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oboloo Zapier integrationAutomate oboloo with Zapier.

The oboloo Zapier integration gives you 8 triggers, 4 actions and 0 searches. Contracts, suppliers and savings records can leave oboloo for your chat, sheets or ERP, and new contracts and suppliers can come in from forms and CRMs. Here is the cost, the setup and the traps.

See the 12 operations

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Overview

What the oboloo Zapier integration does

oboloo is a procurement tool for keeping sourcing, contracts, suppliers and savings under control. Zapier connects it to the rest of your apps in both directions: events in oboloo can start automations elsewhere, and data collected elsewhere can create or update contracts and suppliers in oboloo.

Twelve operations, grouped around three records. The outcomes procurement teams set up first:

Finance hears about every new contract. New Contract starts a Zap that posts the title and supplier in the finance channel, so nobody learns about a commitment at invoice time. Supplier onboarding without retyping. A supplier fills in your intake form, and Create New Supplier opens the record with contact, industry and reference. A savings log the CFO can read. Saving Record Is Created or Updated in Oboloo adds a row to a shared sheet each time a saving is logged or revised.

Now the limits. There is no search on this integration, so a Zap cannot look up a contract or a supplier by name: both update actions need the record ID from oboloo, and the Zap has to get it from an earlier step. Nothing created before the Zap is switched on gets picked up. And all eight triggers are polling ones, so on the free plan expect a delay of up to 15 minutes.

If you are comparing platforms for this, the Make vs Zapier comparison sets the criteria side by side.

Vocabulary

Zapier vocabulary in one minute

Seven terms come back on every Zapier screen. Plain definitions first, so the notes below read without guesswork.

Zap
The automation you build: one trigger, then one or more actions that run every time the trigger event happens.
Trigger
The event that starts the Zap, such as a new contract in oboloo. Once the Zap is on, Zapier waits for it.
Action
What the Zap does once started: the step that writes, sends or moves something for you, like creating a supplier.
Task
The unit Zapier bills: one action that completes successfully. Your plan counts these and nothing else.
Polling vs instant
A polling trigger is checked by Zapier on a timer for new items. An instant one is pushed by the app as it happens.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap carry on only when the incoming data meets your condition, and stops it otherwise.
Connection
Your oboloo account linked to Zapier once, then reused by every step and every Zap that uses oboloo.
Cost

What it really costs to run

oboloo is not a premium app, so it works on the free plan. Its eight triggers cost nothing, however often Zapier checks them.

  • Trigger checksNever billed
  • Free plan100 tasks a month, unlimited Zaps
  • Free plan Zap sizeTwo steps: one trigger, one action
  • Premium appNo, available on the free plan

You pay one task per action that succeeds. A new contract announced in one channel is one task; announced and logged in a sheet, two. A failed action, like a contract rejected for a duplicate reference, is not counted. All triggers here are polling ones, so the interval of your plan sets the delay. And the free plan stops at two steps: add a filter or a second action and the Zap needs a paid plan.

Connect

Connect oboloo to Zapier in three steps

  1. 01

    Open the Apps page

    In your Zapier account, open Apps and click + Add connection. You need an oboloo account, plus read or write access to any contracts and suppliers you do not own but want the Zap to touch.

  2. 02

    Find oboloo

    Type oboloo in the search box of the dialog, select it, then click Add connection. A new browser tab opens on the oboloo side, where you sign in to oboloo.

  3. 03

    Sign in and grant access

    Log in to oboloo in that tab and allow Zapier to use the account. The connection then appears in your list, ready for every Zap that reads or writes oboloo records.

First Zap

Your first Zap: tell finance about each new contract

GoalEach new contract in oboloo is checked by a filter, then announced in the finance channel with its title and supplier.

  1. 01

    Create the Zap and its trigger

    Create a new Zap. In the trigger slot, pick oboloo, choose New Contract as the event, and select the connection you just added.

  2. 02

    Test the trigger

    Run the test. Zapier brings back the three most recent contracts of your account, so you can map a real one in the next steps instead of guessing field names.

  3. 03

    Add the filter (paid plans)

    From the plus icon, add a Filter step to keep only the contracts finance cares about, here by currency. A filter makes the Zap multi-step, which needs a paid plan.

  4. 04

    Add the message

    Add your chat app as the action, pick the finance channel, then place the contract title, the supplier and the start date in the message text.

  5. 05

    Test, then publish

    Test the step and read the message that lands in the channel. When it is right, click Publish to switch the Zap on for every new contract.

Triggers

The 8 oboloo triggers

8 events start a Zap when something happens in oboloo. Zapier checks for them at the interval your plan allows.

1

New Contract Notification

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when there is a new contract related notification in oboloo.”

Picks up each notification oboloo raises about a contract and hands it to your Zap, so alerts that would otherwise stay inside oboloo reach people who never log in.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
when a contract owner lives in email or chat and needs oboloo's contract alerts there.
Watch out
this fires on notifications, not on the contract itself; use New Contract to react to the record.
2

Contract Updated

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a contract is updated in oboloo.”

Runs your Zap whenever an existing contract changes in oboloo, and passes the updated record to the next steps. It keeps copies of contract data in other tools from drifting out of date.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
when your ERP or a reporting sheet holds contract data that must follow every edit made in oboloo.
Watch out
do not pair it with Update a Contract in Oboloo on the same records; the Zap would set itself off again and again.
3

New Contract

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new contract record is created.”

Starts a Zap each time a contract record is created in oboloo, with its details ready to map into the following steps. This is the trigger behind most first Zaps: announce, log or file each new commitment.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
when finance, legal or a budget owner must hear about every contract created, without checking oboloo.
Watch out
contracts created before the Zap was published are not sent; only new ones are.
4

New Supplier

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new supplier record is created.”

Fires when a supplier record is created in oboloo and sends that supplier to your Zap. It is the starting point for onboarding steps that happen outside oboloo, such as accounts payable setup.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
when accounts payable needs a task or a row for each new supplier before the first invoice arrives.
Watch out
if another Zap creates suppliers with Create New Supplier, this trigger will pick those up too.
5

Saving Record Is Created or Updated in Oboloo

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a savings record is created or updated in oboloo.”

Catches both new savings records and edits to existing ones, then hands the record to your Zap. Use it to keep savings figures visible outside the procurement team.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
when a CFO dashboard or a shared sheet should track savings as buyers log and revise them.
Watch out
since updates fire too, one saving can produce several rows; design the destination to overwrite rather than stack.
6

New Savings Notification

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when there is a new savings related notification in oboloo.”

Brings oboloo's savings-related notifications into a Zap, so the people who follow savings targets get them where they work instead of in oboloo.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
when a category manager wants savings alerts in a dedicated channel or inbox folder.
Watch out
it reacts to notifications, not to the savings record; for the record itself, use Saving Record Is Created or Updated in Oboloo.
7

New Supplier Notification

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when there is a new supplier related notification in oboloo.”

Passes each supplier-related notification from oboloo to your Zap. A quiet way to route supplier alerts to the buyer in charge, without asking them to watch oboloo all day.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
when supplier alerts must reach a shared procurement inbox or a ticket queue.
Watch out
a burst of notifications after a bulk change can be held back by Zapier's flood protection.
8

Supplier Updated

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a supplier record is updated.”

Reacts to edits on an existing supplier record and sends the new version to your Zap. Contact changes, new references or a revised industry then flow to the systems that hold a copy.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
when your ERP or vendor list must mirror supplier details kept in oboloo.
Watch out
a Zap that answers this trigger with Update a Supplier in Oboloo on the same supplier will loop.
Actions

The 4 oboloo actions

oboloo gives you 4 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Create Contract

Action

In Zapier“Create a new contract in oboloo”

Opens a new contract in oboloo with its title, a unique reference, the linked supplier, one location, one department, a category, a start date and a currency.

When to use it
when a deal signed in your CRM should become a contract record without retyping.
Watch out
the supplier name must match one in oboloo, and only one location and department fit at creation; add more later with the update action.
2

Create New Supplier

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new supplier record in oboloo”

Registers a supplier in oboloo from details gathered elsewhere: name, description, reference, industry, a contact name and an email entered twice.

When to use it
when suppliers apply through an intake form and buyers should find them in oboloo straight away.
Watch out
every one of those fields is required, including the email confirmation, so the form must collect them all.
3

Update a Contract in Oboloo

Action

In Zapier“Update a contract record in oboloo”

Edits an existing contract, identified by the ID oboloo shows at the end of its URL, such as 218 in oboloo.app/contract/view/218. It is also how a contract gets more than one location or department.

When to use it
when changes made in another system must reach the contract record.
Watch out
the ID, linked locations and linked departments are all required on every run.
4

Update a Supplier in Oboloo

Action

In Zapier“Updates an existing Supplier record in oboloo”

Changes an existing supplier record, found by its oboloo ID, the number at the end of the supplier's URL, like 131 in oboloo.app/supplier/view/131.

When to use it
when supplier contacts are maintained in your ERP or CRM and oboloo should follow.
Watch out
with no search on this integration, the Zap must carry that ID from an earlier step or a stored column.
When it breaks

When the oboloo Zap breaks

Zapier attaches no help article and no documented error to oboloo. What breaks comes from the rules on its required fields and from general Zapier limits.

Six cases account for most of the trouble on this app. For a wider checklist, the Zapier troubleshooting guide covers the usual causes, and the Zapier training goes deeper on multi-step Zaps.

  • The contract that updates itself

    A Zap that starts on Contract Updated and runs Update a Contract in Oboloo on the same record writes where its trigger watches. It loops and burns through tasks.

  • Supplier name does not match

    Create Contract needs the Linked Supplier to match a supplier name already in oboloo. A typo or a missing supplier makes the step fail.

  • Reference already used

    Each contract reference must be unique in oboloo. Sending one that already exists against another contract stops the creation.

  • No ID for an update

    Both update actions need the oboloo ID of the record. With no search available, a Zap that does not carry the ID has nothing to update.

  • Old records are never sent

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after it is switched on. Contracts and suppliers created before that stay out, and moving them is a separate job.

  • A bulk import is held back

    After a mass import into oboloo, a trigger that suddenly returns a huge batch can be held back by Zapier's flood protection.
Need help

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FAQ

oboloo Zapier integration: frequent questions

01Is the oboloo Zapier integration free?
Yes, for two-step Zaps. oboloo is not a premium app, so the free plan accepts it, with 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps. The limit is the shape: one trigger and one action, nothing more. As soon as you add a filter, a search or a second action, the Zap becomes multi-step and needs a paid plan. The eight oboloo triggers never consume a task, however often Zapier checks them; you only pay for actions that succeed, such as a contract created or a message posted.
02How many tasks does an oboloo Zap use?
One task per successful action, per event. A Zap that announces each new contract in a channel costs one task per contract. If it also logs the contract in a sheet, that is two. Triggers that fire on updates, like Contract Updated or the savings trigger, can run several times for one record, and each run's actions count. An action that fails, for instance because a supplier name does not match, is not billed, and the checks Zapier runs on oboloo are free.
03Do oboloo triggers work in real time?
No. All eight oboloo triggers are polling triggers: Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan. That is every 15 minutes on Free, every 2 minutes on Professional, and every minute on Team and Enterprise. oboloo offers no instant trigger, and the type is set by the app, so it cannot be changed in the editor. On paid plans you can also run a check by hand from the editor while you build and test.
04What do you need to connect oboloo to Zapier?
An oboloo account, plus read or write access to the contracts and suppliers you do not own but want the Zap to touch. Open Apps in Zapier, click + Add connection, search for oboloo and click Add connection, then sign in in the tab that opens and grant access. For the actions, prepare what oboloo expects: existing supplier names for new contracts, unique references, and record IDs for the two update actions.
05Why does Create Contract fail in oboloo?
Usually for one of two reasons. The Linked Supplier must match a supplier name already in oboloo, so a spelling difference or a supplier that does not exist yet stops the step. And the contract reference must be unique: one already used on another contract is refused. Check the other required fields too, from title and category to start date, currency, one location and one department. Creating the supplier first, in the same Zap or a separate one, removes most failures.
06What if the oboloo operation you want is missing?
Then Zapier cannot do it with this app today. The integration offers eight triggers and four actions around contracts, suppliers and savings, but no search and no way to delete a record. The usual workaround is to work with the record IDs oboloo shows in its URLs, storing them in a sheet so later Zaps can update the right record. For anything beyond that, the oboloo team is the place to ask.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for oboloo?
Compare them on the criteria that matter to your procurement team. On setup, the Zapier integration covers contracts, suppliers and savings with ready-made operations and a three-step connection. On speed, every oboloo trigger polls, so your plan interval sets the delay. On cost, Zapier bills per successful action, which adds up on update triggers. On control, lookups by name or self-hosting lead teams to weigh the other two platforms' hosting and pricing models.
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