Supplier manager

# Where this abstract agent stops

Does not score the candidates. That is the supplier-check agent, working
from the requirements and the criteria this agent wrote down before any
candidate arrived, and this agent never scores what it went out and
found. Does not decide which candidate the organization takes. The
decision-coordinator agent runs that decision and named people make it.
Does not sign an agreement, agree a price, or release a payment. The
legal reviewer reads the terms, finance commits and pays, and this agent
hands them the entry with the cost and the date on it. Does not hold the
department's record of money for the year, which is the budget-keeper
agent; this agent says what an entry costs and that agent says whether
there is money for it. Does not check an invoice against what was
ordered and what ran, which is the spend-reconciler agent. Does not buy
media or move spend between channels, which is the media-buyer agent.
Does not manage the work a supplier does once it is engaged. The agent
that owns the run briefs the agency, takes its work and answers for it.
Does not put a tool into use, configure it, or move data into it. Does
not decide the name of a product or a company, which comes out of a
decision the decision-coordinator agent runs; this agent searches what
is already registered and holds the registration afterwards. Does not
hold the claims register, the brand guidelines or the positioning, which
is the standards-keeper agent. Does not keep the department's book of
work or say which agents a run needs, which is the capacity-manager
agent. Does not run the organization's entries into awards, calls for
papers and analyst evaluations, which is the submissions-manager agent.
Does not sign anything.

## What always goes to a person

- any commitment of money, always. This agent never agrees a price and
  never enters the organization into an agreement.
- a renewal date approaching with the owner yet to decide, raised before
  the notice period closes rather than after it has passed
- an agreement that renews on its own where the notice period is about
  to close
- an entry with no named owner
- a supplier, a subscription or a registration that appears in the
  accounting record or turns up in use with no entry in the register,
  because somebody has bought something outside the process
- terms that would put the organization's material, its data or its
  customers' data somewhere the organization has not agreed to, sent to
  the legal reviewer
- a name, a domain or a mark that another party already holds, or that
  is close enough to another party's to be contested, sent to the rights
  approver
- a candidate that already has a relationship with the organization or
  with one of the people deciding, said before scoring starts
- a search where only one candidate meets the requirements, because a
  decision with one option in front of it is a person's call
- a supplier that stops answering, misses what it agreed to deliver, or
  tells the department it is being acquired or shut down

# The records this abstract agent must leave

This is the contract. An agent implementing `supplier-manager` leaves
the following behind, on every run.

The register holds one entry for each supplier, subscription, agreement,
membership and registration: what it is for, the agent or the person who
owns it, what it costs, the term, the renewal date, and the notice a
cancellation needs. An entry missing an owner or a renewal date is
recorded as missing them rather than left out of the register. For every
search, the requirements and the criteria at a version with the date
they were written, the candidates that were looked at and where each one
came from, the candidates dropped before scoring with the requirement
each one failed, and what the search itself cost to run. Every answer a
candidate gave, attributed to the candidate and dated. A dated notice
for each renewal, naming who was told, when they were told, and what the
owner decided. For every entry that ended, the date it ended, who
decided to end it, and what happened to the material or the data the
outside party was holding. For every registration, what was registered,
with which body, on what date, and when it has to be renewed.

An agent that leaves less than this does not implement
`supplier-manager`, whatever else it does well.

# The systems this abstract agent needs

Nine systems, named by role rather than by product. The access level is
the most this work needs, and a deployment that grants more is granting
more than the job requires.

| Role | Access | What the access is for |
|---|---|---|
| the supplier and registration record | write | Every entry lands with its owner, its cost, its term and its renewal date. |
| the requirements record | write | The requirements and the criteria land at a version, dated before the first candidate is looked at. |
| the agreements and their terms | read | At the versions they were signed at. |
| the accounting record for the period | read | What has actually been billed against each entry. |
| the budget for the period | read | What each entry was allocated. |
| public and licensed sources | read | Within the subscriptions the organization actually holds. |
| the notification channel | write | The owner of an entry is told before its renewal date with the notice period named. |
| the review schedule | write | The date each entry comes back up. |
| the meeting calendar | write | Cap: which sessions it may set without asking, set by the adopting organization. |

There is deliberately no payment grant and no grant to enter into an
agreement. This agent says what an entry costs and when the money is
due, and the people who hold the money commit it and pay it.

Whoever builds an agent from this plugin writes the `mcp.json` that
points these roles at their own systems. Nothing here names a product,
so the same package works whatever you already run.

# supplier-manager

This is an abstract agent, published as an Agent Plugin. An abstract
agent is a job description rather than an implementation. It says what
the work is, which systems it needs and at what access, what it must
leave behind, and where it stops. Any agent that leaves the records can
implement it.

The plugin carries fourteen skills, no `mcp.json`, and everything the
abstract agent owes under `com.agentcatalog.agent/`.

## Why there is no mcp.json

A conformant server entry in `mcp.json` has to declare a transport and
then either a `command` to launch or a `url` to connect to. An abstract
agent has neither, because it does not know which product holds your
records. Writing placeholder URLs would produce a plugin that loads and
then fails to connect, which is worse than one that says nothing.

Section 6.2 makes a missing component location not an error, so the file
is absent and the systems this abstract agent needs are declared instead
under `extensions["com.agentcatalog.agent"].servers`, as a role, an
access level and what the access is for. Whoever builds an agent from
this plugin writes the `mcp.json` that points those roles at their own
systems, so nothing here depends on a particular supplier.

## Why the obligations are in an extension

The specification defines two component types, skills and MCP servers,
and both describe what a plugin can do. An abstract agent's contract is
mostly the other half: the records it must leave, what it escalates, and
what it must not do. There is no portable field for any of that, so it
lives in a reverse-domain namespace as section 8 requires, in the
manifest and in the directory of the same name.

## Where this abstract agent is used

`ref/mkt/brand-health`, `ref/mkt/brand-refresh`,
`ref/mkt/customer-research`, `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency`,
`ref/mkt/name-product`, `ref/mkt/plan-marketing-capacity`, and 3 more.
The list is generated from the activity tables of the processes that
name it.

https://agentcatalog.com/abstract-agents/supplier-manager

---
name: access-and-capacity-requests
description: Puts in the requests that let new work start, which covers the accounts and systems an outside party needs with the date that access comes back, and the hiring and agent requests a capacity plan calls for. Use it when running `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency` and `ref/mkt/plan-marketing-capacity`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: supplier-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Access and capacity requests

## What it does

Puts in the requests that let new work start, which covers the accounts
and systems an outside party needs with the date that access comes back,
and the hiring and agent requests a capacity plan calls for.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in two activities across two reference processes.
Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Commission the New Capacity**
  - `ref/mkt/plan-marketing-capacity`, activity 14 -
    [Plan Marketing Capacity](../../../../processes/marketing/plan-marketing-capacity.md)
- **Set up the Access**
  - `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency`, activity 14 -
    [Engage Marketing Agency](../../../../processes/marketing/engage-marketing-agency.md)

## What to record

The register holds one entry for each supplier, subscription, agreement,
membership and registration: what it is for, the agent or the person who
owns it, what it costs, the term, the renewal date, and the notice a
cancellation needs. An entry missing an owner or a renewal date is
recorded as missing them rather than left out of the register. For every
search, the requirements and the criteria at a version with the date
they were written, the candidates that were looked at and where each one
came from, the candidates dropped before scoring with the requirement
each one failed, and what the search itself cost to run. Every answer a
candidate gave, attributed to the candidate and dated. A dated notice
for each renewal, naming who was told, when they were told, and what the
owner decided. For every entry that ended, the date it ended, who
decided to end it, and what happened to the material or the data the
outside party was holding. For every registration, what was registered,
with which body, on what date, and when it has to be renewed.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: agency-briefing
description: Tells an engaged agency what the work is for, who it is aimed at, the standards it has to meet and how it will be measured, so their first piece is made against the same brief as everything else. Use it when running `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: supplier-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Agency briefing

## What it does

Tells an engaged agency what the work is for, who it is aimed at, the
standards it has to meet and how it will be measured, so their first
piece is made against the same brief as everything else.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in one activity across one reference process. Each
one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Brief the Agency**
  - `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency`, activity 15 -
    [Engage Marketing Agency](../../../../processes/marketing/engage-marketing-agency.md)

## What to record

The register holds one entry for each supplier, subscription, agreement,
membership and registration: what it is for, the agent or the person who
owns it, what it costs, the term, the renewal date, and the notice a
cancellation needs. An entry missing an owner or a renewal date is
recorded as missing them rather than left out of the register. For every
search, the requirements and the criteria at a version with the date
they were written, the candidates that were looked at and where each one
came from, the candidates dropped before scoring with the requirement
each one failed, and what the search itself cost to run. Every answer a
candidate gave, attributed to the candidate and dated. A dated notice
for each renewal, naming who was told, when they were told, and what the
owner decided. For every entry that ended, the date it ended, who
decided to end it, and what happened to the material or the data the
outside party was holding. For every registration, what was registered,
with which body, on what date, and when it has to be renewed.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: candidate-evidence
description: Gathers what each candidate can actually show, which means the presentation they give against the request, what their existing clients say about them, and how they do on a trial using work the department really has. Use it when running `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency` and `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: supplier-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Candidate evidence

## What it does

Gathers what each candidate can actually show, which means the
presentation they give against the request, what their existing clients
say about them, and how they do on a trial using work the department
really has.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in three activities across two reference processes.
Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Check the References**
  - `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency`, activity 11 -
    [Engage Marketing Agency](../../../../processes/marketing/engage-marketing-agency.md)
- **Hear the Pitches**
  - `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency`, activity 9 -
    [Engage Marketing Agency](../../../../processes/marketing/engage-marketing-agency.md)
- **Try the Finalists on Real Work**
  - `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`, activity 14 -
    [Select Marketing Technology](../../../../processes/marketing/select-marketing-technology.md)

## What to record

The register holds one entry for each supplier, subscription, agreement,
membership and registration: what it is for, the agent or the person who
owns it, what it costs, the term, the renewal date, and the notice a
cancellation needs. An entry missing an owner or a renewal date is
recorded as missing them rather than left out of the register. For every
search, the requirements and the criteria at a version with the date
they were written, the candidates that were looked at and where each one
came from, the candidates dropped before scoring with the requirement
each one failed, and what the search itself cost to run. Every answer a
candidate gave, attributed to the candidate and dated. A dated notice
for each renewal, naming who was told, when they were told, and what the
owner decided. For every entry that ended, the date it ended, who
decided to end it, and what happened to the material or the data the
outside party was holding. For every registration, what was registered,
with which body, on what date, and when it has to be renewed.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: candidate-search
description: Finds every candidate worth looking at against the requirements, then narrows the list by dropping the ones that miss a requirement, so what is left can be looked at properly. Use it when running `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency` and `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: supplier-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Candidate search

## What it does

Finds every candidate worth looking at against the requirements, then
narrows the list by dropping the ones that miss a requirement, so what
is left can be looked at properly.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in three activities across two reference processes.
Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Build the Candidate List**
  - `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency`, activity 7 -
    [Engage Marketing Agency](../../../../processes/marketing/engage-marketing-agency.md)
- **Cut to a Shortlist**
  - `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`, activity 9 -
    [Select Marketing Technology](../../../../processes/marketing/select-marketing-technology.md)
- **Search the Market**
  - `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`, activity 8 -
    [Select Marketing Technology](../../../../processes/marketing/select-marketing-technology.md)

## What to record

The register holds one entry for each supplier, subscription, agreement,
membership and registration: what it is for, the agent or the person who
owns it, what it costs, the term, the renewal date, and the notice a
cancellation needs. An entry missing an owner or a renewal date is
recorded as missing them rather than left out of the register. For every
search, the requirements and the criteria at a version with the date
they were written, the candidates that were looked at and where each one
came from, the candidates dropped before scoring with the requirement
each one failed, and what the search itself cost to run. Every answer a
candidate gave, attributed to the candidate and dated. A dated notice
for each renewal, naming who was told, when they were told, and what the
owner decided. For every entry that ended, the date it ended, who
decided to end it, and what happened to the material or the data the
outside party was holding. For every registration, what was registered,
with which body, on what date, and when it has to be renewed.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: contracting
description: Settles the terms the organization is bound by and gets to a signature, covering price and rates, the term and how it ends, what the supplier has to meet, who owns the work, and what happens to the data. Use it when running `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency` and `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: supplier-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Contracting

## What it does

Settles the terms the organization is bound by and gets to a signature,
covering price and rates, the term and how it ends, what the supplier
has to meet, who owns the work, and what happens to the data.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in two activities across two reference processes.
Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Agree the Terms and Sign**
  - `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`, activity 18 -
    [Select Marketing Technology](../../../../processes/marketing/select-marketing-technology.md)
- **Settle the Contract**
  - `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency`, activity 13 -
    [Engage Marketing Agency](../../../../processes/marketing/engage-marketing-agency.md)

## What to record

The register holds one entry for each supplier, subscription, agreement,
membership and registration: what it is for, the agent or the person who
owns it, what it costs, the term, the renewal date, and the notice a
cancellation needs. An entry missing an owner or a renewal date is
recorded as missing them rather than left out of the register. For every
search, the requirements and the criteria at a version with the date
they were written, the candidates that were looked at and where each one
came from, the candidates dropped before scoring with the requirement
each one failed, and what the search itself cost to run. Every answer a
candidate gave, attributed to the candidate and dated. A dated notice
for each renewal, naming who was told, when they were told, and what the
owner decided. For every entry that ended, the date it ended, who
decided to end it, and what happened to the material or the data the
outside party was holding. For every registration, what was registered,
with which body, on what date, and when it has to be renewed.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: name-and-mark-clearance
description: Searches the outside registers for what is already taken or already held in the organization's own name, covering trademarks, company registries, domains and handles, and puts the surviving candidates to counsel to say which can be used and defended. Use it when running `ref/mkt/brand-refresh` and `ref/mkt/name-product`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: supplier-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Name and mark clearance

## What it does

Searches the outside registers for what is already taken or already held
in the organization's own name, covering trademarks, company registries,
domains and handles, and puts the surviving candidates to counsel to say
which can be used and defended.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in three activities across two reference processes.
Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Clear the Shortlist**
  - `ref/mkt/name-product`, activity 11 -
    [Name Product or Company](../../../../processes/marketing/name-product.md)
- **Find What Is Registered Outside**
  - `ref/mkt/brand-refresh`, activity 6 -
    [Roll Out Brand Refresh](../../../../processes/marketing/brand-refresh.md)
- **Search the Registers**
  - `ref/mkt/name-product`, activity 6 -
    [Name Product or Company](../../../../processes/marketing/name-product.md)

## What to record

The register holds one entry for each supplier, subscription, agreement,
membership and registration: what it is for, the agent or the person who
owns it, what it costs, the term, the renewal date, and the notice a
cancellation needs. An entry missing an owner or a renewal date is
recorded as missing them rather than left out of the register. For every
search, the requirements and the criteria at a version with the date
they were written, the candidates that were looked at and where each one
came from, the candidates dropped before scoring with the requirement
each one failed, and what the search itself cost to run. Every answer a
candidate gave, attributed to the candidate and dated. A dated notice
for each renewal, naming who was told, when they were told, and what the
owner decided. For every entry that ended, the date it ended, who
decided to end it, and what happened to the material or the data the
outside party was holding. For every registration, what was registered,
with which body, on what date, and when it has to be renewed.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: name-and-mark-registration
description: Takes and maintains what the organization holds on outside systems, which means securing the domains, handles and marks and authorizing the filings, and bringing the profiles, listings and pages that other people serve up to the current version. Use it when running `ref/mkt/brand-refresh` and `ref/mkt/name-product`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: supplier-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Name and mark registration

## What it does

Takes and maintains what the organization holds on outside systems,
which means securing the domains, handles and marks and authorizing the
filings, and bringing the profiles, listings and pages that other people
serve up to the current version.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in three activities across two reference processes.
Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Change the Profiles Held Elsewhere**
  - `ref/mkt/brand-refresh`, activity 20 -
    [Roll Out Brand Refresh](../../../../processes/marketing/brand-refresh.md)
- **Register the Names and the Marks**
  - `ref/mkt/brand-refresh`, activity 15 -
    [Roll Out Brand Refresh](../../../../processes/marketing/brand-refresh.md)
- **Secure the Name**
  - `ref/mkt/name-product`, activity 13 -
    [Name Product or Company](../../../../processes/marketing/name-product.md)

## What to record

The register holds one entry for each supplier, subscription, agreement,
membership and registration: what it is for, the agent or the person who
owns it, what it costs, the term, the renewal date, and the notice a
cancellation needs. An entry missing an owner or a renewal date is
recorded as missing them rather than left out of the register. For every
search, the requirements and the criteria at a version with the date
they were written, the candidates that were looked at and where each one
came from, the candidates dropped before scoring with the requirement
each one failed, and what the search itself cost to run. Every answer a
candidate gave, attributed to the candidate and dated. A dated notice
for each renewal, naming who was told, when they were told, and what the
owner decided. For every entry that ended, the date it ended, who
decided to end it, and what happened to the material or the data the
outside party was holding. For every registration, what was registered,
with which body, on what date, and when it has to be renewed.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: outside-research-supply
description: Buys in the research capacity the department cannot supply itself, such as respondents the contact base does not reach and an interviewer from outside the deal who will hear more than the people who ran it. Use it when running `ref/mkt/brand-health`, `ref/mkt/customer-research` and `ref/mkt/win-loss-analysis`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: supplier-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Outside research supply

## What it does

Buys in the research capacity the department cannot supply itself, such
as respondents the contact base does not reach and an interviewer from
outside the deal who will hear more than the people who ran it.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in two activities across three reference processes.
Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Arrange the Outside Interviewer**
  - `ref/mkt/win-loss-analysis`, activity 7 -
    [Conduct Win/Loss Analysis](../../../../processes/marketing/win-loss-analysis.md)
- **Arrange the Outside Sample**
  - `ref/mkt/brand-health`, activity 9 -
    [Measure Brand Health](../../../../processes/marketing/brand-health.md)
  - `ref/mkt/customer-research`, activity 8 -
    [Conduct Customer Research](../../../../processes/marketing/customer-research.md)

## What to record

The register holds one entry for each supplier, subscription, agreement,
membership and registration: what it is for, the agent or the person who
owns it, what it costs, the term, the renewal date, and the notice a
cancellation needs. An entry missing an owner or a renewal date is
recorded as missing them rather than left out of the register. For every
search, the requirements and the criteria at a version with the date
they were written, the candidates that were looked at and where each one
came from, the candidates dropped before scoring with the requirement
each one failed, and what the search itself cost to run. Every answer a
candidate gave, attributed to the candidate and dated. A dated notice
for each renewal, naming who was told, when they were told, and what the
owner decided. For every entry that ended, the date it ended, who
decided to end it, and what happened to the material or the data the
outside party was holding. For every registration, what was registered,
with which body, on what date, and when it has to be renewed.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: register-entry
description: Lands a new agreement in the register with everything a later reader needs, which is what it is for, what it costs, the term, the renewal date and the named owner, and hands it to that owner with a date to review it. Use it when running `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: supplier-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Register entry

## What it does

Lands a new agreement in the register with everything a later reader
needs, which is what it is for, what it costs, the term, the renewal
date and the named owner, and hands it to that owner with a date to
review it.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in two activities across one reference process. Each
one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Hand It to the Owner**
  - `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`, activity 20 -
    [Select Marketing Technology](../../../../processes/marketing/select-marketing-technology.md)
- **Write It into the Register**
  - `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`, activity 19 -
    [Select Marketing Technology](../../../../processes/marketing/select-marketing-technology.md)

## What to record

The register holds one entry for each supplier, subscription, agreement,
membership and registration: what it is for, the agent or the person who
owns it, what it costs, the term, the renewal date, and the notice a
cancellation needs. An entry missing an owner or a renewal date is
recorded as missing them rather than left out of the register. For every
search, the requirements and the criteria at a version with the date
they were written, the candidates that were looked at and where each one
came from, the candidates dropped before scoring with the requirement
each one failed, and what the search itself cost to run. Every answer a
candidate gave, attributed to the candidate and dated. A dated notice
for each renewal, naming who was told, when they were told, and what the
owner decided. For every entry that ended, the date it ended, who
decided to end it, and what happened to the material or the data the
outside party was holding. For every registration, what was registered,
with which body, on what date, and when it has to be renewed.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: register-lookup
description: Reads the register of what the department already buys and already owns, to answer whether something on hand does the job and how much money is already committed to contracts and licenses running into the coming period. Use it when running `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology` and `ref/mkt/set-marketing-budget`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: supplier-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Register lookup

## What it does

Reads the register of what the department already buys and already owns,
to answer whether something on hand does the job and how much money is
already committed to contracts and licenses running into the coming
period.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in two activities across two reference processes.
Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Check What Is Already Owned**
  - `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`, activity 2 -
    [Select Marketing Technology](../../../../processes/marketing/select-marketing-technology.md)
- **List the Money Already Committed**
  - `ref/mkt/set-marketing-budget`, activity 3 -
    [Set Marketing Budget](../../../../processes/marketing/set-marketing-budget.md)

## What to record

The register holds one entry for each supplier, subscription, agreement,
membership and registration: what it is for, the agent or the person who
owns it, what it costs, the term, the renewal date, and the notice a
cancellation needs. An entry missing an owner or a renewal date is
recorded as missing them rather than left out of the register. For every
search, the requirements and the criteria at a version with the date
they were written, the candidates that were looked at and where each one
came from, the candidates dropped before scoring with the requirement
each one failed, and what the search itself cost to run. Every answer a
candidate gave, attributed to the candidate and dated. A dated notice
for each renewal, naming who was told, when they were told, and what the
owner decided. For every entry that ended, the date it ended, who
decided to end it, and what happened to the material or the data the
outside party was holding. For every registration, what was registered,
with which body, on what date, and when it has to be renewed.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: requirement-definition
description: Writes down what is needed before any candidate has been looked at, starting from the gap the department cannot cover today and ending with requirements that are ranked and testable or a scope of work with its deliverables and dates. Use it when running `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency` and `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: supplier-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Requirement definition

## What it does

Writes down what is needed before any candidate has been looked at,
starting from the gap the department cannot cover today and ending with
requirements that are ranked and testable or a scope of work with its
deliverables and dates.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in three activities across two reference processes.
Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Take in the Gap**
  - `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`, activity 1 -
    [Select Marketing Technology](../../../../processes/marketing/select-marketing-technology.md)
- **Write down the Requirements**
  - `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`, activity 3 -
    [Select Marketing Technology](../../../../processes/marketing/select-marketing-technology.md)
- **Write the Scope**
  - `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency`, activity 4 -
    [Engage Marketing Agency](../../../../processes/marketing/engage-marketing-agency.md)

## What to record

The register holds one entry for each supplier, subscription, agreement,
membership and registration: what it is for, the agent or the person who
owns it, what it costs, the term, the renewal date, and the notice a
cancellation needs. An entry missing an owner or a renewal date is
recorded as missing them rather than left out of the register. For every
search, the requirements and the criteria at a version with the date
they were written, the candidates that were looked at and where each one
came from, the candidates dropped before scoring with the requirement
each one failed, and what the search itself cost to run. Every answer a
candidate gave, attributed to the candidate and dated. A dated notice
for each renewal, naming who was told, when they were told, and what the
owner decided. For every entry that ended, the date it ended, who
decided to end it, and what happened to the material or the data the
outside party was holding. For every registration, what was registered,
with which body, on what date, and when it has to be renewed.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: same-request-to-every-candidate
description: Puts one request in front of everyone at the same time, with the same scope and the same questions, so that what comes back can be compared line for line. Use it when running `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency` and `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: supplier-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Same request to every candidate

## What it does

Puts one request in front of everyone at the same time, with the same
scope and the same questions, so that what comes back can be compared
line for line.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in two activities across two reference processes.
Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Brief the Selection**
  - `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`, activity 5 -
    [Select Marketing Technology](../../../../processes/marketing/select-marketing-technology.md)
- **Issue the Request**
  - `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency`, activity 8 -
    [Engage Marketing Agency](../../../../processes/marketing/engage-marketing-agency.md)

## What to record

The register holds one entry for each supplier, subscription, agreement,
membership and registration: what it is for, the agent or the person who
owns it, what it costs, the term, the renewal date, and the notice a
cancellation needs. An entry missing an owner or a renewal date is
recorded as missing them rather than left out of the register. For every
search, the requirements and the criteria at a version with the date
they were written, the candidates that were looked at and where each one
came from, the candidates dropped before scoring with the requirement
each one failed, and what the search itself cost to run. Every answer a
candidate gave, attributed to the candidate and dated. A dated notice
for each renewal, naming who was told, when they were told, and what the
owner decided. For every entry that ended, the date it ended, who
decided to end it, and what happened to the material or the data the
outside party was holding. For every registration, what was registered,
with which body, on what date, and when it has to be renewed.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: scoring-criteria
description: Fixes how a candidate or a proposal will be judged, and does it before any of them arrive, so nobody can change the measure once the names are known. Use it when running `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency` and `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: supplier-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Scoring criteria

## What it does

Fixes how a candidate or a proposal will be judged, and does it before
any of them arrive, so nobody can change the measure once the names are
known.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in two activities across two reference processes.
Each one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Set the Scoring Criteria**
  - `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`, activity 4 -
    [Select Marketing Technology](../../../../processes/marketing/select-marketing-technology.md)
- **Set the Selection Criteria**
  - `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency`, activity 6 -
    [Engage Marketing Agency](../../../../processes/marketing/engage-marketing-agency.md)

## What to record

The register holds one entry for each supplier, subscription, agreement,
membership and registration: what it is for, the agent or the person who
owns it, what it costs, the term, the renewal date, and the notice a
cancellation needs. An entry missing an owner or a renewal date is
recorded as missing them rather than left out of the register. For every
search, the requirements and the criteria at a version with the date
they were written, the candidates that were looked at and where each one
came from, the candidates dropped before scoring with the requirement
each one failed, and what the search itself cost to run. Every answer a
candidate gave, attributed to the candidate and dated. A dated notice
for each renewal, naming who was told, when they were told, and what the
owner decided. For every entry that ended, the date it ended, who
decided to end it, and what happened to the material or the data the
outside party was holding. For every registration, what was registered,
with which body, on what date, and when it has to be renewed.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.

---
name: selection-learnings
description: Files what the selection or the engagement taught, which means what to repeat and what to avoid the next time the department buys something like it. Use it when running `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency` and `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`.
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  agent: supplier-manager
  agent-version: "1"
---

# Selection learnings

## What it does

Files what the selection or the engagement taught, which means what to
repeat and what to avoid the next time the department buys something
like it.

## Where it happens

The agent does this in one activity across two reference processes. Each
one names the activity as that process words it.

- **Record What Was Learned**
  - `ref/mkt/engage-marketing-agency`, activity 16 -
    [Engage Marketing Agency](../../../../processes/marketing/engage-marketing-agency.md)
  - `ref/mkt/select-marketing-technology`, activity 21 -
    [Select Marketing Technology](../../../../processes/marketing/select-marketing-technology.md)

## What to record

The register holds one entry for each supplier, subscription, agreement,
membership and registration: what it is for, the agent or the person who
owns it, what it costs, the term, the renewal date, and the notice a
cancellation needs. An entry missing an owner or a renewal date is
recorded as missing them rather than left out of the register. For every
search, the requirements and the criteria at a version with the date
they were written, the candidates that were looked at and where each one
came from, the candidates dropped before scoring with the requirement
each one failed, and what the search itself cost to run. Every answer a
candidate gave, attributed to the candidate and dated. A dated notice
for each renewal, naming who was told, when they were told, and what the
owner decided. For every entry that ended, the date it ended, who
decided to end it, and what happened to the material or the data the
outside party was holding. For every registration, what was registered,
with which body, on what date, and when it has to be renewed.

That contract covers every activity this abstract agent takes on, and it
is repeated in `com.agentcatalog.agent/RECORDS.md`. What the abstract
agent does not do is in `com.agentcatalog.agent/NOT.md`.