Release 12.1
Part Number E14436-03
Contents
Previous
Next
| Oracle Procurement Contracts Implementation and Administration Guide Release 12.1 Part Number E14436-03 | Contents | Previous | Next |
This chapter covers the following topics:
Contract terms Library is the central library of all pre-approved clauses and contract templates that can be used to create contracts across the enterprise.
The library gives the legal department and business organizations a powerful tool to create reusable clauses. Clauses can be grouped into sections and stored as reusable contract templates to codify best practices. Templates provide a framework for rapid assembly and creation of contracts. These capabilities provide the foundations for contract process standardization controls across the enterprise. Another key feature of the Contracts Terms Library is the ability to establish global standards and enforce these standards enterprise-wide. Organizations can manage clauses and templates centrally in a global organization. Local organizations can then use or duplicate these clauses and templates and customize them to meet their own specific local requirements.
In addition to standard clauses and contract templates, the Contract Terms Library supports the creation and maintenance of a library of folders, sections and variables.
A standard clause is the text that describes the legal or business language used to author a contract. Clauses are drafted based on both business and statutory requirements.
You can create standard clauses in the following ways:
Create a new clause
Duplicate an existing clause
Creating a New Clause
Navigate to the Create Clauses page.
Navigation: Library > Clauses tab > Create Clause button
Enter the following attributes:
Number. This field can be manually entered or automatically generated. To automatically generate the number, see the Setting Up Auto Numbering section.
Clause Title: Enter a title for the clause. The clause title is unique within an organization.
Display Name: Optionally enter the display name for the clause. The display name does not have to be a unique name. Your organization could have alternate names with the same display name. The system uses the Display Name on a printed contract field. If you leave this field blank, the Clause Title is used as the display name.
Intent: Select the intent of the contracts that can use the clause. Select the Buy or Sell option from the list of values.
Note: Based on the OKC: Clause Intent profile option setup, you can create clauses for buy, sell, or both intents. If you set the profile option to either Buy or Sell, the system provides read-only access to the Intent field. This profile option also governs other feature in the Contract Terms Library, including contract templates and variables.
Type: Use the Type field to classify the clause according to the business purpose (for example, General or Payment terms). Select a clause type from the list of values.
Default Section: Optionally select the default section from the list of values. You can use sections as heading to format contracts.
Description: Optionally enter a description for the clause.
Status: The system controls this field. During the creation process, the clause is in Draft status.
Version: The system generates the version number.
Start date. Accept the default or change the start date.
End date. Optionally enter an expiration date for the clause.
Provision. Provisions are used in negotiation documents in Oracle Sourcing only. If applicable, select the Provision check box.
Protect text. To prevent modification to the clause text in documents, select the protect Text check box.
Global. To make the clause available to all organizations, select the global check box. This field is only available in the Global operating unit.
Text. Enter the necessary text for the clause. Clause texts can include business variables. In the text area you can choose one of the following modes:
Rich Text. The Rich Text editor provides special formatting of the text that is driven by business and legal requirements. The Rich Text editor provides a Tool bar and a Text area.
Text. The Text mode provides a plain text area only. If you use the Rich Text mode to enter the clause text and then toggle to the Text mode, the system displays the HTML source for the text you have entered. However, the system prints the clause using the Rich Text features even if you have toggled to the Text mode.
Add Variables. Click Add Variables to search for available variables, The Add Variables page appears. From this page you can search for available variables, then click the Insert icon to add the variable that you want into your text, at the location of the cursor within the text area. In the clause text, variables are displayed as tags in the format [@variable name@].
Note: If you do not use the Rich Text editor to author clause text, the system inserts the variables at the end of the test instead of where the cursor is located. You can use the Cut and Paste operation to move a variable tag, within the clause text to the appropriate location.
Instructions. Optionally enter instructions on how and when to use the clause in a contract template or business document. Users can view these instructions when they add the clause to a contract template or business document.
Allow Include by Reference. Select the check box to replace the clause text with the Reference text when the clause is used in a contract. Optionally enter the following information:
Reference Source. Provide the source of the clause that may not Be printed in full text.
Reference Text. Enter the reference text. The system prints the reference text instead of the clause text, on a printed contact.
Note: If you select the Allow Include by Reference check box, the Reference Text field becomes mandatory.
To complete your operation, select one of the following buttons:
Submit. To submit the clause for approval, click this button.
Apply and Add Details. Click this button to save your work and move to the Update Clauses page.
Apply. Click Apply to save the clause and close the Create Clauses page.
Cancel. Click Cancel to close the Create Clauses page without saving the clause.
Duplicating an Existing Clause
You can use the Duplicate feature to create new clauses form existing ones. The Duplicate feature is available from the Search and View Clauses pages.
Navigate to the Search Clauses page.
Navigation: Contract Terms Library > Clauses tab
Search and select a clause. For more information , see the searching for Clauses section.
Click the Duplicate button.
In the New Clause Title field, enter a unique title.
Optionally choose to copy folders and related clauses.
Click the Save and Continue button.
Enter of change the information as describes in the Defining Clauses section.
For any given clause, you can define alternate and incompatible clauses. You can use alternate clauses as a substitute for the main clause on a contract. Incompatible clauses cannot be used on the same contract.
Note: You can add alternate an incompatible clauses to an approved clause without requiring the creation of a new version.
Navigate to the Create Clauses or Update Clauses page.
Open the Related Clauses subtab.
Click Add Another Row.
In the Relationship field, select one of the following options:
Alternate
Incompatible
In the Clause Title field, enter the clause title. You can also use the List of Values icon to search and select the clause.
Click Save.
Click Compare to compare related clauses. Select the two clauses that you want to compare and then click the button.
Click Compare with Current to compare the related clause with the current clause. Select only one clause from the list and click the button
Click Remove to delete a clause relationship.
You can assign clauses to folders from the Update Clause page. Note that you must have previously defined the folder
navigate to the Clauses page.
Navigation: contract Terms Library > Clauses tab.
Open a clause for update.
Open the Clause Folders subtab.
Click Add Another Row
In the Name field, enter the folder name. You can also click the List of Values icon to search and select the folder name.
Click Save or Apply.
To make standard clauses available for use in contracts, they must be approved first. You can
Approve once clause at a time.
Select and submit more than one clause for approval at the same time.
Respond to approval.
Comment on either approval or rejection decision.
You must have set up an approver first.
Note: The default workflow supports a single approver. However, you can modify the workflow processes to include more approvers and route approvals based in additional business conditions.
Navigate to the Clauses page.
Navigation: Contract Terms Library > Clauses tab.
Create a new clause or search and open a clause in Draft status.
Click Submit to
Change the clause status from Draft to Pending Approval.
Send a workflow notification to the approver.
The approver opens the notification and reviews the clause.
The approver either approves or rejects the clause. As a result
The clause status is changed to Approved or Rejected.
A workflow notification informs the author of the clause of the decision.
This section discusses how organizations with global operations can manage clauses across multiple organizations. This feature is useful for companies that contract with customers across the globe with operations in different countries and locations. Organizations are identified based on the operating unit assignments in the define Organizations form. In this document, we refer to those operating units that have been set up to use the Contract Terms Library as organizations.
A central organization can define global clauses and make them available for use by local organizations. To define global clauses, you need to identify your global organization, usually the corporate headquarters. The designated global organization is responsible for the creation of clauses for business terms that need to be enforced globally. On approval, the clauses are made available to local organizations. A workflow notification is sent to the local organizations that need to review the clause.
In the local organizations, library administrators review the clause and decide if it needs to be modified to meet local requirements. If necessary, the clause is modified (localized) and routed for internal approvals. If not, the clause is adopted with no changes or modifications and routed internally for approvals. Alternatively, local organizations can be set up to automatically adopt all global clauses.
Prior to creating global clauses, you must
Set up the OKC: Global Operating Unit profile option. This is a site level profile option to determine the operating unit that can create global clauses and templates. A check box to identify global type clauses and templates becomes available after you set up this profile option.
Create global clauses in the global organization
Approve global clauses to make them available in local organizations.
This section covers the following topics:
Adoption of Global Clauses by Local Organizations
You can set up your local organizations to adopt global clauses automatically or manually.
Auto adoption of global clauses. This feature provides automatic adoption of global clauses to operating units that do not require a manual review and approval process. For example, a company with more than one operating unit can define global clauses and make them available to all operating units. During the workflow approval for a global clause, when the clause is approved, the system verifies the operating units that are set to adopt clauses automatically. The system automatically adopts the global clause for these operating units with no manual intervention.
Manually adopting or localizing global clauses. For operating units that require a review and approval process, this feature enables them to make the global clauses available for use in their own organization. The operating units can use one of the following:
Adopt Global Clause as-is. Adopt the global clause without changes. The system records the user name and system date and time of adoption along with the adopting organization. The local operating unit can adopt multiple global clauses at the same time. After adoption and approval of global clauses, the local operating unit can use the clauses to author contracts.
Localize Global Clauses. Localize the global clause by making some changes to the clause or translating it to the language of the local organization. The system creates a copy of the clause in Draft status. During localizations, you can modify the clause text and add or delete variables from the text. You can then submit the local clause for approval. the system records the approver name and data as the adoption details for the clause. Note that if you are not changing the intent of the clause text and only translating it into a local language, you can select the translation Only check box. This is for informational purposes and can be used to report on why a clause was localized.
Creating Global Clauses
Use these steps to create a global clause.
Create a standard clause.
Select the Global check box. This check box is only available in the designated global organization. When a global clause is approved, it remains global on all subsequent versions. However, if an earlier version of a clause is not global, you can make the subsequent versions global.
Note: When a global clause is approved, it remains global on all subsequent versions. However, if an earlier version of a clause is not global, you can make the subsequent versions global.
Notifying Local Organizations
When a global clause is approved, the system send a notification to the library administrators, in all local organizations, to consider the clause for adoption. In case a local organization is set to automatically adopt global clauses, a notification is sent to these organizations informing the local administrators that a new global clause has been automatically adopted for their organization. Note that library administrators must be set up.
Reviewing for Adoption
As the library administrator in a local organization, you can review and adopt global clauses.
Navigate to the Clauses page.
Navigation: Contract terms Library > Clauses tab.
Search for Global clauses. For more information, see Searching for Clauses.
Note that:
A global clause that is approved (in the global operating unit) is available for adoption in local operating units. If a global clause is on hold or expired, although the clause is displayed in the search results, local operating units cannot adopt or localize it.
In a local operating unit, the first version of an adopted global clause must be manually assigned to a folder that is created in that operating unit. However, after adoption, the system assigns the subsequent versions of the global clause to the same folder.
Each time that a new version is created and approved for a global clause, that version becomes available for adoption in the local operating units. Each version of a global clause must be adopted individually.
In the Adoption Type field, choose available for Adoption
Note: For performance reasons, you cannot search for clauses by the Adoption Type alone. In searching for clauses that are available for adoption, you must enter additional search criteria such as Clause Type or Keyword.
Click Go to view the list of available clauses.
Review every clause on a case-by-case basis and decide whether to adopt the clause as-is or localize it.
If a previous version of a global clause was adopted as-is, you must adopt subsequent versions of the clause in the same manner. You cannot change the adoption type on subsequent versions on a clause.
If the first version of a global clause is localized and the next version is now available for adoption, when you choose to localize the second version, the Localize page displays the text from the localized version. Currently, the system does not provide a comparison of the current localized text and the second version of the global text. To view the text of the second version of the global clause, you must view the clause form the Search page.
Click for Adoption to view the full text and clause details. At this point you can:
Adopt the clause as-is. In this case, you only need to submit the clause for local approval.
Localize the clause. When you localize a clause, you can modify the text and check the Translation Only check box to indicate that the changes were for translation purposes. Submit the localized clause for approval on completing the modifications. Note that you can delete a clause that had been localized and is in draft status. This makes the original global clause available again for adoption.
Approving Global Clauses in Local Organizations
At the time a global clause is adopted and submitted for local approval, the library administrator receives a workflow notification requesting approval for adoption of the clause.
The local administrator can approve or reject the clause. After approval, the global clause (or the modified localized clause) becomes available for use in the local organization. If a clause is rejected, the local organization may choose to continue modifying the clause, based on the rejection comments, or modify the adoption type. For example, a clause that was previously adopted as-is can now be localized.
When local organizations adopt a global clause, the system sends a notification to the global organization with details on date and type of adoption.
Note: When approving or rejecting a clause or contract template, you can use the Comments section to provide your remarks in the Approval notification. Your comments are visible to the user who has submitted the original approval request.
Also, you can send the approval notifications by e-mail. However, this would require additional configuration. For more information on how to set up the e-mail client to receive all notifications, see the Oracle Applications System Administrator’s Guide.
Viewing Adoption status
Global organizations can monitor when and how global clauses are adopted across local organizations. The Adoption Status report provides an overview of the adoption status across multiple local organization for a given global clause. This report is only available in the global organization and allows the global organization to analyze cases where the global clauses are not adopted in a timely manner.
Navigate to the Clauses page.
Navigation: Contract Terms Library > Clauses tab
In the global organization, search for global clauses. For more information, see the Searching for Clauses.
Click the clause title to view the clause detail.
select the View Adoption Status option from the list.
Click Go
the View Adoption Status report provides the following information:
Organization Name
Clause Title
Version
Adoption Type (indicates if the global clause was adopted as-is or localized)
Translation Only (indicates if the global clause was only translated to the local language).
Adoption Status (indicates if the clause was approved in the local organization or not).
Adoption Date (the date the clause was adopted.
Adopting Global Clauses in a New Organization
For any new organization that is set up to adopt global clauses, Oracle Procurement Contracts provides a concurrent program to adopt all global clauses that were created before the new organization was created.
To adopt the global clauses, you must run the Adopt Global Clauses for a New Organization concurrent program. It is not necessary to rerun the program for a given organization more than once, if all the migrated clauses and the new global clauses have been created in the global organization at the time of running the concurrent program.
The clause status in the new organization could be one of the following:
Adopted: If the organization is set up to automatically adopt clauses.
Available for Adoption: If the organization is set up to manually adopt clauses
You can search or browse to find clauses in the Clauses Library. This section covers the following topics
Searching for Clauses
Navigate to the Clauses page.
Navigation: Contract Terms Library > Clauses tab
In the Search region, search for clauses by
Operating Unit (mandatory field)
Keyword
Type
Title
Number
To access additional search options, click the Show More Search Options link. These options are:
Intent
Status
Start and end dates
Provisions only
Variables used in the clause
Used in templates
Default section
Show all versions check box
Adoption Type (available only in local operating units)
To perform your search, you must enter information in the Operating Unit field and one of the following fields:
Number
Title
Keyword
Type
Status
Start Date
End Date
Used in Templates
You cannot perform blind searches or start your search criteria with the wildcard character (%).
If you do not select the Show All Versions check box, the system displays only the latest version of the clauses that match the search criteria.
Description does not work with leading searches. Also, the description returns only those clauses for which the description begins with the search criteria that you enter. For instance, if you enter A% in the Description field, only those clauses for which the description begins with the letter A are returned.
Click Go to view the search results.
In the Search Result section, select the check box for any clause and click one of the following buttons:
Submit. Submit the clause for approval.
Duplicate. Create a new clause by copying from an existing clause.
Create New Version. Create a new version.
Review for Adoption. This button is available only to local organizations for adopting global clauses. See: Approving Global Clauses in Local Operating Units section.
Using the Keyword Search Feature
You can search for clauses in the Contract Terms Library using the Keyword Search feature. The system searches for clauses than contain the text you enter in any of the following fields:
Clause Title
Display Name
Clause Description
Clause Text
To perform the keyword search, you must run the following concurrent programs periodically:
Synchronize Clauses Text Index
Optimize Clauses Text Index
If you have not run the concurrent programs, the search will not provide accurate results. The frequency for running these programs must be decided on a case-by-case basis. You can schedule the concurrent programs to run together automatically at predefined intervals.
Note: You do not need to run the foregoing concurrent programs for each operating unit. Running the program synchronizes the data across the operating units that use the Contract Terms Library.
Browsing for a Clause
In addition to search, you can use the Browse feature to search for clauses using folders.
Navigate to the Clauses page.
Navigation: Library > Clauses tab
Click Browse to search through folders for the clause that you want to retrieve. The system displays the list of available folders.
To view all clauses assigned to a folder, select the check box for that folder.
Optionally, click the clause title to view clause details.
If applicable, select the check box for any clause and click and of the following buttons:
Submit. Submit the clause for approval.
Duplicate. Create a new clause by copying from an existing clause.
Create New Version. Create a new version.
Review for Adoption. This button is available only to local organizations for adopting global clauses.
Update. Open the clause for update
The Contract Clause Analysis report enables you to search for the contracts where a given set of clauses is used. After entering the search criteria for the clauses and the contracts, the system displays a list of all appearances of the clauses in those contracts. For more information on Contract Clause Analysis report, see the online help topics in Oracle Contracts, Oracle Procurement Contracts, or Oracle Sales Contracts.
This section covers the following topics
Updating clauses
Versioning clauses
Comparing clauses
Placing clauses on hold
Deleting clauses
Updating Clauses
You can modify clauses and their versions subject to certain business rules. When updating a clause, you can:
View and assign alternate clauses
View and assign incompatible clauses
Add clauses to folders
View all versions of the clause
Choose one version and compare with the one that is being updated
Change the status to On Hold (only if the clause is in Approved status)
Submit the clause for approval
Delete the clause (only if the clause is in Draft status).
Note: A new version is required if:
The clause is inactive
The clause is in Approved status and the attributes that are controlled at the clause version level need to be updates.
Navigate to the Clauses page.
Navigation: Contract Terms Library > Clauses tab
Search for the clause that you want to update.
Verify the clause status:
If the clause is in draft status, all the fields are available for update.
If the clause is in any other status, certain fields are protected and cannot be updated.
Click the Update icon. The system opens the clause for update.
Make the necessary changes:
Except for the first version of a clause in draft status, you cannot change the clause number, title, and intent.
For clauses with the approved status, you cannot make changes to the following fields: Display Name, Start Date, Provision, and Global check boxes, Clause Text, and Allow Include by Reference.
Select one of the following actions:
Create new version (not available for clauses in draft status)
Submit for approval (only available for clauses in draft status)
Put on hold (not available for clauses on draft status)
Delete (only available for clauses in draft status).
Apply
Save
Cancel
Versioning Clauses
The Versioning feature enables you to make changes to clauses that are already in use on contracts. You can modify clause details including clause text and description. New versions need to be approved before they can be used in contracts.
A new version is required if:
The clause is not in draft status
the clause is approved and the attributes controlled at the clause version level require updating.
Navigate to the Clauses page.
Navigation: Library > Clauses tab.
In the Search region, enter the search criteria for the clause that you want.
Click Go. The system displays the search results.
Select the check box for the clause.
Click Create New Version. Fields from the previous version are copied to the new version. You cannot change clause title, number, and intent, when creating a new version.
Select one of the following options:
Apply
Save
Submit
Cancel
You can delete the new version of a clause if it is in draft status.
Comparing Clauses
You can compare any two versions of a clause. the system provides a redline comparison of the changed made to the clause text.
You can choose any two versions of a clause, and then click the Compare button available in the Version History subtab of Updating Clause page.
Placing Clauses on Hold
You can place clauses on hold to prevent them from being used in contract templates and contracts. You can also release the hold to make the clause available again.
Navigate to the Clauses page.
Navigation: Contract Terms Library > Clauses tab
Search for the clause that you want put on hold.
Verify the clause status.
Click the Update icon or the clause title link.
Click Put on Hold
Click Yes to confirm.
To release the hold, open the clause for update.
Click release Hold. The system confirms the release.
Deleting Clauses
You can only delete clauses that are in draft or rejected status.
Navigate to the Clauses page.
Navigation: Contract Terms Library > Clauses tab
Search for the clause you want to delete.
Verify the clause status.
Click the Update icon or the clause title link.
Click Delete. The system asks you to confirm your request for deletion.
Click Yes.
You use the Clause import feature to import clauses into the Contract Terms Library. In addition to clauses, you can import the following related entities:
Variables
Value sets that are used in variables
Value set values
Clause relationships that establish a clause to be an alternate or incompatible with one or more clauses
Clause import can also be used on an ongoing basis to update these entities in the library.
You can import clauses and the related entities using the following methods:
Open Interface: For this method, use SQL*Loader, PL/SQL Scripts, or JDBC to load the entities directly into the corresponding interface tables. This process is outside the scope of the Clause import program. The clause import validates the data and imports the content into the library.
XML Data File: Using this method, you import data directly from a source XML file that conforms to the XML schema that is published for import. The clause import validates the XML data and imports the content into the library.
The following tables identify and describe the attributes that are imported for each entity:
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Clause Number | Number that identifies the clause. Two alternatives for a clause could have the same number. |
| Description | Description of the clause. |
| Title | Clause title or name. |
| Clause Type | Type of clause. |
| Display Title | Title that is displayed for the clause in the application. |
| Start Date | Date from which the clause can be used. |
| End Date | Date until which the clause can be used. |
| Date Published | Date that uniquely identifies the updates. This date determines whether the update is subsequent to the one already in the clause library and whether a new version of the clause will be created. |
| Clause Text | Legal text of the clause. The variables in the clause text should be enclosed within <Var> and <Var/> tags. |
| Intent | Business intent of the clause: (B) for Buy and (S) for Sell. |
| Language | Language in which the clause is authored. |
| Provision Indicator | Indicates whether the clause is a provision. It only applies to clauses with the Buy intent. |
| Include By Reference Indicator | Indicates whether the clause should be used by reference in a contract. |
| Reference Source | Source from which clause is referenced. |
| Reference Title | Title of the clause in the source. |
| Operating Unit | Operating unit using the clause. |
| Global Clause Indicator | Indicates if the clause is a global clause (all operating units can use them). |
| Standard Indicator | Indicates whether the clause is standard or nonstandard. |
| Clause Status | Status of the clause. Valid values are Draft, Approved, Pending Approval, and Rejected. |
| Lock Text Indicator | Indicates if the clause text can be modified. |
| Action | Action that the import process should perform on the clause. |
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Clause1 Number | Clause number of the first clause. |
| Source Clause1 Title | Clause title of the first clause. |
| Clause2 Number | Clause number of the second clause. |
| Source Clause2 Title | Clause title of the second clause. |
| Relationship Type | Relationship type code:
|
User-Defined Variables
Clauses can have variables embedded in the clause text. System variables are already defined in the system and are available for use in clause text. However, user-defined variables must be defined in the system before they can be used in clauses. A variable code uniquely identifies the variable and must be specified as part of the definition. It is recommended that the variable code follow the pattern OKC$<intent>$<code> and must be unique in the system. For example, if the variable is the VAT code of the supplier and is used in buy-side transactions, then the code could look like OKC$B$VATCODE where B stands for buy intent.
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Code | Variable code that uniquely identifies the variable. |
| Name | Variable name. |
| Description | Description of the variable. |
| Data Type | Data type of the value of the variable. Valid values are Date, String, and Number. |
| Valueset | Code of the valueset used. |
| Intent | Intent of the variable: B (Buy) and S (Sell). |
| External User Updatable | Indicates whether suppliers can update the variable.
Note: This attribute is not available for Sales Contracts. |
| Language | Language of the variable. |
| Contract Expert Enabled Indicator | Indicates whether the variable can be used in Contract Expert.
|
Value Sets
Each user-defined variable that is embedded in the clause sources the value from a value set. Value sets can also be defined during the import process. Value sets can either enforce the data types or the actual values that a variable can have. It is recommended that value sets that are defined during the import process should have a name in the format OKC$<SOURCE>$<VALUESETNAME> to distinguish them from other value sets in Oracle Applications. For example, a value set for a variable called Business Type used in a FAR clause can have the name OKC$FAR$BUSINESSTYPE.
Each valueset should have the following attributes:
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Name of the value set. |
| Description | Description of the value set. |
| Format Type | Format of the values that are provided by the value set:
|
| Minimum Size of Values | Minimum number of characters for each value in the value set. Valid values are 1–38. |
| Maximum Size of Values | Maximum number of characters for each value in the value set. Valid values are 1–38. |
| Uppercase Values Allowed Indicator | Indicates whether uppercase values are allowed:
|
| Precision Allowed for Number Types | Number of decimal points allowed for number values. |
| Validation Type | Validation type for the value set:
|
Each value set that has validation type of independent should have a list of valid values.
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Value | Actual value |
| Description | Description of the value |
Interface Tables Used for Import
The following tables are used during the import process:
| Table Name | Description |
|---|---|
| OKC_ART_INTERFACE_ALL | This is the main interface table where the users load data from external systems. |
| OKC_ART_RELS_INTERFACE | This is the interface table that stores the relationships between clauses. |
| OKC_VARIABLES_INTERFACE | This interface table is used to import variables that are used in clauses. |
| OKC_VALUESETS_INTERFACE | This interface table is used to import value sets that are used in variables. |
| OKC_VS_VALUES_INTERFACE | This interface table stores the values for the value sets that are used in variables. |
| OKC_ART_INT_ERRORS | This table stores the errors that are reported by the run in the validation or import mode. |
| OKC_ART_INT_BATPROCS_ALL | This is an internal system table that stores the batch run details. This includes the processing status as well as all the parameters that are used for the run. |
For detailed information about the preceding tables, see the Oracle eTechnical Reference guide (eTRM).
Clause Import - Open Interface Method
The following tasks constitute the Clause Import With Open Interface procedure:
Preparing and loading data
Importing in validate mode
Reviewing error messages
Correcting errors
Importing data into the library
Approving imported clauses in draft status
Purging interface records
Prerequisites
Set up necessary lookup codes, for example, clause types.
Set up all necessary data, for example, variables and sections.
Operating unit setup:
Set up clause approvers for Buy and Sell intent.
Determine whether the AutoNumbering option should be set up for the operating unit.
Steps
Format the data in a form that is suitable for loading into the interface table. For example, if you are using SQL*Loader to load data into the interface tables, you can choose to use a comma separated data file (CSV) and a control file that describes the data format.
Run the Import Clauses concurrent program in validation mode to identify any invalid data or errors. This is recommended but not a mandatory step. You can specify the following parameters for the Import Clauses concurrent program:
| Concurrent Program Parameter | Possible Values | Mandatory | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batch Name | Name of the batch | Yes | Provide a batch name to easily identify the records that you are importing. |
| Run in Validation Mode | Yes / No | No | Set to Yes if you want to run in validation mode to identify potential errors. |
| Commit Size | 1 to 300 | Yes | Indicates the maximum number of records that the system processes and commits to the database at one time. For example, if you have 1,000 records to be imported and your commit size is set to 100, and an error occurs on the 150th record, the system has already processed the first 100, and the data will not be reprocessed the next time that you run the program. Consult your database administrator for the appropriate value. |
The Import program generates a report that lists the success and error messages. The errors at this stage would primarily be related to data format or missing required data. Review the report and correct the errors outside the system and prepare the data for a reload.
Reload the data into the interface table after correcting the errors.
Run the Import Clauses concurrent program in import mode to create or update data in the library. If the program was run previously in the validation mode with no errors, then the import should succeed. The Import program generates a report that lists the success and error messages. Records with errors remain in the interface tables until they are purged or corrected.
If clauses are imported in Draft status, they must be approved before they are available for authoring contracts. If they are imported in the pending approval status, the system automatically routes the clauses to approvers for review and approval.
Purge the Interface records. See: Purge Interface Records.
Clause Import - XML Data File Method
Prerequisites
Set up the following:
Necessary lookup codes, for example, clause types.
Necessary data, for example, variables and sections.
For the operating unit:
Set up clause approvers for Buy and Sell intent.
Determine whether the AutoNumbering option should be set up.
The OKC: Clause Import XML File Location profile option. This specifies the location (file directory) of the XML file. This is mandatory setup for using the XML-based import.
To import clauses using XML
Data preparation: Format the data to be imported in a form that is suitable for XML import. This involves generating an XML file with the clause data that conforms to the XML schema that was published for import (see the table below for how to access the schema definition file in Oracle XML Publisher).
| Schema Definition File Name | Application | XML Schema | XML Preview File |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clause Import XML Data Definition | Contracts Core | OKCXMLIMPDFN.xsd | OKCXMLIMPDFN.xml |
Staging the XML import file: Copy the XML file to the location specified by the OKC: Clause Import XML File Location profile option.
Import in the Validate mode: Run the Import Clauses from XML File concurrent program in the Validate mode to identify any invalid data or errors. This is recommended but is not a mandatory step. The program parses the XML file and populates the interface tables. You can specify the following parameters for the concurrent program:
| Parameter | Possible Values | Default | Mandatory | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XML File Name | No | Yes | Name of the XML import file. The file must be present in the location that is specified by the profile option OKC: Clause Import XML File Location. | |
| Default Operating Unit | Any operating unit for which contract terms are enabled | No | No | Identifies the operating unit for which the Import process needs to run. Leave it blank if the operating unit has already been provided for each record in the XML file. This value is used as the default for those records for which the operating unit is not provided. |
| Create as Global Clause (Default) | Yes/No | No | No | If this parameter is set to Yes, it will import all clauses as global clauses. Note that the operating unit in which the clauses are imported must be set up as the global operating unit. |
| Default Clause Status | Approved, Draft, Pending Approval | No | No | This identifies the status in which to import the clauses. Leave it blank if the records already have a status. This value is used as the default for those records for which the status is not provided. |
| Validate Only | Yes/No | Yes | No | Run the Import process in validate mode to identify invalid data or errors. |
Review the error messages: The import program generates a report that lists the success and error messages. The errors at this stage would primarily be related to data format or missing required data. Review the report and correct the errors outside the system and prepare the data for a reload.
Correct the errors: Review the report in the log file and correct errors in the XML data file.
Import data into the library: Run the Import Clauses from XML File concurrent program in import mode to create or update data in the library. If the program was run previously in validation mode with no errors, then the import should go through successfully. The Import program generates a report that lists the success and error messages.
Approvals: If clauses are imported in the Draft status, they must be approved before they are available for authoring contracts. If they are imported in the Pending Approval status, the system automatically routes the clauses to approvers for review and approval.
Purge the interface records. See: Purge Interface Records.
Purge Interface Records
To optimize performance, you should periodically run the Purge Clause Import Interface Table concurrent program. This program purges records in the interface tables for clauses and the other related entities.
The following table describes the parameters for the Purge program:
| Concurrent Program Parameter | Mandatory | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Start Date, End Date | No | Use the Start and End Dates to identify the range of dates for interface records that need to be purged. |
| Process Status | No | Provide a specific status if you want to purge interface records with that status. The possible values are Error, Success, and Warning. |
| Batch Name | No | Provide a specific batch name if you want to purge records belonging to that batch only. |
Note: If you do not specify any parameters, the system displays the following warning message: "No parameters found for this run. This request will delete all the records for your organization in the interface tables."
Oracle Contracts enables you to define a standard set of templates to easily default terms for contracts authored by your organization. You can create templates that include both clauses and deliverables. These templates can then be used to default clauses and deliverables on a contract.
Not that the Deliverables functionality is currently supported only on contract templates with the Buy intent.
To create a contract template, you can:
Create a new contract template
Duplicate from an existing template
Creating a New Contract Template
Navigate to the Create Template page
Select an operating unit from the list of values. The list of values is based on the security profile that was defined for the responsibility that you are using. For more information, see Setting Up Operating Units and Setting Up Profile Options.
Note: After you save a template, you cannot change its operating unit, even if the template is in Draft status. Make your selection carefully when creating a template from the list of available operating units.
Enter a unique name for the template. This template name must be unique within an organization.
Select the intent for the template. Normally for procurement it would be Buy.
Note: You cannot change the intent on a template even if the template is in draft status if it contains clauses or deliverables or is associated to one of more document types. You must remove these if you want to change the intent.
Accept the default start date (system date) or change the date.
Optionally, enter a description for the template.
When you create a new template, the system sets the template status to draft. Except for the On Hold status, the system controls all statuses on a template. You can manually change the status of a template from Approved to On Hold.
Link all contract templates that have the same context and purpose but are in different languages. To do this, use the Language and Translated from Template fields to specify the language and primary template for the contract template:
The list of values for the Languages field displays all active languages that have been installed in your instance.
The list of values for the Translated from Template field includes all contract templates that are in the same operating unit as the current template, with the same intent but in a different language.
If you select a Translated From template, you also must select a language for the template.
You cannot update the Translated From Template field on a template that is referenced by other translated templates.
You can update the Language and Translated from Template fields after approval without requiring a template revision.
After you save the template, the system displays the Translated Templates subtab. If applicable, the subtab displays the following information: Name, Description, Language, Status, and Translated From.
Select a layout template from the list of values. The layout template is used by the system to prepare the template for preview.
Optionally, enter an instructions for using the template.
Optionally, select the Global check box to make the template available for duplication in all operating units. This is applicable only for global operating units. For more information, see the Global Templates section.
Select the Contract Expert Enabled check box to make the Contract Expert feature available on a business document to which the template is applied. By selecting the check box:
Contract Expert rules can be assigned to the template.
All existing Contract Expert rules with the Apply to All Templates option selected are assigned to the template automatically. For more information about creating and assigning rules, see the Creating Rules section.
The system displays the Rules subtab (after the user has saved the template). From the Rules subtab, you can view the Contract Expert rules that are applicable to the contract template. Also, you can view the sequence of questions that are used in the rules.
Select the Expert Clauses Mandatory check box if you want to make the clauses, brought in by Contract Expert, mandatory on the business documents. You can select the Expert Clauses Mandatory check box only if you first select the Contract Expert Enabled check box.
Note: Selecting this box makes all of the Contract Expert clauses mandatory on the contract. You cannot apply this option to only certain clauses.
Select a Default Section if the template is enabled for Contract Expert.
Contract Expert places the clauses that it selects into the Default section of the template if those clauses do not have a default section assigned to them in the library.
Note: If you want to make changes to the Contract Expert fields after a contract template has been approved, see the special considerations that apply when you change Contract Expert fields on contract template revision.
In the Document Types region, you can assign the template to one or more business document types. This allows the users to select this template during authoring a contract for this document type.
To add a document type, click Add Another Row and enter the following information:
Select the Document Type from the list of values.
Optionally, select the Default Template check box to set the template as a default for all business documents that are authored using that document. type.
All contract types for Repository Contracts.
For Oracle Sourcing the valid document types are:
RFQ
RFI
Auction
For Oracle Purchasing the valid document types are:
Standard Purchase Order
Blanket Purchase Agreement
Contract Purchase Agreement
Click Apply and Add Details.
Add sections and clauses to the template. See Adding Sections and Clauses.
If Contract Expert is enabled on the contract template, you can click the Rules tab to view the list of rules that are assigned to the template. From the Rules table, you can click a rule link to view the rule details.
You can also view the question sequence in the Questions table.
You can change the question sequence for the contract template on the Contract Expert tab. For more information, see the Managing Question Sequence section.
Add deliverables to the template. See Creating Contract Template Deliverables.
From the Actions menu, choose:
Submit. Submit the template for approval. A contract template created with no clauses or deliverables cannot be submitted for approval.
Validate. Run the QA check process to validate that the template is correct. If the validation returns errors, you cannot submit the template for approval until the errors are corrected.
Preview. Preview the contract template to ensure that the format and layout of the template is according to the organization's contract printing standards.
Delete. Delete the contract template. You can only delete templates in draft or rejected status.
Consider the following when creating and using contract templates:
Searching for templates: As a convenience, you can perform blind searches on contract templates. If you are not sure about the criteria to search for templates, clicking Go, without entering any criteria, displays all the templates that exist in the system. However, note that Operating Unit is a mandatory search parameter.
Using Language and Translated from Template features: If your company creates contracts in multiple languages, you may want to consider using these features. The Language and Translated from Template fields help you when selecting a contract template that you want to apply to a business document. In addition, if you are using Oracle iStore, the system automatically displays the template in the appropriate language, based on the language preferences setup.
Clauses used in language templates: Clauses do not have languages associated with them. So, if you are creating templates in a specific language, ensure the clauses that you want to add to the template are also in the appropriate language.
Default section for Contract Expert: This section is used to bring in Contracts Expert clauses that are not already assigned to any other section. From an implementation perspective, if you use Contract Expert to bring in the clause, a default section should be assigned to that clause.
Also, the list of values, for the default section on the template, is based on the sections that are created in the Contract Terms Library. For example, if you create a new section on the template, you cannot set this section as the default section.
If a section that was assigned as the default section is later inactivated, this change will not impact existing contracts. However, when the template is next updated, an appropriate warning is provided to update the default section assignment.
A contract template that is enabled for Contract Expert can also contain standard clauses and sections. As with all contract templates, its constituent clauses and sections are automatically added to a business document when the contract template is applied to the business document.
Clauses are not mandatory for templates enabled for Contract Expert. However, they are mandatory for other templates.
Duplicating from an Existing Template
You can create new templates by copying existing templates. Templates that the same organization has created are available to copy, regardless of the template status. The system copies all clauses and deliverables from the original template to the new one. You can also duplicate a global template in the local organization.
Navigate to the Contract Templates page.
Search for the source template.
In the Results section, select the source template.
Click Duplicate to open the Duplicate Contract Template page.
In the Name field, enter a new name for the template. The system copies the entire content of the source template along with the new section, subsections, layout, and formatting details to the new template. The new template's status is draft.
Make other necessary changes to the new template.
Save the template.
From the Actions menu, select an action and click Go.
Use these procedures to add sections and clauses to a template.
Navigate to the Create Contract Templates page.
Enter the general information for the template.
Click Apply and Add Details.
Navigate to the Clauses subtab. In the Clauses subtab, you can define the structure and layout of the template consisting of sections, subsections and clauses. This is the component that contains all the contract terms. From the Clauses subtab, you have access to the following options:
Add Sections. You can build a hierarchy of sections and subsections and insert clauses into this hierarchy. You can create a new section or select from a library of sections. If you pick a section from the library, you cannot override the section name. To add clauses, you need to define at least one section on the template.
Add Clauses. To add a clause, select a location for the clause in the hierarchy and click the Add Clause button. You can insert clauses only in the context of a section or subsection. You can search for clauses by browsing through folders, or based on:
Keyword
Number
Clause Type
Title
Default Section
Provisions Only. Select the check box only if you want to search for Provision type clauses (this field is available for templates with the Buy intent only).
To make a clause mandatory in the template, select Mandatory. You cannot delete a mandatory clause (except through special privileges) on a contract.
If a clause has alternate relationships defined, the Select Alternate icon is enabled. Click Select alternate to view all the alternates for the clause on the template. If you select an alternate clause, it replaces the original clause on the template.
After creating the necessary sections and subsections and inserting clauses, you can use the Move button to change the order of clauses and sections in the template. Select the sections or clauses that you want to move and click Move. Select the location in the hierarchy where you want to move the selections to. Then, for sections, use the Location field to indicate whether you want to move before, after or within the selected location.
You can apply a numbering scheme to the sections and clauses structure. Use the Renumber button to renumber the terms. Note that if you have used the Move feature to reorganize sections or clauses, or added or removed sections or clauses, the system will not automatically renumber the sections and clauses. You need to use the Renumber feature to reapply the numbering scheme.
Business enter into contractual agreements with their trading partners, and as part of the contractual agreement, will have commitments to fulfill. The commitments on the contracts, besides products and services bought or sold, are classified as deliverables, under the Terms and Conditions of the contract. In addition to the contractual commitments that business need to fulfill, they might define other internal tasks that contribute to the overall execution of the contract.
You can define deliverables as part of the contract template creation process. If a contract refers to a contract template, all deliverables associated with that template are copied to the contract.
Note: You can only define deliverables for templates with the Buy intent.
Navigate to the Create Contract Templates page.
In the Deliverable subtab, select Create Deliverable.
Enter the Deliverable Name. This is the name of the task being requested.
Select the deliverable type. You can define the following type of deliverables:
Contractual Deliverable. A deliverable on a contractual document (for example, Purchase Orders, Blanket Purchase Agreement)
Negotiation Deliverable. A deliverable on a negotiation document (for example, Request for Quote (RFQ), Request for Information (RFI)).
Internal Purchasing Deliverable. Internal Purchasing deliverables are used to track internal schedules and commitments relevant to a contract. They are not part of the contractual terms of a contract and hence do not directly represent a formal commitment between the parties.
Select the responsible Party. The responsible party is specified as the party that fulfills the deliverable.
Optionally, enter the Description of the task and how to perform it.
Optionally, select Buyer Contact. The buyer contact is the person responsible for performing the deliverable if you select the Buyer Organization as the responsible party. In case the supplier company is responsible for performing the deliverable, the buyer contact is responsible to accept the fulfillment of the deliverable.
Optionally, select the Requester. This is the name of the person who has requested the deliverable. The requester usually verifies if the deliverable was completed satisfactorily.
Optionally, enter any Comments. These comments are visible only to the internal users of the buying organization.
Use the Due Date region to define one time or recurring deliverables.
A one time deliverable can have a fixed due date relative to a contract lifecycle event on the document.
With a relative due date, you can identify a date that is based on a period of time before or after a certain business document event. For example, five days after the contract is signed, or two weeks after the RFQ is published. In this case, you need to specify both the period of time and the event. For deliverables that have a relative due date, the actual due date will be calculated when the contract on which the template is applied is approved or is signed.
You are not required to provide a fixed due date for a deliverable on a contact template. However, you are required to provide complete due date information if the deliverable is a one time deliverable with a relative due date, or a recurring deliverable.
All events related to business documents with the same intent as the template are available for users to choose while defining a relative due date. Selecting a particular business document event for a due date on a deliverable would also make the deliverable specific to that given business document for execution (for example, five days after the blanket purchase agreement is closed). This deliverable is copied over and executed only on a blanket purchase agreement. If the contract template containing this deliverable is applied on a purchase order document, the deliverable is dropped. If the same contract template is applied on a negotiation, for example, an RFQ which concludes in a blanket purchase agreement award, then the deliverables related to the blanket purchase agreement are retained on the negotiation document and carried forward to the blanket purchase agreement.
Deliverables can also be of a recurring nature. For example, a progress report is due every first Monday of the month. You can define a recurring deliverable by selecting the repeating due date type. The repeating deliverable instances are created upon approval or signing of the contract they are on. You can track and update the status of each instance like a one time deliverable. To create a recurring deliverable, you need to enter the following:
Start Date. This is specified through a fixed date or a date relative to a certain event.
Repeating Type. For example: daily, weekly, or monthly.
Frequency. In combination with the repeating Type, this gives the frequency of the repeating deliverable, such as every six weeks, or every three months.
In case of weekly frequency events, the day of the week on which to repeat.
In case of monthly frequency events, the month on which to repeat.
A report needs to be sent on the fifth day of the month every three months (every quarter) after the purchase agreement is signed. In this case:
The event is the signing of the purchase agreement.
Frequency is monthly.
Interval is 3.
Day of the month is 5.
Use the Notifications region to inform the contacts about the progress of deliverables. Notifications are sent during the lifecycle of the deliverable, after the contract has been signed. Note that you can only define recipient for escalation notifications here, all others are sent to contacts on the deliverables. The notifications have a subject, a message body, and buttons to take certain actions, a notes area, and attached documents. Notifications can be sent for a deliverable in the following scenarios:
Prior to Due Date. You can specify how many days, weeks, or months to wend the notification before the due date. Recipient of this notification is the buyer contact and supplier contact.
Status Change. send notifications for any status change of the deliverable. Statuses could be any of the following: completed, submitted, rejected, canceled, or failed to perform.
Overdue. Send notifications when the due date of the deliverable is passed.
Escalate after Due date. You can specify how many days after the due date to send an escalation notification. You can also specify the recipient of the notification.
In the Attachments region, attach any additional documents as part of the deliverable creation that you want your trading partner to see. for example, you might want the supplier to use a standard progress report template for this contract. You must provide a description for the attachment to identify the nature, context, and purpose of the attachment on the deliverable. In addition, you need to specify a name for the attachment.
Click Add Attachments, and define your attachment as one of the following types:
File. You can attach a file from your local desktop.
URL. You can specify a URL where the document is available.
Text. You can enter information in the Text field.
Click Apply.
Prior to submitting a contract template for approvals, you can validate the template to identify potential errors and warnings. In addition, the system automatically runs the validation process when you submit a template for approval. If any error conditions are found, the template is not submitted for approval. You must fix the error conditions and resubmit the template for approval.
The table below displays the type of validations that the system performs when you run the validation process.
| Validation Type | Condition | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Inactive Clauses | Error | This validation checks for clauses in draft, expired, rejected, or on hold status. Templates with clauses in these statuses cannot be submitted for approval. Note that this error is enforced only for those clauses that do not have any approved, previous versions. |
| Alternate Clauses | Warning | This validation checks for the presence of two alternate clauses on the same template. |
| Incompatible Clauses | Warning | This validation checks for the presence of incompatible clauses on a document. |
| Layout Template not Defined | Warning | This validation checks if the contract template has a layout template assigned to it. |
| Invalid Variable for Document Type | Warning | This validation checks if the system variables embedded within clauses used in the template are supported for the document types in which the contract template is used. |
| Duplicate Clauses | Warning | This validation checks if the contract template contains duplicate clauses. |
You can run the QA process at any stage during the template creation. The system also runs the QA process when a template is submitted for approval.
Navigate to the Contract Templates page.
Navigation: Library > Contract templates tab
Open the template for update.
Select the Validate option from the list.
Click Go. The system performs the validation and displays the results along with the suggested fixes.
Click Printable Page if you want to print the list of validations.
If applicable, fix the error conditions and resubmit the template for validation.
Oracle Contracts uses the Layout template, assigned to the contract template, to prepare the template for preview.
Navigate to the Contract Templates page.
Navigation: Library > Contract templates tab
Search for the template that you want to preview.
Click Go. The system displays the search results.
Select the Update icon for the template.
select the Preview option from the Actions list of values.
Click Go. The system displays the template in the Portable Document Format (.pdf).
You can use a standard workflow process to submit the templates for approval. You need to request approval:
When a new template is created.
After making updates to a rejected template.
When a template revision is created.
Approvers can approve or reject the template. When a template is rejected, the system sends a workflow notification to the author of the contract template. The reason for rejection is also included in the workflow notification. The submitter can update the template based on the comments and resubmit the template for approval.
Navigate to the Contract Templates page.
Navigation: Library > Contract templates tab
Open the template for update.
Select the Submit option from the Actions list of values. Alternatively, from the search results, query the template and click the Submit button.
To find a template in the Contract Terms Library, choose one of the following options:
Searching for templates
using the Keywork Search feature
Searching for Templates
Use these procedures to search for contract templates.
Navigate to the contract Templates page.
Navigation: Library > Contract templates tab
To access the Advanced search options, click the Show More Search Options link.
search for the template using the following criteria:
Template Name
Keyword. Keywoard searches on the Template Name, Description, and Instructions fields
Status. Search on Approved, Draft, Rejected, Revision, On Hold, and Pending Approval templates.
Template Intent. Search on Buy, Sell, or All.
Contains Clause. Search for a specific clause that is used in a template. Note that the version of the clause is not considered in this search. If a clause has multiple versions, the system retrieves the templates that use any of those versions.
Used in Document Type. Search on the document type usage for the template.
Template Effectivity. Search for templates based on Start and End dates.
Owning Organization. (only available for local organizations). Search for template used in the local organization or the global organization. Note that the search is set by default to local organization. Also, if the owning organization is set to Global, the only applicable status value is Approved. You cannot search for global templates in other statuses in a local organization.
Default Templates Only. Search for any templates that are used as the default for document types.
Global Only (only available for global organizations). Search for global templates in the global organization.
Click Go. The system displays the templates that matched your criteria.
Using the Keyword Search Feature
You can search for templates in the Contract Terms Library using the Keyword Search feature. The system searches for templates that contain the text that you enter in any of the following fields:
Template Name
description
Instructions
To perform the keyword search, you must run the following concurrent programs periodically:
Synchronize Template Text Index
Optimize Template Text Index
If the concurrent programs have not been run, the search will not provide accurate results. Companies must decide on the frequency for running these programs on a case-by-case basis.
Updating Templates
You can update general information about an approved template including the description, instruction, document type, and layout template. However, you must create a revision to update any of the sections, clauses, or deliverables. You can update templates in any of the following statuses:
Draft. The template name, intent, and start date fields can be updated only in the first version of the template in draft status. You can update all other fields and attributes of the template
Approved. To update an approved template for its layout and content, first you need to create a revision. then you can make modifications to the revision, approve it, and replace the original template.
Pending Approval. You cannot update templates in this status.
You can also perform the following updates to contract templates:
Place on Hold
Release the Hold
End date
Navigate to the Contract Terms page.
Navigation: Library > Contract Templates tab.
Enter the search criteria for the template.
Click Go. The system displays the search results.
select the Update icon for the template you want to update. You can perform the following actions while updating a template:
Add, update or delete sections and clauses.
Add, update, or delete deliverables (only available for templates in draft, rejected, and revision statuses)
Submit for approval (only available for templates in draft, rejected, and revision statuses)
Place on hold (not available for templates in draft, rejected, and revision statuses)
Delete (only available for templates in draft, rejected, and revision statuses)
Validate (all statuses)
Create revision (only available for templates in approved status)
Preview
Reordering Deliverables
You can change the sequence in which the deliverables are printed.
Navigate to the Contract Terms page.
Navigation: Library > Contract Templates tab.
Enter the search criteria for the template.
Open the template for update.
Click the Deliverables tab.
Click Reorder. The Reorder Deliverables page opens.
For each deliverable that you want to re-sequence, click the deliverable and then click the Up or Down arrow. Deliverables are printed in the order that you specified.
Click Apply.
Creating Template Revisions
You can create revisions to approved contract templates. However, you cannot change the following fields:
Template Name
Intent
Start Date
Revisions need to be approved before they can be made available for use in authoring business documents. After a template revision has been approved, it completely replaces the original approved template. Template history of previous approved versions is not currently supported.
Navigate to the Contract Terms page.
Navigation: Library > Contract Templates tab.
Enter the search criteria for the template.
Open the template for update. The template must be in approved status.
Choose the Create Revision option form the Actions list of values.
Click Go. The status of the template changes to revision.
Make the necessary changes.
Submit the template for approval.
Placing Templates on Hold
You can place templates on hold to prevent usage on contracts. You can also release the hold and make templates available again. You can only place templates that are in approved status on hold.
Navigate to the Contract Terms page.
Navigation: Library > Contract Templates tab.
search for the template that you want to place on hold.
Click Go. The system displays the search results.
Select the Update icon for the template.
Choose the Place on Hold option from the Actions list of values.
Click Go.
Deleting Templates
You can delete templates that are in draft or rejected status
Navigate to the Contract Terms page.
Navigation: Library > Contract Templates tab.
Search for the template that you want to delete.
Click Go. The system displays the search results.
Select the Update icon for the template.
Choose the Delete option from the Actions list of values.
Click Go.
Click Yes to confirm.
To define a global template, you need to identify your global organization, usually the corporate headquarters. The designated global organization is responsible to for the creation of templates that local organizations can use. On approval, the global templates are available for local organizations to duplicate.
The global templates feature is different from the global clauses. Unlike a global clause, the system does not track adoption of global templates. It is up to the local organizations to determine if they want to duplicate a global template. The system allows a local organization to duplicate the global template subject to the following conditions:
If the global template has clauses that are not global, these clauses are not copied over during copy.
If a local organization has adopted clauses manually, only those clauses that have been adopted and approved in the local organization will be copied over.
If the local organization has localized clauses, the global clauses will be replaced by approved localized clauses during copy.
The process of creating and using global templates includes:
Global Operating Unit profile option. Users must set this site level profile option to determine global operating unit. You use the same profile option to create global clauses.
Global check box in the contract template. To create a global template, users must select the Global check box. Once the template is approved, it becomes available in local organizations for copy.
Duplicate Global Templates. Local organizations can search for global templates using the search field Owning Organization and selection the Global radio button. Note that users can preview the global template first to ensure that the contract terms meet their requirements. Users in local organizations cannot modify or delete global templates.
Oracle Contracts supports the use of business variables (tokens) in clause text. During authoring, values from the business document replace the variables. Oracle Contracts supports the following types of variables:
System-defined variables. Represent contract document attributes such as payment terms, customer name, and supplier name. You can embed system variables in the clause text, which will automatically be substituted with values when the clause is used in a contract.
Table variable. Attach Table type variables to clause text to display product and pricing information as part of contract terms. The actual products and prices are sourced from the business document during contract authoring. Note that table variables are currently supported only for Sell intent contracts. Oracle Contracts supports the following seeded table variables:
Lines
Modifiers
Price Lists
Deliverable variables. Attach Deliverable type variables to clause text to display deliverable information as part of contract terms. Note that deliverable variables are currently supported only for Buy intent contracts. Oracle Contracts supports the following seeded deliverable variables:
Supplier Contractual Deliverable
Buyer Contractual Deliverable
Supplier Negotiation Deliverable
All Negotiation Deliverables
User-defined variables. User-defined variables are tokens that the business defines over and above the system variables. Users must provide values for these variables as part of the contract authoring process.
Creating Variables
Oracle Contracts provides seeded and user-defined variables:
Seeded variables cannot be deleted or modified. Seeded variables include:
System Variables. These variables represent contract document attributes.
Deliverables Variables. These variables capture deliverable information on a contract.
Table Variables. These variables capture structure information such as items and price lists that map to multiple rows.
User-Defined variables are based on the needs of the organization's contractual documents. These variables are replaced with values during contract authoring. In most cases, you can update or delete these variables.
As a prerequisite to defining variables, you must define any value sets they use.
Navigate to the Create Variable page.
Navigation: Library > Variables tab > Create Variable
In the Variable Name field, enter the name that you want the system to display in clauses.
Optionally, enter a description for the variable.
In the Value Set field, choose a value set from the list of values.
In the Intent field, choose the intent for the variable. You can choose the Buy or Sell option from the list of values. Only clauses with the same intent can use the variable for embedding.
Optionally, select the External Party Updateable check box to allow updates to the variable by external users. Note that currently the system supports this feature only for authoring contracts with the Buy intent. Suppliers can be required to provide values for user-defined variables during the negotiation process. By selecting the External Party Updateable check box, the variables are displayed in the iSupplier Portal for supplier inputs. Suppliers using the iSupplier Portal to respond to purchase orders or blanket agreements cannot update variables in their responses.
Click Apply to save the variable.
Searching for Variables
You can search for both user-defined and system variables. For performance reasons, you must search on at least on of the following:
Name
Description
Type
The system does not support wildcard searches.
Navigate to the Variables page.
Navigation: Library > Variables tab
IN the Variables Search region, you can perform searches on variables by:
name
Description
Type
Intent.
Click Go. The system displays the list of variables that match your search criteria.
To view a variable, click the Variable Name link.
Displaying Clauses Using a Variable
You can obtain a list of clauses that use a specific variable.
Navigate to the Variables page.
Navigation: Library > Variables tab
Search for the variable you want.
In the Results section, select the variable's check box.
Click Display Clauses to view clauses that use the variable. The system displays all versions of t clause that use the specific variable.
Note: Clauses are displayed only for the current organization. Even though the variables can be used across multiple organizations, the users can only view clauses and other details for the organization they are currently in.
Managing Changes to Variables
You can only change or delete user-defined variables.
Updating User-Defined Variables
You can update user-defined variables. However, you cannot change the value set in a variable that is used in a contract.
Navigate to the Variables page.
Navigation: Library > Variables tab
Search for the variable that you want to update. .
Click the Update button to open the variable for update. You cannot update the variable name or intent. Also, once the variable has been used in a clause, you can only update the variable description and select the Disable check box. You must create a new variable if you want to change the value set assigned to a user-defined variable after the variable has been used in a clause
Make the necessary changes.
Select the Disable check box if you want to prevent further use
Click Apply to save the variable.
Sections are headings under which you organize contract clauses. The headings provide structure and organization to a printed contract document. You can define sections that can be used in authoring templates and contracts. Previously defined sections are not required for creating contract templates since you can also define template-specific sections when creating a template.
Creating Sections
Navigate to the Create section page.
Navigation: Library > Sections tab > Create Section button.
Enter the following parameters:
Code
Name
Description (optional)
Effective From
Effective To (optional)
Click Apply to save the new section and close the Create Section page.
Note: If you end date a section, it will not impact existing contract templates of business documents. However, the inactive section cannot be used to author new contract templates or business documents.
Searching for Sections
Use these procedures to search for sections.
Navigate to the Sections page.
Navigation: Library > Sections tab.
Enter your search criteria
Name
Code
Click Go. The system displays the sections that match your search criteria.
Updating Sections
You cannot update a section name after it has been saved. End dating a section only impacts clauses, contract templates, and contracts authored in the future. The system continues to use the end-dated sections if sections have already been used in a contract template or contract. However, in the case of contract templates in draft status, the system provides an error message when users view the section details from the template.
Navigate to the Sections page.
Navigation: Library > Sections tab
Search for the section that you want to update.
Click the Update icon for the section.
Make the necessary changes. You can change the Description and the Effective To fields.
Click Apply to save your changes and close the page.
Note: You must manage Sections using the Create and Update Sections pages in Oracle Contracts. Sections sshould not be created or modified using the Oracle Applications Foundation Lookups module.
You can organize clauses under different folders for easier retrieval. After creating folders, you can use the Update Folders feature to organize clauses in different folders. You can assign the same clause to more than one folder.
Creating Folders
Folders are unique within an organization. Organizations that use the Contract Terms Library must create their own folders. When reviewing the clauses for adoption, folders that are created in a global organization are not copied over or created in the local organization.
Navigate to the Create Folder page.
Navigation: Library > Folders > Create Folder
Enter a name for the folder.
Optionally, enter a description for the folder.
Click Save of Apply.
Searching for Folders
For performance reasons, you must provide at least a name or description when searching for folders. You cannot use wildcard searches.
Navigate to the Folders page.
Navigation: Library > Folders tab
Enter either a folder name or description.
Click Go. The system displays all folders that match your search criteria.
Updating Folders
You can update folders by changing the folder name or description, and adding or removing clauses.
Navigate to the Folders page.
Navigation: Library > Folders tab
Search for the folder you wish to update.
In the Result section, click the Update icon for the folder you want to change.
Adding Clauses to Folders
You can assign one clause to more than one folder
Navigate to the Folders page.
Navigation: Library > Folders tab
Search for the folder you want to update.
In the Result section, click the Update icon for the folder that you want to add clauses to.
Click Add Clauses to open the Search Clause page.
Enter the search criteria for the clause. Note that you can add clauses of any status to a folder. The system does not maintain references to a specific version of a clause when it is added to a folder. When you browse a folder to select clauses on a contract template or contract, the appropriate version will be selected on the template or the contract.
Click Go to view the search results.
Select the clause(s) that you want to add.
Click Apply to add the clauses to the folder.
Click Save or Apply to save your changes.
Removing Clauses from Folders
Navigate to the Folders page.
Navigation: Library > Folders tab
Search for the folder you want to update.
In the Result section, click the Update icon for the folder that you want to add clauses to.
In the Clauses section, select the checkbox for the clause that you want to remove.
Click Remove.
Click Save or Apply to save your changes.
Deleting Folders
Navigate to the Folders page.
Navigation: Library > Folders tab
Search for the folder you want to update.
In the Result section, click the Delete icon for the folder that you want to add clauses to.
Click Yes to confirm.
Copyright © 2004, 2010, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.