Alerting Suppliers About Dispatched RFQs

You can alert suppliers by email (or, if your installation includes PeopleSoft Applications Portal, by a worklist item using the Tasks pagelet) that you have dispatched a new RFQ to them.

This section discusses how to:

  • Automatically email RFQ alerts.

  • Send workflow task list alerts.

See PeopleSoft Portal Solutions documentation, including Portal and Site Administration and Using Portal Features.

See also the product documentation for PeopleTools: Workflow Technology and PeopleTools: Security Administration.

To set up automatic RFQ dispatch alert email messages to your suppliers:

  1. Ensure that the supplier contact is specified on the RFQ and that the contact's email address is specified on the Supplier Information - Contacts page.

    If you do not specify the contact on the RFQ, or if the contact email address is missing, the system sends an email to the supplier's email address that you specify on the Supplier Information - Address page.

  2. Run the RFQ Print/Dispatch SQR process (PORFQ01) and the Email Application Engine process (PO_RFQ_EMAIL) in PeopleSoft Purchasing.

    Note: Because you must run the RFQ Print/Dispatch process before sending an alert with the Email process, run RFQDISP job, which runs both processes sequentially.

    An email that is sent to a supplier regarding a dispatched RFQ contains a link that points to the Request For Quote List page (bypassing the search page) so that your supplier can view the RFQ. The email can also include the RFQ as an attachment.

See the product documentation for PeopleSoft Purchasing.

While the task list processes function independently of PeopleSoft self-service applications and dispatch-based alerts, you can optionally use PeopleSoft Workflow to add a worklist item to the Tasks pagelet if:

  1. You are using PeopleSoft Workflow and:

    1. You have set up the PO_RFQ_DISPATCH business process.

    2. Workflow activity is Active.

  2. Your installation includes PeopleSoft Applications Portal and you have enabled the Integrated Task List feature.

When the supplier selects a worklist item, the Request for Quote List page opens, displaying the quote. The system marks the worklist item as worked, and it no longer appears on the Tasks pagelet.

Note: If you give suppliers the appropriate privileges, they can access action items or worklist items through PeopleTools.

Enabling Users to See Tasks for Specific Suppliers

To view action items or worklist items for demonstration purposes, the workflow activity (PO_RFQ_DISPATCH) is set up to use the Supplier-Customer Service Rep role. In addition, this role routes the control profiles that include the required route control types or the role that you define within the PO_RFQ_DISPATCH business process workflow activity.

Use two route control profiles:

  1. Supplier includes three route control types:

    1. Supplier.

    2. Supplier_Loc (supplier location).

    3. TableSet ID.

  2. Admin Area PO includes Administrative Area.

Before a task appears on the Tasks pagelet, the PO_RFQ_DISPATCH workflow activity validates that ROLENAME = Supplier-Customer Service Rep (or role that you defined and assign to the activity). It also validates that these route control type values (for the route control profile for the user) match these values:

  • Administrative Area = PO.

  • TableSet ID = VENDOR_SETID.

  • Supplier = VENDOR_ID.

  • Supplier_Loc = VNDR_LOC of RFQ.

See Delivered Workflows for PeopleSoft eSupplier Connection.

Note: The SetID, supplier, and supplier location are defined on the RFQ.

If all of these conditions are met, the system creates a task list item for the user. Depending on the setup, a task list item for the same RFQ-supplier-item combination might appear in multiple user action item lists.