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Find answers to common questions quickly and easily.

FAQs

What is this?

The Companion is an AI-powered assistant for procurement professionals designed to help you work faster and smarter by answering questions, generating drafts, and surfacing insights.

How can it help?
How much context should I provide?

Use this simple prompt structure:

  • Goal (what you want)

  • Context (background, situation, constraints)

  • Source (what to base it on - text you paste or a document)

  • Expectations (format, tone, length, level of detail)

This “Goal + Context + Source + Expectations” pattern is taught in all similar (ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, etc) prompting guidance.

What’s the best way to ask questions (so the answer is actually useful)?

Typical use cases include:

  • Q&A on procurement topics and scenarios

  • Document insights and structured outputs (summaries, checklists, clause comparisons)

  • Recommendations and practical guidance to support procurement work

Note: As with any AI, outputs can be wrong - treat results as a starting point and validate before you act.

Can I ask it to follow a specific structure or template?

Yes - you’ll get more consistent results if you specify:

  • The format (bullets, table, steps, “top 10 risks”, etc.)

  • The audience (CFO, Legal, project team, supplier)

  • The level (executive summary vs deep dive)

  • The output sections you want

Being explicit about format/length/style is a core best practice in prompting.

What can’t it do?

The platform is not a substitute for professional, legal, financial, or compliance advice. Always apply your professional judgment and seek specialist advice where required.

More context = better answers (up to a point). Include only what materially changes the outcome:

  • Category, region, contract type (MSA/SOW), timeline, stakeholders

  • Your objective (cost reduction, risk reduction, cycle time, compliance)

  • Constraints (must use existing supplier, capped budget, must meet policy)

Clear, specific prompts with relevant context improve output quality.

What should I avoid sharing in my prompt or uploads?

As a principle, do not upload or paste anything you don’t have the right to share. When contributing content, you confirm:

  • You have the right to upload it

  • It does not violate NDAs/confidentiality obligations

  • It does not contain personal data without consent

(Practical tip: anonymize supplier names, pricing, and any identifying details whenever possible.)

Can I iterate and refine the answer?

Yes - and you should. Good prompting is iterative:

  • “Make it shorter / more executive / more firm”

  • “Give me 3 options with different tones”

  • “Now convert this into a negotiation plan with milestones” Iteration is a standard best practice for Copilot-style prompting.

Can I contribute knowledge to the knowledge base?

Yes - Procurement Union is designed as a community + knowledge hub. When you contribute content, you retain ownership, but you grant the platform a license to use/process/store/transform the content to operate and improve the platform. Contributions are generally voluntary and not compensated unless explicitly agreed.

Is my upload automatically “safe” to use?

Even with safeguards, you remain responsible for what you upload and how you use outputs. The Companion is intended to assist procurement work, not replace professional accountability.