--- sourceDocument: Australia Governance, Risk, and Compliance sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/governance-risk-compliance Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Governance, Risk, and Compliance ft:clusterId : - grc bundleId : - grc workflow : - Technology --- # Questionnaire ownership and contributor access # Questionnaire ownership and contributor access {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated June 3, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Questionnaire ownership and contributor access This guide explains questionnaire ownership and contributor roles within the Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) environment using the Smart Assessment Engine (SAE). Each questionnaire request in the third-party portal has one designated owner and may include multiple contributors. Ownership controls submission rights and management of team access, which is crucial for maintaining clear responsibility and control over questionnaire completion. Show full answer Show less ## Key Features * **Questionnaire Owner:** There is exactly one owner per questionnaire request who is responsible for submitting the completed questionnaire, reassigning ownership, and managing contributors. * **Questionnaire Contributors:** Contributors assist by viewing and responding to questions, uploading documents, and adding comments but cannot submit the questionnaire or manage contributors. * **Assignment Rules:** * If an organization has one primary contact, that contact is automatically the questionnaire owner. * If multiple primary contacts exist, ownership is assigned alphabetically by last name, with others added as contributors. * Secondary contacts can be manually added as contributors by the owner. * Ownership can be reassigned by the current owner to any eligible contact within the third-party or engagement scope. * **Ownership vs Contributor Management:** * **Reassign Ownership:** Transfers full control and submission capability to a new owner; previous owner loses access unless re-added as contributor. * **Manage Contributors:** Adds or removes contributors without changing ownership; contributors assist but cannot submit or manage the questionnaire. * Only the current questionnaire owner can perform these actions. ## Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers Understanding the distinction between questionnaire owners and contributors helps ensure proper control and accountability in managing third-party assessments. ServiceNow customers using TPRM with SAE can expect clear role assignments that streamline collaboration within the third-party portal, prevent unauthorized submissions, and maintain secure access management. The ability to reassign ownership and manage contributors provides flexibility to adapt team responsibilities as needed during the questionnaire lifecycle. Each Smart Assessment Engine questionnaire request in the third-party portal has a single questionnaire owner and can include questionnaire contributors. Ownership determines who can submit the completed questionnaire and who can manage team access. Important: This content applies to Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) with Smart Assessment Engine (SAE) usage only. Questionnaire ownership and contributor behavior may differ in Classic TPRM environments. ## Questionnaire owner and questionnaire contributor {#tprm-portal-questionnaire-ownership__section_owner_vs_contributor} Every questionnaire request has exactly one questionnaire owner. The questionnaire owner is the primary responsible party for that questionnaire and is the only person who can submit the completed questionnaire to the customer, reassign ownership to another contact, or add and remove questionnaire contributors. Questionnaire contributors are additional team members who can view and respond to questions, upload documents, and add comments. Multiple contributors can be assigned to a single questionnaire, but contributors cannot submit the questionnaire or manage other contributors. The questionnaire owner is assigned based on the contact role type: * When there is one third-party or engagement primary contact for an organization, that contact is automatically designated as the questionnaire owner for questionnaire requests at their scope level. * When there are multiple third-party or engagement primary contacts, the system selects the questionnaire owner based on alphabetical order by last name. All other primary contacts are added as questionnaire contributors. * Third-party or engagement secondary contacts are initially added as questionnaire contributors when a questionnaire owner adds them manually. Any eligible contact within the applicable third-party or engagement scope can become the questionnaire owner if the current owner uses the Reassign action to transfer ownership. ## Reassign ownership versus manage contributors {#tprm-portal-questionnaire-ownership__section_reassign_vs_manage} The Reassign and Manage Contributors actions serve different purposes and have different effects on questionnaire access. Use Reassign to transfer questionnaire ownership to a different person. After reassignment, the new owner gains full control of the questionnaire, including the ability to submit and manage contributors. Only one person can be selected as the new owner. Important: When ownership is reassigned, the previous owner loses access to the questionnaire unless the new owner adds them back as a contributor. Use Manage Contributors to add or remove people who can help complete the questionnaire. Adding contributors does not change who the questionnaire owner is. Contributors can respond to questions but cannot submit the questionnaire or manage other contributors. Only the current questionnaire owner can use either action. Being a third-party primary contact or engagement primary contact does not grant access to these actions unless the contact is also the questionnaire owner for that specific questionnaire. **Related concepts** * [Managing the Third-party portal](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/0~pzVvr~IuJOCqkyFNmYfA "Third-party contacts respond to questionnaires, requests for documentation, tasks, and issues on the Third-party portal. The portal is the point of interaction between third parties and risk assessors.") * [Third-party portal contact roles and permissions](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Gi4O66QOUKkD5YvpXzPZKw "The third-party portal uses a role-based access model to control who can view, respond to, and manage questionnaire requests, issues, and tasks. Each of the four contact role types has a defined scope and set of permissions.") **Related tasks** * [Manage questionnaire contributors and ownership](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/vs~LQiJBZ63GYYDnbBJ1nA "Add or remove contributors for a questionnaire request, or transfer questionnaire ownership to another contact, so the right team members can collaborate on and submit the questionnaire.") * [Respond to a questionnaire in the third-party portal](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/VXcbHZyM5PSqTxTKw_x_HA "As a third-party contact, respond to assessment questionnaires issued by your assessment team. You can answer questions directly in the portal, use a spreadsheet template, or use a SIG questionnaire format to provide your responses.") * [Invite a contact to the third-party portal](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/MTupLYZ7Geh9gNPtF66euA "Invite a new team member to the third-party portal so they can access questionnaire requests, tasks, and issues for your organization.")