PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing 9.1 PeopleBook

Creating Events

This chapter provides an overview of PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing events and discusses how to:

Define basic event information.
Add line items and line defaults to an event.
Add comments and attachments to sourcing events.
Add and maintain bid factors for an event.
Use global policies and constraints with sourcing events.
Invite bidders.
Use event collaboration.
Post events.
Add and maintain sourcing event templates.
Create request for information (RFI) events.

Understanding PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing Events

This section lists a prerequisite, lists common elements, and discusses:

Event creation.
Event status.
Event modification.
Automatic proxy bidding.
Alternate unit of measure conversion.
Award beyond event quantity or amount.
Amount only requisitions.
Price adjustments.
Requisition consolidations.
Line groups.
Discussion forums.
Bidder downloads.
Bidder removal.

Prerequisite

Before you create an event, you must set up user preferences so that you can create, buy, sell, or RFI events.

See Defining Strategic Sourcing User Preferences.

Common Elements Used in This Chapter

Event ID

Enter a specific value to identify this sourcing event. If you are using autonumbering, leave the field value as NEXT.

GoTo

Use this drop-down list to access any of these pages:

Bidder Invitations
Event Bid Factors
Event Constraints
Event Contact Details
Event Overview
Event Settings and Options
Line Items

Event Creation

Three types of events exist in PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing:

A sell event: the sale of goods that you own (equivalent to a forward auction).
A buy event: the purchase of goods or services (equivalent to a request for purchase or quote or a reverse auction).
An RFI event: a request for information.

The event creator must have the appropriate roles to create events. PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing comes with two user roles: the Event Buyer role and the Event Seller role. The Event Buyer role can create buy events; the Event Seller role can create sell events. However, when you create events, the allowable event formats and types are based on user preference settings, not on roles.

This diagram illustrates the Sourcing Offer process for procuring items or services:

Sourcing Offer process for procuring items or services

To create a sourcing offer:

Plan and create a buy or sell event.
Define bid factors, item or service specifications, and due dates.
(Optional) Invite collaborators to provide event input.
Invite bidders to bid on the event, and post the event for bidding.

When you create an event, you provide bidders an overall description of the event at the header level, with item-specific details at the line level. You can copy a previous event, purchase order, requisition, contract, PeopleSoft Engineering bill of material (BOM), PeopleSoft Manufacturing BOM, PeopleSoft Supply Planning planned order, or RFI to create a new event, and save events to use as templates. You can also attach documents and image files to the event to provide bidders with precise information about what you are buying or selling.

Specify at the header level any bid factors that pertain to the entire event. Then, at the line level, specify bid factors that apply to specific items. For each bid factor, set a weighting, letting the bidder know how much value you give to that portion of the bid. Price is, by default, the first bid factor of any line, and you also set a weighting for it. You can enter bid factors that you answer without displaying them to the bidders. These bid factors can be for subjective responses, such as current business relationship or interview results.

You can specify a list of bidders to invite to the event. You can modify this list by inviting some of them to bid only on specified line items. You can also specify an event as public to enable any organization or individual to register and place a bid.

When you create an event, the system generates a PDF file describing the event. In addition, you can create an XML file that contains event details that bidders can use to enter their bids and upload their responses using Microsoft Excel 2002. This PDF file, and optionally the XML file, is attached to the email that notifies bidders of the event. If you modify the event, you can regenerate the PDF and XML files and dispatch them to bidders.

Event creation options include a restriction that specific business units accept bids in multiple currencies. Or you might set extensions to the end time of some auction events but not others.

Event Status

When you create an event, its status is Open. Once you post the event for internal approval, its status becomes Pending Post Approval. Other valid event statuses are:

Collaborating Event: The event has been routed for internal collaboration.
Posted: The event is approved, and bidding is ongoing.
Event Completed: The event has ended, but the update event status process has not been run.
Pending Award: The event has been completed but not yet awarded.
Collaborating Bid Analysis: The event has been routed for bid analysis collaboration.
Awarded: The event award has been approved; the event itself is complete.
Not Awarded: The event ended without the event being awarded.
Canceled: The event creator canceled the event.

For RFI events, the following event statuses include:

Open: The event is newly created and not yet approved.
Collaborating Event: The event has been routed for internal collaboration.
Pending Post Approval: The event is posted for internal approval.
Posted: The event is approved, and bidding is ongoing.
Posted/Event Ended: The event is approved and has ended but is not yet reviewed.
Pending RFI Review: The event has ended and is awaiting review.
Collaborating Bid Analysis: The event has been routed for bid analysis collaboration.
RFI Reviewed: RFI responses have been reviewed.
Canceled: The event creator canceled the event.
Post To Third Party Failed: When an event is in this status, it reverts back to Open after the event creator loads or edits it.

Event Modification

After you post an event, you can make only the following modifications:

Add comments and attachments, including regenerating the PDF file that describes the event.
Revise event extension parameters.
Extend the end date.
Invite new bidders.
Change the reserve price.

When you make these modifications, you can re-notify bidders and optionally regenerate the PDF and XML files.

Automatic Proxy Bidding

Event creators can allow bidders to submit proxy bids to price-based auction events. This feature enables bidders to submit the lowest price bid for the requested goods or services. Then the system makes bids automatically—as needed to take the lead—to the preset best (proxy) offer. Thus, the bidder gets the best possible deal while still winning the business.

For example, the event creator may enable proxy bidding on a buy auction event. The event has one line with a start price of 100 USD and a bid decrement of 5 USD. If proxy bidding is enabled, bidders can enter the absolute lowest price that they are willing to offer and allow the system to bid on their behalf. So assume that Bidder A has the current winning price of 90 USD. Bidder B could enter a proxy bid price of 70 USD. Upon posting the bid, Bidder B's current bid price would actually be set to 85 USD (the current winning price minus the bid decrement). If Bidder C then bid 78 USD, then Bidder B's current winning bid price would be updated to be 73 USD, which is Bidder C's bid price minus the 5 USD decrement. Therefore, Bidder B would still have the winning bid.

Alternate Unit of Measure Conversion

Event creators can indicate whether alternate units of measure are allowed on a buy event. The event creator can specify whether bidders can bid using any alternate unit of measure or only existing item and unit of measure relationships. If allowed, bidders can select a different unit of measure when bidding on a line. All line price and quantity details are converted to the bidder's selected unit of measure based on the specified conversion rate. During analysis, the bid prices are reflected based on the line item's unit of measure.

For example, the event creator may need to purchase 10,000 pens with a start (worst) price of $1.00 each. The event creator uses a unit of measure of each, but allows bidders to bid in any alternate unit of measure. The first bidder may select to bid in boxes, and therefore can specify that each box contains 50 pens. Therefore, this bidder would bid 200 boxes to equal 10,000 pens. The start (worst) price is updated based on the conversion rate of 50 pens to 1 box; therefore, the maximum price that the bidder can bid is $50 per box (50 pens per box × $1 per pen). The second bidder could select to bid in cases, and can specify that each case contains 500 pens. Therefore, this bidder bids 20 cases to equal 10,000 pens. The start (worst) price when bidding in cases is $500 (500 pens per case × $1 per pen). When the analyzer reviews all of the bids, the bid prices appear based on the line unit of measure of each.

The option to allow alternate units of measure is specified at the line level. Users can use the Line Defaults page to set the option for all lines on an event. If the event creator selected to allow only alternate units of measure based on existing item and unit of measure relationships, the conversion rate is automatically supplied for the bidder, based on the conversion rate specified on the item and unit of measure relationship. If any unit of measure is allowed, bidders must provide the unit of measure conversion rate for the specific line item.

Note. You can use this functionality on RFx buy events only.

See Adding Line Items and Line Defaults to an Event.

Award Beyond Event Quantity or Amount

Event creators can allow bidders to bid in excess of the original line quantity or amount requested. This is indicated at the line level on a sourcing event. If allowed, bidders can submit bids in excess of the requested quantity. Bidders can also enter price breaks in excess of the requested quantity. Users can award a bidder more than the original line quantity, up to the bidder's maximum bid quantity, if the user has proper permissions on the Sourcing User Preferences page.

Amount Only Requisitions

Event creators can create new buy events by copying from amount-only requisitions. If multiple amount-only requisitions are used during event creation, the lines will not be consolidated into a single line on the sourcing event. In addition, you cannot award amount-only lines to more than one bidder. You can award bids to purchase orders or contracts.

Price Adjustments

You can specify whether price adjustments for higher volumes are allowed on an event. The event creator defines price tiers or allows bidders to provide their own price tiers. If you specify the price tiers, you can create as many tiers as you need.

For example, a bidder can specify that for a quantity between 1 and 100, the price is 5 USD per unit, and between 101 and 500, the price is 4 USD per unit.

Price adjustments are for buy events only.

Requisition Consolidations

You can consolidate requisitions across multiple Purchasing business units for the same item. All schedule and distribution information is maintained for the requisitions. The selected requisitions are prevented from being sourced to a purchase order while the event is taking place. If an event is canceled, the requisitions are available for sourcing.

Line Groups

During event creation, users can select lines that they want to group to attempt to get better pricing through a bundled price quote. Users use the Line Details page to add line items to a group. Users can add the same line to multiple groups. When a line is added to a group, the line's bid factors are copied into the group bid factors but remain associated with their respective items. The line weightings and bid factor weightings will be prorated within the group. Users can modify the bid factor questions and the best, worst, or ideal values for the bid factors within the group.

When a user creates the group, the user defines the group details, including group bid parameters, on the Line Details page. Users can define price breaks at the group level for RFx events. Users also can indicate that a line can be bid on only as part of the group. If selected, the line is not available for bidding outside of a group. Users can specify at the event-level whether bidder-initiated groups are even allowed. The user can filter on all lines and groups, only lines, or only groups.

Discussion Forums

You can use discussion forums to communicate with buyers or sellers. PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing includes two delivered forums:

An event-specific forum enables suppliers to ask questions regarding the event and have them answered by the buyer.
A general question forum displays inquiries regarding the application's operation and the bidding process.

System administrators can also create new forums. Replies can be marked as public or private. If private is selected, only the replier and the author of the post being replied to can view the message. If the message is marked public, all users can view the message. Forums can also be marked read-only so that some users can view the messages, but not post replies or post new messages. All delivered and newly created forums reside in the Forums component.

When an event or RFI is created, you can start a high-level message thread for that event. When that event is posted, the system includes a text message about the discussion forums in the notification email sent to invited bidders. For each event that has a message thread, the system provides a link to the message thread on the Search Events and Event Workbench pages. Security for the forum is role-based and enforced at the event ID level. In addition, the event creator can exclude named users from seeing a particular forum. A bidder can see either all of the public discussion surrounding an event or nothing.

Bidders can ask questions of event creators regarding use of the application and the bidding process using the general question forum. This forum is not tied to an event and can be accessed from the general forum on the supplier-facing Search Events page, the Event Workbench, Analyze Events, and Bid Response pages, and the Home Page pagelet. Security for the forum is role-based, in addition to the named supplier exclusion feature.

The Forum Administration component enables the event creator to manage the forums, including deleting messages, creating new custom forums, modifying existing forums, and setting security for all the forums.

See Also

Using Discussion Forums

Bidder Downloads

You can designate that bidders can download events, manage them in a spreadsheet format, and then upload their bids.

When an event is posted, the system creates an XML bid package with event information that can be stored as a header attachment. The XML file is also included in the event invitation email that is sent to the invited bidders. Bidders can download event details into a Microsoft Excel 2002 spreadsheet format, enabling the bidder to review event details and enter responses. This eliminates bidder concerns that buyers are reviewing bids to gain negotiation strategies before final submission. This approach makes it easier to gather input from third parties who do not have primary responsibilities for completing a bid but whose input is necessary to establish a response.

Bidders can then save the spreadsheet as an XML file and upload responses into PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing.

Note. Bidders must use Microsoft Excel 2002 to save spreadsheet responses as an XML file and upload them into PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing.

Bidder Removal

If a bidder is not adhering to the rules of the event, the event creator can remove the bidder from the event. The system automatically cancels any bids entered by the bidder, and all other bids are rescored to exclude the canceled bids.

Defining Basic Event Information

This section provides an overview of event types and formats and discusses how to:

Create a sourcing event.
Define header details.
Copy events from other transactions.
Specify event settings and options.
Define payment terms and contact information.
Create lot events.
Associate sourcing plans with events.

Understanding Event Types and Formats

This section discusses PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing event types and formats.

RFIs

You can quickly create an RFI before you issue a request for proposal (RFP) or request for quote (RFQ). You use RFIs to gather information before issuing an RFP or RFQ event. The RFI includes header bid factors and no line items. No preview dates exist for RFI events. Bidders can respond to the RFI, and the RFI creator can review the RFI responses. RFIs aren't awarded, but instead are marked as Reviewed. You can, however, score an RFI. You can copy an RFI into a future RFP or RFQ, and the related RFI responses are accessible from the Analyze Bids component for bidders who respond to both the RFI and RFP or RFQ.

RFI functionality enables event creators and bidders to:

Copy from existing RFIs and RFI templates.
Select options for the RFI, such as whether bidders can edit posted responses, whether responses are required for all bid factors, and whether bid factor weightings should appear to bidders.
Create a PDF version and optionally an XML version of the posted RFI response and send an email with the PDF to the bidder.
Enable bidders to view and respond to RFIs either online or by uploading the XML file.
Analyze RFI responses, optionally assign scores manually to text-based responses, and perform what-if analysis.
Enable creation of buy events by copying an RFI, and maintain a reference of the RFI on the related buy event.
View the related RFI bidder response when analyzing buy events.

See Adding and Maintaining Sourcing Event Templates.

Event Templates

You can save events as templates to reuse in future events, and associate an event template with business units, departments, or a specified user, based on the user's security. You can also create templates by selecting Sourcing, Create Events, Maintain Event Templates. In addition, users with the appropriate security can modify templates. PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing users can copy templates to expedite the event creation process.

You can save a template as a business unit, department, or personal template. If a template is marked as a business unit template, it is available to all users who have access to that business unit. If a template is marked as a department template, you can associate one or more departments with the template. Only users assigned to the associated departments can copy from department templates. If a template is marked as a personal template, only the user who created the template can access it.

Event Lotting

You can create multiple auction events and link them together as lots within an overall auction process. Each lot is treated as a unique event, but is tied to other events. As the bidding on one event lot ends, the bidding on another event lot immediately begins. This continues until all of the linked event lots have finished. You link auction events to other events from the Create Event pages by selecting a preceding event to link to the current event. The start date and time of one event lot depends on the end date and time of the previous lot; therefore, any change to the end date and time of one event lot can change the end date and time of any subsequent event lots. The system recreates the PDF and XML documents for each affected event to ensure that the documents reflect the most current preview, start, and end dates and times.

Bidders can navigate between event lots to view and enter bids. During analysis, you can navigate between event lots to analyze all linked events.

See Bidding on Linked Events.

PDF Creation

You can create PDF versions of sourcing events. You can generate PDFs at different stages of the sourcing event process:

Creating an event.

You can select to preview the PDF file during creation of the event to review it before posting the event.
Posting an event.

The PDF file is automatically generated when an event is posted.
Modifying an event.

You can recreate the PDF file after making modifications to the event.
Posting a new version or round of an event.

The PDF file is automatically generated when a new version or round is posted.
Updating event lots.

If the start and end dates are automatically updated on an event lot due to an extension to a linked auction lot, the PDF is automatically recreated and sent to the invited bidders.

If you are using PeopleSoft Supplier Contract Management and have associated contract clauses with bid factors in the event, the contract clauses will be included in the PDF file. Clauses at the header level (event) are contained in an appendix section. However, line-level clauses are included in the Line Details section.

Pages Used to Define Basic Event Information

Page Name	Definition Name	Navigation	Usage
Event Summary	AUC_CREATE_PG	Sourcing, Create Events, Event Details	Enter header information for auction events.
Enter Copy Criteria	AUC_COPY_SEC	Click the Copy From link on the Event Summary page.	Use a previous event, requisition, purchase order, contract, PeopleSoft Engineering BOM, PeopleSoft Manufacturing BOM, PeopleSoft Supply Planning planned order, template, or RFI as the template for a new event.
Contract Lines to Copy	AUC_COPY_CNTRCT	Click the Copy From link on the Event Summary page. Select Contract.	Select contract lines to copy to an event.
Enter Copy Criteria	AUC_COPY_SEC	Click the Copy From link on the Event Summary page. Select Delimited File. Click the Line Items link on the Event Summary page, and select Delimited File from the Copy From drop-down list box.	Select the delimited file that you want to import. This file should currently reside on your FTP server.
Lines to Import	AUC_COPY_FILE	Click the Line Items link on the Event Summary page, and select Delimited File from the Copy From drop-down list box. Select the delimited file that you want to copy, and click the OK button.	Select the line information that will be imported from the delimited file.
Import File Errors Import File Errors and Warnings page	AUC_COPY_FILE_MSG	Select the delimited file that you want to copy on the Enter Copy Criteria page, and then click the OK button. Select the lines that you want to copy on the Lines to Import page, and then click the OK button.	Review errors and warning messages encountered during the import process.
Bill of Material Lines to Copy	AUC_BOM_SUMMARY2	Click the Copy From link on the Event Summary page. Select Manufacturing or Engineering Bill of Material.	Select PeopleSoft Manufacturing or PeopleSoft Engineering BOM components to copy to an event.
Event Lines to Copy	AUC_COPY_PLN	Click the Copy From link on the Event Summary page. Select Planning Order.	Select planned order lines to copy to an event.
Purchase Order Lines to Copy	AUC_COPY_PO	Click the Copy From link on the Event Summary page. Select Purchase Order.	Select purchase order lines to copy to an event.
RFI Lines to Copy (request for information lines to copy)	AUC_COPY_RFI	Click the Copy From link on the Event Summary page. Select Request For Information.	Select RFI lines to copy to an event.
Requisition Lines to Copy	AUC_COPY_REQ	Select the Copy From option on the Event Summary page. Select Requisition.	Select requisition lines to copy to an event.
Sourcing Event Lines to Copy	AUC_COPY_AUC	Select the Copy From option on the Event Summary page. Select Sourcing Event.	Select event lines to copy to a new event.
Sourcing Template Lines to Copy	AUC_COPY_SEC	Select the Copy From option on the Event Summary page. Select Sourcing Template.	Select sourcing template lines to copy to an event.
Event Settings and Options	AUC_OPTIONS_PG	Click the Event Settings and Options link on the Event Summary page.	Specify the rules related to an event, as well as what information can appear to bidders. For auction events, specify event extension criteria.
Event Contact Details	AUC_CONTACT_PG	Click the Payment Terms and Contact Info link on the Event Summary page.	Specify payment and currency information, as well as information about the event contact.
Sourcing Exchange Rate Inquiry	EXCH_RT_DTL_INQ	Click the Exchange Rate link on the Event Contact Details page.	View the rate of exchange against the event's currency.
Sourcing Document Status Inquiry	AUC_DOC_STATUS	Click the Document Status Inquiry link on the Event Summary page.	View document status associated with sourcing events.
Event Lots	AUC_EVENT_LOT_SEC	Click the Event Lots link on the Event Summary page.	Link an event to a preceding event. This page is available only for auction events.
Associate Plan Tasks	AUC_PLN_RQEV_WRK	Click the Plan Tasks Associations link on the Event Summary page.	Associate a sourcing event with sourcing project plan tasks.

Creating a Sourcing Event

Access the Create Events search page (Sourcing, Create Events, Event Details).

Event Round and Event Version

When creating a new sourcing event, these fields are display-only and have a value of 1.

Event Format

Select Buy, RFI, or Sell.

Event Type

Select Auction or RFx.

If you are creating an auction event and want to enable bidders to use the automatic proxy bidding feature, you must select Auction.

Proxy Bidding (Auctions Only)

Select Enabled or Disabled to indicate whether to enable bidders to submit proxy bids automatically. This field is available for auction events only. You can update this setting on the Event Settings and Options page.

Defining Header Details

Access the Event Summary page (Sourcing, Create Events, Event Details).

Add header details such as event name, description, preview, and start and end dates for the sourcing event.

Copying Events from Other Transactions

Access the Enter Copy Criteria page (select the Copy From option on the Event Summary page).

You use the Strategic Sourcing User Preferences page to specify the transactions from which users can copy.

You can use several documents to create one event. The system consolidates identical line items. For example, if you copy from three different requisitions that all contain an identical line item, that line item appears only once on the new event.

Note. If you selected External PO Integration on the Business Unit Definition page and are awarding events to an external purchasing system, you can copy only from sourcing events, sourcing templates, and RFIs.

See Setting Up Business Units in PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing.

Required Fields for Delimited File Import

The following table lists and describes the required fields for importing delimited files into PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing using the Copy From feature.

Warning! These fields must appear in this order in the delimited file.

Field Name	Description	Maximum Data Length (Type)
INV_ITEM_ID	The item ID associated with the line item. If it is a buy event, then this is the inventory item ID. If it is a sell event, this is the asset ID. Note. This field is not required if you are defining an item by description.	18 characters
DESCR254_MIXED	The description of the line item. If you are using an item ID, the description will be the default value for the line based on the item ID.	245 characters
CATEGORY_CD	The category code associated with the item. If it is a buy event, this is the item category. If it is a sell event, this is the asset category. If you are using an item ID, the category will be the default value for the line based on the item ID.	18 characters
UNIT_OF_MEASURE	The unit of measure (UOM) code associated with the line. If you are using an item ID, the UOM will be the default value for the line based on the default UOM associated with the item.	3 characters
QTY_AUC	The requested line quantity for the line.	11.4 numeric
AUC_PRICE	The starting price for the line item. If you are using an item ID, the start price should be entered on the line by default based on the standard price associated with the item.	11.5 numeric
WEIGHTING	The line weighting associated with the line. If this field is left blank, all lines should be weighted equally when imported into the event.	3.5 signed
COMMENTS_2000	Comments associated with the line.	Long field
DUE_DATE	The due date for the item.	10 date
SHIPTO_ID	The ship to location code for the item.	10 characters
FREIGHT_TERMS	The freight terms code for the item.	10 characters
SHIP_TYPE_ID	The ship via code for the item.	10 characters
SHIP_FROM_LOC	The ship from location code for the item.	10 characters

This table contains optional fields that can be included in the delimited file.

Field Name	Description	Maximum Data Length (Type)
MFG_ID	The ID of the manufacturer of the item.	50 characters
MFG_ITM_ID	The manufacturer's ID for the item.	50 characters
AUC_ITEM_LENGTH	The length of the item.	11.4 signed
AUC_ITEM_WIDTH	The width of the item.	11.4 signed
AUC_ITEM_WEIGHT	The weight of the item.	11.4 signed
AUC_ITEM_VOLUME	The volume of the item.	11.4 signed
AUC_ITEM_HEIGHT	The height of the item.	11.4 signed
AUC_ITEM_SIZE	The size of the item.	5 characters
AUC_ITEM_COLOR	The color of the item.	15 characters
AUC_WEIGHT_UOM	The unit of measure code associated with the weight.	3 characters
AUC_VOLUME_UOM	The unit of measure code associated with the volume.	3 characters
AUC_DIMENSION_UOM	The unit of measure code associated with the width.	3 characters

Copy Template

Copy From

Select the source from which to copy. Values are:

Contract: You can copy contract line items onto buy events.
Delimited File: You can import item information that is saved as a delimited file.

This enables you to avoid having to manually enter line information.
Engineering BOM (engineering bill of material): You can copy items from a PeopleSoft Engineering BOM onto any buy event by entering an item ID.
Manufacturing BOM (manufacturing bill of material): You can copy items from production and rework BOMs onto any buy event.
Planning Order: You can copy items from planned orders onto buy events by selecting a business unit and planner code.
Purchase Order: You can copy purchase order line items onto buy events.
Purchase Requisition: You can copy requisition line items onto buy events. If you copy a requisition into an event, the requisition is not available for sourcing until the event is awarded.
Request for Information: You can copy lines from an RFI onto any event.
Requisition: You can copy lines from amount-only requisitions onto buy events.

You can copy multiple lines from multiple amount-only requisitions. The system creates a separate line on the sourcing event for each line copied from the amount-only requisition.
Sourcing Event: You can copy line items and associated details from previous events onto any event.
Sourcing Template: You can use an event template to copy the entire event details onto any event.

See Defining Strategic Sourcing User Preferences.

Select Criteria

Copy Method

Select the way the system copies the information. Values are:

Override: The system replaces any existing information for the event with the data from the template.
Append: The system adds information to existing event information but does not write over any fields that contain data.

Other fields that appear in the Select Criteria group box depend on the selection in the Copy From field.

Copy Criteria

Enter identifying information into a field to search for a template. Narrow the search response by entering criteria in more than one field.

Copying from a Delimited File

Access the Enter Copy Criteria page (select the Copy From option on the Event Summary page).

Copy From

If you selected Delimited File on the Event Summary page, then the default value is Delimited File.

Copy Method

Select Append or Override.

Select File

Click this button to select the delimited file that you want to copy into the sourcing event. Click the Browse button to locate the file, and then click the Upload button. The file is uploaded, and you will then be returned to the Enter Copy Criteria page.

Selected File

The system displays the name of the file you uploaded.

File Includes Header Row

Select this option if the delimited file contains a header row. If this option is selected, the system ignores the first row of the file. Do not select this option if you want the system to import the file beginning with row 1.

Consolidate Identical Items

Select this option if you want the system to consolidate identical items into one event line.

Delimiter Type

The system displays the type of delimiter that was used for the uploaded file. Values are:

Tab

Comma

Semi-colon

Other: If you select this option, the Specify Delimiter field appears, and you must enter a character in this field.

Specify Delimiter

Enter the delimited character used in the import file. This is a required field used with the Other value in the Delimiter Type field. The length of this field is two characters

Display Import Error Messages

Select this check box if you want the system to display a list of all error messages encountered during the import process.

Error Handling Options

Select how you want to handle any errors received during the import process. Values are:

Cancel Import: The system cancels the import and no lines are imported if an error is encountered during the import process.

Exclude Errors: The system copies all valid lines, but excludes any lines that contained errors.

Ignore Errors: The system copies all line information and ignores errors.

You will need to correct the errors on the Line Details page.

Category

The system populates the line or item with the default value. This value comes from the AUC_LINE record.

UOM (unit of measure)

The default UOM associated with the line or item.

Quantity

The default quantity associated with the line or item.

OK

Click to access the Lines to Import page.

Selecting Lines to Import from the Delimited File

Access the Lines to Import page (click the Line Items link on the Event Summary page, and select Delimited File from the Copy From drop-down list box).

All fields on the tabs are display-only except for the Sel (select) column. You can view item details, shipping details, specifications, and comments associated with the line items.

Sel (select)	Select the check box for the lines that you want to copy.
OK	Click to copy the selected lines from the delimited file.

Viewing Import File Errors

Access the Import File Errors page (select the delimited file that you want to copy on the Enter Copy Criteria page, and then click the OK button).

This page displays errors and warnings encountered during the import process.

Specifying Event Settings and Options

Access the Event Settings and Options page (click the Event Settings and Options link on the Event Summary page).

Some fields are common to RFx and auction sourcing events. Any differences between the two event types are noted.

Common Fields

Create PDF on Event Post	Select to create a PDF version of the sourcing event. If this option is not selected, PDF creation is suppressed. The value will default from the Business Unit Definition page (Set Up Financials/Supply Chain, Business United Related, Sourcing, Business Unit Definition), but you can override this option for the event.
Allow Bidder XML Downloads	Select to enable bidders to download events to an XML file. If this option is not selected, a PDF version of the sourcing event is created; however, an XML version is not created when the events are posted.
Post Events to Third Party	Select to allow this event to be posted to third-party bid management systems. This field is available only if posting to third-party systems is allowed by the business unit.
Send PDF and XML Files	Select to enable the system to send the PDF and XML files that are generated on event post to third-party systems. This field is available only if posting to third-party systems is allowed by the business unit.
Bid Required On All Lines	Select this check box if you require bidders to bid on all lines on the event. The default value comes from the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page (Set Up Financials/Supply Chain, Business Unit Related, Sourcing, Business Unit Definition), but you can change it here.
Round/Version Display	Select one of these options: Display Round Display Round and Version Do not Display The default value comes from the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page, but you can change it here.
Factor Event Score Into	Select to indicate that you want the system to factor the header score into the total score for the event or the individual line score. If you plan to award an entire event to one bidder, you would likely want to factor the header score into the total score. If you intend to award lines to different bidders, Oracle recommends that you factor the header score into the individual line score. The default value comes from the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page, but you can change it here. Note. If you are using the Optimization Engine to determine the ideal award allocation for events, you should factor the header score into the individual line score. Optimization uses each line's price and score, not the total price or score, to determine an ideal award allocation.
Header Weighting	Enter a default weighting for how the system weights the header score in relation to the total score. The default value comes from the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page, but you can change it here. For example, assume that you set the default event header weighting to 20 percent, and then you create an event with three lines. Line 1 is weighted 50 percent, line 2 is weighted 20 percent, and line 3 is weighted 10 percent. The total weighting of the lines is 80 percent plus the defaulted weighting of the header (20 percent), totalling 100 percent if you selected to factor the header score into the total score. If you selected to factor the header score into the individual line score and your default event header weighting was 20 percent, then the weighting for the other bid factors for each line must total 80 percent. For example, you could have price weighted at 50 percent, warranty weighted at 30 percent, and the header score weighted at 20 percent for a total weighting of 100 percent for the line item. Note. If you select to factor the header score into the individual line score, a header bid factor is automatically added to each line within the event. This bid factor is not displayed to bidders but is used to calculate the score of the line based on the event header score plus the score for the line bid factors.
Start Price	Select a value to indicate the basis for pricing: Display and Also Must Beat Display but Must Not Beat Do Not Display
Do Not Use Best Bids on New Rounds	This setting defaults from the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page based on the business unit. However, you can change the setting at the event level here. Select to indicate that new rounds should not be created using best bids when the bids are countered. If you select this option, then bidders will not be able to accept the counter offer on the Create Bid Response page; bidders will be forced to rebid. In this scenario, bidders will still be able to either counter or withdraw the bid.
Display Bid Factor Best/Worst and Display Bid Factor Ideal Value	These settings default from the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page based on the business unit. However, you can change the settings at the event level here. Select to show the best and worst values for the bid factor or the ideal value for the bid factor on the Create Bid Response page. If you deselect these options, then bidders will not be able to see the best and worst values or the ideal value for a bid factor on the Create Bid Response page.

RFx Only Fields

Multiple Bids Allowed	Indicates whether bidders (for RFx events) can post multiple bids on the same event. The default value comes from the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page, but you can change it here.
Allow Edit of Posted Bids	Indicates whether bidders (for RFx events) can edit their posted bids until the event ends. The default value comes from the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page, but you can change it here.
Sealed Event	If this option is selected, the system hides all bid response information from the event creator until the event ends. Users cannot see any bid information while the event is still open for bidding. The default value comes from the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page, but you can change it here.
Display Bid Factor Weightings	Select to display to bidders the weightings associated with bid factors. The default value comes from the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page, but you can change it here.

Auction Only Fields

For auction events, you can specify an event end date to be extended automatically if a bid is posted within the specified time period before the event end date. You can specify how many extensions can take place and the length of time that the event should be extended. If an auction event is extended and has subsequent event lots, the preview, start, and end dates for the subsequent lots are also updated.

Proxy Bidding	If automatic proxy bidding is enabled, this field appears. Select Enabled or Disabled to indicate whether proxy bids are to be allowed on this auction event. The default value comes from the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page, but you can change it here. In addition, you can override the proxy bidding setting from the Create Events (add) page. See Creating a Sourcing Event.
Bidders Compete at	Select either Event Level or Line Level. If Event Level is selected, bidders compete based on the total price or total score for the entire event. In some cases, a bidder may have a worse price or score on one or more lines but still be the winning bidder as long as the bidder's total price or score beats the other bids. If Line Level is selected, bidders compete based on each line's price or score. The default value comes from the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page, but you can change it here. Note. If automatic proxy bidding is enabled, bidders must compete at the line level; therefore, this field is unavailable for selection.
Competitor Bids	Select a value to indicate whether to display the bids of competitors. Values are: Display and Show Identity: The system displays the bid prices, scores, or ranks to all of the bidders, and also displays the identities of the bidders. Display but Hide Identity: The system displays the bid prices, scores, or ranks to all of the bidders, but does not display the identities of the bidders. Do Not Display: The system does not display any bid information.
Rank Options	Select a value: Display Rank Only: The system displays the overall rank to each bidder but does not display the total number of bids. Display Rank/Total # of Bi: The system displays the overall rank to each bidder in relation to the total number of bids received. Do Not Rank: The system does not display the rank of the bids. The default value comes from the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page, but you can change it here. Note. If automatic proxy bidding is enabled, the only option is Do Not Rank, and the system selects it as the default value.
On the Basis of	Select a value to indicate the basis on which the auction event is based. Values are Price and Score. If Price is selected, the bidders will compete solely on price, either total or per line, and no other bid factors can be added to the event. If Score is selected, the bidders will compete based on score, either total or per line, and the user can add as many bid factors to the event. The default value comes from the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page, but you can change it here. Note. If automatic proxy bidding is enabled, the system selects the value of Price because automatic proxy bids are based on price only.
Bidders Must Beat	Select Own Bid or Winning Bid. If Own Bid is selected, a bidder must beat his last posted bid on the event. If Winning Bid is selected, a bidder must beat the current winning bid. The default value comes from the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page, but you can change it here. Note. If automatic proxy bidding is enabled, the value of Winning Bid is selected.
Display Winning Bid to Bidders	Select if you want the winning bid to appear to all bidders. This option must be selected if you require bidders to beat the winning bid. The default value comes from the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page, but you can change it here. Note. If automatic proxy bidding is enabled, this field is not available.
Allow Extension	Select to activate the extension function for the event that you are creating.
Last Bid Received and Type	Enter a time period, relative to the end time of the event, during which bidding is extended for the event. For example, if the Last Bid Received field has the value 1 and the type is Hours, then the event is extended when a bid is received within one hour before the scheduled end time. Note. The extension begins at the scheduled end time, not at the time of the last bid.
Number of Extensions	Enter the number of times that the event can be extended. An extension occurs if the Last Bid Received and Type field criteria are met for as many extensions as you allow. The event ends either when no bid is received before the time for the last bid expires or the number of extensions is reached (regardless of when the last bid is entered).
Length of Extension and Type	Enter the amount of time to enable bidding to continue after each extension starts. For example, if the length of extension is 4, and the type is Hours, then the event extended four hours after the scheduled end time. Note. The extension begins at the scheduled end time, not at the time of the last bid.

Defining Payment Terms and Contact Information

Access the Event Contact Details page (click the Payment Terms and Contact Info link on the Event Summary page).

Payment & Currency Information

Currency	Select the currency to be used for payment. This is a required field.
Exchange Rate	Click to access the Sourcing Exchange Rate Inquiry page to view conversion rate information.
Pay Method	Select a method for payment that will be accepted. Values are Cash, Check, Credit Card, DD (direct deposit), Draft, EFT (electronic funds transfer), and Giro-EFT.
Payment Terms	Select a value to indicate the payment terms for the event.
Bill Addrs (billing address)	Select the address to which all invoices should be sent.
Buyer	(Optional) Select a value to be assigned to this event.
Rate Type	Select a rate type for the event. This field is required. The default value comes from the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page (Set Up Financials/Supply Chain, Business Unit Related, Sourcing, Business Unit Definition), but you can change it here.
Rate Date	Enter an effective date for the rate type. This is a required field.
Allow Bids in Other Currencies	Select to permit bidders to enter bids in currencies other than the event currency.
Tax Exempt	Select if your company is tax exempt.
Exempt ID	Enter your company's tax exemption identification number. This field works with the Tax Exempt field.

Event Contact

Enter information such as name, email address, and phone number for the individual to be contacted in connection with this event.

Creating Lotting Events

Access the Event Lots page (click the Event Lots link on the Event Summary page).

Note. This page is available only for auction events.

To create lotting events, select a preceding lot ID to associate this event with one scheduled to occur before it. The second event does not begin until the first event has ended.

When you change an event end date for which subsequent event lots exist, the system:

Updates all subsequent event lot dates based on the original increments set for the preview and end dates.
Regenerates the PDF and XML documents for all affected events.
Generates an email notification to the invited bidders notifying them of the changes in the event dates and times.

Associating Sourcing Plans with Events

Access the Associate Plan Tasks page (click the Plan Tasks Associations link on the Event Summary page).

Search Criteria

Business Unit	Select the business unit for the sourcing plan.
Plan ID	Select the sourcing plan.
Task Number	Select a specific task number associated with the sourcing plan. If you want to view all tasks associated with the sourcing plan, leave this field blank.
Completion Method	Select a value to indicate the method that could cause the status of the event to be updated: Event Approved Event Awarded Event Ends Event Posted Event Starts
Search	Click the search button to retrieve the sourcing plan.
Select All	Select to indicate that you want to add all tasks associated with the sourcing plan.
Clear All	Select to deselect all selected tasks.

Available Tasks

Select the check box for each task that you want to use.

Adding Line Items and Line Defaults to an Event

This section discusses how to:

Enter line-level item information.
Add line details.
Enter event line defaults.

Pages Used to Add Line Items and Line Defaults to an Event

Page Name	Definition Name	Navigation	Usage
Line Details	AUC_LINES_PG	Sourcing, Create Events, Event Details, Event Summary, Line Items Click the Details button on the Line Items: Basic Information page.	Enter shipping information, bid parameters, item specifications, and line images.
Event Line Defaults	AUC_CREATE_DFLTS	Click the Item Line Defaults link on the Event Summary page.	Enter or edit default due-date shipping information, as well as alternate units of measure rules.

Page Name

Definition Name

Navigation

Usage

Line Details

AUC_LINES_PG

Sourcing, Create Events, Event Details, Event Summary, Line Items

Click the Details button on the Line Items: Basic Information page.

Enter shipping information, bid parameters, item specifications, and line images.

Event Line Defaults

AUC_CREATE_DFLTS

Click the Item Line Defaults link on the Event Summary page.

Enter or edit default due-date shipping information, as well as alternate units of measure rules.

Entering Line-Level Item Information

Access the Line Items page (Sourcing, Create Events, Event Details, Event Summary, Line Items).

Add Selected Lines to Group

Select a value to add lines to or remove lines from a group:

Add to New Group: Select to add the selected items to a new group.

You can create as many groups as needed. Once you define the group for the event, you can add or remove new items to this group.

Remove from Groups: Select to remove selected items from the group.

Group ID

This field appears if you select Add to New Group in the Add Selected Lines to Group drop-down list box. Select a unique group ID for this group. Bidders will use this value to bid on the group.

OK

Click to initiate the action chosen in the Add Selected Lines to Group drop-down list box.

Basic Definition Tab

Item ID	Select from the item master (for buy events) or asset records (for sell events).
Description	Displays by default the description of the item ID. If no item ID exists, enter a description.
Category	Displays by default the category from the specified item or asset. If adding an item by description, select a category. Any bid factors that you assign to the specified category are added to the line bid factors.
Qty (quantity)	Enter the number of units to sell or buy.
Start Price	Enter the amount at which the bidding must start if Display and Must Beat Start Price is selected. If an item is selected, the system uses the item's standard unit price as a default.
Weighting	Enter a value to indicate the importance of the line item to the entire event. If you do not enter line weightings, each line item is weighted equally.

Advanced Definition Tab

Item SetID	Displays the setID the information for which the system tracks for consolidating requisitions across Purchasing business units.
Details	Click to access the Line Details page.
Bid Factors	Click to access the Line Bid Factors page.
Constraints	Click to access the Line Constraints page.
Line Comments and Attachments	Click to access the Line Comments and Attachments page.

Adding Line Details

Access the Line Details page (click the Details button on the Line Items: Advanced Definition page).

GoTo Line, Previous, Next

If an event has multiple lines, navigate to the details of a specific line or group by selecting the line number and description from the drop-down menu. Or page to the next line or previous line using the Next and Previous buttons.

Shipping Information

Quantity	Enter the quantity to be shipped.
Due Date	Select a due date for shipment.
Freight Terms	Select the freight terms to associate with this event.
Ship Via, Ship To, and Ship From	Enter values for these fields. Ship Via and Ship From are optional.

Note. If you selected External PO Integration on the Business Unit Definition page and are awarding events to an external purchasing system, you can have only one schedule per line.

Bid Parameters

Reserve Price	Enter the price that bidding must reach before you award the event to any bidder. Awards can still be posted if the reserve price is not met, but the system issues a warning.
Bid Required	Select this option if bids are required for this line of the event.
Minimum Quantity	Enter the minimum units on which a bidder must bid.
Maximum Quantity	Enter the maximum number of units on which a bidder can bid. If you select Allow Extra Quantity to be Bid, you can enter a value in this field that is greater than the requested line quantity.
Bid Quantity Rule	Select a value: Allow Extra Quantity to be Bid: Select to allow bidders to place bids for quantities beyond the requested event quantity up to the maximum bid quantity. Bid Up to Maximum Quantity: Select to allow bidders to place bids up to a maximum quantity for the line. Quantity Not Applicable: Select for non-item lines, such as extended warranties. Bidders must enter a bid price but not a bid quantity. If you copied from an amount-only requisition, this will be the default value for this field and you cannot change it. However, if you copied from an amount-only purchase order or contract, you can select a different bid quantity rule. Requested Quantity Required: Select to indicate that bidders must place bids for the requested quantity only.
Alternate Units of Measure	Select one of these values to indicate whether bidders can bid on line items using alternate units of measure: Any UOM (any unit of measure): Bidders can select any existing unit of measure. Not Allowed: Bidders must bid using the specified line unit of measure. This is the default value. Only existing item/uom's (only existing item/units of measure): Bidders can select from a list of existing item and unit-of-measure relationships defined in the system. Note. Use this field only with RFx events. Note. If requisitions are associated with any of the lines on the event, then the value is automatically set to Not Allowed. In this case, you cannot change the value.
User Defined Price Breaks	Select to indicate that price adjustments are required for the line item. Select to make the Minimum Quantity and Maximum Quantity fields available to enter price adjustments. You cannot select both User Defined Price Breaks and Bidder Defined Price Breaks.
Bidder Defined Price Breaks	Select to indicate that bidders can define their own price tiers for the line item or group. You cannot select bothUser Defined Price Breaks and Bidder Defined Price Breaks.
Price Break - Minimum Quantity	Enter the minimum quantity allowed for the specified tier. The quantity must be lower than the maximum quantity entered for the tier, and it must also be greater than the maximum quantity for the previous tier. This field appears only if you have selected the User Defined Price Breaks check box.
Price Break - Maximum Quantity	Enter the maximum quantity allowed for the specified tier. The quantity must be greater than the minimum (requested) quantity entered for this tier. Also, if Allow Extra Quantity to be Bid is selected, the maximum quantity for the final price tier can exceed the line maximum bid quantity. This field appears only if you have selected the User Defined Price Breaks check box. However, if Allow Extra Quantity to be Bid is selected and if a maximum bid quantity has been specified, you can enter a quantity to exceed the requested line quantity. However, the total bid quantity cannot exceed the maximum quantity for the line.

Entering Event Line Defaults

Access the Event Line Defaults page (click the Item Line Defaults link on the Event Summary page).

Default Options

Enter information such as specific shipping and delivery date information, and also indicate whether alternate units of measure are allowed as default values on the event lines.

Default	Select to indicate that the information entered on this page is the default information for all lines in the event. You can, however, change the information at a line level.
Override	Select to change any existing line shipping information to the information specified on this page.

Item Defaults

Due Date	Enter or select the date that the shipment is due.
Ship to Location and Ship Via	Select values to associate with the event line.
Alternate Units of Measure	Select one of these values to indicate whether bidders can bid on line items using alternate units of measure: Any UOM (any unit of measure): Bidders can select any existing unit of measure. Not Allowed: Bidders must bid using the specified line unit of measure. This is the default value. Only existing item/uom's (only existing item/units of measure): Bidders can select from a list of existing item and unit-of-measure relationships defined in the system. Note. Use this field only with RFx events.
Freight Terms	Select the freight terms to use for the event lines.

Event Line Bid Factor Defaults

You can use this section to define and default bid factors to be applied to all lines of an event. According to your selections, the event line bid factor defaults defined here will be added to or override defaults specified in the Bid Factor Setup or Bid Factor Group Setup components.

See Creating Bid Factors.

Bid Factors Default Option	Do Not Apply - Disabled: Disables the event line bid factor defaults. The system uses default bid factors and rules defined in the Bid Factor Setup and Bid Factor Group Setup components. This is the default value. Apply Bid Factor Defaults: Applies default bid factors defined on the Event Line Defaults page to all lines in an event. Note. This option overrides defaults defined in the Bid Factor Setup or Bid Factor Group Setup components, unless you select the Append To on Copy From Event option.
Override Start Price Weight and Start Price Weighting Default	Select this option to override the default weighting for the price bid factor, if it is not valid for this event. Define a new start price weighting default that will replace the original value.
Ignore Setup Default Rules	Select this option to disable any line-level default bid factor setup rules. Only header and event level defaulting rules will be applied. If you have any bid factors in the Bid Factor Setup or Bid Factor Group Setup components that have defaulting rules defined for the line level, they will not be executed.
Append To on Copy From Event	Default line bid factors defined for the event will be appended to existing factors. When lines are selected for copy from events or templates, all bid factors for those lines will be copied over. There is no override.
Bid Factors	Define default line bid factors for the event. You must select Apply Bid Factor Defaults to activate the new default settings.

Adding Comments and Attachments to Sourcing Events

You can add comments and attachments at the header level and at the line-level.

This section discusses how to add and view comments and attachments.

Note. To improve performance for auction events, the comments button always appears with dots regardless of whether comments are present. For RFX events, the comment button appears without the dots if comments are not present.

Pages Used to Add Comments and Attachments to Sourcing Events

Page Name	Definition Name	Navigation	Usage
Event Header Comments and Attachments	AUC_COMM_SEC	Click the Event Comments and Attachments link on the Event Summary page.	Enter comments or attachments to appear at the header level. Display attachments and comments to bidders.
Line Comments and Attachments	AUC_COMM_LN_SEC	Click the Line Comments and Attachments button on the Line Items: Advanced Definition page.	Insert comments or attach files pertinent to the line item. Display the attachments and comments to the bidders.
Standard Comments	AUC_STD_COMM_SEC	Click the Standard Comments link on the Event Header Comments and Attachments page or on the Line Comments and Attachments page.	Create a standard comment to use on the Header Comments and Attachments page.
Item Specifications	AUC_ITEM_SPEX	Click the Fetch Item Specs link on the Line Comments and Attachments page.	Include line item specifications on the event.

Attaching Comments and Files

Access the Event Header Comments and Attachments page to attach comments and files at the header level (click the Event Comments and Attachments link on the Event Summary page).

Access the Line Comments and Attachments page to attach comments and files at the line level (click the Line Comments and Attachments button on the Line Items Advanced Definition page).

Comments

Enter any specific comments for the event.

Send to Bidder	Select to enable the bidder to see the comment.
Include on Award	Select to enable the comments to appear on the contract or purchase order award.
Standard Comments	Click to access the Standard Comments page and select or edit predefined comments.
Fetch Item Specs	Click to access the Item Specifications page and add predefined item specifications to the line item. If you have defined item specifications for an item and they are marked to copy to transactions, they are added automatically as line comments.

Note. If you selected External PO Integration on the Business Unit Definition page, and you are awarding events to an external purchasing system, you can't include comments or attachments on events.

Adding Attachments

Attached File	Select the file to attach to this event.
Attachment Description	Enter a description (name) for the attachment.
Display to Bidder	Select this check box if you want this attachment to be available to bidders.
Include on Award	Select this check box if you want to include this attachment with the award.
Include in Notifications	Select to include the attachment in the event invite and event interest notifications that are sent to the bidders. If you have a large attachment, you can select to display the attachment to the bidder on the bid response comment and attachment pages, but not include the attachment in the event invite and event interest email notifications.

Files

When you post an event, the system generates a PDF file and optionally an XML file that describes the event. The PDF and XML files are attached to the email that notifies bidders of the event. You can see the PDF and XML files listed as attachments when you access the Header Comments and Attachments page. The PDF and XML files that the bidder receives are tailored to the bidder; for example, if you invite one bidder to all lines but invite another bidder to only one line, each bidder receives a PDF and an XML file showing only the invited lines.

You can view and retrieve all event documents for a buyer on the Event Files page. Click the View All Attachments for Event link on the Event Summary page.

See Also

Creating Standard Comments

Adding Line Item Specifications

Access the Item Specifications page (click the Fetch Item Specs link on the Line Comments and Attachments page).

Comment

Select any existing item specifications for the line item.

Viewing Attachments and Files for an Event

You can view and retrieve all documents for an event for the buyer.

Page Used to View Attachments and Files for an Event

Page Name	Definition Name	Navigation	Usage
Event Files	AUC_EVENT_DOCS_SEC	Click the View All Attachments for Event link on the Event Summary page.	Displays all attachments and documents related to an event.

Viewing and Retrieving Attachments and Files

Access the Event Files page (click the View All Attachments for Event link on the Event Summary page).

To view a file, click the View icon next to the desired document. The file will open in your browser. To download a copy, use the 'File, Save As' option found on your browser toolbar.

Adding and Maintaining Bid Factors for an Event

This section provides an overview of how bid factors are used on sourcing events, lists prerequisites, and discusses how to:

Specify event bid factors.
Assign clauses to bid factors.
Specify bid factors at the line level.

Understanding Bid Factors on Sourcing Events

The PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing bid factor functionality enables you to evaluate events based on factors such as price, warranties offered, lead time, and product quality. Bid factors are questions that bidders must answer about their products, services, or company. Scores are calculated based on the bidder's response compared to the best and worst or ideal response that has been defined for the bid factor. You can designate that a response is either mandatory or optional for a selected bid factor, and indicate that a bidder must provide a specific response for a bid to be accepted.

Users can add bid factors to an event by selecting from preestablished bid factors or by creating ad hoc bid factors, which are specific to an event. Bid factors, such as item category, item ID, quantity, or price, can also be supplied by default onto an event based on the defaulting rules that are associated with the bid factor. Users can also add a group of bid factors to an event. Bid factor groups can also be supplied by default based on the similar defaulting rules that can be established for individual bid factors.

If you are using PeopleSoft Supplier Contract Management, you can associate contract clauses with bid factors from within an event. In addition, you can select to include the clause information on an awarded supplier contract.

Bid Factor Groups and Defaulting Logic

You can automatically have bid factors and bid factor groups supplied by default onto sourcing events at either the header or line level, based on default rules that you assign to the bid factor or bid factor group as part of the bid factor setup process. Bid factors can be supplied by default based on item categories, item IDs, item quantities, and item prices.

When adding a bid factor group with an event, the system automatically adds all associated bid factors to the event. If a bid factor is associated with a group that has the same rule as the bid factor itself, the system always uses the default weighting from the group instead of the individual bid factor when setting the weighting on the event. For example, you have a bid factor of WARRANTY with a default line rule associated with the item category of Hardware with a weighting of 20 percent for that rule. You also have a bid factor group of COMPUTERS that has the bid factors of WARRANTY and DELIVERYDATE associated with the group and it also has a default line rule associated with the item category of HARDWARE. The WARRANTY bid factor is assigned a weighting of 30 percent and DELIVERYDATE is assigned a weighting of 10 percent within the group. If you add an item to the sourcing event that has a category of HARDWARE, the system by default supplies the WARRANTY bid factor based on the group weighting of 30 percent, not the individual bid factor weighting of 20 percent. You can optionally search for bid factors and groups by business units or departments.

See Also

Creating and Using Bid Factors

Defining Contract Agreements

Managing Contract Agreements

Prerequisites

To assign contract clauses and service-level agreements to bid factors, you must have PeopleSoft Supplier Contract Management installed. In addition, you must also define any contract clauses and agreements before you can attach them to bid factors.

See Also

Defining Contract Agreements

Managing Contract Agreements

Pages Used to Add and Maintain Bid Factors for Sourcing Events

Page Name	Definition Name	Navigation	Usage
Event Bid Factors	AUC_FACTORS_PG	Sourcing, Create Events, Event Details, Event Summary Click the Event Header Bid Factors link on the Event Summary page.	Specify header-level bid factors that relate to the entire event.
Assign Contract Clauses	AUC_HDR_BF_CLAUSES	To add a contract clause to a bid factor, select a bid factor (with an associated contract clause) in the Bid Factor Code field. Click the View Bid Factor Clauses link on the Event Header Bid Factors page.	Add or view contract clauses associated with event header bid factors. Note. You must have PeopleSoft Supplier Contract Management installed to access this page.
Line Bid Factors	AUC_LN_FCTR_PG	Click the Bid Factors link for a line on the Line Items page.	Specify bid factors that relate to a line item.
Assign Contract Clauses	AUC_LN_BF_CLAUSES	Click the Line Items link on the Events Summary page. Select the Advanced Definition tab. Click the Bid Factors link for a specific line. Click the Add Clauses to Bid Factor link.	Add or view contract clauses associated with bid factors for line items.
Search Bid Factor Groups	BID_FCTR_GRP_SRCH	Click the Add Bid Factors by Group link on the Event Bid Factors page or the Line Bid Factors page.	Search for bid factor groups.
Search Bid Factors	BID_FCTR_SRCH	Click the Select Bid Factors link on the Event Bid Factors page or the Line Bid Factors page.	Search for bid factors by business unit or department.
Select a Clause	CS_CONTENTS_SEARCH	Click the Search button next to the Clause ID field on the Assign Contract Clauses page.	Perform an advanced search for clauses to be associated with bid factors.
Search for All Content Instances	CS_CONTENTS_XREF	Click the Where Used button on the Select a Clause page.	View where the particular clause has been used.
Dependent Clauses	BID_FCTR_CLSDEP	Click the View Dependent Clause button on the Assign Contract Clauses page.	View any dependent clauses for the bid factor. Note. This button is available only if dependent clauses exist. Note. Dependent clauses cannot be marked to include on contracts. Instead, dependent clauses will get added to the contract as part of the supplier contract generation process.

Specifying Event Bid Factors

Access the Event Bid Factors page (Sourcing, Create Events, Event Details, Event Summary; click the Event Header Bid Factors link on the Event Summary page).

Question

View or edit the bid factor question.

Display Bid Factor

Select to display the bid factor to the bidder. If this option is not selected, the bid factor is hidden from the bidder and you can enter a response in the bid analysis pages.

Bid Factor Response Required

Select if the bidder must enter a response for the specified bid factor before successfully posting a bid.

Ideal Response Required

Select if the bidder's response must match the specified best or ideal response for the bid to be eligible for award. Bidders who do not match the specified best or ideal response can still post their bids, but their bids will be disqualified and will not be eligible for award.

Include on Contract

Select if you want the bid factor to be included as a contract agreement if the event is awarded to a supplier contract. If agreement codes have been associated with a bid factor on the bid factor setup pages and you have selected to include them on a contract, than all of the assigned agreement codes are passed onto the awarded contract. If no agreements have been associated with the bid factor or if this is an ad hoc bid factor, the bid factor is passed on to the contract as an ad hoc agreement.

Note. This field is displayed only if PeopleSoft Supplier Contract Management is installed.

Best and Worst

Displays the range of acceptable responses to the bid factor question for bid factor types of date, monetary, and numeric.

Ideal

Displays the preferred response to the bid factor question. This field appears for bid factor types for which no best and worst values (yes/no, text, and list) exist.

Select for Deletion

Select to mark a row for deletion.

Delete Selected Rows

Click to delete rows that have been marked.

Add Clauses to Bid Factor

Click to access the Assign Contract Clauses page to add contract clauses.

Note. This link is available only if PeopleSoft Supplier Contract Management is installed.

View Bid Factor Clauses

Click to view any clauses that have been associated with the bid factor.

Note. This link is available only if PeopleSoft Supplier Contract Management is installed.

Add Bid Factors by Group

Click to access the Search Bid Factor Groups page.

Select Bid Factors

Click to access the Search Bid Factors page to search for bid factors by business unit or department.

Adding Bid Factors by Group

Access the Search Bid Factor Groups page (click the Add Bid Factors by Group link on the Event Bid Factors page or the Line Bid Factors page).

To add bid factors by group:

On the Search Bid Factor Groups page, select a bid factor group code.

You can also select a business unit and department. Click Search.
Select the Select check box for the bid factor groups that you want, and then click OK to add the bid factor groups to the line bid factors.

Creating and Modifying Ad Hoc Bid Factors

For any event, you can both edit existing bid factors and create new ones.

To create a new bid factor, enter the relevant data in the fields. The new bid factor applies only to the event for which you create it.

To edit a bid factor, select an existing bid factor and then modify the field information. The changes that you make to the bid factor apply only to the event for which you edit it.

Note. You can use the same procedures to create ad hoc bid factors at the line level.

Assigning Clauses to Bid Factors

Access the Assign Contract Clauses page (click the Add Clauses to Bid Factor link on the Line Bid Factors page).

Bid Factor Clauses

Contract clauses are defined on the Clause Definition page (Supplier Contracts, Manage Contract Library, Clauses).

See Defining Supplier Contracts.

Clause ID	Select a clause to add to the bid factor.
	Click the Look up Clause ID button next to the Clause ID field to search for contract clauses by clause ID, description, and title.
Search	Leave the Clause ID field blank and click this button to access the Select a Clause page to perform a more advanced search of all valid clauses.
Full Text	Displays the text associated with the contract clause to the sourcing bidders.
By Reference	Displays only the reference text associated with the clause to the sourcing bidders.
View Dependent Clauses	Click to view any dependent clauses. Note. Dependent clauses cannot be transferred onto awarded contracts. Any dependent clauses will automatically be added to the supplier contract as part of the supplier contract generation process.

Searching for Contract Clauses or Viewing Where-Used Information

Access the Select a Clause page (click the Search button next to the Clause ID field on the Assign Contract Clauses page).

Important! You can access this page only by clicking the Search button next to the Clause ID field on the Assign Contract Clauses page.

Clause Attributes	Enter or select fields to narrow the search criteria, for example, to clause ID, approval status, and created by.
Search	Click to retrieve clauses that meet the selected criteria.
Where Used Search	Click to view where clauses have been used.
Select	Click to select the contract clause that you want to associate with the bid factor.
OK	Click to return to the Bid Factor Setup page.

Specifying Bid Factors at the Line Level

Access the Line Bid Factors page (click the Bid Factors link for a line on the Line Items page).

GoTo Line, Previous, Next

If an event has multiple lines, navigate to the details of a specific line or group by selecting the line number and description from the GoTo Line drop-down list. Or page to the next line or previous line using the Next and Previous buttons.

Bid Factors

Bid Factor Weighting	Enter a value to indicate the importance of the bid factor to the line item. The system then factors weightings into the score. You must enter weightings for bid factors if you want the bid factor responses to be scored.
Include on Contract	Select if you want the bid factor to be included as a contract agreement if the event is awarded to a supplier contract. If agreement codes have been associated with a bid factor on the bid factor setup pages and you have selected to include them on a contract, then all of the assigned agreement codes are passed onto the awarded contract. If no agreements have been associated with the bid factor or if this is an ad hoc bid factor, the bid factor is passed on to the contract as an ad hoc agreement.
Increment	If price is the only bid factor and the event is an auction, enter the increment (if a sell event) or decrement (if a buy event) by which each bid must increase or decrease. Each new bid (for the entire line quantity) must equal or beat the previous bid by the bid increment or decrement amount. For example, if the current bid on a sell event is $3,000 and the increment is $500, then the next bid must be at least $3,500. When a new bid is posted, the system displays the amount of the new bid in the Worst field.
Add/View Clauses to Bid Factor	Click to access the Assign Contract Clauses page to add additional clauses to the bid factor or view previously assigned clauses. See Assigning Contract Clauses to Bid Factors.

Adding Price Components

You can add price components so that bidders can specify the areas that make up the total price, such as labor or material. You can also include a weighting for each component. The sum of the weightings must total 100 percent.

Note. Price components can be added only to the price bid factor.

Creating New (Ad Hoc) Bid Factors

You can create ad hoc bid factors at the line level.

See Scoring vs. Weighting.

Cost Contribution

Factor Cost Based on

Select a value to use as a basis factor for the cost.

Bid Quantity: The system calculates the cost based on the bidder's bid factor response and maximum bid quantity using the following formulas:

For Numeric and Date bid factors: ((Absolute Value of (Bidder's response − Best Response) × Cost Contribution × Maximum Bid Quantity) = Total Cost

For Text ID factors: Unit cost entered during analysis × Maximum Bid Quantity

For List bid factors: Selected list items Unit Cost x Maximum Bid Quantity

For Yes/No bid factors: Bid Factor Response Unit Cost × Maximum Bid Quantity
Cost Range: The system calculates the cost based on the bidder's bid factor response for numeric or date bid factors using this formula:

(((Bidder's Response − Best Response) × ((Worst Cost − Best Cost) ÷ (Worst Response − Best Response)) + Best Cost))) = Total Cost

If the cost is applied per unit, the total cost will be multiplied by the maximum bid quantity.
Bid Price:The system calculates the cost based on the bidder's bid factor response, maximum bid quantity, and unit bid price using the following formulas:

For Numeric and Date bid factors: ((Absolute Value of (Bidder's response − Best Response) × Cost Contribution × Unit Bid Price × Maximum Bid Quantity) = Total Cost

For Text bid factors: Cost Contribution × Bidder's Unit Bid Price × Maximum Bid Quantity

For List bid factors: Selected list items Unit Cost × Bidder's Unit Bid Price × Maximum Bid Quantity

For Yes/No bid factors: Bid Factor Response Unit Cost × Bidder's Unit Bid Price × Maximum Bid Quantity
Fixed Cost: The system calculates the cost based on the bidder's bid factor responses using the following formulas:

For List bid factors: Sum of the Flat Costs associated with the selected list items

For Yes/No bid factors: If the bidder responds with the Ideal response, then the Best Cost is used. If the bidder does not respond with the Ideal response, the Worst Cost is used.
N/A: A cost contributor does not apply for this bid factor.

This is the default value.
User Defined: The user enters a cost during analysis.

Apply Cost

Select Per Unit or Total Cost. This field is available only with Cost Range.

Per Unit means that the cost that is calculated is multiplied by the maximum bid quantity to determine a total cost.

Using Global Policies and Constraints with Sourcing Events

This section provides an overview of global policies and constraints used with sourcing events, lists prerequisites, and discusses how to:

Add event-level constraints.
Add line-level constraints.

Understanding Global Policies and Constraints Used with Sourcing Events

PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing enables you to define award constraints and set up defaulting rules so that the constraints can be supplied by default onto events. During the award process, the constraint rules are included in the optimization process so that the ideal award allocation can be recommended while ensuring adherence to the defined constraints. The constraints are also validated when you post awards.

Prerequisites

You must define constraints and global policies before attaching them to sourcing events.

See Creating Global Policies and Constraints.

Pages Used to Add Global Policies and Constraints to Sourcing Events

Page Name	Definition Name	Navigation	Usage
Event Constraints	AUC_CONSTRAINTS_PG	Click the Event Constraints link on the Event Summary page.	View or add constraints assigned at the event level.
Line Constraints	AUC_LN_CONST_SEC	Click theLine Items link on the Event Summary page. Click the Yes or No link in the Constraints column on the Line Items: Advanced Definition page.	Add or view constraints at the line level.

Page Name

Definition Name

Navigation

Usage

Event Constraints

AUC_CONSTRAINTS_PG

Click the Event Constraints link on the Event Summary page.

View or add constraints assigned at the event level.

Line Constraints

AUC_LN_CONST_SEC

Click theLine Items link on the Event Summary page.

Click the Yes or No link in the Constraints column on the Line Items: Advanced Definition page.

Add or view constraints at the line level.

Adding Event-Level Constraints

Access the Event Constraints page (click the Event Constraints link on the Event Summary page).

Get Progress to Date

Click to have the system retrieve the progress to date of meeting the constraint.

Constraints

Constraint Code	Select from a predefined list of constraints or create an ad hoc, event-specific constraint by entering a unique constraint code
Apply	Select Apply or Ignore. If you select Ignore, the constraint will not be considered by the optimization engine when determining an ideal award allocation. It will also not be edited against when an award is posted.
Constraint Summary	View a description of the constraint. This field is display-only.
Sourcing Objective	Select a value to indicate whether the constraint must be met or is a targeted objective: Target Goal Mandatory Goal: If you select Mandatory, the priority is automatically set to Critical.
Priority	Select a priority for the constraint. Higher-priority constraints are met before lower-level objectives if optimization is used to determine an award.

Edit Constraint Attributes

You can edit any constraints that have been added to the event.

Constraint Based On	Select a value upon which the constraint should be based: Awarded Amount Awarded Bidders Awarded Quantity Bid Factor
Award Constraint	This field is available only if the Constraint Based On field is set to Bid Factor. Select a value to indicate the basis of the constraint used during the award process: Price: The constraint applies to the extended price of the award for all lines in the event. Quantity: The constraint applies to the awarded quantity for the entire event.
Award Basis	Select a value to indicate the basis for the award: Amount: Constraint will be based on a specified dollar amount or quantity. Percent: Constraint will be based on a percent of the quantity or amount awarded.
	Click to add additional constraints to the event.

Constraint Based on Values

This table lists the different fields that are available in the Edit Constraint Attributes group box based upon the constraint based-on value.

Constraint Based-On Value	Available Fields
Awarded Amount: Indicates that the constraint is based on the amount awarded for the event per bidder.	Award Sign Value Award Basis Apply
Awarded Bidders: Indicates that the number of bidders must be awarded for the event.	Award Sign Value
Awarded Quantity: Indicates that the constraint is based on the quantity awarded for the event. You should use this option only for line-level constraints, not event-level constraints.	Award Sign Value Award Basis Apply
Bid Factor: Indicates that the constraint will be associated with a bid factor.	Bid Factor Code Bid Factor Sign Award Constraint Award Sign Value Award Basis Apply Expression

Adding Line-Level Constraints

Access the Line Constraints page (click the Yes or No link in the Constraints column on the Line Items Advanced Definition page).

Add any constraints at the line level.

See Adding Event-Level Constraints.

Inviting Bidders

To create bidder groups, use the Bidder Group (BIDDER_GROUP_COMP) component.

This section discusses how to:

Invite bidders.
Disallow bidders.
Create bidder groups.
Search for bidder groups.

Pages Used to Invite Bidders

Page Name	Definition Name	Navigation	Usage
Invite Bidders	AUC_DISPATCH_PG	Click the Bidder Invitations link on the Event Summary page.	Announce an event and solicit bids from registered bidders, vendors, or customers. Specify that bidders place bids on certain line items only. Invite bidders who are not currently vendors or customers.
Bidder Details	AUC_DISP_ADDR_SEC	Click the Contact Details button on the Invite Bidders page.	View contact information about the bidder.
Public Event Contacts	AUC_DISP_CNTCT_SEC	Click the Contact Bidders button for a bidder ID.	View and enter contacts for a public event.
Assign Bidders to Lines	AUC_DISP_LINE	Click the Dispatch Lines link on the Invite Bidders page.	Invite specified bidders to bid only on certain line items. If the event is a public event, the Dispatch Lines link is disabled, because bidders are invited to all lines for public events.
Search for Bidders	AUC_BIDDER_SRCH_M	Click the Search for Bidders link on the Invite Bidders page.	Search for bidders and select bidders to invite to an event.
Bidder Group Details	BIDDER_GROUP	Click the Save Bidders as Group link on the Invite Bidders page.	(Optional) Save the list of invited bidders as a group that can be used to invite to subsequent events.
Bidder Search	AUC_BIDDER_SRCH_M	Click the Search for Bidders to Add link on the Bidder Group Details page.	Add bidders to bidder groups.

Inviting Bidders

Access the Invite Bidders page (click the Bidder Invitations link on the Event Summary page).

Public Event

Select to make the event available to any interested party. For all events, bidders must be registered to bid.

When you select Public Event, a bidder called PUBLIC_AUC appears on the bidder list. You can use the PUBLIC_AUC bidder to invite unregistered bidders. Click the Contact Details button and enter the names and the email addresses of the people to invite.

Dispatch Method

Select to determine the dispatch method for sending an invitation. Options are Email, Fax, and Printed Document. This method appears by default from the business unit setting.

Search for Bidders

Click to access a sortable list of bidders to use for sending invitations.

Dispatch Lines

By default, bidders are invited to bid on all line items. Click to specify that a bidder is invited to bid on certain line items only.

Save Bidders as Group

Click this link if you want to save the bidders for this event as a group. The system accesses the Bidder Group Details page, where you can enter bidder group information.

See Creating Bidder Groups.

Invite Status

After an event is posted, the status appears to indicate whether an invited bidder has accepted or declined the event invitation.

Click the Contact Details button to view or update contact information about the invited bidders.

Renotify

Click to resend event notices and updates to selected suppliers.

Placing Bids on Specific Line Items

In some cases, you must invite a bidder to bid on specific lines but not on the entire event. For example, suppose that you create a buy event to purchase software and training. You would invite vendors who handle only training to bid on the training line item but not the software line item.

To invite a bidder to bid on specific line items:

Invite that bidder to the event.
In the Select column, select the check box next to the bidder's name.

You can select multiple bidders, if you plan to invite them to bid on the same line items.
Click the Dispatch Lines link.

Note. For public events, bidders can't be invited to selected lines. Therefore, the Dispatch Lines link is disabled if the event is public.
In the Select column of the Assign Bidder to Lines page, select the check boxes next to the line items on which you want the bidders to bid.
Click OK.

Adding Bidders Who Are Not Registered Bidders, Customers, or Vendors

You may need to invite people who are not on your bidder, customer, or vendor list.

To send invitations to those individuals or organizations that may be interested in a specific public event:

Click the Contact Details button on the PUBLIC_AUC line.
On the Contact Details page, enter the name and email address of the bidder to invite.
Click the Add button to create new lines on which to enter additional names and addresses.

Note. Invitation recipients are required to register before bidding on the event.

Disallowing Bidders

Access the Invite Bidders page (click the Bidder Invitations link on the Event Summary page).

To disallow a bidder:

Select Delete to remove the bidder from the event.

If the bidder has already posted one or more bids on the event, the system alerts you that all posted bids are canceled for this bidder.
Confirm to remove the bidder from the invite list.

The bidder no longer is able to bid on the event.

Any of the bidder's posted bids are canceled or disallowed.

Creating Bidder Groups

Access the Bidder Group Details page (click the Save Bidders as Group link on the Invite Bidders page).

To add a bidder group:

Enter the name in the Bidder Group ID field.
Enter the group name in the Bidder Group Name field.
In the Save Group As field, select Department or Personal.

If you select Department, the department number and name appears. Users who are associated with the specified department will have access to the bidder group. If you select Personal, the bidder group is available only to the specific individual who created it.

Modifying Bidder Groups

Access the Bidder Group Details page (Sourcing, Create Events, Bidder Group Setup, Bidder Group Details).

Send Email to Bidder Group

Click this button to create and send an email notification to members of an existing bidder group outside of a specific event.

On the Email Notification page, only bidder contacts with valid email addresses will be included in the Send To line.

Searching for Bidders

Access the Bidder Search page (click the Search for Bidders link on the Invite Bidders page).

Bidder Type

Select a value of Bidder to search for bidder groups or bidder contacts. Bidder groups may contain any combination and number of bidders, vendors, and customers.

Contact

Enter the contact name of the bidder company you would like to invite. If you search by the company name, the default contact appears in the search results. Only the invited contact for a bidder company has access to view the event, place bids, and view bidding activity.

Group ID

Select to search for a bidder group by group ID.

This field works with the Bidder Type field. If you select a bidder type of Vendor, then the system returns vendor quote groups. To search for a bidder group, you must select a bidder type of Bidder.

Group Name

Select to search for a bidder group by group name.

This prompt works with the Bidder Type field. If you select a bidder type of Vendor, then the system returns vendor quote groups. To search for a bidder group, you must select a bidder type of Bidder.

Optional Organization Criteria

Select criteria to search for suppliers based on optional registration questions. Criteria include:

Women-Owned Business

Emerging Small Business

Disabled

Veteran

HUBZone Program

Size of Small Business

Veteran-Owned Small Business

Sm Disadvantaged Business Prog (small disadvantaged business program)

Other Preference Programs

Ethnicity

Results Option

Select from the drop-down list to modify the search results. Options include:

Display Bidder/Company Id Only: This is the default option. Select to show the bidder or company ID. The invitation is sent to the primary contact for a company with multiple contacts.

If you select all bidder types (Bidder Type field is blank) and click the Recommend Bidders button, the results option defaults to Display Bidder/Company Id Only and the other options are not available.

Display All Contacts: This option returns all individual contacts in the search results.

Display Contacts Of Type: This option is available only with the Vendor bidder type selected. Select a contact type in the Type drop-down menu.

Search

Click to retrieve the rows of information.

Recommend Bidders

Click to search for matches by bidder type (Bidder, Customer, or Vendor) and the items or item categories in event lines. Select a Bidder Type from the drop-down menu, or if none is selected, search for all bidder types. You can find the bidders whose Self Categorization Tree setup matches the item categories for the event, which are listed on the Line Items page - Basic Definition tab.

If you select a bidder type of Vendor, results show vendors that have an item-vendor relationship, based on the items found in the event lines.

If the Invite to Entire Event check box is selected, then selected bidders in the Recommend Bidders search results will be invited to the entire event. If the Invite to Entire Event check box is deselected, then selected bidders will be invited to only those lines for which their Self Categorization Tree setup matches the item category on the line, or for a Vendor search, where the item-vendor relationship matches the items in the event lines.

See Setting Up Bidder Categorization Trees.

See Basic Definition Tab.

Invite

Select the check box for each company that you want to invite to the event. You can also click the Select All link to select all the companies at one time.

Event Collaboration

Click the Event Collaborators link on the Event Summary page (Sourcing, Create Events, Event Details) to route an event for collaboration.

The event collaborator can access only events to which the collaborator has been invited. Only events with an event status of Collaborating Event will display on the Event Collaboration search results page (Sourcing, Create Events, Event Collaboration).

See Using Event Collaboration.

Posting Events

Use the Event Summary page (Sourcing, Create Events, Event Details) to post sourcing events.

When you post an event, the system generates a PDF file and optionally an XML file that describes the event. The PDF and XML files are attached to the email that notifies bidders of the event. You can see the PDF and XML files listed as attachments when you access the Header Comments and Attachments page or you can access all documents for an event when you access the Event Files page. The PDF and XML files that the bidder receives are tailored to the bidder; for example, if you invite one bidder to all lines but invite another bidder to only one line, each bidder receives a PDF and an XML file showing only the invited lines.

Note. An XML version is created if you select the Allow Bidder XML Downloads option on the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page (Set Up Financials/Supply Chain, Business Unit Related, Sourcing) or the Event Settings and Options page.

See Posting Awards.

Making Changes to Posted Events

While the event is in a Posted status:

Invite new bidders.
Edit header and line comment and attachments.
Extend the event.
Change a reserve price.

Setting Asset Status

If you use PeopleSoft Asset Management, follow these guidelines:

For you to enter an asset as a line item for sale in an event, the strategic sourcing status for the asset must be Allowed to be Auctioned.
Once you post the event, the asset management status changes to Sent to Auction.
The status remains Sent to Auction until the event is awarded or canceled.
Once the auction is awarded, the PeopleSoft Asset Management status changes to Sold in Auction.

If the event is not approved or awarded, set the event status to Canceled to change the asset management status from Sent to Auction back to Allowed to be Auctioned.

See Also

Posting Awards

Adding and Maintaining Sourcing Event Templates

This section provides an overview of sourcing event templates and discusses how to copy templates.

Understanding Sourcing Event Templates

You can save events as templates to reuse in future events and associate an event template to business units, departments, or a specified user, based on the user's security. You can also create templates using Sourcing, Create Events, Maintain Event Templates. In addition, users with the appropriate security can modify templates. PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing users can copy templates to expedite the event creation process.

You can save a template as a business unit, department, or personal template. If a template is marked as a business unit template, it is available to all users who have access to that business unit. If a template is marked as a department template, you can associate one or more departments to the template. Only users assigned to the associated departments can copy from department templates. If a template is marked as a personal template, only the user who created the template has access to it.

Pages Used to Add and Maintain Sourcing Event Templates

Page Name	Definition Name	Navigation	Usage
Enter Copy Criteria	AUC_COPY_SEC	Sourcing, Create Events, Event Details Select Sourcing Template in the Copy From field on the Event Summary page.	Select sourcing template lines to copy to an event.
Search Templates	AUC_TMPLTE_SRCH	Click the Search Templates button on the Enter Search Criteria page.	Search for templates.
Template Info (template information)	AUC_TMPLTE_MAINT	Sourcing, Create Events, Maintain Event Templates	Create and maintain event templates.

Copying Templates

Access the Enter Copy Criteria page (Sourcing, Create Events, Event Details; select Sourcing Template in the Copy From field on the Event Summary page).

You use the Strategic Sourcing User Preferences page to specify the transactions from which users can copy.

Note. If you selected External PO Integration on the Sourcing Business Unit Definition page and are awarding events to an external purchasing system, you can copy only from sourcing events, sourcing templates, and RFIs.

See Setting Up Business Units in PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing.

Copy Template

Copy From

Select Sourcing Template. You can use an event template to copy the entire event details onto any event.

See Defining Strategic Sourcing User Preferences.

Select Criteria

Copy Method

Select the way the system copies the information. Values are:

Override: The system replaces any existing information for the event with the data from the template.
Append: The system adds information to existing event information but does not write over any fields that contain data.

Copy Criteria

Enter identifying information into a field to search for a template. Narrow the search response by entering criteria in more than one field.

Creating RFI Events

This section discusses how to:

Create RFIs.
Specify RFI details.

Pages Used to Create RFI Events

Page Name	Definition Name	Navigation	Usage
Event Settings and Options	AUC_OPTIONS_PG	Sourcing, Create Events, Event Details Click the Event Settings and Options link on the Event Summary page.	Enter basic RFI information.
Enter Copy Criteria	AUC_COPY_SEC	Select Request for Information from the Copy From list on the Event Summary page.	Use a previous RFI or sourcing template as the basis for the new RFI event. See Copying Events from Other Transactions.
Event Lines to Copy	AUC_COPY_RFI	Enter the copy criteria information on the Enter Copy Criteria page and click OK.	Select the bid factors to be copied to the new RFI event.
Event Header Comments and Attachments	AUC_COMM_SEC	Click the Event Comments and Attachments link on the Event Summary page.	Enter comments or attachments to appear at the header level for the RFI. Display the attachments and comments to the bidders.
Standard Comments	AUC_STD_COMM_SEC	Click the Standard Comments link on the Event Header Comments and Attachments page.	Create a standard comment to use on the Header Comments and Attachments page.
Invite Bidders	AUC_DISPATCH_PG	Click the Bidder Invitations link on the Event Summary page.	Announce an event. Solicit bids from registered bidders, vendors, or customers. Invite bidders who are not currently vendors or customers.
Search for Bidders	AUC_BIDDER_SRCH_M	Click the Search for Bidders link on the Invite Bidders page.	Search for bidders and select bidders to invite to an event.
Template Info (template information)	AUC_TMPLTE_SEC	Click the Template Info link on the RFI Details page.	Save the event as a template.
Invite Collaborators	AUC_EVENT_COLLAB	Click the Invite Collaborators link on the RFI Details page.	Invite collaborators to participate in creating the event. See Using Event Collaboration.
Find Collaborators	AUC_COLLAB_SRCH	Click the Find Collaborators link on the Invite Collaborators page.	Search for collaborators and select collaborators for an event.
RFI Bid Factor Comments and Attachments	AUC_COMM_BF_SEC	Click the Add Attachment button on the RFI Details page.	Add attachments to the RFI event.

Creating RFIs

You create RFIs similarly to how you create events.

You can copy from an existing RFI or sourcing template using the Enter Copy Criteria page.

See Copying Events from Other Transactions.
Add basic RFI information using the Event Settings and Options page.

Add RFI details, such as whether you want the event scored and whether you want to associate the RFI with a specific item category, whether you want to display the round and version to bidders, and whether bidders must respond to all bid factors.
Invite bidders to participate in the event.

See Inviting Bidders.
Save the event as a template to copy it later.

See Adding and Maintaining Sourcing Event Templates.
(Optional) Invite internal collaborators to participate in the event creation.

See Using Event Collaboration.
Request bidder responses to event questions using the Bid Factor Question page.

If the questions require a list, enter the items on the Bid Factor List Items page.
Add bid factor comments and attachments to send to the bidder or include on the award.
Display the bid factors to the bidders by selecting the Display check box.

Specifying RFI Details

Access the Event Settings and Options page (Sourcing, Create Events, Event Details; click the Event Settings and Options link on the Event Summary page).

Score RFI Event (score request for information event)

Select to calculate a score for RFI responses. If this option is deselected, the system hides the Best, Worst, Ideal, and Weighting fields on the Bid Response page.

See Also

Defining Basic Event Information

Event Round and Event Version	When creating a new sourcing event, these fields are display-only and have a value of 1.
Event Format	Select Buy, RFI, or Sell.
Event Type	Select Auction or RFx. If you are creating an auction event and want to enable bidders to use the automatic proxy bidding feature, you must select Auction.
Proxy Bidding (Auctions Only)	Select Enabled or Disabled to indicate whether to enable bidders to submit proxy bids automatically. This field is available for auction events only. You can update this setting on the Event Settings and Options page.

Copy From	If you selected Delimited File on the Event Summary page, then the default value is Delimited File.
Copy Method	Select Append or Override.
Select File	Click this button to select the delimited file that you want to copy into the sourcing event. Click the Browse button to locate the file, and then click the Upload button. The file is uploaded, and you will then be returned to the Enter Copy Criteria page.
Selected File	The system displays the name of the file you uploaded.
File Includes Header Row	Select this option if the delimited file contains a header row. If this option is selected, the system ignores the first row of the file. Do not select this option if you want the system to import the file beginning with row 1.
Consolidate Identical Items	Select this option if you want the system to consolidate identical items into one event line.
Delimiter Type	The system displays the type of delimiter that was used for the uploaded file. Values are: Tab Comma Semi-colon Other: If you select this option, the Specify Delimiter field appears, and you must enter a character in this field.
Specify Delimiter	Enter the delimited character used in the import file. This is a required field used with the Other value in the Delimiter Type field. The length of this field is two characters
Display Import Error Messages	Select this check box if you want the system to display a list of all error messages encountered during the import process.
Error Handling Options	Select how you want to handle any errors received during the import process. Values are: Cancel Import: The system cancels the import and no lines are imported if an error is encountered during the import process. Exclude Errors: The system copies all valid lines, but excludes any lines that contained errors. Ignore Errors: The system copies all line information and ignores errors. You will need to correct the errors on the Line Details page.
Category	The system populates the line or item with the default value. This value comes from the AUC_LINE record.
UOM (unit of measure)	The default UOM associated with the line or item.
Quantity	The default quantity associated with the line or item.
OK	Click to access the Lines to Import page.

Question	View or edit the bid factor question.
Display Bid Factor	Select to display the bid factor to the bidder. If this option is not selected, the bid factor is hidden from the bidder and you can enter a response in the bid analysis pages.
Bid Factor Response Required	Select if the bidder must enter a response for the specified bid factor before successfully posting a bid.
Ideal Response Required	Select if the bidder's response must match the specified best or ideal response for the bid to be eligible for award. Bidders who do not match the specified best or ideal response can still post their bids, but their bids will be disqualified and will not be eligible for award.
Include on Contract	Select if you want the bid factor to be included as a contract agreement if the event is awarded to a supplier contract. If agreement codes have been associated with a bid factor on the bid factor setup pages and you have selected to include them on a contract, than all of the assigned agreement codes are passed onto the awarded contract. If no agreements have been associated with the bid factor or if this is an ad hoc bid factor, the bid factor is passed on to the contract as an ad hoc agreement. Note. This field is displayed only if PeopleSoft Supplier Contract Management is installed.
Best and Worst	Displays the range of acceptable responses to the bid factor question for bid factor types of date, monetary, and numeric.
Ideal	Displays the preferred response to the bid factor question. This field appears for bid factor types for which no best and worst values (yes/no, text, and list) exist.
Select for Deletion	Select to mark a row for deletion.
Delete Selected Rows	Click to delete rows that have been marked.
Add Clauses to Bid Factor	Click to access the Assign Contract Clauses page to add contract clauses. Note. This link is available only if PeopleSoft Supplier Contract Management is installed.
View Bid Factor Clauses	Click to view any clauses that have been associated with the bid factor. Note. This link is available only if PeopleSoft Supplier Contract Management is installed.
Add Bid Factors by Group	Click to access the Search Bid Factor Groups page.
Select Bid Factors	Click to access the Search Bid Factors page to search for bid factors by business unit or department.

Public Event	Select to make the event available to any interested party. For all events, bidders must be registered to bid. When you select Public Event, a bidder called PUBLIC_AUC appears on the bidder list. You can use the PUBLIC_AUC bidder to invite unregistered bidders. Click the Contact Details button and enter the names and the email addresses of the people to invite.
Dispatch Method	Select to determine the dispatch method for sending an invitation. Options are Email, Fax, and Printed Document. This method appears by default from the business unit setting.
Search for Bidders	Click to access a sortable list of bidders to use for sending invitations.
Dispatch Lines	By default, bidders are invited to bid on all line items. Click to specify that a bidder is invited to bid on certain line items only.
Save Bidders as Group	Click this link if you want to save the bidders for this event as a group. The system accesses the Bidder Group Details page, where you can enter bidder group information. See Creating Bidder Groups.
Invite Status	After an event is posted, the status appears to indicate whether an invited bidder has accepted or declined the event invitation.
	Click the Contact Details button to view or update contact information about the invited bidders.
Renotify	Click to resend event notices and updates to selected suppliers.

Bidder Type	Select a value of Bidder to search for bidder groups or bidder contacts. Bidder groups may contain any combination and number of bidders, vendors, and customers.
Contact	Enter the contact name of the bidder company you would like to invite. If you search by the company name, the default contact appears in the search results. Only the invited contact for a bidder company has access to view the event, place bids, and view bidding activity.
Group ID	Select to search for a bidder group by group ID. This field works with the Bidder Type field. If you select a bidder type of Vendor, then the system returns vendor quote groups. To search for a bidder group, you must select a bidder type of Bidder.
Group Name	Select to search for a bidder group by group name. This prompt works with the Bidder Type field. If you select a bidder type of Vendor, then the system returns vendor quote groups. To search for a bidder group, you must select a bidder type of Bidder.
Optional Organization Criteria	Select criteria to search for suppliers based on optional registration questions. Criteria include: Women-Owned Business Emerging Small Business Disabled Veteran HUBZone Program Size of Small Business Veteran-Owned Small Business Sm Disadvantaged Business Prog (small disadvantaged business program) Other Preference Programs Ethnicity
Results Option	Select from the drop-down list to modify the search results. Options include: Display Bidder/Company Id Only: This is the default option. Select to show the bidder or company ID. The invitation is sent to the primary contact for a company with multiple contacts. If you select all bidder types (Bidder Type field is blank) and click the Recommend Bidders button, the results option defaults to Display Bidder/Company Id Only and the other options are not available. Display All Contacts: This option returns all individual contacts in the search results. Display Contacts Of Type: This option is available only with the Vendor bidder type selected. Select a contact type in the Type drop-down menu.
Search	Click to retrieve the rows of information.
Recommend Bidders	Click to search for matches by bidder type (Bidder, Customer, or Vendor) and the items or item categories in event lines. Select a Bidder Type from the drop-down menu, or if none is selected, search for all bidder types. You can find the bidders whose Self Categorization Tree setup matches the item categories for the event, which are listed on the Line Items page - Basic Definition tab. If you select a bidder type of Vendor, results show vendors that have an item-vendor relationship, based on the items found in the event lines. If the Invite to Entire Event check box is selected, then selected bidders in the Recommend Bidders search results will be invited to the entire event. If the Invite to Entire Event check box is deselected, then selected bidders will be invited to only those lines for which their Self Categorization Tree setup matches the item category on the line, or for a Vendor search, where the item-vendor relationship matches the items in the event lines. See Setting Up Bidder Categorization Trees. See Basic Definition Tab.
Invite	Select the check box for each company that you want to invite to the event. You can also click the Select All link to select all the companies at one time.