This chapter addresses commonly asked questions about the Oracle EBS G-Invoicing solution.
This chapter covers the following topics:
What is the inherent integration between Oracle E-Business Suite G-Invoicing and the federal G-Invoicing application functionality? Are there any necessary development efforts needed to enable G-Invoicing for MROi, both inbound and outbound?
Answer: The Oracle E-Business Suite G-Invoicing solution works with the federal G-Invoicing application to facilitate the exchange and processing of intragovernmental (IGT) buy (requesting) and sell (servicing) data and transactions.
The solution is integrated with Oracle Contract Lifecycle Management for Public Sector, Oracle Purchasing, and Oracle Projects. As a federal program agency (FPA), you can use the G-Invoicing solution to:
Initiate the exchange and approval of IGT buy and sell transactions using a common data repository of brokered transactions.
Integrate data from these activities into accounting systems.
Exchange data related to General Terms and Conditions (GT&C), orders, modifications, and performance records.
Improve auditability by associating related transactions with a common identifier.
Refer to "Introduction to G-Invoicing" for more details on EBS G-Invoicing.
Does the EBS G-Invoicing solution support advance collection to pass to TDO? For example, a check from a public customer for work done to pass to Treasury?
Answer: The Oracle EBS G-Invoicing solution lets you capture advance payments from accounts receivable receipts against each performance obligation line, generate advance performance, and acknowledge it by sending it back to the buyer through the G-Invoicing application. Customers can push and pull advance performance transactions to drive settlement and do accounting in EBS.
Does the EBS G-Invoicing solution support automatic numbering for IGT orders? Can agencies define the starting number?
Answer: In Oracle Purchasing, if you have set document number generation to Automatic in the purchase options for an operating unit, then the order number is generated through a database sequence. In Oracle CLM, you can use the document numbering feature in user-defined attributes (UDAs) to configure the order number.
How does GT&C security work? Is there a supporting document available?
Answer: In the federal G-Invoicing application, the administrator controls access to intragovernmental transaction (IGT) documents by group assignment. Each user in the federal G-Invoicing application belongs to a group and can only access IGT documents assigned to that group. Documents with controlled-access include GT&C, orders, and performance records, and attachments.
To push and pull IGT data to and from the federal G-Invoicing application, the group structures in your agency's system must mirror the group structures in the federal application. The EBS G-Invoicing solution accomplishes this by associating a system ID with an agency and operating unit. After the data pull is complete, the following group information is available in Oracle EBS:
Groups for GT&C
Groups in agency accounts
TAS and BETCs details for groups
Refer to "Organizational Groups in G-Invoicing and Oracle E-Business Suite"for more details.
When the Intragovernmental Orders Interface Program is run to pull the Get Order List, and the agency includes an incorrect Agency Location Code (ALC). What happens to such orders?
Answer: In the Intragovernmental Orders Interface Program, only the ALCs associated with the selected operating unit are shown in the ALC field LOV. If there are any orders created for the selected ALC in G-Invoicing, then they are pulled and created in the selected operating unit.
Are the GT&Cs one HTML form or can the requesting agency enter detailed criteria to support an order?
Answer: A servicing or requesting agency creates GT&C in the federal G-Invoicing application. Both agencies use the federal application to approve the GT&C. The requesting agency pulls the approved GT&C from the federal G-Invoicing application to EBS. Refer to “General Terms and Conditions (GT&C)” for more information on a GT&C. To Pull the GT&C data from the federal G-Invoicing application into EBS, see Pulling GT&Cs.
Are requesting agencies responsible for creating their own groups in federal G-Invoicing?
Answer: Yes, requesting agency must create groups. Refer to "Organizational Groups in G-Invoicing and Oracle E-Business Suite" for more details.
Does the EBS G-Invoicing solution allow customization of seeded programs or extract logic? Are there client extensions available to make and deploy agency (MROi) specific requirements to the federal G-Invoicing system?
Answer: The EBS G-Invoicing solution provides custom hooks for both the requesting and servicing side features. Agencies can add their defaulting logic and validations using these custom hooks.
What is the file transfer mechanism between agency (MROi) and the G-Invoicing system, is it a direct push and pull process?
Answer: The EBS G-Invoicing solution provides several pull and push programs to retrieve data from the Federal G-Invoicing application into EBS and push then push the data back to the Federal G-Invoicing application after processing these data. EBS G-Invoicing provides the following interface programs:
Intragovernmental Groups for Agency Interface Program (for pulling Groups and TAS-BETCs Details)
Intragovernmental Agreements (GT&C) Interface Program
Intragovernmental Groups for GT&C Interface Program
Intragovernmental Orders Interface Program
Intragovernmental Performance Interface Program
Intragovernmental Performance Integration to Payables
Intragovernmental Performance Integration to Receivables
PRC: Process Mass Submission Performances for G-Invoicing (submit multiple (mass submission) performances for orders)
Does every order need a requisition?
Answer: No, not every IGT order requires a requisition. The EBS G-Invoicing solution supports all intragovernmental (IGT) orders created without requisitions as well as orders created from requisitions. For details on IGT Requisitions, see “IGT Requisitions.”
How do buyers place requisitions with the correct GT&C during the IGT order creation process? Does the requisition process have fields for program offices to input the GT&C?
Answer: Oracle iProcurement lets you create IGT requisitions and commit funds. The role ICX: Intragovernmental Request Access Role lets you enable the Intragovermental Request subtab in the Shop tab. If the responsibility or user has this role access, then the Intragovernmental Request subtab appears.
Requisitions can be created using either Oracle Purchasing (using the Oracle Forms user interface) or Oracle iProcurement (using the web interface). Agencies can also create Military Interdepartmental Purchase Requisitions (MIPR) using intergovernmental requisitions in Oracle Contract Lifecycle Management for Public Sector, iProcurement. In the EBS G-Invoicing solution, the GT&C number is mandatory and it must be in the Open for Orders status to create an IGT Order. For details on IGT Requisitions, see “IGT Requisitions.”
Do PDOI get updated for G-Invoicing?
Answer: The EBS G-Invoicing solution provides APIs to create IGT orders pulled from federal G-Invoicing.
What are Oracle's plans to automate requesting side settlement processing (payables invoices and payments)?
Answer: The EBS G-Invoicing solution provides the concurrent program, Intragovernmental Performance Integration to Payables, that creates invoices and settles payments.
Is there required setup for connecting to the TLS and the SSL web-logic server? Are agencies required to download an XML schema from Treasury and populate it in the schema path (from G-Invoicing Options window) or does Oracle provide any .XSD files? Can these files be customized?
Answer: Certificate details are covered in the “Entering Security Certificate Details” and “Place Certificate Files” topics. Set the TrustStore Path field as follows:
/u01/R122_EBS/fs2/EBSapps/appl/po/12.0.0/ginvoicing/testserver.jks
Set the following value in the KeyStore Path field:
/u01/R122_EBS/fs2/EBSapps/appl/po/12.0.0/ginvoicing/oracleginvoicing.pfx
When an order modification is in progress and the order is not in an open status, can performance transactions be submitted? Do the transactions automatically resubmit when the order status is open?
Answer: The concurrent program Intragovernmental Performance Interface program, lets you process error documents. For more details on processing error documents, refer to the instructions for running this program.
How does workflow function with Buyer Work Center? What roles are needed to complete a IIA in BWC end-to-end (requisition, award, invoice approval, payment)? Can payments exist in suspense accounts when there are issues with invoices? How will the line, shipment, and distribution in Oracle Purchasing processed to line and schedule in federal G-Invoicing?
Answer: For the approval workflow process, the EBS G-Invoicing solution uses Approvals Management Engine (AME Administration). See“Setting Up AME Administration.” Oracle has not made any changes to the existing subledger accounting (SLA). You can configure SLA for your business requirement to perform additional accounting. The G-Invoicing order line maps to the EBS IGT order line and the G-Invoicing order schedule maps to EBS IGT order line schedule and distribution. Refer to "Mapping of G-Invoicing Business Objects in Oracle E-Business Suite."
What logic does Oracle use to determine what IGT orders are sent to federal G-Invoicing, as direct citations are not processed in G-Invoicing? How are these sent to customs? Can an order be accepted as both reimbursable and direct citation?
Answer: If an order is reimbursable or direct citation is known as MIPR (DD 448-2) acceptance is recorded by the requesting agency.If it is reimbursable, the MIPR is converted to an IGT Order. If the MIPR acceptance is a direct citation, then the requisition does not become an IGT Order and it is not interfaced to the federal G-Invoicing application.
The federal G-Invoicing application does not require a requesting agency to provide a receipt when the order is FOB Source or FOB Destination and the constructive receipt time. Will Oracle E-Business Suite G-Invoicing require receipt and acceptance in such situations? Do buyers have to create receipts and attach supporting documents and send them to the federal G-Invoicing application though it is not required by the application. When are the accruals posted – is it during the IGT orders transaction or on receiving the receipt?
Answer: The receipt is optional only when the FOB is source but it is mandatory when the FOB is destination, as the settlement is recorded on the receipt. When the CRD (constructive receipt days) are passed, the receipt is created automatically by federal G-Invoicing. When you record receipts (FOB source or destination), EBS pushes a received or accepted performance to the federal G-Invoicing application. Accruals are posted based on deferred payment via journal entries. The servicing agency creates deferred performance payments as accruals. Refer to “Performance Accounting for Intragovernmental Transactions” and “Using Deferred Performance” for more details on FOB source and destination and on deferred performance.
Will Oracle add additional required roles and responsibilities for the preparer, POC, funding official, and program manager?
Answer: Oracle will not be adding additional roles or responsibilities. The preparer will use CLM and Purchasing responsibilities. The funding and program officials are notified to sign and or approve the IGT Order.
Should the GT&C status be open to create an IGT Order?
Answers: Yes, the GT&C must be in an open status. Groups associated with the GT&C (based on DII and subordinate groups defined in the federal G-Invoicing application) are pulled into EBS from G-Invoicing and stored. When creating an IGT order referring the GT&C, applicable groups appear in LOV.
Will Oracle require an order to be submitted as two orders or a single order which can be sent to the federal G-Invoicing application as two separate orders.
Answer: The FOB option is at the header level in Oracle, so the order to be submitted must be two orders. The FOB source and destination within the federal G-Invoicing application is at the header level data element which prevents a single order being processed as both.
In Oracle Project Billing, a single agreement can be used to fund multiple projects. However, associating IGT orders, lines, and schedules with projects only allows the orders, lines, and schedules to be funded to a single project. Is there a way to split the funding to multiple projects?
Answer: The EBS G-Invoicing solution only supports the association of one order with one project.
Each IGT order, order line, and order line schedule must be mapped to a unique project top task. Each performance obligation line must be assigned to a unique top task. Is there a specific reason for this? This would require a separate top task for each order line schedule from the requesting agency order, which increases the workload on the servicing agency side. Is there any option available to map multiple performance obligation lines to a single top task?
Answer: Currently, the EBS G-Invoicing solution supports a one-to-one mapping between the top task and the performance obligation line to ensure the task-level funding and for tracking of performance at the order line schedule level. For an IGT reimbursable order, costs must not exceed the order line schedule value to ensure the cost for the task does not exceed the order line schedule value. Since the revenue and cost must be maintained within the order line schedule level, the task link becomes mandatory. When linking multiple order line schedules to a single task, there is no clear demarcation of when the performance should be reported to which order line schedule.
Will Oracle support a single ALC for multiple existing EBS vendor and vendor site records?
Answer: The EBS G-Invoicing solution derives the vendor and vendor site for a GT&C and the order, and it is assumed that each agency location code (ALC) relates to a unique EBS vendor site record. There are situations where a single ALC may map to multiple entities that could exist as different vendors and vendor sites. Oracle provides po_custom_igt_pkg.set_gtc_related_info and po_custom_igt_pkg.derive_order_vendor_info custom integration hooks for deriving a vendor_id and vendor_site_id for a GT&C and an order.
Group IDs are unique in the EBS G-Invoicing solution. An agency can use the group_ID to uniquely identify a vendor and vendor site to default the values. Otherwise, the agency can select the vendor and vendor site from an LOV when creating an order.
The PO receipts created by the Intragovernmental Performance Integration to Receiving Program creates 3-way match shipments where the invoice match option is set to receipt. Can G-Invoicing users set the invoice match option to match purchase orders, like other Purchasing users can?
Answer: Currently, the EBS G-Invoicing solution only supports three-way matching to receipts and not to purchase order. In the case of FOB destination, a receipt is mandatory and expenses are accounted when the receipt is created. When the seller submits a delivered performance, CLM Purchasing creates a receipt using the concurrent program Intragovernmental Performance Integration with Receiving Program. For more details about performance accounting, refer to “Performance Accounting for Intragovernmental Transactions”
Can a requesting agency pull an IGT order into EBS (after it has been approved by the servicing agency) and then approve the IGT Order in EBS? Can this second approval of the IGT order be automated?
Answer: You can approve the order directly from EBS without logging in to the federal G-Invoicing application.
Is there any additional benefit to upgrade to the Oracle Applications Release 12.2.11? The customer is planning to upgrade to Oracle Applications 12.2.10 and has a single operating unit setup.
Answer: The EBS G-Invoicing solution requires customers to be using the Oracle Application Release 12.2.7 or later.
In the EBS G-Invoicing solution how is accounting generated for the budget baseline? The submit button in the form is disabled. Do agencies have to configure anything to generate the budget baseline accounting. When is accounting generated in EBS G-Invoicing? What events are triggered at the time of an order approval?
Answer: The Budget Baseline program is not modified and is automated at the time of an order approval. To manage revenue budget manually and create the budget, set the profile option, PA: Manage Revenue Budget Manually. The workflow is invoked automatically.
Can a combination of agreement, project, and task be funded with multiple trading partner TAS (TP TAS) values in the EBS G-Invoicing solution? Can a single top task execute multiple order schedules?
Answer: The EBS G-Invoicing solution supports one top task mapped to one order line schedule and one performance obligation line.
Is implementation of Oracle Projects necessary for a requesting agency?
Answer: If you are not going to use EBS as the servicing agency, then the Oracle Projects implementation is not required.