Topic overview

This article describes the application-related actions available in the Supplier contracts application.

The fields of the Supplier contracts application are described in the article Supplier contracts.

Instructions for using the Supplier contracts application, e.g. how to enter and edit supplier contracts, can be found in the article Procedures: Supplier contracts.

Actions for editing

The actions described in the following chapters are used to process a supplier contract.

Standard actions

The standard actions [New], [Duplicate header], [Refresh], [Validate], [Save], [Delete] and the interaction between the line item table and the line item editor are described in the article General actions for voucher processing.

[Generate from quotation…] action

A supplier contract can be created from a supplier quotation using the [Generate from quotation…] action under the [New] menu button in the standard toolbar.

Preconditions

• Supplier contract type
• Supplier quotation

This action is not available for the Consignment contract category.

Kits, discounts in kind and pseudo items cannot be used in supplier contracts. Such items are excluded after confirmation of a corresponding warning.

Effects

The system creates a new supplier contract based on the selected quotation. The supplier and the currency are transferred from the quotation to the contract header and the line items are transferred to the line item table. Missing data is taken from the supplier contract type and the supplier or item master data.

When transferring the quotation line items to the supplier contract, you can choose between individual transfer and total transfer:

• Individual transfer – you activate the individual transfer using the Accept line items using editor function. If it is activated, the quotation line item is first transferred to the line item editor as a new contract line item. You can edit it and must transfer it to the line item table of the supplier contract.
  When transferring items individually, there are additional buttons available in the line item editor for editing the line items. You can find further information in the article General actions for voucher processing.
• Overall transfer – if the Accept line items using editor function is not activated, the overall transfer is carried out. All quotation line items are transferred to the contract as new line items in the line item table in one step and the contract is saved immediately. After this, certain data, such as the item identification, can no longer be changed. If an error occurs during transfer, the system automatically switches to the individual transfer mode.

A voucher chain relationship is created between the contract header and the quotation header and between the quotation line items and the corresponding contract line items.

Changing the general status

You can change the general status of the supplier contract using the [Actions] button in the standard toolbar. Alternatively, you can change the status of individual contract line items using the [Actions] button in the line item editor toolbar.

You can find a description of the following actions in the article Actions: Release, block, and complete voucher or line items.

Further information on the meaning and effects of the general status of the contract and the individual contract line items can be found in the article Supplier contracts.

[Release] action

You can use the [Release] action in the standard toolbar under the [Actions] button to release the entire voucher including all line items.

To do this, execute the [Release] action for a saved voucher. The voucher header and all line items will be assigned the Released status.

[Release line items…] action

Via the [Release line items…] action in the standard toolbar under the [Actions] button, you can release the header and optionally also all or selected line items.

[Block] action

If the voucher header does not have the status Completed or Invalid, you can block the entire voucher including all line items.

To do this, execute the [Block] action in the standard toolbar under the [Actions] button for a saved voucher. The voucher header and all line items will be assigned the Blocked status.

[Block line items] action

If the voucher header is not in Completed status, the [Block] action is available in the line item editor toolbar under the [Actions] button.

The line item opened in the line item editor is immediately assigned the Blocked status by executing the action both in the line item editor and in the line item table. The voucher does not need to be saved for this action.

[Complete line items…] action

Via the [Complete line items…] action in the standard toolbar, you can complete all or selected line items. Once all line items have been completed, the voucher header is also assigned the Completed status.

[Release] action (line item editor)

If the voucher header has the status Released, the [Release] action is available for a line item in the line item editor toolbar under the [Actions] button.

The line item opened in the line item editor is immediately assigned the Released status by executing the action both in the line item editor and in the line item table. The voucher does not have to be saved for this action.

[Block] action (line item editor)

If the voucher header does not have the Completed status, the [Block] action is available in the line item editor toolbar under the [Actions] button.

The line item opened in the line item editor is immediately assigned the Blocked status by executing the action both in the line item editor and in the line item table. The voucher does not need to be saved for this action.

[Find and add line items…] action (line item table)

In various voucher applications, such as Purchasing RFQs, Supplier quotations, Purchase orders, Sales orders, Distribution orders, etc., you can use the [Find and add line items…] action to search for suitable line items from other vouchers and add them to the target voucher. The source voucher in which the line item is searched for may or may not have the same voucher category as the target voucher. Other voucher categories are also available as sources.

In contrast to the [Duplicate] function in the line item editor, only selected data such as the item identification and quantity are copied from the source voucher line item.

Further information can be found in the article Action: Find and add line items.

[Find and add item…] action (line item table)

With the [Find and add item…] action in the toolbar of the line item table, you can add new items to the supplier contract by searching for purchasing items, supplier items or, if applicable, item characteristics.

For more information, see the article Action: Find and add item.

[Find and add variant item for reference item] action (line item table)

Using the action [Find and add variant item for reference item] in the toolbar of the line item table opens a dialog box in which you can search for variant items for a reference item and enter a total quantity for each of the desired variant items. You can then select the [Accept all selected] button to automatically create and save the new basic line items in the voucher’s line item table, unless there are some messages preventing you from saving the changes. If such messages occur, you need to transfer the line items using the line item editor.

For more details, see the article Action: Find and add variant item to reference item.

[Determine price…] action (line item editor)

With the [Determine price…] action in the line item editor toolbar, you can have the system determine a price for a recorded contract line item.

Preconditions

• An existing line item is open in the line item editor or a new line item is entered
• For the system to be able to determine a price for a line item, at least one price listing and one price list must exist in the system to which the following applies:
  • Data is included for the line item concerned
  • The supplier and the currency correspond to the data entered in the contract (contract partner, invoicing party’s currency)

Effects

The system determines a price for the entered quantity of the item in the contract line item opened in the line item editor. The system uses the stored price list, including the price lists contained therein, and searches for a valid item price on the reference date and at the calculation time for the specified partner.

Result of the price determination:

• Price has been determined – the price determined is transferred to the Price field of the contract line item.
• Price has not been determined – if the system cannot determine a price for the item on the basis of the data entered, a corresponding message is issued. This is the case, for example, if the price lists assigned to the selected price listing do not contain an entry for the item.

Further information can be found in the article Introduction: Purchasing prices.

[Output contract confirmation…] action

Using the [Output contract confirmation…] action you output the Contract confirmation voucher document.

Each time this action is executed, the system issues a contract confirmation. The contract confirmation is issued with the voucher date entered on the output medium determined or defined according to the contract and with the format according to the voucher document template stored or selected in the contract.

The voucher document is issued in the correspondence language of the contract partner.

Completing schedule contracts

You can complete schedule contracts using the batch application Schedule contract completion.

The Completed status is not automatically assigned by the system to schedule contracts. The user can use this batch application to trigger a system check if required. The system compares the date of all open line items of all schedule contracts with the current date and then assigns the status Completed if the term has already expired. If all line items in a contract affected by this are subsequently completed, the corresponding voucher header is also assigned the status Completed.