# unison marketplace rfp download failed 403: how to fix it

A 403 on download means the session expired or the account lacks the solicitation role. Re-login in a fresh session, confirm the account holds the vendor role for that solicitation, and retry the download.

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unison marketplace rfp download failed 403
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## When to use this skill
- RFP download returns a 403 forbidden page
- Download works for other solicitations but not this one

## When not to use this skill
- Download starts then fails partway (a connection issue)
- Solicitation page itself 404s (a listing issue)

## Tool compatibility
Unison Marketplace RFP downloads. Related area: business integrations.

Related area: proposal automation and agent-assisted RFP workflows.

Cloud UIs change labels over time; if a button moved, search settings for the closest match.

## Before you start
- Sign in to the tool and keep one tab open so sessions stay clean
- Copy the exact error text and note the time it happened
- Set aside 15 to 20 minutes; most of these resolve in a single pass

## Quick diagnosis
Make sure this is the right skill before you invest the 15 minutes.
- If you are dealing with rFP download returns a 403 forbidden page, start at step 1 below.
- If instead download starts then fails partway (a connection issue), stop here; you need a different skill.
- If neither quite matches, compare your screen against the verbatim error block at the top; that block is exactly what this skill covers.

## Fix it in steps
### 1. Re-login in a fresh session

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Log out fully and log back in, ideally in a private window.
```
Expected: Expected: login succeeds with no stale-session warning.

### 2. Confirm the vendor role

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Check that your account is registered as a vendor for the solicitation.
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Expected: Expected: role shows vendor or offeror, not guest.

### 3. Retry the download

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Click the RFP download link again in the fresh session.
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Expected: Expected: download starts instead of a 403 page.

### 4. Try the alternate download link

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Use any mirror or attachments-tab link the solicitation page offers.
```
Expected: Expected: at least one link delivers the file.

## Confirm each step worked
Run through this checklist before moving on. If a check fails, redo that step instead of pushing ahead.
- Step 1 (re-login in a fresh session): Expected: expected: login succeeds with no stale-session warning.
- Step 2 (confirm the vendor role): Expected: expected: role shows vendor or offeror, not guest.
- Step 3 (retry the download): Expected: expected: download starts instead of a 403 page.
- Step 4 (try the alternate download link): Expected: expected: at least one link delivers the file.

## Quick recap
1. Re-login in a fresh session
2. Confirm the vendor role
3. Retry the download
4. Try the alternate download link

## Still stuck?
Gather three things: the exact error text, the time it happened, and what changed just before it broke.
Check the vendor status page for an active incident. Then open a support ticket with those three things;
it cuts the back-and-forth in half. For agent runs, attach the last 50 lines of the agent log too,
since the loop or timeout signature in the log usually names the cause.

## Variant phrasings
### unison marketplace 403 download
Fresh session plus vendor role fixes it. If this matches what you saw, the steps above apply as written.

### unison rfp download forbidden
Confirm the solicitation role. If this matches what you saw, the steps above apply as written.

## Why it happens
Unison ties document access to the solicitation role, and a session that expired mid-browse keeps rendering pages while downloads 403. Guest-role accounts can see the listing but not the files.

## Edge cases
- Download the full package early; roles can change after amendments
- Bookmark the solicitation page, not the file link; file links expire with sessions
- If the role is wrong, the contracting officer or help desk must fix it; you cannot self-assign

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst__9nS2_HixgEUxPg19U64mw