Who is this for?
Any signed-up Aligned user who receives rooms from companies outside their own organization. (If you're a buyer evaluating vendors in Aligned, see [What is the Buying Hub?].)
The Buying Hub is a centralized workspace for managing vendor evaluations. If another company sends you a room, this is where you'll find it — along with tools to help you stay organized as you evaluate.
How do rooms appear in the Buying Hub?
Any room owned by a different company that you've visited at least once shows up automatically. There's nothing to configure.
Star Rooms
What is Star Rooms?
Starring lets you pin the vendor evaluations that matter most to the top of your Buying Hub. Use it to keep active or high-priority deals front and center.
How it works
Star or unstar a room directly from its card in the Hub. Starred rooms are always pinned to the top of your list, regardless of when you last visited them.
When should I use it?
When you're juggling multiple evaluations and want quick access to the ones that need your attention right now.
AI Vendor Brief
What is AI Vendor Brief?
AI Vendor Brief gives you a quick overview of the vendor behind a deal — who they are, what they do, their industry, and company size. It helps you orient fast without having to research the vendor separately.
How it works
Open the AI Vendor Brief tab on any deal card in the Hub. The summary is generated automatically based on publicly available vendor information.
When should I use it?
When you're entering a new evaluation and want context on the vendor before diving into the room. Also useful when looping in a colleague and need a quick way to bring them up to speed.
Private Notes
What are Private Notes?
Private Notes give you a dedicated space to capture your thoughts while reviewing a deal. They're designed for personal takeaways, concerns, and observations that you're not ready to share yet.
What you can do with Private Notes
Write and edit notes as you review the deal. Notes support formatting — bold, italic, headings, lists, and links. Notes are saved automatically as you type.
Privacy and visibility
Private Notes are visible only to you. They are not shared with vendors, teammates, or anyone else.
When should I use it?
Any time you want to think through a deal without external pressure or noise.
Private Tasks
What are Private Tasks?
Private Tasks let you track everything you need to do to evaluate a deal — in one place. They act as a personal checklist to help you stay organized as the deal progresses.
What you can do with Private Tasks
Create tasks, set due dates, reorder them, and mark them complete as you go. Up to 15 tasks per deal.
Privacy and visibility
Private Tasks are visible only to you. They are not shared with vendors or anyone else.
When should I use it?
When you want to track follow-ups, review steps, or internal to-dos tied to a specific vendor evaluation.
Invite New Vendor
What is Invite New Vendor?
Invite New Vendor lets you bring a new vendor into Aligned by requesting a room from them. It's how you start a new evaluation directly from the Hub.
How it works
Click "Invite New Vendor" from the Hub and fill in the request. The vendor will receive a room request from you.
When should I use it?
When you're starting a new evaluation and want to pull a vendor into Aligned so you can manage the process alongside your other deals.
Other actions
You can also search rooms by name to quickly find a specific evaluation, and remove a room from your Hub if you no longer need it in your list. Removed rooms reappear automatically the next time you visit them.
Privacy
Your notes, tasks, and starred rooms are yours alone. Vendors cannot see them. Teammates cannot see them. The Buying Hub is a personal workspace.