--- 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 --- # Manage the third-party portal # Managing the Third-party portal {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated September 10, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 4 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 Managing the Third-party portal The Third-party portal facilitates interaction between third-party contacts and your risk assessment team by enabling third parties to respond to questionnaires, requests for documentation, tasks, and issues. It serves as the primary interface for external users involved in third-party risk management (TPRM) activities. Show full answer Show less ## Third-party Contacts and Roles * **Primary contacts** coordinate questionnaire responses, manage portal access, delegate work, and update contact information. Each third party must have at least one primary contact. * **Secondary contacts** respond to assigned tasks and have limited portal access. * Contacts can be assigned at either the overall third party level or specific engagement level. * Contacts are automatically assigned the `vendorcontact` role (portal access) and `sncexternal` role (restricts access to only the third-party portal). ## Using the Third-party Portal * Third-party contacts access the portal via `[your instance URL]/svdp`. * Primary contacts can delegate questionnaires, tasks, and issues, manage assignments, and update preferences. * Secondary contacts can view and respond to assigned assessments, participate in questionnaires, and manage their account access. * Progress on questionnaires and document requests is tracked through states: New, In Progress, and Completed. The assessment must be submitted after all responses are complete. * Contacts can respond directly in the portal or upload responses using Microsoft Excel templates or SIG questionnaire formats. * The portal includes a FAQ section to assist third-party contacts with common questions. ## Administration and Setup * ServiceNow administrators and TPR managers manage third-party contacts by creating records, enabling/disabling portal access, resetting passwords, assigning roles, and managing account status. * Admins can respond on behalf of third-party contacts if the `snsvdp.allowassessoredit` property is enabled. ## Contact Management Tasks for Third-party Contacts * Invite new team members and assign contacts to specific engagements. * Manage questionnaire contributors and ownership. * Respond to questionnaires and submit assessments. * Deactivate inactive team members. ## Assessment Assignment Behavior * **Classic assessment engine:** Questionnaires are assigned to a single primary contact alphabetically, who is solely responsible for completion and submission. Other contacts do not receive the questionnaire automatically. * **Smart Assessment Engine (SAE):** All primary contacts are assigned as contributors; one is designated as the questionnaire owner responsible for submission and managing contributors. * The owner and contributor model applies only to SAE environments. ## Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers * Streamlines third-party risk assessment by clearly defining roles and delegation capabilities. * Enables efficient collaboration between internal assessors and external third-party contacts through a centralized portal. * Provides flexible assessment management supporting both classic and modern SAE workflows. * Enhances security by restricting portal access appropriately and allowing administrators to manage user permissions effectively. 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 contacts Third-party contacts represent the third party and use the third-party portal to respond to questionnaires, complete tasks, and address issues raised by your assessment team. Contacts can be primary or secondary. Each third party must have at least one primary contact. Primary contacts coordinate questionnaire responses, manage portal access, and can assign work to other contacts. Secondary contacts typically respond to assigned work and have limited access. Contacts can exist at two levels: * Third party-level contacts, who support the overall vendor organization * Engagement-level contacts, who participate in specific engagements Third-party contacts are automatically assigned the `vendor_contact` and `snc_external` roles. The `vendor_contact` role provides access to the third-party portal, and the `snc_external` role restricts access to the portal only. Important: The third-party contact role is designed only for external users and restricts access to the third-party portal. ## Launching the portal Third-party contacts access the portal using \[your instance URL\]/svdp. ## Tasks for third-party contacts Primary contacts can perform the following tasks: * Delegate questionnaires, tasks, and issues to other contacts * Manage contact and engagement assignments * Update contact information and notification preferences Secondary contacts can: * View and respond to assigned assessments * Participate in questionnaires and tasks assigned to them * Manage their account access Note: Issue indicators appear in the third-party portal only after an issue is submitted and the **Visible in third-party portal** field is selected. Assessment counts include only active, pending, and in-progress assessments. Cancelled and inactive assessments are excluded. The comments field saves automatically when focus moves away from the field. ## Questionnaire and document request states Progress in questionnaires and document requests is tracked through request states: New : The request is sent to the third party. In progress : Responses are being entered. Completed : All responses are completed. Note: You must submit the assessment after all requests are complete. For more information on states, see [External assessment lifecycle states](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/3_W6vz8huC7Kh8MXNb4SpQ "The process of collecting assessment data from a third party moves through several states. For example, during the Submitted to third party state, the third party responds to tasks, issues, and works to complete the questionnaires."). ## Responding to questionnaires Third-party contacts respond to questionnaires and document requests assigned to them in the portal. They can provide responses, upload supporting documentation, and track progress. Contacts can respond directly in the portal or by using a Microsoft Excel template or SIG questionnaire format. For information on responding to a questionnaire, see [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."). ## Learning to use the portal---the FAQ page Third-party contacts can select FAQ to view answers to common questions about using the portal. ## Setting up the third-party portal (Admin) {#vendor-portal__section_admin_setup} ServiceNow administrators and TPR managers use TPRM to set up and manage third-party contacts in your instance. Admin responsibilities include: * Create contact records and manage contact logins * Enable or disable portal access * Reset passwords and resend invitations * Assign roles and permissions * Manage contact information and account status For step-by-step guidance, see the following admin tasks: * [Set up third-party contacts](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/kIZpvjl~kPc6YAxrR6CXoA "Set up your third-party contacts so that you can send assessments, address issues, and communicate any additional required information with these contacts using Third-party Risk Management.") --- Create and configure contact records in the admin interface * [Manage access for your third-party contacts](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/hZK6yz8F3tL8vMgxJruiVQ "View your existing third-party contacts and adjust their information and access permissions as needed by using Third-party Risk Management. When you keep the contact details up to date, you can help to avoid your third-party contacts from getting unauthorized access or losing authorized access to the third-party portal.") --- Manage access, deactivate accounts, reset passwords, and resend invitations Note: You can respond on behalf of third-party contacts if the sn_svdp.allow_assessor_edit property is enabled. ## Using the third-party portal (Contact) {#vendor-portal__section_contact_using} Third-party contacts (external users) use the third-party portal to manage questionnaires, invite team members, and coordinate assessment responses. Contact tasks include: * Invite new team members to the portal * Assign contacts to engagements * Manage questionnaire contributors and ownership * Respond to questionnaires and submit assessments * Deactivate inactive team members For step-by-step guidance, see the following contact tasks: * [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.") --- Understand contact role types and permissions * [Questionnaire ownership and contributor access](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/kcSvQtyZtRVzjmKhXNz7KQ "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.") --- Learn about questionnaire ownership and contributor access * [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.") --- Invite new team members to the portal * [Assign a contact to an engagement](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/zYdD1KyoSUzE6KliDleh6Q "Add a contact from your third-party organization to a specific engagement team so they can access questionnaire requests for that engagement.") --- Assign contacts to engagements * [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.") --- Manage questionnaire contributors and reassign ownership * [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.") --- Respond to and submit questionnaires * [Deactivate a third-party portal contact](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/IIS3~Nj8jRN2s515c0dK6g "Remove a contact's access to the third-party portal when they no longer need it, such as when a team member leaves the organization or changes roles.") --- Deactivate team members ## Assessment assignment behavior by engine {#vendor-portal__section_assessment_assignment_behavior} Assignment and submission behavior for questionnaires differs depending on whether your organization uses the Classic assessment engine or Smart Assessment Engine (SAE). This section explains how each engine assigns questionnaires to primary contacts and how submission works. ## Classic assessment engine In Classic environments, when a questionnaire is generated for a third party or engagement, the system assigns the questionnaire to a single primary contact based on alphabetical order. That contact is responsible for completing and submitting the questionnaire. Secondary contacts and other primary contacts do not automatically receive the questionnaire and cannot submit it on behalf of the assigned contact. ## Smart Assessment Engine (SAE) In SAE environments, questionnaire assignment and submission work differently than in Classic: * All primary contacts are automatically assigned to the questionnaire. * The system designates one primary contact as the questionnaire owner, typically based on alphabetical order by last name. * The questionnaire owner is responsible for submitting the questionnaire and managing contributor access. * Other primary contacts are added as questionnaire contributors. For detailed information on the questionnaire owner and contributor roles, permissions, and how to manage them, see the following topics: * [Questionnaire ownership and contributor access](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/kcSvQtyZtRVzjmKhXNz7KQ "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.") --- Explains the owner and contributor model and how to reassign ownership or manage contributors * [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.") --- Step-by-step guidance on managing contributors Important: Questionnaire owner and contributor behavior applies only to SAE assessments. Classic assessments do not use this model. **Related concepts** * [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.") * [Questionnaire ownership and contributor access](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/kcSvQtyZtRVzjmKhXNz7KQ "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.") * [Using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet template for external questionnaires](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/szV1iZs1CX5hl0M_hSW4OA "Third parties and engagements can use a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to respond to questionnaires by downloading the template, completing it, and importing the final version into the Third-party portal. This enables respondents to provide information outside the third-party portal.") * [Using the SIG questionnaire for a risk assessment](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/_PAntfWX755MlsrKV8ez_Q "Third parties can use the Shared Assessments Standardized Information Gathering questionnaire (SIG) to provide assessment documentation in the Third-party Risk Management application. The third-party contact can upload the pre-filled SIG spreadsheet or respond to a form-based questionnaire that is imported to the instance.") * [TPRM and the Explicit Roles plugin](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/f3T0I7jnCyCYmlFhemo4qQ "Activating the Third-party Risk Management plugin also installs the Explicit Roles plugin. Administrators assign the snc_internal and snc_external roles to provide internal and external users access to the instance.") **Related tasks** * [Set up third-party contacts](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/kIZpvjl~kPc6YAxrR6CXoA "Set up your third-party contacts so that you can send assessments, address issues, and communicate any additional required information with these contacts using Third-party Risk Management.") * [Manage access for your third-party contacts](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/hZK6yz8F3tL8vMgxJruiVQ "View your existing third-party contacts and adjust their information and access permissions as needed by using Third-party Risk Management. When you keep the contact details up to date, you can help to avoid your third-party contacts from getting unauthorized access or losing authorized access to the third-party portal.") * [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.") * [Assign a contact to an engagement](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/zYdD1KyoSUzE6KliDleh6Q "Add a contact from your third-party organization to a specific engagement team so they can access questionnaire requests for that engagement.") * [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.") * [Deactivate a third-party portal contact](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/IIS3~Nj8jRN2s515c0dK6g "Remove a contact's access to the third-party portal when they no longer need it, such as when a team member leaves the organization or changes roles.") * [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.") * [Upload and manage documents in the third-party portal](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/sU1CNRIGMzK4AncCt_sObQ "Use the third-party portal to upload and manage documents for assessments, engagements, issues, and tasks in Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM).") * [Respond using a Microsoft Excel template](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/F6K4psiPvWPuwZuKUSPtFg "Use a Microsoft Excel template to respond to questionnaires by downloading the template, completing it, and importing the final version into the Third-party portal. The Microsoft Excel questionnaire template contains instructions for filling out the template.") * [Respond using the SIG](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Sc3l787dWVKfCTVxp0hKPg "Use the Shared Assessments Standardized Information Gathering questionnaire (SIG) to provide assessment documentation on the third-party portal. You can upload the pre-filled SIG spreadsheet or import a form-based questionnaire.") * [E-signatures on questionnaires or document requests](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/pgjD0RMxcPArQYGSNsyp4A "Questionnaires or document requests might require electronic signatures of third-party contacts and/or reviewers.")