, accept any browser security warnings, and disable ad blockers (AdBlock Plus, uBlock).
Seeing a warning error after previously logging in? Error messages may be caused by repeated login. Ariba holds settings from previous sessions which can conflict with your new session. Try accessing Ariba in a private browser session.
Are you in the correct account? If you work or have previously worked for more than one organization, make sure you are logged in with the account associated with the company that received the invitation.
Are you in the correct region? If you are accessing Ariba from a country or region different from where your account was registered, this may affect access. Try logging in from your usual location or device.

How do I send a message to the buyer for an event in 'Pending Selection' status?

Log in to your event → click Event Messages (top-left, under Event Details) → type your message, attach files if needed → click Send.

Attachment limits: Max 10 MB per file, max 5 attachments per message.

⚠️ Important: Do not send technical and commercial responses through Event Messages. These should only be submitted directly within the solicitation event.

Managing Users

Can I add a colleague to help prepare our bid?

Only the invited person(s) can access the event. If you require additional team members to participate in the event, please update UNGM and notify aribae-tendering@un.org.

How do I create roles and sub-users as the account administrator?

Only the invited person(s) can access the event. If you require additional team members, roles, or sub-users to participate in the event, please update UNGM and notify aribae-tendering@un.org. Any updates in the SAP supplier network will not be taken into account. Only updates to UNGM will be accepted.

Submitting Bids

Is there a file size or file type limit for attachments?

Yes: 100 MB per individual file. Most file types are accepted.

If a file exceeds 100 MB, compress it into a ZIP archive before uploading.

There is no cap on the total number of files or combined size across all attachments.

Getting Help

I lost my invitation email. How do I access my account?

Contact the UN sourcing contact (the Buyer) and ask them to resend the invitation from Ariba. Alternatively, if you already have an account, log in directly at supplier.ariba.com.

I still cannot access Ariba after trying everything. Who do I contact?

Email: aribae-tendering@un.org

Always include your Ariba event Doc ID in your message (e.g., Doc638070532) so the team can locate your case quickly. Please provide a screenshot of the issue.

I am not receiving Ariba emails and the platform is not loading properly.

For missing emails: Ask your IT team to whitelist the domain @ansmtp.ariba.com. All automatic Ariba notifications use this domain.

For platform/website issues:

Clear your browser cache and temporary files.
Make sure the URL uses HTTPS (not HTTP).
Disable any ad blockers (AdBlock Plus, uBlock Origin, etc.).
Try a different browser or a private browser session.
Review vendor job aids on the UNGM Knowledge Center.
If the issue persists, contact aribae-tendering@un.org.