 

 

= DiscoverAI =

== Contract Highlights ==

Whenever contracts are sent to CXOs, legal or finance teams for their approval or signatures, they are interested to know if a certain language is present or absent in the contract. This helps them to understand the nuances of the contracts, viewpoints of various stakeholders, etc. and they can quickly take an informed decision.

With this release,

*The ''DiscoverAI'' model can find the terms in documents and highlight them for business decision makers. Configurators can now specify the important words by the business so that the ''DiscoverAI'' model can find matching as well as similar terms in documents and highlight them for the intended audience.
*In case no phrases are specified, then ICI will identify the important sections in the contract based on learnings from historical data. The identified sections will also be ranked in order of importance.
*A configurator can also specify the maximum number of highlights to be extracted from the agreements. The AI algorithm would rank the findings and present only the top ranked highlights to the user.
*Configurators can configure the event to generate the contract highlight, for example agreement updated, etc. Using this configuration, when the specified event occurs, ICI will identify the important sections of the contract based on historical data and phrases specified by the configurator

To configure generating contract highlights from an agreement:

#'''Create''' an ''Agreement Contract Type'' using ''Third Party Paper''. You can use an existing ''Agreement Contract Type'' as well.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:Discover AI Contract Highlights 01.png|620px|Discover AI Contract Highlights 01.png]]</div> <ol start="2">
<li>'''Click''' ''Next'', the ''Attributes'' page opens.</li>
<li>To be able to generate contract highlights from an Agreement, '''include''' the following attributes in the ''Agreement Contract Type'':</li>
</ol>
<ul style="margin-left: 40px;">
<li>'''Contract Highlight Terms''': The ''Data Type'' must be selected as ''String''. In the ''Default Value'' attribute, '''enter''' the different terms or keywords expected in the highlight, separated by a pipe symbol. For example, Legal|Confidentiality|Liability|NoOfRecords:10.</li>
<li>'''Contract Highlights''': Here the ''Data Type RichTextArea'' must be selected.</li>
</ul>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:Discover AI Contract Highlights 02.png|620px|Discover AI Contract Highlights 02.png]]</div> <ol start="4">
<li>'''Create''' an ''Associated Document Contract Type'', for example, ''ICILegalHighlights'' to generate contract highlights for your legal department.</li>
</ol>
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': ''Allow Document Assembly'' must be set to ''Yes''.</div>
 
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:Discover AI Contract Highlights 03.png|420px|Discover AI Contract Highlights 03.png]]</div> <ol start="5">
<li>To add contract highlights in an ''Associated Document'', '''include''' the following attributes in the ''Associated Document Contract Type''.</li>
</ol>

*'''Contract Highlight Terms''': The ''Data Type'' must be selected as ''String''. In the ''Default Value'' attribute, '''enter''' the different terms or keywords expected in the highlight, separated by a pipe symbol. For example, Legal|Confidentiality|Liability|NoOfRecords:10.
*'''Contract Highlights''': Here the ''Data Type RichTextArea'' must be selected.

To add the created ''Associated Document Contract Type'' to the ''Agreement Contract Type'':
<ol start="6">
<li>On the ''Contract Types'' page, '''click''' the ''Agreement Contract Type'' created earlier. The ''Details'' page for that contract type opens.</li>
<li>'''Click''' the ''Edit'' button. The ''Edit Contract Type'' wizard opens.</li>
<li>'''Navigate''' to the ''Association'' tab by clicking ''Next''.</li>
<li>'''Click '''the plus icon next to ''Association''.</li>
<li>'''Create '''an ''Association'' for the ''Associated Document Contract Type''.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:Discover AI Contract Highlights 04.png|620px|Discover AI Contract Highlights 04.png]]</div>
*'''Select''' the created ''Associated Document Contract Type''. You can set the ''Allow Multiple Instance'' option to ''Yes'', to allow different contract highlight associated documents to be created for different departments, such as legal or finance.
<ol start="11">
<li>'''Create''' a template for the ''Associated Document''.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:Discover AI Contract Highlights 05.png|520px|Discover AI Contract Highlights 05.png]]</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="note-box">'''Note''': Both the contract highlights attributes (''Contract Highlight Terms'' and ''Contract Highlights'') must  be tagged within the template.</div> <ol start="12">
<li>'''Create''' a ''Template Selection Rule'' for the ''Associated Document''.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:Discover AI Contract Highlights 06.png|520px|Discover AI Contract Highlights 06.png]]</div> <ol start="13">
<li>'''Create''' an ''Event Rule'' with the action ''AITriggerContractHighlights''.</li>
</ol>
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': The ''Event'' selected must be any other than ''Agreement Created'', for example ''Agreement Published''.</div> <div class="image-green-border">[[File:Discover AI Contract Highlights 06.png|520px|Discover AI Contract Highlights 06.png]]</div> <ol start="14">
<li>To get the contract highlights in the ''Associated Document'', you need to '''create''' an ''Association'' with the ''Parent Agreement''.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:Discover AI Contract Highlights 07.png|420px|Discover AI Contract Highlights 07.png]]</div> <ol start="15">
<li>'''Click''' ''Next''. The ''Meta Data'' page opens.</li>
<li>'''Enter''' the keywords in the ''Contract Highlight Terms''. For example, CEO|Liabilities | Amount |Penalty |obligation| regulation| price| jurisdiction|NoOfRecords:10.</li>
<li>'''Add''' ''NoOfRecords:n'' where 'n' denotes the number of contract highlights to be extracted. The default is ''NoOfRecords:20'', if the value of n is not specified in the keywords.</li>
<li>When an Agreement created using the selected ''Agreement Contract Type'' is published, the configured contract highlights will be extracted and compiled in the ''Associated Document''.</li>
</ol>
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': There are no changes to the existing Agreement workflow while configuring and generating the contract highlights.</div>
 

 

== Bulk Upload with Clause Discovery ==

To upload Agreements in bulk:

1. '''Click''' ''Agreement Management > Agreements'' on the dashboard. The ''Agreement Management ''page opens. Let us take an example of an Agreement Contract Type (CT1) that should have already been created and published.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12 Adobe 01.PNG|720px|7.12 Adobe 01.PNG]]</div>
2. '''Click '''''Bulk Actions > Bulk Actions'' on the dashboard. The ''Bulk Action Management'' page opens.

3.''' Click''' ''Add Batch''. The ''Add Batch'' pop up window opens. 

4. '''Click''' the ''Select Batch File'' button to select the file for a bulk upload. In this example, we are selecting the LegacyBulkUpload.zip file.
<div class="note-box">'''Note: '''Upload a .zip file here which should have been created containing 2 Excel files (Meta.xls, Data.xls) and Third Party Agreement files in PDF and docx format. This does not work for Own Party Agreements.</div>
*The Meta.xlsx files contains data related to ContractType (CT1 in this case), CTTypeofContract (Agreement Contract Type), Technical Name of the Attributes present in the Contract and Display Name of the Attributes. 
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:SP6 Bulk Upload 3.png|720px|SP6 Bulk Upload 3]]</div>
*The Data.xlsx files contains all the Attributes in Contract Type (CT1) as a column name in which the data gets auto-populated from the PDF/docx file. User needs to add the Bulk Upload Business Status is Executed and the file name under File Path column in Data.xlsx file. 5. '''Click''' the ''Submit ''button. The ''File Uploaded Successfully''message is displayed. 
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:SP6 Bulk Upload 4.png|720px|SP6 Bulk Upload 4]]</div>
5. '''Click '''the ''Submit'' button. The ''File Uploaded Successfully'' message is displayed.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:SP6 Bulk Upload 5.png|SP6 Bulk Upload 5]]</div>
6. '''Click''' ''OK''. The file is now displayed in the ''Grid'' view with the status ''Not Started''. 
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:SP6 Bulk Upload 6.png|720px|SP6 Bulk Upload 6]]</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div>
7. '''Click''' ''Refresh'' icon twice. On first Refresh, the Status changes to ''In Progress'' and then to ''Needs Validati''on.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:SP6 Bulk Upload 7.png|720px|SP6 Bulk Upload 7]]</div>
8. '''Select '''an ''Actions ''radio button for the file that you want to finalize. The ''Validate'' and ''Finalize'' buttons are enabled.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:SP6 Bulk Upload 8.png|720px|SP6 Bulk Upload 8]]</div>
9.'' '''''Click '''the ''Validate'' button to download the PopulatedData.xlsx file. The values of the Attributes can be edited in this file. 

'''Note: '''The data in the Excel sheet that is marked green signifies the highest confidence level, data in yellow indicates medium confidence level and data in red indicates lowest confidence level. You can then make any changes to the Attribute values. (In this example, you can make changes to the Attribute value from the downloaded PopulatedData.xlsx file). 

10. '''Click '''''Save'' to save the changes.

11. '''Click''' the ''Finalize ''button, the PopulatedData.xlsx file can be uploaded. The ''Finalized File Uploaded Successfully'' message is displayed.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:SP6 Bulk Upload 9.png|SP6 Bulk Upload 9]]</div>
12. The ''Needs Validation'' status changes to ''Completed''. 
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:SP6 Bulk Upload 10.png|720px|SP6 Bulk Upload 10]]</div>
 

13. '''Click''' the Agreements tile to view the Agreements which will be in the ''Draft'' state.

 

= Table Discovery =

Along with clauses and metadata, ICI also extracts tables (including information such as SLAs, price list, etc.) in Agreements and displays them on the ''Tables ''tab (on the ''Details'' page). ICI tries to match the discovered table(s) with the Associated Contract Types of the Agreement. If a strong match is found, then the table is tagged with that Associated Contract Type, and the table columns are also matched with the Attributes of that Associated Contract Type.

You can then take relevant action such as creating new instances of the Associations. Automatically recognizing table data inside the Agreements saves a lot of manual labor of identifying and tagging the data correctly.

The table discovery allows you to:

*Identify and discover the table(s) in the Agreement Document
*Update the data in the discovered table as required
*Create new instances of the Associations for the uploaded Agreement
<div class="note-box">'''Note:''' Both .docx and .pdf formats are supported.</div>
The table discovery in PDF agreements works well with:

*Tables with well-defined borders in text PDFs and high-quality scanned PDFs
*Tables that may be slightly skewed or tilted
*Table cells with light-colored backgrounds

The table discovery in PDF agreements may not work well with:

*Tables in low-quality scanned PDFs and those without borders
*Tables without well-defined borders or characters overlapping the table border, etc., due to certain OCR limitations
*Certain non-table elements, such as flowcharts and diagrams
*Tables with merged columns and rows
*Nested tables, which may be discovered as multiple tables

 

== Discovering Tables in an Agreement ==

To discover tables in an Agreement:

1. '''Create''' an Agreement (''Third Party Type Of Paper''). 
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Table Discovery 2.png|720px|7.9 Table Discovery 2]]</div>
<br/> 2. '''Ensure''' that the ''Clause Discovery'' functionality is turned ''On'' and the Contract Type is enabled for table discovery.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Table Discovery 3.png|720px|7.9 Table Discovery 3]]</div>
<br/> 3. '''Create and Publish''' the Agreement. ICI automatically queues the Agreement for table discovery.
<div class="note-box">'''Note:''' To enable discovery, the hooks must be enabled.</div>
 

=== Viewing Discovered Tables in an Agreement ===

You can view all the discovered tables in an Agreement, so that you can review them and take actions as needed (based on whether they meet the criteria for creating an associated document or not).

1. '''Click''' the ''Tables'' tab on the uploaded Agreement ''Details'' page.<br/> 2. ICI displays a list of the ''Discovered Tables'' for that Agreement Document.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.10 Table Discovery 1.png|720px|7.10 Table Discovery 1.png]]</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div>
=== Editing Table Data ===

1. '''Click''' the ''Edit Table Name ''icon next the table that you want to edit. For example, Table 2.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Edit Table Data 1.png|720px|.9 Edit Table Data 1]]</div>
2. '''Toggle '''the ''Has Header'' button to''Yes'' if you want the table to have a header.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Edit Table Data 2.png|720px|.9 Edit Table Data 2]]</div>
3. '''Click''' inside the header box to add the header name. For example, PSE Workers, Term, etc.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Edit Table Data 3.png|720px|.9 Edit Table Data 3]]</div>
4. '''Click '''inside each of the boxes to add data in the columns. For example, 3.0 (Version), 09 Sep, 2019 (Date Released), etc.

5. '''Click '''''Save Changes ''to save changes if you want to review or edit them later. The Table data saved message is displayed.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.10 Table Discovery 2.png|720px|7.10 Table Discovery 2.png]]</div>
6. '''Select '''the Association for which you want to create this data from the Select Association drop-down. For example, Payment Details.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Edit Table Data 5.png|720px|.9 Edit Table Data 5]]</div>
7. A validation message is displayed to check if you want to save the updated data. '''Click '''''Save'' to update the data in the table, else '''click''' ''Discard''.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Edit Table Data 6.png|720px|.9 Edit Table Data 6]]</div>
8. '''Select''' the checkbox for the rows and columns that you want to update.

9. '''Click '''''Finish''. A validation message is displayed informing you that you will not be able to make any changes to the table data after this.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Edit Table Data 7.png|720px|7.9 Edit Table Data 7]]</div>
10. '''Click '''''Yes'' if you are sure that you want to update the table and proceed.

11. A message is displayed indicating that the table data is saved and the Associations are being created. '''Click '''''Yes'' if you are sure that you want to update the table and proceed, else click ''No''.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.10 Table Discovery 3.png|720px|7.10 Table Discovery 3.png]]</div>
12. You can view the associations on the ''Associations ''tab.

13. '''Click '''''View Record ''to view the details of the individual records.

14. You can take further action as needed. For example, send it for Approval.

 

=== Selecting the Type of Table to be able to create Associations for it ===

You can create Associated Documents using the data in the discovered tables. You are basically discovering the Associated Document type and the columns associated with that document type.

To do so:

1.''' Click''' the ''Tables ''tab on the uploaded Agreement Details page.<br/> 2. In the ''Discovered Tables'' window when matching data is present, the exact Associations with that table are discovered. For example, the ''Payment Details ''are discovered. These are associated and the names of the header are also discovered. 
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.10 Table Discovery 4.png|720px|7.10 Table Discovery 4.png]]</div>
3. You can select whether the table should have a header or not by enabling the ''Has Header ''flag to ''Yes''. <br/> By doing this, the first row of the table will be marked as the header and Associations will not be created for it. If there are 2 rows other than the header, then 2 Associations will be created. A green tick mark will be displayed next to them which means that they are successfully created in the ''Tables ''tab. <br/> 4. In the ''Discovered Tables'' window, make changes in the table as required. For example, '''select''' 3 rows and columns.

 

=== Saving the changes of the Table Discovery for the Agreement ===

You can save the interim progress of the Table Discovery for an Agreement, so that you can review it later by:

1. '''Click''' ''Save Changes''. The ''Table data saved'' message is displayed.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.10 Table Discovery 5.png|720px|7.10 Table Discovery 5.png]]</div>
 

 

=== Finishing the Table Identification for an Agreement ===

You can complete the Table identification for an Agreement, so that the identified tables become part of the Agreement. <br/> 1.''' Click''' ''Finish. ''A message will be displayed indicating that you will not be able to make any changes to the table data.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Table Discovery 7.png|720px|7.9 Table Discovery 7]]</div>
<br/> 2. '''Click '''''<i>Yes</i> ''if you are certain that you want to make the changes, else you can save changes and review them later. <br/> 3. '''''Click''' ''the ''Associations ''tab to see the Associations that are discovered, as shown in the screenshot below:'' ''
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:1080px-7.10 Table Discovery 6 gr actions.png|720px|7.10 Table Discovery 6.png]]</div>
4. '''Click '''the ''Payment Details ''association to view the details and send for approval.<br/> 5. '''Click''' ''Export to Excel'' if you want to export the table that has been discovered. 

'''Note:'''

*Once the Associations are created, you cannot make any changes to the table. The table is disabled and the status changes to ''Review Completed''.
*It is not necessary to match every table to one of the association contract type. You can still make changes to such tables and download them using ‘Export to excel’ functionality.

= DiscoverAI - Support for Own Paper =

ICI already leverages the DiscoverAI app to discover attributes, clauses, tables and obligations in agreements created using third party paper type.

Now, ICI has extended the support to discover attributes, clauses, tables and obligations in agreements created using own paper type, and tagging the attributes and clauses to the original agreement document. This helps convert unstructured documents into structured agreements, making it easier to manage and also increase compliance.

'''Note:'''

*Tagging is supported only in Word documents.
*The attributes and clauses that have been confirmed in ICI (even on the web UI) are tagged back in the agreement document.

== Discovering Attributes, Clauses, Tables and Obligations ==

To discover attributes, clauses, tables and obligations using own type of paper:

1. '''Create '''an agreement using ''Own Type of Paper''.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 1.png|720px|7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 1.png]]</div>
2. '''Click '''''Next''. The ''Attributes'' page opens.

3. '''Select''' ''Discover AI'' from the ''Clause Discovery Type'' drop-down and ''ML based'' from the ''Obligation Discovery Type'' drop-down.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 2.png|720px|7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 2.png]]</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="note-box">''' Note: Select''' the value in the ''Obligation Discovery Type'' drop-down for obligation discovery.</div>
4. '''Click''' ''Next. ''The ''Select Template'' page opens.

5. '''Select''' a template or '''upload''' a file.

6. '''Click''' ''Next''.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 3.png|720px|7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 3.png]]</div>
7. '''Click''' ''Create and Publish''. The agreement ''Details ''page opens.

All non-tagged attributes, clauses, tables (if present in the agreement document) and obligations (if you select the value in the ''Obligation Discovery Type'' drop-down) are discovered.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 4.png|720px|7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 4.png]]</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="note-box">'''Note:''' It may take some time for the discovery process to complete. Click the individual entities below the ''AI Discovery'' tab to view the discovered attributes, clauses, tables and obligations.</div>
 

== Tagging Discovered Attributes ==

1. '''Click''' the ''Attributes'' tab.

2. '''Click''' ''Save'' to confirm the attributes. You can also modify the discovered attribute values by clicking the ''View potential matching values'' icon and then click ''Save''.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 5.png|720px|7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 5.png]]</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="image-green-border">
The AI model will learn and recommend values when:

*The discovered attribute value is incomplete, and the user selects the complete value, such as selecting the complete address line if the system has discovered only partial address
*Manual corrections are made to incorrectly identified attribute values, such as correction in vendor name
*A different attribute value is selected using the ''Keep selected text'' option

The newly learnt values will, from thereon, be presented as default to the user and any changes will continue to be learnt and recommended by the AI model.
</div>
3. The ''Metadata Save Confirmation'' message is displayed.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 6.png|720px|7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 6.png]]</div>
4. '''Click''' the ''Versions'' tab.
<div class="note-box">'''Note: '''There will be now be 2 versions of the agreement.</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 7.png|720px|7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 7.png]]</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="note-box">'''Note:''' '''Click''' ''Save Draft'' in Step 2 to save the selected attribute values; this will not create a new version.</div>
5. '''Download''' the latest version of the agreement in Word format. The discovered attributes are tagged as ICI attributes in the agreement document, as shown in the screenshot below:
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 8.png|720px|7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 8.png]]</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="note-box">'''Note:''' If you create a new agreement and upload the Word document that was downloaded in Step 5, the discovery will trigger, but the attributes that were already confirmed and tagged to the agreement are not discovered. However, they will be displayed, as shown in the screenshot below:</div>
 
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 9.png|720px|7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 9.png]]</div>
 

== Tagging Discovered Clauses ==

1. '''Click''' the ''Clauses'' tab. The discovered clauses are displayed.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 10.PNG|720px|7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 10.PNG]]</div>
2. '''Take '''actions (such as ''Confirm, Confirm with Deviation, Ignore, Review Later'') on the discovered clauses.

3. '''Click''' ''Finish ''to complete the review process, as shown in the screenshot below:
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 11.png|720px|7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 11.png]]</div>
4. '''Click''' the ''Versions'' tab. A new version of the agreement is created in both Word and PDF formats. 
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 12.png|720px|7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 12.png]]</div>
5. '''Download''' the latest version. The confirmed clauses are tagged as ICI clauses in the agreement document.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 13.png|720px|7.10 Discover AI Obligation AI Support for Own Paper 13.png]]</div>
'''Note''':

*If you create a new agreement and upload the Word document that was downloaded in Step 5, the discovery will be triggered, however the clauses that were already confirmed and tagged as ICI clauses are not displayed.
*Only when the agreement is published, the clauses that you confirm on clicking ''Finish'' will be saved as ICI clauses and displayed in the ''Agreement Clauses'' tab on the ''Details'' page.
*A new agreement version is created each time you save the discovered attributes and confirm the clauses by clicking ''Finish''.

 

= Inbuilt Discovery of Attributes and Clauses =

Previously, discovering attributes and clauses in customers’ agreement documents was time consuming as it required retraining of the algorithms from scratch, causing delay in deployment of services.

Now, ICI has an inbuilt discovery model that helps to automatically extract and discover the most common attributes and clauses in agreements besides enhancing clause delineation in third party contracts. This facilitates the prediction of accurate clause categories and capturing the right metadata within clauses. This improves contract turnaround time and quality of results, thus leading to improved user experience.

The inbuilt discovery model supports the discovery of the following predefined attributes and clauses in any MSA, NDA and SOW third party paper contract types:

*'''Attributes: '''''Party Name'', ''Party Address, Effective Date, Expiry Date, Contract Value, Contract Duration, Renewal, EverGreen, PaymentTerms, Jurisdiction, Governing Law, Notice Period For Termination, LiabilityType'' and ''ComplianceType''

'''Note: '''The ''Contract Value'' attribute supports the following currencies - USD, CAD, EUR, INR and CAN

*'''Clauses:''' ''Amendment, Assignment, Audit, Confidential Information, Conflicts, Counterparts, Definitions, Dispute Resolution, Entire Agreement, Force Majeure, Governing Law, Indemnification, Insurance, Intellectual Property Rights, Limitation Of Liability, Non-Compete, Non-Solicitation, Notices, Payment Terms, Penalties/Remedies, Personnel, Preamble, Publicity, Relationship Of Parties, Representations, Warranties and Compliances, Severability, Signature, Survival, Taxes, Term, Termination'', ''Waiver, Deemed Acceptance, Acceptance Criteria, Rejection Remedy, Cost of Living Adjustments, Most Favored Customer, Use of Third Party Software, Exclusivity, Subcontract, Technology Escrow, Governance Schedules, Termination Assistance, Change Control, Non Circumvention'', ''Rebates and discounts, Fixed Liability, No Liability and Uncapped''

In this release, we have extended the discovery support to URL datatype attributes. ''DiscoverAI''  would be able to discover the URLs in contract and associate them with URL datatype attribute. Also, users now would be able to select and save multi-choice attributes as well as multi-choice lookup datatypes on the ''Attributes Discovery'' page.

 

== Discovering Common Attributes and Clauses ==

1. '''Create '''an agreement using ''Third Party Type of Paper''.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:71.0 Out-of-the-Box Support for Attributes and Clauses 1.png|720px|71.0 Out-of-the-Box Support for Attributes and Clauses 1.png]]</div>
2. '''Click''' ''Next''. The ''Attributes'' page opens.

3. '''Upload''' a file and '''click''' ''Next''.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:71.0 Out-of-the-Box Support for Attributes and Clauses 2.PNG|720px|71.0 Out-of-the-Box Support for Attributes and Clauses 2.PNG]]</div>
4. '''Click''' ''Create and Publish''. The agreement ''Details'' page opens.

The most common attributes and clauses from the agreement document that you uploaded in Step 3 are discovered and displayed in the ''Attributes'' and ''Clauses'' tab, as shown in the screenshots below for Attributes and Clauses respectively:

'''Attributes:'''

*'''Click '''the ''View potential matching values'' icon next to the discovered attribute values to take actions on them such as ''Accept, Reject or Keep Selected Text. ''
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:71.0 Out-of-the-Box Support for Attributes and Clauses 3.PNG|720px|71.0 Out-of-the-Box Support for Attributes and Clauses 3.PNG]]</div>
*The attribute values are normalized and displayed based on the defined rules. For example, the ''Effective Date'' is displayed in the ICI-supported format, as shown in the screenshot below:
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:71.0 Out-of-the-Box Support for Attributes and Clauses 4.png|720px|71.0 Out-of-the-Box Support for Attributes and Clauses 4.png]]</div>
'''Clauses:'''
<div class="image-green-border">'''[[File:71.0 Out-of-the-Box Support for Attributes and Clauses 5.PNG|720px|71.0 Out-of-the-Box Support for Attributes and Clauses 5.PNG]]'''</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div>
*You can filter clauses based on ''Action Status'', ''Clause categories ''and ''Confidence''.

*<div class="image-green-border">The level of confidence associated with ''Discovered'' ''Clauses'' is displayed using different color indicators to depict ''High (green)'', ''Medium (orange)'' and ''Low'' (''pink'') confidence. All discovered clauses have the ''Review'' link next to them until you click it to take an action (such as ''Confirm'', ''Confirm with Deviation'', ''Ignore ''or ''Review Later''). In addition, clauses with obligations have the  [[File:71.0 Out-of-the-Box Support for Attributes and Clauses 6.PNG|RTENOTITLE]]  icon next to them. You can click the icon to view the obligations.</div>

*Click the ''Finish'' button to complete the review process.

 

== eDiscovery using AI ==

With this release, we are now introducing a framework using Artificial Intelligence to automatically identify and analyze clauses in the legacy contract. This will help contract owners to leverage existing documented clauses and derive insights from them.

With eDiscovery using AI:

*ICI can automatically confirms certain discovered clauses, so that users do not have to confirmed them manually
*Auto confirmed clauses can be searched same as any other agreement clauses.
*Contract owners can distinguish between automatically confirmed clauses and those that have been manually confirmed. This helps contract owners to treat automatically confirmed clauses with extra precaution as compared to standard clauses.
*Configurators can now specify list of clauses by the agreement contract types which should be discovered and confirmed automatically.
*While auto confirming, ICI compares the discovered clause text with the clauses in the clause library. If the clause text matches more than a threshold value (say 70%) with clause in clause library, then discovered clause is identified as the clause library clause. If the match percentage is lesser than the threshold then clause is identified as one of the standard ICI AI clause category.

This feature is available in ICI through a technical configuration. To configure the eDiscovery of clauses:

#'''Configure''' an ''Agreement Contract Type'' specific to eDiscovery. While configuring the attributes for the agreement contract type, the ''eDiscovery Mode'' and ''Clause Discovery Type'' attributes must be added.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:Discover AI eDiscovery 00.png|420px|Discover AI eDiscovery 00.png]]</div> <ol start="2">
<li>'''Configure '''a ''Masterdata Contract Type ''named ''EDiscoveryAutoConfirmList. ''It should contain two attributes:</li>
</ol>
<ul style="margin-left: 40px;">
<li>''Contract Type ''(''Datatype: String'')</li>
<li>''Clauses ''(''Datatype: String'')</li>
</ul>
<ol start="3">
<li>'''Create '''Masterdata using the newly created Masterdata Contract Type. While configuring the Masterdata:</li>
</ol>
<ul style="margin-left: 40px;">
<li>'''Specify''' the ''Contract Type'' name for eDiscovery (created in Step 1).</li>
<li>'''Specify''' the ''Clauses'' that need to be auto-confirmed post eDiscovery, for example ''preamble, payment terms ''and''signature.''</li>
</ul>
<div class="image-green-border">''[[File:Discover AI eDiscovery 01.png|520px|Discover AI eDiscovery 01.png]]''</div> <ol start="4">
<li>'''Create''' an Agreement using a contract type configured for eDiscovery.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:Discover AI eDiscovery 02.png|520px|Discover AI eDiscovery 02.png]]</div> <ol start="5">
<li>'''Click''' ''Next'', the ''Attributes'' page opens.</li>
<li>'''Select''' an Agreement file.</li>
<li>'''Select''' the ''Clause Discovery Type'' as ''Discover AI''.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:Discover AI eDiscovery 03.png|520px|Discover AI eDiscovery 03.png]]</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="note-box">'''Note''': The eDiscovery Mode functionality is only available when the ''Clause Discovery Type Discover AI'' is selected.</div> <ol start="8">
<li>'''Select''' the ''eDiscovery Mode.''</li>
</ol>

The eDiscovery Mode attribute has 3 options: ''None, Auto ''and''Manual Review.''

*'''Auto''': By selecting this option, the clauses will get auto-confirmed and added as agreement clauses. The user will not have an option to review the discovered clauses.
*'''Manual Review''': By selecting this option, the clauses will only be confirmed, and the user still has the option to go to each clause and ignore or confirm these clauses. These clauses will be added as agreement clauses only when the user clicks the ''Finish'' button.
*'''None''': By selecting this option, the user can opt out of eDiscovering clauses in the agreements.
<ol start="9">
<li>'''Click''' ''Create and Publish''.</li>
<li>Go to the ''Agreement Details'' page.</li>
<li>In the ''AI Discovery'' tab, click ''Clauses'' to trigger the Clause Discovery.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:Discover AI eDiscovery 04.png|720px|Discover AI eDiscovery 04.png]]</div> <ol start="12">
<li>Once the discovery of the clauses is complete, the AI model will try to match the discovered clause with the clauses in the clause library. If a match score is greater than the set threshold, then the discovered clause is identified as a clause from the clause library. Otherwise it will be identified as one of the default AIML clause categories.</li>
</ol>
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': This functionality can especially be leveraged for legacy upload for bulk upload scenarios as well.</div>
 

== UX revamp to display discovered entities and original document side-by-side ==

Previously, contract negotiators had to periodically visit the AI discovery section to check for discovery completion. Then, they had to switch to the Document View in order to review the recommendations given by the AI algorithm.<br/> With this release, when contract negotiators trigger the discovery process, they can readily view the progress of AI discovery within the agreement details page. <br/> When the discovery for one of the entities is complete, contract negotiators will now have an option to launch an interface in a new tab/window where the discovered clauses, attributes, tables and obligations are displayed alongside the agreement document. On clicking any of the discovered entities, the system automatically scrolls to the page where that entity is present in the document. 

#'''Create '''an agreement in ICI. The discovery process is automatically triggered for the agreement and the agreement ''Details ''page is displayed. The ''AI Discovery'' tab shows an hourglass icon to indicate that the discovery is in progress.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12 AIML UX 1.png|720px|7.12 AIML UX 1.png]] </div> <ol start="2">
<li>'''Hover '''over the hourglass icon to view the discovery progress in percentage. If the discovery is complete for one or more than one entities, the ''View ''icon is displayed.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border"> [[File:7.12 AIML UX 2.png|720px|7.12 AIML UX 2.png]]</div> <ol start="3">
<li>'''Click '''the ''View ''icon. A new page opens, displaying tabs for the discovered Clauses, Attributes, Table and Obligations, with a parallel view of the agreement document for each entity. The Clauses tab is displayed first by default.</li>
</ol>
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': Table and Obligation discovery tabs are only displayed if these are present in the agreement document.</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <ol start="4">
<li>'''Click '''on the clause which you want to review, for example ''non solicitation''. The ''Document View'' section displays the page of the document where this clause is present.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12 AIML UX 3.png|720px|7.12 AIML UX 3.png]]</div> <ol start="5">
<li>'''Click '''''Review ''on the clause you want to review. The ''Library clause comparison with discovered clause'' window opens.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border"> [[File:7.12 AIML UX 4.png|720px|7.12 AIML UX 4.png]]</div> <ol start="6">
<li>'''Take '''actions (such as Confirm, Confirm with Deviation, Ignore, Review Later) on the discovered clauses.</li>
<li>'''Click '''''Finish ''to complete the review process. The ''Clause discovery progress saved'' message is displayed and the ''Discovered Clauses Status'' changes to ''Review Completed''.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12 AIML UX 5.png|720px|7.12 AIML UX 5.png]] </div> <ol start="8">
<li>'''Click '''''Ok''.</li>
<li>'''Click '''''Export Clause Data'' if you want to export the clause which has been discovered.</li>
<li>'''Click '''the ''Attributes ''tab. Similar to clauses, the discovered attributes and document are displayed in a parallel view. The ''Document View'' section displays the page of the document where the attribute is present.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12 AIML UX 6.png|720px|7.12 AIML UX 6.png]] </div> <ol start="11">
<li>Available suggestions will be displayed for the discovered attributes. '''Click '''the suggestions, for example ''3 suggestion(s)'' to view the potential matching values. </li>
<li>'''Select '''the appropriate value, for example ''$ 3,250,000.00''.</li>
<li>'''Click''' ''Accept ''to add the value to the respective attribute, for example ''Contract Value''.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12 AIML UX 7.png|720px|7.12 AIML UX 7.png]] </div> <ol start="14">
<li>'''Click '''''Save''. The ''Your data has been saved successfully'' message is displayed.</li>
<li>'''Click '''''Ok''.</li>
<li>'''Click '''the ''Tables ''tab. Similar to attributes, the discovered tables and document are displayed in a parallel view. The ''Document View'' section displays the page of the document where the table is present.  </li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12 AIML UX 8.png|720px|7.12 AIML UX 8.png]] </div> <ol start="17">
<li>'''Click '''the ''Edit Table Name'' icon next the table that you want to edit. For example, Table 1.</li>
<li>'''Toggle '''the ''Has Header'' flag to ''Yes ''if you want the table to have a header.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12 AIML UX 9.png|720px|7.12 AIML UX 9.png]] </div> <ol start="19">
<li>'''Click '''inside the header box to add the header name. For example, SKU Name, Service Name, etc.</li>
<li>'''Click '''inside each of the boxes to add data in the columns. For example, HCM (SKU), Human Capital Management (Service), etc.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12 AIML UX 10.png|720px|7.12 AIML UX 10.png]] </div> <ol start="21">
<li>'''Select '''the checkbox for the rows and columns that you want to update.</li>
<li>'''Click '''''Save Changes ''to save changes if you want to review or edit them later. </li>
<li>'''Click '''''Finish''. A validation message is displayed informing you that you will not be able to make any changes to the table data after this.    </li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12 AIML UX 11.png|720px|7.12 AIML UX 11.png]] </div> <ol start="24">
<li>'''Click '''''Yes ''if you are sure that you want to update the table and proceed.    </li>
<li>'''Click '''the ''Obligations ''tab. Similar to tables, the discovered obligations and document are displayed in a parallel view. The ''Document View'' section displays the page of the document where the obligations are present.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12 AIML UX 12.png|720px|7.12 AIML UX 12.png]] </div> <ol start="26">
<li>'''Click '''''Review ''on the obligation you want to review. The ''Library Obligation comparison with discovered Obligation'' window opens.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12 AIML UX 13.png|720px|7.12 AIML UX 13.png]] </div> <ol start="27">
<li>The following actions can be taken on selected Obligation:</li>
</ol>

*'''Click '''''Confirm ''to confirm the Obligation.
*'''Click '''''Review Later'' if you are unsure and want to review the Obligation later.
*'''Click '''''Ignore ''to ignore the Obligation.
<ol start="28">
<li>'''Click '''''Metadata ''to view all the discovered metadata. The number (for example, 10.10) indicates the number of Attributes that are discovered such as Email, Numbers, Date and Time, and so on. </li>
<li>'''Click '''''Parent Clause'' to see the parent Clause that the Obligation is linked to.</li>
<li>'''Click '''''Export Obligation Data'' to export the Obligation information to an Excel file.</li>
<li>'''Click '''''Finish ''to complete the review and continue with the workflow as expected. The ''Obligation Save Confirmation'' window opens.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12 AIML UX 14.png|720px|7.12 AIML UX 14.png]] </div> <ol start="32">
<li>'''Click '''''Mark Confirmed, Mark Ignored'' or ''Cancel ''as required. The obligations are marked as ''Review Completed'' and the ''Obligation discovery progress saved'' message is displayed.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border"> [[File:7.12 AIML UX 15.png|720px|7.12 AIML UX 15.png]]</div> <ol start="33">
<li>'''Click '''''Ok''.</li>
<li>'''Click '''''Export Obligation Data'' to export the Obligation information to an Excel file.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12 AIML UX 16.png|720px|7.12 AIML UX 16.png]] </div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div>
=== Using Filters ===
<div class="image-green-border"><br/> '''Click '''''Filters ''on the clauses tab. The ''Document View'' tab minimizes and the filters panel is displayed.</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12 AIML UX 17.png|720px|7.12 AIML UX 17.png]]<br/>  </div>
*You can filter clauses as well as obligations based on Clause/Obligation categories, Confidence and Review Status.
*The level of confidence associated with Discovered Clauses/Obligations is displayed using different color indicators to depict High (green), Medium (orange) and Low (pink) confidence. All discovered clauses have the Review link next to them until you click it to take an action (such as Confirm, Confirm with Deviation, Ignore or Review Later). In addition, clauses with obligations have the     icon next to them. You can click the icon to view the obligations.
*Click the ''Finish ''button to complete the review process.
<ol start="35">
<li>'''Click '''the link above the tabs to go back to the agreement ''Details ''page.</li>
</ol>
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12 AIML UX 18.png|720px|7.12 AIML UX 18.png]] <br/>  </div> <div class="note-box">'''Note''': Only when the agreement is published, the clauses that you confirm on clicking ''Finish ''will be saved as ICI clauses and displayed in the ''Agreement Clauses'' tab on the ''Details ''page.</div> <div class="note-box">A new agreement version is created each time you save the discovered attributes and confirm the clauses by clicking ''Finish''.</div> <div class="note-box">Auto-scroll will not work if the discovery process has already been carried out on a document.</div> <div class="note-box">Page navigation to the selected clause, attribute, etc. in the ''Document View'' is currently not supported on Internet Explorer 11.</div>
 

'''Related Topics:''' [[Agreement_Management|Agreement Management]] | [[Obligation_Management|Obligation Management]] | [[Managing_US_Federal_Contracts_using_ICM|Managing US Federal Contracts using ICI]]  | [[Contract_Digitalization|Contract Digitalization]] | [[Negotiate_AI|NegotiateAI]] | [[Obligation_AI|ObligationAI]] | [[Visualize_AI|VisualizeAI]]

[[Category:Pages with broken file links]]

Icertis Business Apps

2020-08-12T08:54:24Z

123.252.235.74:

= ICM Business Applications =

ICM Business Applications, built on the Icertis Contract Management (ICM) platform, help customers address specific business requirements and get even more out of their investment in the ICM platform.

== ICM Sourcing Application ==

The ICM Sourcing application places contracts at the center of the sourcing process to ensure compliance, minimize risk, and create long term strategic agility. Get full visibility into supplier’s risk profile and ensure compliance throughout the procurement process. Leverage AI/ML based contract terms and clause recommendations to better negotiate RFx events and surface opportunities for savings. Perform side-by-side analysis of bids or proposals, and score them with both qualitative and quantitative criteria. Get a complete view of your relationship with suppliers including current and past contracts, historical performance and complete risk profile for a unified view for sourcing events.

== ICM Obligation Management Application ==

The ICM Obligation Management application enables companies to better manage their commitments and to realize the full value of their entitlements. This helps optimize business performance, and protects organizations from reputational, commercial and financial risks. Built on the ICM platform and infused with artificial intelligence, the new app transforms how organizations identify, create, manage and fulfill obligations that were previously hidden in complex contract language. The app includes automatic obligation discovery, powerful rule-based obligation ownership, workflow tools to ensure seamless obligation fulfillment, and sophisticated analytics – all designed to protect your business and maximize the ROI of your relationships.

<span style="color:#008000;">'''Extend Contract Type definition to be able to describe the Application Type'''</span>

ICM offers the ability to determine the Application Type (''Contracting'', ''Sourcing'', ''Proposal'', ''Obligation Management'', and ''Supplier Lifecycle Management'') when creating a Contract Type. The access privileges for Business Applications such as Sourcing, are driven through Security Groups.

== ICM Risk Management Application ==

The Icertis  Risk Management application to make it easier for professionals to carry out their tasks related to risk management such as assessment, due diligence, remediation, monitoring and reassessment. Risk Management is the process of identifying the potential risk, assessing the magnitude of risk based on the business objectives and devising strategies to mitigate them and tracking the performance until they are completely mitigated.

The platform’s modern, scalable and integration friendly cloud architecture can model even the most complex risk management scenarios. It enables secure communication with different parties involved in the process of risk management that is more effective than the traditional ways of communication such as email. Its user-friendly interface makes it possible for anyone in the enterprise, from the risk management personnel to the supply analytics team, to be able to use the platform with ease.

 

 

'''Related Topics:''' [[ICM_Sourcing_App|ICM Sourcing App]] | [[Obligation_Management|ICM Obligation Management App]] | [[ICM_Risk_Management_App|ICM_Risk_Management_App]] | 

Icertis Business Apps

2020-08-12T08:47:34Z

123.252.235.74:

Icertis Business Apps

2020-08-12T08:43:32Z

123.252.235.74:

= ICM Business Applications =

ICM Business Applications, built on the Icertis Contract Management (ICM) platform, help customers address specific business requirements and get even more out of their investment in the ICM platform.

== ICM Sourcing Application ==

The ICM Sourcing application places contracts at the center of the sourcing process to ensure compliance, minimize risk, and create long term strategic agility. Get full visibility into supplier’s risk profile and ensure compliance throughout the procurement process. Leverage AI/ML based contract terms and clause recommendations to better negotiate RFx events and surface opportunities for savings. Perform side-by-side analysis of bids or proposals, and score them with both qualitative and quantitative criteria. Get a complete view of your relationship with suppliers including current and past contracts, historical performance and complete risk profile for a unified view for sourcing events.

== ICM Obligation Management Application ==

The ICM Obligation Management application enables companies to better manage their commitments and to realize the full value of their entitlements. This helps optimize business performance, and protects organizations from reputational, commercial and financial risks. Built on the ICM platform and infused with artificial intelligence, the new app transforms how organizations identify, create, manage and fulfill obligations that were previously hidden in complex contract language. The app includes automatic obligation discovery, powerful rule-based obligation ownership, workflow tools to ensure seamless obligation fulfillment, and sophisticated analytics – all designed to protect your business and maximize the ROI of your relationships.

<span style="color:#008000;">'''Extend Contract Type definition to be able to describe the Application Type'''</span>

ICM offers the ability to determine the Application Type (''Contracting'', ''Sourcing'', ''Proposal'', ''Obligation Management'', and ''Supplier Lifecycle Management'') when creating a Contract Type. The access privileges for Business Applications such as Sourcing, are driven through Security Groups.

== ICM Risk Management Application ==

The Icertis  Risk Management application to make it easier for professionals to carry out their tasks related to risk management such as assessment, due diligence, remediation, monitoring and reassessment. Risk Management is the process of identifying the potential risk, assessing the magnitude of risk based on the business objectives and devising strategies to mitigate them and tracking the performance until they are completely mitigated.

The platform’s modern, scalable and integration friendly cloud architecture can model even the most complex risk management scenarios. It enables secure communication with different parties involved in the process of risk management that is more effective than the traditional ways of communication such as email. Its user-friendly interface makes it possible for anyone in the enterprise, from the risk management personnel to the supply analytics team, to be able to use the platform with ease.

==   ==

 

'''Related Topics:''' [[ICM_Sourcing_App|ICM Sourcing App]] | [[Obligation_Management|ICM Obligation Management App]] | [[ICM_Risk_Management_App|ICM_Risk_Management_App]] | [[ICM_Mobile_App|ICM Mobile App]] |

Working with RFx

2020-08-11T17:29:52Z

123.252.235.74:

= Working with RFx Instances =

The Icertis Sourcing app enables buyers to create and manage end-to-end RFx process. RFx is an acronym for Request for '''x''', where '''x''' may stand for ''Information ''or''Proposal ''or ''Quotation''. Buyers can create an RFx instance, add line items, select suppliers and supplier contacts, create agreements with the suppliers, add team members to the instance for review and approval process and send the instance for approval. Here is the RFx workflow at a glance:
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing RFX Instances 1.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing RFX Instances 1.png]]</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div>
=== Creating the RFx Instance ===

1. '''Click''' the ''Sourcing'' tile on the ''Dashboard''. The ''Sourcing'' page opens. A list of all the RFx instances is displayed.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12-SourcingTile.PNG|720px|7.12-SourcingTile.PNG]]</div> <div class="image-green-border">2. '''Click '''the ''Create RFx'' tile. The ''Create RFx'' page opens.</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="image-green-border">3. '''Select '''a Sourcing Entity from the ''Select Sourcing Entity'' drop-down in the ''Contract Type Details'' ''(Step 1 of 4)'' section. The contract type is configured in the system with default Attributes.</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="image-green-border">4. '''Click''' ''Next''. The ''Attributes'' ''(Step 2 of 4)'' page opens. The attributes are grouped under various categories. For example, ''RFx Information'', ''RFx Configs, etc''.</div>
5. '''Select '''or '''enter '''the values for all the required Attributes in the ''RFx Information'' group:

*Enter the RFx Name. For example, ''Procurement for Admin department''.
*Enter the information of the RFx instance in the ''Description'' field.
*Select an ''AppSrc Category'' from the drop-down. For example, ''Office Supplies''.
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': You can also add a new category by clicking the plus icon next to ''Category'' option.</div>
*'''Select '''the ''Round Start Date'' and ''Round End Date''. When you enter the dates, a round is created automatically as soon as the RFx instance is approved.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing RFX Instances 5.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing RFX Instances 5.png]]</div>
6. '''Select''' appropriate values and settings under the ''RFx Configs'' group.

*''View Bids'': '''Select''' an appropriate option from the drop-down. There are following options:
**''Sealed Envelope'': When you select this option, the bid and bid responses are not visible to the buyer until the round is closed.
**''Open RFx'': When you select this option, the bid and bid responses are visible to the buyer throughout the duration of the round, as and when the supplier submits the bid.

*'''Select''' ''Yes'' or ''No'' for the following Configuration settings as per your requirement:
**''Auto Copy Bids from Previous Rounds: '''''Select '''''Yes ''if you want to allow copying bids from previous rounds to the new round. This displays the bids from the current rounds and the bid responses with values added in the most recently closed round in ''Draft ''state to the suppliers. The default value for this option is set to ''Yes. ''
**''Allow Foreclosure of Rounds'': '''Select''' ''Yes'' if you want to close the round before the selected round end date. This displays the ''Close Round ''button on the ''Round Details ''page to close the round manually. If you select ''No, ''then the round will be closed automatically only after the selected round end date. The default value for this option is set to ''Yes.''
**''Allow New Supplier During RFx Phase'': '''Select''' ''Yes'' if you want to allow new supplier(s) to be added during the entire RFx lifecycle. However, the newly added supplier(s) can participate in a new round only, not in an ongoing round. The default value for this option is set to ''No.''

*'''Enter '''the ''Terms For Participation'' in the given field. They will be visible to the suppliers only if the buyer adds it when creating the RFx. The suppliers should accept the Terms before they can participate in the bidding process of the RFx. For example, if a supplier has multiple contacts and if one of the contacts accepts the terms for participation, then other contacts are not required to take any action on that and the ''Terms for Participation ''will not be displayed to the remaining contacts.
*''Allow New Line Item During RFx Phase'': '''Select''' ''Yes'' if you want to allow new line items to be added during the entire RFx lifecycle, However, the newly added line item(s) can be part of a round only before it starts and not in an ongoing round. The default value of this option is set to ''No.''
*'''Select''' the following contracts (if applicable) by clicking the drop-down arrow or the ''Lookup Search icon:''
<ul style="margin-left: 40px;">
<li>''Associate Contracts'': Sourcing app allows the buyers to create contracts such as NDA, for all the suppliers selected when creating RFx. A separate contract will be created for each supplier.</li>
<li>''Mandatory Contracts'': It is the contract that should be present for all the suppliers before the RFx moves to the next phase. The value in this option will be populated automatically based on the value selected in the earlier option. You cannot select any value in this option if you don’t select anything in the ''Associate Contracts ''option.</li>
<li>''Prerequisite Contracts'': The Supplier can access the RFx instance only after it is in ''Approved'' state. After the Round is started, a ''Terms for Participation ''window is displayed to the supplier with an option to accept or decline. The Suppliers can access the RFx only after they sign the Prerequisite Contract after accepting the terms for participation. If the Suppliers do not sign the contracts a message is displayed by ICM, along with a list of documents asking the suppliers to complete the documents before accessing the RFx.</li>
</ul>

The values selected in these fields are populated on the RFx ''Details'' page under the ''Agreements'' tab. This enables the buyer to create Agreements relevant to the RFx that is created.
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': Selecting an Associate Contract automatically populates the values in ''Mandatory Contracts ''and ''Prerequisite Contracts. ''If you do not select any values in any of the contracts, these values be displayed as blank when you create the RFx.</div>
The attributes for mandatory and prerequisite contracts are interlinked and both the attributes display the list of different contract types that can be associated with the RFx. ICM validates whether the prerequisite and mandatory contracts added to the RFx are in ''Approved'' state.

*Primary Currency: '''Select''' the primary currency for the RFx. If the user preferred currency is not added in the currency master, then the corporate currency is set as the primary currency of the RFx. For example, if user preferred currency is SGD which is not added in currency master, then the primary currency is set as USD assuming it is set as the corporate currency. 
*Allowed Currency: '''Select''' the allowed currency for the RFx. This is the currency allowed by the buyers for the suppliers operating from a different country. The selected allowed currencies can be used by suppliers for bidding. Suppliers can view the newly added currencies even when the round is Open and select them as required. Buyers can update the allowed currency at any time using ''Modify RFx'' option. The allowed currencies cannot be deleted after the RFx is approved.
*Exchange Rate Basis:Buyers can view the exchange rate throughout the RFx lifecycle by clicking the View Exchange Rate Table icon at RFx, Line Items, Bids, Bid Responses. The exchange rate basis can have one of the following values:
**RFx Open Date: This is selected by default. When this is selected, system uses the start date of first round for determining exchange rates
**RFx Closed Date: This date must be selected same as the round end date. When this is selected, system uses close date of the last round for determining applicable exchange rates
**User selected: This is the date from when the exchange rates are made applicable by the buyers. It is mandatory to select the Exchange Rate Date that is enabled after selecting User Selected as the Exchange Rate Basis. The selected date is used as the date to determine the exchange rate and all calculations of currency conversion. Buyers can view the exchange rate information when selecting the Exchange Rate Basis as RFx Open Date or RFx Closed Date after the RFx is approved and the round is created.

7. '''Click''' ''Next''. The ''Select Template'' ''(Step 3 of 4)'' page opens. This is an optional step depending upon how the application is configured. Usually there would be only one template associated with the RFx that is selected automatically. However, multiple templates can be configured in ICM as per the business requirement.
<div class="image-green-border">8. '''Click''' ''Next''. The ''Verify'' ''(Step 4 of 4)'' page opens. Verify all the information you have just entered.</div> <div class="image-green-border">9. '''Click''' the ''Create RFx'' button. The RFx ''Details'' page opens.  </div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div>
=== RFx Details Page ===

Buyers can view the current status and details of the RFx in various sections of the left navigation pane on ''RFx Details'' page. Buyers can also perform a variety of actions based on the current state of the RFx.

Here is a brief description of the options in the left navigation pane of ''RFx Details ''page.

*RFx Information: This section displays the basic details of the current RFx instance. It has the following sub-sections.
**Summary: Displays the name of the RFx instance (that is added while creating), who created it, and RFx instance details.
**Details: Displays the details specified while creating the RFx instance.
**Preview: Displays how the RFx document would actually look. '''Click '''the ''click here ''in ''To see full document click here ''to download and view the full document in pdf format.
*RFx Package: This section displays the following details.
**Line Items: '''Click '''this option to view the list of line items associated with the RFx. '''Click '''the plus icon next to ''Line Items ''on RFx ''Details'' page to add a new line item.
**Internal Attachments: Displays the list of existing internal attachments associated with the RFx. Internal attachments are associated documents uploaded by the buyers and only available to the buyer team. '''Click '''the plus icon next to internal attachments to add new to the list.
**External Attachments: Displays the list of existing external attachments associated with the RFx. External attachments are associated documents uploaded by the buyers and available to both buyers and suppliers. '''Click '''the plus icon next to external attachments to add new to the list.
*Supplier Information: Displays the list of existing suppliers and allows buyers to add new suppliers along with their contact information.
**Suppliers: Displays the list of suppliers added to the RFx created by the buyer. '''Click '''the plus icon next to ''Suppliers ''to add a new supplier.
**Supplier Contacts: Displays the list of supplier contacts that are populated automatically after you select the suppliers in the previous step.
*Agreements: Displays all the agreements that were selected initially when creating the RFx.
*Collaboration: Allows the internal or external team members to communicate with other internal or external team members by creating topics and posting messages in it.
*Round: Displays the list of rounds associated with the RFx along with their current state. '''Click '''the plus icon next to Round to add a new round.
*Awarding: Displays the RFx instance awarded to the supplier. After the rounds are closed and awarding is initiated by the buyer, an awarding object is created.
*Team: Displays the members added to the team for this RFx instance. '''Click '''the plus icon to add new team members to the RFx.
*Notes: Displays the additional information about the RFx if it is added.
*History: Displays how the RFx has progressed till now. The actions performed by the buyer are displayed by the buyer on the RFx instance are displayed under ''History'' in the left navigation pane on RFx ''Details'' page.

Buyers can perform the following actions from the ''RFx Details ''page:

*''Download RFx Document: '''''Click '''this button to download the RFx document in Microsoft Word format. The downloaded document is based on the template selected while creating the RFx instance.
*Edit: '''Click '''this button to go back and make changes to the RFx that you created.
*Send for Approval: '''Click '''this button to send the RFx instance for approval.
*Download Package: '''Click '''this button to download the RFx instance along with all its associations. You can select specific associations that you want to download or select the RFx instance checkbox to download the RFx package. RFx package is downloaded as a zip file that contains all the attachments relevant to the RFx. When the zip file is exported on user’s local machine, a folder structure is created that resembles the RFx structure, and the files are located in the respective locations.The files names will be the same when downloading or uploading them to ICM. The files will be downloaded as per the defined folder structure and folder naming conventions which helps users to easily identify files under individual folders of the RFx and avoid any discrepancies. The folder names for associations are now same as the contract type display names such as line items, internal attachments, round, bid response and so on.Downloading the RFx package displays the folders for RFx, round, bid, RFI Response as they are displayed in ICM. The rounds and bids folders are merged in a single folder and the template files are added to the relevant round or bid folder. This is applicable for RFx and RFI.    
*Delete: '''Click '''this button to delete the RFx instance. After deleting the RFx instance, the ''Sourcing ''page opens and the deleted RFx will not be available on the user interface.

=== Copy RFx  ===

Buyers can copy the RFx which not only saves time but also reduces duplication of efforts. Additionally global sourcing involves globally distributed buyer team that may clone the sourcing event at the regional level and link them with one another. Linking the copied RFx to the original RFx can be achieved by selecting ''Yes ''next to ''Link to RFx ''on ''Copy Record ''window.

Along with the RFx, users now have the ability to select any associated documents (parent-child or peer associations) where the Allow Copy with Associations is set to Yes at the Contract Type level. If this flag is set to ''No'', then only the RFx will be copied without its associations.

Buyers can now: 

*Copy the Sourcing event.
*Select and copy associations such as line items, questions, questionnaires, suppliers, supplier contacts, internal and external attachments, and commitments. 

Copying the RFx helps: 

*Exclude associations from being copied.
*Exclude the attributes of associations
*Exclude the automatic attachments from being copied to the new RFx

Users can copy the RFx team based on the configured role. If RFx is copied by a user who is not primary owner of that RFx, then that user becomes the primary owner of the RFx. 

*Viewing the audit log by clicking ''History ''on RFx ''Details ''page.

If the source role and target role is configured, the user roles will be same for the RFx being copied.

If the source role is: 
<ul style="margin-left: 40px;">
<li>Primary owner and the same user is copying the current RFx, then target role is ignored (the copying user is part of the team as primary owner)</li>
<li>Same as target role, then team member role is set as source role</li>
</ul>

If the target role is: 
<ul style="margin-left: 40px;">
<li>Primary owner, then a log gets added and the team member role is set as source role. For the rest of role mappings, the target role properties are set for the team member. If they are blank, then a log gets added and no action taken.    </li>
</ul>

Authorized users can configure the Agreement Contract Type and set ''Allow Copy with Associations'' field to ''Yes'' to enable copying the existing RFx. 

    You can copy an RFx from the:

*''Sourcing index ''page
*RFx ''details ''page

To copy an RFx from the ''Sourcing ''index page: 

1. '''Click '''dots next to the RFx on the Sourcing index page and then '''click '''''Copy Record''. The ''Copy Record'' window opens''.''

2. '''Select''' ''Yes'' next to ''Link To RFx'' that is being copied. This links the RFx copy that is being created with the source RFx. If you select No, it will not be linked with the source RFx.  

3.'''Click''' ''Copy Record'' to copy the RFx without the associations.  

4.'''Click''' ''Expand All'' on the ''Copy Record'' window to display all the associations of the RFx to be copied. You can click ''Collapse All'' to display only the parent level associations.

5. '''Select''' the ''Associations'' checkbox to select all the associations of the RFx to copy. You can select specific associations that you want to copy. You can select the commitments from the Copy Record window to be copied from the source RFx to the destination RFx.

6. '''Click''' ''Copy''. The name of the copied RFx is same as the source RFx. The ''Initiate RFx'' button is displayed on RFx Details page after the copy of the RFx is created.The primary owner of the copied RFx will be the user who initiates the copy operation.

The RFx copy is created and RFx ''Details ''page opens with the status of the RFx as ''Draft.''

To copy the RFx from RFx ''Details ''page:

The RFx can also be copied from RFx ''Details ''page by following steps 2-5 in the To copy RFx from Sourcing Index page section.

'''Viewing the audit log of Copy RFx'''

You can view the audit log of the copy RFx event by clicking ''History ''on the RFx ''Details ''page.

'''Viewing the Linked RFx '''

You can view the linked RFx from the RFx ''Details ''page.

To view the linked RFx: 

1. '''Click '''''Related RFx ''on the RFx ''Details ''page. The list of related RFx is displayed.

2. '''Click''' ''View Record'' icon next to the RFx that allows viewing the original RFx using which its copy was created. 

'''Linking the RFx'''

Linking RFx with another RFx allows keeping track of the activities happening with both RFx thereby allowing to manage multiple RFx within one another.   Linking the RFx helps in supporting global sourcing that involves globally distributed buyers’ team. This team may clone the sourcing event at the regional level to identify and shortlist suppliers and link the sourcing events with one another. ICM allows to link the source and destination RFx.

To configure the two way linkage: 

1.  '''Click '''the ''View record ''icon next to the RFx Contract Type on the ''Configuration ''page. The contract type ''Details ''page opens.

2.  '''Navigate '''to the ''Associations ''section and '''select '''the attribute ''ICMAppSrcRelatedRFx.''

*If ''Yes ''is selected next to ''Allow Two-way linkage'', it allows the source RFx to display the target RFx in the related RFx; likewise, the target RFx displays the source RFx.
*If ''No'' is selected next to Allow Two-way linkage, then the target RFx will display source RFx linkage in related RFx. not link the RFx copy with the source RFx.  

3. '''Click''' ''Update'' and navigate to ''Verify'' page and '''click''' ''Update'' to update the RFx contract type. This links the copied RFx with Source RFx.

You can also add linked RFx from RFx ''Details'' page. 

To add linked RFx from RFx ''Details ''page: 

1. '''Click '''the plus icon next to ''Related RFx ''on RFx ''Details ''page. The ''Related RFx ''window opens displaying the list of related source RFx that you can link with the copied RFx.

2.'''Click '''''Select ''to select and link the copied RFx with the source RFx from the available list.

'''Exclude auto-attached associated documents during copy'''

When a user copies the RFx with auto-attached associations, ICM excludes all auto attached associations from being copied to the new RFx. The auto-attached associations won’t be displayed on the ''Copy Record'' window. The resulting RFx has the selected manual associations and its own auto-attached associations as per the configured rules. This avoids the unnecessary upload of files into the ICM repository and duplication of association records on copied RFx.

 

== Adding Line Items ==

You can add line items at any stage of the RFx instance depending upon RFx configuration settings. Line items are products that the buyer is looking to procure through the RFx instance. When you create the RFx instance, the RFx ''Details'' page opens with the RFx status displayed as ''Draft''. You can use the left navigation pane to add one or more line items. You can also add line items using Microsoft Excel import by selecting the file from your local machine and uploading it to ICM Sourcing.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Adding Line Items 1.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Adding Line Items 1.png]]</div>
To add line items:

1. '''Click''' the ''Create Association'' icon next to ''Line Items'' under the ''RFx Package'' tab. The ''Line Items'' window opens.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Adding Line Items 2.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Adding Line Items 2.png]]</div>
2. '''Enter '''the values in the following fields:

*''Name'': '''Enter''' the name of the items you want to procure. For example, ''Laptops''.
*''Part Number'': '''Enter''' the specific details of the item. For example, Model number.
*''Description'': '''Enter''' more information of the item.
*''Unit of Measure'': '''Select''' appropriate unit of measure depending upon the item. For example, ''Piece, Each, Pack'', etc.
*''Unit of Order'': '''Select''' the unit of order you want to procure. For example, in the multiples of 10s or 100s etc.
*''Desired Quantity'': '''Enter''' the quantity of the item you wish to procure.
*''Bid Currency'': '''Select''' the currency from the drop-down.
*''Additional Details'': You can upload a file that contains additional details about the item.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Adding Line Items 3.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Adding Line Items 3.png]]</div>
3. '''Click''' ''Create''. The Line Item is created. The Count is updated in the left navigation pane on the RFx ''Details'' page.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Adding Line Items 4.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Adding Line Items 4.png]]</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="note-box">'''Note: '''Repeat steps 1-3 to add more line items.</div>
 

 

=== Adding Bulk Line Items  ===

The bulk associations capability has enabled ICM to handle large number of associations in the tune of thousands, by presenting itself as a lightweight association as well as tremendously improving performance. The Sourcing event can include many line items for an RFx ranging from 500 to 50,000 maximum. In Sourcing, line items are considered as associations. <br/> The bulk association configuration has now been simplified by providing a Enable Bulk Processing flag at contract type definition level which triggers a set of defaults that has been intentionally restricted. The end user experience for the bulk association has not changed from the way that the conventional association is handled from the UI, rather the underlying data structure has been further enhanced to make it go the distance. <br/> Performance has been the key while introducing and designing this new association, which has given way to the new type of instance, namely the Proxy Instance, which is retrieved in every GET call. The actual instances are referred by using this proxy instance, thereby reducing the load on the GET APIs. Specialized GET and SET APIs have also been introduced for bulk associations to improve its adaptability and ease-of-use.<br/> Bulk associations have very effectively consumed the Elastic Search Bulk API to sync a large set of data at one go, rather than the traditional way of one instance at a time, adding to the boost in performance.<br/> Bulk association is enhanced to be able to address the large volume of data that Sourcing apps require, including:

*The associations do not have a workflow.
*Simplifying the association team by maintaining single team at proxy level for all instances, instead of each instance having its own team.
*Restricting document assembly, for individual instances, but the instances can be assembled in the parent agreement as a table or saved search. 
*Reduced the attributes to be indexed in the parent, so as to cater to more number of instances driven by the configuration key.<br/>  

To enable the Bulk Processing flag: 

1. '''Click''' ''Configuration'' > ''Create Contract Type''.  The ''Select a type of contract'' window opens. 

2. '''Select '''the Contract Type. For example, ''Associated Document.''

3''. '''''Click'''''Next. ''The ''Create Contract Type Wizard ''page opens.

4. '''E''''''nter '''a ''Contract Type Name''. For example,''Acme Bulk Pro''.

5. '''Toggle '''''Enable Bulk Processing'' flag to ''Yes''.

6. '''Click '''''Next.''

''7. '''''Enter '''details on the following tabs. 

8. '''Click '''''Create'' on the ''Verify ''tab to create the contract type. It will now be in the ''Draft ''status. 

9. '''Click''' ''Send for Approval'' to send the contract type for approval. When approved, the contract type ''Acme Bulk Pro'' will be displayed in the grid in the ''Approved'' status.

To upload bulk associations (line items)

'''Prerequisites:'''

*RFx is created''.''
*In the RFx, line item exists as an association with ''Enable Bulk Processing ''flag as ''Yes.''
*The event rule ''Associated Document Created ''is created.

To upload bulk associations: 

1. '''Click '''''Import associated document data template ''icon. The ''Upload Document ''page opens.

2. '''Click '''''Select File''. Upload the file with the list of line items. 

3. '''Click '''''Upload File. ''The record processing details will be updated. 

4. '''Click '''''Ok. ''The RFx ''Details ''page opens. The line item associations are updated. 
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': The team for any one instance of line item is same for any other instances of line items. </div>
 

== Selecting Suppliers ==

Suppliers are the businesses that participate in the RFx bidding process. The suppliers and their information such as ''Names, Addresses, Contact Numbers, Email Addresses,'' and ''Supplier Contacts'' are added to the Masterdata. The name of the existing ''Supplier Contact Name'' has been modified to ''Supplier Contact Full Name. ''For example, John Doe. Buyers can remove the supplier contact from the Supplier Contact page. This updates the count of selected supplier contact.The selected supplier contact’s full name is displayed on the new selected supplier contacts interface.The suppliers and supplier contacts saved earlier are now displayed as pre-selected when adding more suppliers and supplier contacts.

Now, the buyers can use any supplier and supplier contact masterdata contract type to add suppliers.

The supplier contact full name column will be displayed by default on:

*''Supplier Contact ''selection page
*''Details ''page of Supplier Contact
*Grid view of the supplier contact association 

This makes it is easier for buyers and Administrators to identify and select the correct supplier if there are multiple suppliers with the same first name. This is applicable for bulk agreements too. 
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': This is applicable for RFx, RFI and Rounds. </div>
To add suppliers:

1. '''Click '''the ''Create Association'' icon next to ''Suppliers''. The ''Supplier'' window opens.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Selecting Suppliers 1.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Selecting Suppliers 1.png]]</div>
2. '''Search''' for the desired supplier(s) or '''select''' the suppliers from the displayed list under the ''Supplier'' tab.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Selecting Suppliers 2.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Selecting Suppliers 2.png]]</div>
3. '''Click''' ''Next''. The ''Supplier Contacts'' tab opens displaying the contact details of the suppliers.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12-SupplierContactFullName.png|720px|7.12-SupplierContactFullName.png]]</div>
4. '''Click '''''the View Record ''icon next to the supplier’s name. The supplier’s contact details are displayed.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12-SupplierContactRecord.PNG|720px|7.12-SupplierContactRecord.PNG]]</div>
5. '''Select''' the desired ''Supplier Contact(s)''.

6. '''Click '''''Save''. The selected supplier(s) and supplier contact(s) are added to the RFx instance. The count is updated under the ''Supplier Information'' tab in the left navigation pane.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Selecting Suppliers 5.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Selecting Suppliers 5.png]]</div>
=== Error Validations  ===

Buyers have the option to select mandatory and pre-requisite contracts while creating the RFx. The attributes for mandatory and prerequisite contracts are interlinked. The prerequisite contracts are derived from the mandatory contracts. So, if the buyers select the following contracts – NDA, Warranty Agreement, Fixed Cost Agreement as mandatory, then they have the option to select one or more, or all as prerequisite contracts.

Suppose the NDA is the prerequisite contract for accessing the RFx, then the validations are done such that ICM expects that the Instance of an NDA contract type for all the suppliers is associated with the RFx and contract should be in Approved state. Similarly, if Contract Types are made mandatory, then the instances of these should exist before RFx is sent for approval.

Buyers will now receive a system message when:

*Sending an RFx for approval in case prerequisite contracts are not in the Approved status for suppliers.
*Sending an RFx for approval in case mandatory contracts are either not created or exist in one of the states - ''Cancelled'', ''Expired'', or ''Terminated'' for suppliers. 

Buyers will be able to view the validations for the prerequisite and mandatory contracts for the shortlisted suppliers only.<br/> For a shortlisted supplier, if all the prerequisite contracts are inactive or if any one of the contracts is active but not in Approved or later state, then the validations will be displayed. <br/> For example, if there is one shortlisted supplier with two prerequisite contracts NDA 1 (in Draft state) and NDA 2 (in Waiting for Approval) state, then validations will be displayed. <br/> The validations will not be displayed for shortlisted suppliers when at least one active prerequisite contract exists, and all such contracts are in Approved or later state. <br/> For example, if there is one shortlisted supplier with two prerequisite contracts NDA 1 (in Approved state) and NDA 2 (in Expired state), no validations will be displayed since one of the two prerequisite contracts (NDA 1) is in Approved or later state.<br/>  

To view the error validations: 
<div class="image-green-border">1. '''Click '''''Send for Approval ''on RFx ''Details ''page. The ''Contract Status Validation ''window opens. </div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12-Validations-1.png|720px|7.12-Validations-1.png]]</div>
2. '''Click '''the ''Mandatory Contracts ''tab next to the ''Prerequisite Contracts ''tab. 
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12-Validations-2.png|720px|7.12-Validations-2.png]]</div>
A message is displayed as above indicating that the contract types are either not created or exist in one of the statuses as Expired, Terminated, or Cancelled. In this example, the contract types Fixed Cost and NDA are not created. 

3. '''Click '''the plus icon to the mandatory contract that was configured when creating the RFx and create the mandatory contracts using the process to create the bulk agreement. 

4. '''Click '''''Send for Approval. ''The ''Contract Status Validation ''window opens displaying only the Prerequisite contracts. 
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12-Validations-3.png|720px|7.12-Validations-3.png]]</div>
 

=== Creating Bulk Agreements ===

The Sourcing App offers you a convenient way of creating bulk agreements with the suppliers, without having to move out of RFx instance that you are working on. The agreements must be already configured in ICM. These agreements may be made mandatory for the supplier to sign before the supplier can participate in the RFx. The RFx displays all the agreements created from the RFx and they have all the agreement information. This allows the buyer to conveniently navigate between the RFx and the agreement associated with the RFx.

To create an agreement:

1. '''Click''' the ''Create Association'' icon next to the agreements in the left navigation pane on the RFx ''Details'' page. For example, NDA, Warranty Agreement.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 1.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 1.png]]</div> <div> </div> <div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 2.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 2.png]]</div>
2. The ''Attributes (Step 2 of 4)'' page opens in the new browser tab.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 3.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 3.png]]</div>
3. '''Enter''' values for all the attributes, some of which may be mandatory.

4. '''Click '''the ''Select Multiple Suppliers ''icon next to ''Suppliers and Agreement Details. ''The ''Supplier ''page opens.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 4.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 4.png]]</div>
5. Repeat steps 2 to 6 from the ''Selecting Suppliers'' section to add a supplier.

6. '''Click '''''Next''. The ''Select Template'' ''(Step 3 of 4) ''page opens.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 5.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 5.png]]</div>
7. '''Select''' a Template.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 6.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 6.png]]</div>
8. '''Click '''''Next. ''The ''Verify'' page opens. Verify all the information you have entered.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 7.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 7.png]]</div>
9. '''Click''' the ''Bulk Create Agreement ''button. The agreement is created.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 8.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 8.png]]</div>
10. '''Click''' the ''View Record'' icon next to the NDA instance on the ''Sourcing'' page. The NDA’s ''Details'' page opens with the NDA in the ''Draft'' state.
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': The number of instances of the selected NDA Agreement created matches with the number of suppliers selected while creating the RFx.</div> <div> </div> <div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 9.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 9.png]]</div>
After the Agreement is created for a supplier, you can proceed with the agreement workflow as configured. For example, you can send the agreement for approval.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 10.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 10.png]]</div>
11. '''Click''' the ''Send For External Signature'' button on the ''Details'' page. The agreement is sent to the supplier(s) for signatures. The status of the agreement changes to ''Executed'' when all the suppliers sign the NDA.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 11.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Bulk Agreements 11.png]]</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div>
=== Link Existing Contracts  ===

Buyers can now: 

*Link existing supplier contracts (prerequisite, mandatory, associated contracts) allowing buyers to leverage existing contracts with suppliers. 
*View the contracts of the supplier when creating the bulk agreement that allows assigning any supplier contact as a signatory for the agreement.
*View the signatory of the prerequisite contracts that allows the suppliers to connect with the signatory if there are any issues with the contracts. 
*Send the agreements for approval in bulk that helps avoid sending the agreements for approval individually. 
*Select the new signature type ''Click to Sign ''allowing suppliers to participate in the sourcing event by previewing, accepting, or declining the terms and conditions set by the buyer. 

To link existing contracts: 

1. '''Click '''the ''Create Association ''next to the agreements in the left navigation pane on the RFx ''Details ''page. For example, NDA, Warranty Agreement. The ''Please Confirm ''window opens. 

2. '''Click '''''Existing Contracts. ''The ''Select existing contracts to link to RFx page ''opens. 

3. '''Select '''the contract that you want to link with the RFx and '''click '''''Link Contracts. ''

The selected contract is linked with the RFx.  

 

=== Adding Team Members ===

A team of Approvers, Reviewers, and Observers can be added to the RFx instance for completing the workflow.

To add team members:

1. '''Click''' the ''Team'' tab on the RFx ''Details'' page. The ''Add Team'' page opens in the right pane.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Adding Team Members 1.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Adding Team Members 1.png]]</div>
2. '''Click''' the ''Add Team'' icon. The ''Select User'' window opens.

3. '''Enter '''the search term in the ''Search User'' field to search for a desired user.

4. '''Select '''a User from the displayed user tiles.

5. '''Select '''a ''Role''. For example, ''Approver'', ''Business Owner'', ''Observer'', etc.

6. '''Select''' or '''enter''' the ''Step Number'' if you select ''Approver'' in the ''Select Role'' field.

7. '''Enter '''a comment in the ''Add Note'' field (optional). You can see this comment under the ''Notes'' tab.

8. '''Select '''the ''Send Notification ''checkbox if you want to the user to receive a notification of the task.

9. '''Click '''''Add''. The ''User has been added successfully'' message is displayed.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Adding Team Members 2.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Adding Team Members 2.png]]</div>
=== Sending the RFx Instance for Approval ===

The RFx instance must be in ''Approved ''state before a round is created automatically and the RFx workflow can be completed.

1. '''Click''' the ''Send For Approval ''button on the RFx ''Details'' page. The RFX instance is sent for approval to the approver(s) you have selected in the ''Team''.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Internal Approval for RFX Instance 1.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Internal Approval for RFX Instance 1.png]]</div>
The status changes to ''Waiting For Approval. ''A task is created for each approver.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Internal Approval for RFX Instance 2.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Internal Approval for RFX Instance 2.png]]</div>
When all the approvers approve the RFx instance, the status changes to ''Approved''. After the RFx is approved, the first round is created automatically.

== Working with Rounds ==

One cycle of seeking proposals/bids from suppliers and evaluating them is referred to as a round. A complete Sourcing event may comprise of multiple rounds. The first round is created automatically (if the start and end dates are entered) as soon as the RFx instance is approved. You can see the round on the RFX ''Details'' page. You must open the round instance and fill in additional details. There can be multiple rounds for one RFx instance.

Here is the round workflow at a glance:
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Working With Rounds 1.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Working With Rounds 1.png]]</div>
=== Starting the Scheduled Rounds ===

You can schedule a round by entering the ''Round Start Date'' and ''End Date'' when creating the RFx instance. The buyer must click the ''Start Round'' button on the ''Round'' ''Details'' page to start the round.

To start the round:

1. '''Click''' ''Round'' on the RFx ''Details'' page. The auto created round instance is displayed.
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': Only the first round is created automatically. The buyers must create the other rounds manually as required.</div> <div> </div> <div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Scheduling Rounds 1.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Scheduling Rounds 1.png]]</div>
2. '''Click '''the ''View Record'' icon. The Round ''Details'' page opens with the round in ''Draft'' state.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Scheduling Rounds 2.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Scheduling Rounds 2.png]]</div>
3. '''Click '''the ''Start Round'' button to start the Round. The status of the round changes to ''Approved ''when the round is approved and the status of the RFx changes to ''Bidding ''''Open'''''<b>.</b>
<div class="note-box">'''Note: '''When the round is approved the status changes to ''Scheduled''. When the current date is equal to start date of the round, the status changes to ''Open''.</div>
=== Creating Rounds ===

The buyer can also create a round manually if they need to conduct multiple rounds with the supplier. The buyer can create the round manually only if the RFx instance is in ''Approved ''state.

To create a round (manually):

1. '''Click''' the ''Create Association'' icon under the ''Round'' tab on the RFx ''Details'' page. The ''Create RFx -Round'' page opens.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Rounds 1.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Rounds 1.png]]</div>
2. '''Click''' the ''Organization Unit'' icon to select the ''Organization Unit''.

3. '''Enter''' an appropriate name for the round.

4. '''Enter''' relevant details in the ''AppSrc Description'' field.

5. '''Select''' a ''Round Start Date''. This field is already populated with the current date. You can select a different date and time if required.

6. '''Select''' a ''Round End Date ''and time.
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': The date and time is displayed based on the user’s locale settings. When the user with different locale views the RFx, the date and time are converted to their locale.</div> <div> </div> <div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Rounds 2.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Rounds 2.png]]</div>
7. '''Click '''''Next''. The ''Verify'' page opens. Verify all the information.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Rounds 3.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Rounds 3.png]]</div>
8. '''Click '''the ''Create Round'' button. The Round’s ''Details'' page opens. The round is now created in ''Draft ''state.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Rounds 4.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Rounds 4.png]]</div>
9. '''Click '''the ''Start Round'' button to begin the Round. The status of the round changes to ''Approved and Scheduled''. When the round is approved the status changes to ''Approved and Scheduled''. When the current date is equal to start date of the round the status changes to ''Published''.

=== Editing Round start and end dates  ===

Buyers can now:

*Edit the round start and end date when the round is in one of the below states:
**Draft
**Waiting for Approval
**On Hold
**Open
**Approved 
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': You can make changes only to the round end date when the round is in ''Open'' state. The changes made to the round start and end date are captured in the ''History'' on round ''Details'' page.It is not mandatory to run the approval workflow for the round after changing the ''Planned Start Date'' and ''Planned End Date''. </div>
To edit the round start and end date: 

1. '''Click''' ''Round'' on RFx ''Details'' page. The list of rounds is displayed. 
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12-EditRound-Start-EndDate1.png|RTENOTITLE]]</div>
2. '''Click''' the ''View Record'' icon next to the round for which you want to edit the start and end date. The round ''Details'' page opens and displays the existing start and end date of the rounds.
<div class="image-green-border">3. '''Click''' ''Edit''. The ''Edit'' round page opens. </div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12-EditRound-Start-EndDate2.png|720px|7.12-EditRound-Start-EndDate2.png]]</div>
4. Make the necessary changes to the start and end date of the round depending on the state of the round. You can edit just the time of start and end date of the round and not required to change the date always. For example, the ''Planned Start Date ''was July 8, 2020, 12:00 AM and the ''Planned End Date ''was August 8, 2020 12:00 AM. 

*Open: You can make the changes only to the ''Planned End Date'' of the round. For example, you can change the ''Planned End Date'' to September 8, 2020 in place of the earlier date August 8, 2020
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': Buyers can edit the round end date when the status of the RFx changes to In Modification when the previous status of the round is Open.</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12-EditRound-Start-EndDate3.png|RTENOTITLE]]</div>
*''Approved/''On Hold: You can make the changes to the ''Planned Start Date'' and ''Planned End Date'' values of the round. For example, you can change the ''Planned Start Date'' to July 15, 2020 in place of the earlier date July 8, 2020 earlier and ''Planned End Date'' to September 15, 2020 as against August 8, 2020 earlier.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12-EditRound-Start-EndDate4.png|RTENOTITLE]]</div>
 
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': Buyers can enter the planned start and end date of the RFx when creating the round manually. The values for Actual Start Date and Actual End Date are populated based on the actual date when the round is opened or closed.</div>
5. '''Click '''''Update ''on round ''Verify ''page. 
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12-EditRound-Start-EndDate5.png|720px|7.12-EditRound-Start-EndDate5.png]]</div>
The round ''Details'' page opens and displays the edited round start and end date. 
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12-EditRound-Start-EndDate6.png|RTENOTITLE]]</div>
 
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': The changes made to the round start and end date are captured in the ''History'' on round ''Details'' page.It is not mandatory to run the approval workflow for the round after changing the ''Planned Start Date'' and ''Planned End Date''. </div>
== Working with Bids ==

A bid is a collection of quotes for each Line Item. The system generates bids when a round is in ''Published'' state. The supplier can view the bids that were submitted in the previous rounds if the buyer selects ''Yes ''in the ''AppSrc Auto Copy Bids from the Previous Round ''option when creating the RFx.

Depending upon how the RFx instance is configured in the organization, suppliers must sign all the prerequisite agreements before submitting the bid responses. The suppliers won’t be able to view the RFx instance until the prerequisite agreement is in ''Executed'' state.

Here is the bid workflow at a glance:
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Working With Bids 1.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Working With Bids 1.png]]</div>
=== Submitting Bids ===

A supplier can submit bid responses when the round is published.

To submit bid responses:

1. '''Click''' the ''Sourcing ''tile on the ''Dashboard'' after logging on to ICM. The ''Sourcing'' page opens. This page displays a list of all the RFx instances, rounds, and bids that the supplier is a part of.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Submitting Bids 1.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Submitting Bids 1.png]]</div>
2. '''Click''' the ''View Record'' icon next to the bid that you want to respond to. The Bid’s ''Details'' page opens with the bid is in ''Draft'' state.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Submitting Bids 2.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Submitting Bids 2.png]]</div>
3. '''Click''' ''Bid Response'' under ''Quotation Details ''tab. The bid response is displayed in the grid along with its details such as ''Item Name'', ''Quotation ID'' etc. As the buyer had added two line items, the count is updated to 2 next to ''Bid Response''.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Submitting Bids 3.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Submitting Bids 3.png]]</div>
4. '''Click''' the ''Edit'' icon. The ''Edit Bid Response'' window opens. It displays the information of the line item given by the buyer.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Submitting Bids 4.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Submitting Bids 4.png]]</div> <div> </div> <div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Submitting Bids 5.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Submitting Bids 5.png]]</div> <div class="image-green-border">
5. '''Enter''' values for the following fields:

*''AppSrc Base Price'': The price for one unit of the product mentioned in the line item.
*''AppSrc Total Price'': Calculated automatically by ICM depending upon the buyers requirement of the number of pieces and the base price you entered.
*''AppSrc Quote Currency'': '''Select''' the appropriate currency from the drop-down.
</div> <div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Submitting Bids 6.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Submitting Bids 6.png]]</div>
6. '''Click''' the ''Update ''button. The bid response is updated. The ''Bid Response'' window closes.

7. '''Click '''''Submit ''on the ''Bid'' ''Details'' page. The bid response is now submitted to the buyer. The status of the bid changes to ''Submitted.''
<div class="note-box">'''Note''':  You should click on submit only after you have entered values for all items.</div> <div> </div> <div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Submitting Bids 7.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Submitting Bids 7.png]]</div> <div> </div> <div class="note-box">'''Note''': You can submit the bid responses for one or all line items. Follow steps 1-7 to do so.</div>
After submitting bids, suppliers cannot edit bids. To edit the bids, the suppliers must '''click '''''Withdraw''. This changes the status of the bid to ''Withdrawn. ''Suppliers can revert withdrawal by clicking ''Revert Withdrawal. ''They can also edit their bids and submit again.

As soon as one supplier submits a bid, the status of the round changes to ''In Bidding''. When all the bid responses are submitted, the buyer can:

*Manually close the round by clicking the ''Close Round'' button on the Round’s ''Details'' page if the ''AppSrc'' ''Allow Foreclosure of Rounds ''is toggled to ''Yes ''when creating the RFx by the buyer.

Or

*The round closes as per the scheduled ''Round End Date ''and Time.
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': The buyer can choose to close the round even when only one supplier has submitted the bid or even if no one has submitted a bid. The status of the RFx changes to ''Round'' ''Closed''.</div> <div> </div> <div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Submitting Bids 8.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Submitting Bids 8.png]]</div>
 

Buyers can now view the status of bids for each supplier regardless of whether the RFx is an open or sealed envelope depending on the status of the bid. These statuses include:

*''Submitted and Closed'': Buyers and the user assigned as a surrogate buyer can view the bids in ''Submitted ''status, and the rounds are closed.
*''Declined'': The suppliers declining the bid cannot participate in the upcoming rounds. The status of the bid is displayed according to the type of RFx when the bid is in Declined state.   
**''Open RFx'': Buyers and the user assigned as a surrogate buyer can view the round in Open and Closed state.
**''Sealed Envelope'': Buyers can view the bid when the state of RFx changes to ''Closed'' state. The suppliers who declined the bid cannot participate in the ongoing or upcoming rounds nor can they revert decline to participate in the round again.

Buyers cannot view the status of the bids depending on the following status of the bid.

*''Not Submitted and Closed'': Buyers and the user assigned as a surrogate buyer cannot view the bid response when the bid is not submitted, and the round is closed.
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': The bid responses are displayed or hidden based on whether the bid was submitted or not submitted by the suppliers.</div>
 

=== Bid Analysis ===

It is the process of analyzing supplier responses with an intent to compare one against the others along the evaluation criteria. When all the desired ''Bid Responses'' are received, you can view and analyze all the responses to be able to take informed decision.

At least one round should be completed for conducting bid analysis, otherwise the user gets an error message indicating that the round must be started to download bid analysis. For an RFx with ''Sealed Envelope'', at least one round must be in ''Closed'' state to download the excel sheet for bid analysis.

The bid analysis Excel will contain all the bids, for all the suppliers, for all the rounds. The bid analysis will also contain currency information of bid currency and RFx primary currency, along with bid analysis attributes converted to RFx primary currencies. An attribute for bid analysis is defined in the masterdata. Users can add the bid analysis attribute for each RFx item and specify its value while creating an RFx or associated document. This helps the buyer to get all the information in the Excel sheet to be able to easily analyze a bid for a supplier. 

Buyers can now:

*Download bid analysis excel on bid level and round level. When bid analysis is performed on bid, the downloaded bid analysis Excel it will include the responses for a specific respective supplier whose bid was chosen. Whereas, when bid analysis is performed on round level, downloaded bid analysis Excel will include the bid responses data for all the suppliers present in the round.
* 

Enter the values for bid analysis attributes and upload the bid analysis Excel sheet. The value of bid analysis attributes will be updated in the bid response. 

'''Downloading and Uploading Bid Analysis for round'''

1. '''Click''' the ''Bid Analysis'' button, on the ''Round'' ''Details'' page. The ''Bid Analysis'' page opens.

 

2. '''Click''' ''Download File. ''The Excel file of Bid Analysis is downloaded.

 

3. '''Open '''the downloaded Excel. View the Bid Analysis attributes.

Once downloaded, you can edit the Bid analysis attributes such as ''Bonus'', ''Net Landed Cost'', ''Difference''.

4.'''Enter '''''Bid Analysis attribute'' values. For example: '''Enter''' value of ''Bonus as 2.44 instead of 1.05.  ''

5.'''Click''' ''Save'' to '''save''' the file'''.'''

6. '''Click '''''Select File To Upload'' on the Bid Analysis window. The updates will be made, and the''Bid Analysis has been Saved successfully'' message will be displayed in the ''Upload Summary'' section.

7.'''Click''' ok.

'''Downloading and uploading bid analysis for bid: '''

1.'''Click the '''''Bid Analysis'' button, on ''Bid'' ''Details'' page.

 

2.'''Click''' ''Download File. ''The Excel file of Bid Analysis is downloaded.

 

3. '''Open '''the downloaded Excel file. View the Bid Analysis attributes.

 You can add the bid analysis attribute for each RFx item and specify its value while creating an agreement or associated document.

If you add any invalid value in Bid Analysis attribute, error validation message will be displayed in last column. 

For example: '''Enter''' ''hdsjbvshd'' in ''Bonus, and enter ''any random value in ''Net Landed Cost'' ''chdsjbcs'', then Error message is displayed, indicating that Bonus and Net landed Cost are invalid. 

You can not edit other attributes such as ''Freight, Insurance, landed Cost''.

 

'''To analyze bid response:'''

1. '''Click''' the ''Download Bid Analysis'' button on the RFx ''Details'' page. An Excel sheet containing the bid responses is downloaded.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Bid Analysis 1.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Bid Analysis 1.png]]</div>
2. '''Open''' the Excel sheet. You can view the all the data collected from the bid responses such as ''Supplier ID, Item Name, Item Description'', etc.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Bid Analysis 2.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Bid Analysis 2.png]]</div>
=== Downloading Associations and Attachments  ===

The ICM Sourcing app offers an ability to download either all or selected associations (line items, attachments, supplier documents) and attachments (files uploaded to the RFx instance) for review and analysis purposes. This is applicable for all types of RFx instances and all documents (buyer’s and suppliers). The application retains the file names of the attachments as they were while uploading them so that they could be recognized easily.

The files names will be the same when downloading or uploading them to ICM. The files will be downloaded as per the defined folder structure and folder naming conventions   which helps users to easily identify files under individual folders of the RFx and avoid any discrepancies. The folder names for associations are now same as the contract type display names such as line items, internal attachments, round, bid response and so on.

Downloading the RFx package displays the folders for RFx, round, bid, RFI Response as they are displayed in ICM. The rounds and bids folders are merged in a single folder and the template files are added to the relevant round or bid folder. This is applicable for both RFx and RFI. 
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': Buyers can select and download attachments of buyers and suppliers as required. Suppliers can only download the attachments to which they have access or the attachments they upload.</div>
The attachments can be viewed under ''RFx Package'' tab on the RFx ''Details'' page.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Downloading Associations and Attachments 1.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Downloading Associations and Attachments 1.png]]</div>
To download associations and attachments:

1. '''Click''' the ''Download Package'' button on the RFx ''Details'' page. The ''Download'' window opens displaying all the Associations and attachments.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Downloading Associations and Attachments 2.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Downloading Associations and Attachments 2.png]]</div>
2. '''Select''' the items you wish to download.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12-DownloadPackage1.png|720px|7.12-DownloadPackage1.png]]</div>
3. '''Click''' ''Download''. The selected files are downloaded in a zip file.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12-DownloadPackage2.png|RTENOTITLE]]</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12-DownloadPackage3.png|RTENOTITLE]]</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12-DownloadPackage4.png|RTENOTITLE]]</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="note-box">'''Note''': The selected attachments are downloaded as per the folder structure they are part of in the RFx.</div>
== Awarding Workflow ==

You can initiate the Awarding workflow after receiving all the required bid responses and after all the rounds are in ''Round(s) Closed ''state. Buyers can award multiple suppliers using Excel upload.
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': After the awarding is initiated, the buyer cannot create new rounds. If a new round is required to be created after awarding is initiated, you must delete the awarding object and then create a new Round.</div>
=== Creating Awarding Instances ===

To create award instances:

1. '''Click''' the ''Initiate Award'' button on the RFx ''Details'' page.  The ''Attributes (Step 2 of 4)'' page opens.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Awarding Instances 1.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Awarding Instances 1.png]]</div>
2. '''Select''' the ''Organization Unit''.
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': The ''Agreement Code'' is system generated.</div>
3. '''Select''' the Business Status (Default value - ''Draft'').

4. '''Enter '''the ''Name'' of the Awarding instance.  

5. '''Upload '''an ''AppSrc Supporting Document,'' if any.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Awarding Instances 2.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Awarding Instances 2.png]]</div>
6. '''Click '''''Next''. The ''Select Template (Step 3 of 4)'' page opens.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Awarding Instances 3.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Awarding Instances 3.png]]</div>
7. '''Select '''the template.

8. '''Click '''''Next''. The ''Verify'' page opens. Verify all the information.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Awarding Instances 4.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Awarding Instances 4.png]]</div>
9. '''Click''' the ''Create Award Agreement'' button. The RFx ''Details'' page opens with the status ''Awarding Initiated''. The RFx Awarding instance is created with the status ''Draft''.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Creating Awarding Instances 5.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Creating Awarding Instances 5.png]]</div>
=== Awarding Decision ===

After creating the Awarding instance, you must create an Awarding ''Decision'' as an Association. The awarding decision contains all the details of all items and the Supplier(s) who are being awarded the RFx along with the other details such as award quantity and price.

To create awarding decision:

1. '''Click '''''RFx Awarding'' on the RFx ''Details'' page. The awarding instance is displayed in the right pane.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Awarding Decision 1.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Awarding Decision 1.png]]</div>
2. '''Click '''the ''View Record'' icon. The Awarding ''Details'' page opens with the status ''Draft''.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Awarding Decision 2.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Awarding Decision 2.png]]</div>
3. '''Click '''the ''Create Association'' icon next to ''AppSrc Awarding Decision''. The ''Awarding Decision'' window opens.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Awarding Decision 3.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Awarding Decision 3.png]]</div>
4. '''Click '''the icon next to ''Download File. ''The ''Awarding Decision ''excel sheet is downloaded on your computer. This excel sheet displays the information such as the price submitted by the supplier, the quantity of line items, currency, etc. This excel sheet contains all the bids for all suppliers for all rounds.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Awarding Decision 4.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Awarding Decision 4.png]]</div>
5. '''Enter '''values for the required fields entered on Excel.

*''Awarded Quantity: '''''Enter''' the quantity you are procuring through this awarding decision.
*''Awarded Percentage: '''''Enter''' a value for ''Awarding Percentage''. Awarding can be given to one or more suppliers at a time. For example, the selected supplier may get 60% of the order. If it’s not being shared, it is 100 percent. This process is known as ''Split Awarding''.
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': You can add either the awarded quantity or the awarded percentage and the other is automatically derived. For example, if you enter the awarded percentage, the awarded quantity will be calculated automatically.</div>
Some of the important points to note when splitting the award between multiple suppliers are:

*The awarding percentage will be calculated automatically up to 2 decimal places when you add the awarding quantity.
*The awarding quantity will be calculated automatically based on the percentage entered to the nearest integer.
*If you want to delete a particular Line Item, delete the records from ''Awarded Quantity ''and ''Awarded Percentage ''columns.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Awarding Decision 5.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Awarding Decision 5.png]]</div>
6. '''Click '''''Select File to Upload ''and then '''click '''''Upload File ''to upload the file. The awarding decisions are created automatically after uploading the File.

=== Sending the Awarding Instance for Approval ===

After creating the awarding instance and adding the awarding decision, you must send the awarding instance for approval.

To send the awarding instance for approval:

1. '''Click''' ''Publish'' on the Awarding ''Details'' page. The ''Published Successfully'' message is displayed.

2. '''Click''' ''Send For Approval''. The status of the Awarding instance changes to ''Approved'' once the Approver(s) approve it.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Sending Awarding Instance for Approval 1.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Sending Awarding Instance for Approval 1.png]]</div> <div> </div> <div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Sending Awarding Instance for Approval 2.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Sending Awarding Instance for Approval 2.png]]</div>
After the awarding instance is approved, the status of the RFx instance changes to ''Awarded''.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Sending Awarding Instance for Approval 3.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Sending Awarding Instance for Approval 3.png]]</div>
=== Updating the Awarding Contracts ===

Contracts are created for the selected suppliers who are awarded with RFx. You can update the pricing information of the awarded line items in the awarded contracts.
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': You can update the RFx only when it is in ''Awarded ''state and awarding contracts such as NDA is present in the RFx.</div>
To update awarded contracts:

1. '''Click '''''Update Awarding Contracts ''on the ''RFx Details ''page. The ''Please Confirm ''window opens.
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Updating Awarded Contracts 1.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Updating Awarded Contracts 1.png]]</div> <div> </div> <div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.9 Sourcing Updating Awarded Contracts 2.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Updating Awarded Contracts 2.png]]</div> <div class="image-green-border"> </div> <div class="note-box">'''Note''': This validates whether the awarding decision contains any associations.</div>
2. '''Click '''''Yes. ''The ''Information ''window opens displaying a message ''Update to agreements for awarding decision initiated. Please check the agreements after some time.''
<div class="image-green-border">''[[File:7.9 Sourcing Updating Awarded Contracts 3.png|720px|7.9 Sourcing Updating Awarded Contracts 3.png]]''</div>
3. '''Click '''''Ok. ''The process of updating awarding contracts starts in the background and the status of the RFx changes to ''Contract Initiated. ''After the process is completed successfully, the status of the RFx changes to ''Contract Created.''

4. '''Click '''the agreement associated with the RFx in the left pane on ''RFx Details ''page. The ''Agreement Details ''page opens.

5. '''Click '''''Awarding Decision ''in the left pane on ''Agreement Details ''page. The awarding decision will be displayed with the updated pricing information.

== Currency Support ==

ICM administrators can now configure the corporate currency in the currency master.

*Add currencies to the currency masterdata that contains the list of currencies that can be used in the RFx event. 
*Manage currencies from the currency master by adding new currency
*Set a single currency as a corporate currency for the organization to be used in Sourcing events. 
*Restrict the option to delete the currency and only allow to make it inactive.

=== Configuring the Corporate Currency in Currency Master ===

You can create a new currency record in ICM using the extended currency master. 

1. '''Click '''''Configuration ''and then '''click '''''Masterdata ''on the ''Home ''page. The ''Create Masterdata ''page opens. 
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12-Configure Corporate Currency 1.png|720px|7.12-Configure Corporate Currency 1.png]]</div>
2. '''Select '''the ''Extended Currency Master ''from the drop-down list and '''click '''''Next. ''The ''Attributes ''page opens. 
<div class="image-green-border">[[File:7.12-Configure Corporate Currency 2.png|RTENOTITLE]]</div>
3. '''Enter '''the following information on this page: 

*Masterdata code: This is generated automatically after the masterdata is created. 
*Currency Name: '''Enter '''the name of the currency. For example, Singapore Dollar. 
*Currency Code: '''Enter '''the code of the currency. For example, SGD. 
*Symbol: '''Enter''' the symbol for the currency you are creating. This helps in identifying the currency used in the financial transactions happening between the buyers and suppliers. For example, $. 
*Country Name: Enter the name of the country to which this currency would belong to. For example, Singapore.
*Valid Until: '''Select''' the date until which this currency will be considered valid. For example, the currency can be valid for one year from the date it was created which could be July 8 2022.

4. '''Click '''''Save. ''The currency will be created and saved in ICM. 

To be configure corporate currency in currency master:

1. '''Click '''''User Administration'' and then '''click''' ''Application Settings''. The ''Application Settings'' page opens. 
<div class="image-green-border"> </div>
2. '''Click '''''Next ''on ''Entity Color Configuration'' and ''User Theme'' pages. The ''Other Configuration'' page opens. 

 

3. '''Select''' the Corporate Currency from the drop-down list. For example, select SGD (Singapore Dollar). 

 

4. '''Click '''''Update ''to set the corporate currency for the RFx.

 

=== Configuring the Exchange rate of different currencies  ===

ICM administrators can add, remove, or edit the exchange rates in the currency masterdata. The specified currency exchange rate must have a defined validity period and also set currency exchange rates for supported currencies. 

To set exchange rate of different currencies: 

1. Repeat step 1 from the configuring the corporate currency in currency master section. 

2.'''Select''' the ''Exchange Rate Master'' from the drop-down list and '''click''' ''Next''. The ''Attributes'' page opens.

3. '''Enter '''the following information on this page: 

*Masterdata Code: This is generated automatically after the masterdata is created.
*From Currency Code: '''Select '''the ''From Currency Code. ''This denotes the currency from which you want to convert a particular amount to a different currency. For example, '''select '''''SGD. ''
*To Currency Code: '''Select '''the ''To Currency Code. ''This denotes the currency to which you want to convert a particular amount. For example, '''select '''''USD.''
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': You can only select the From Currency Code and To Currency Code for the currencies that are still valid.</div>
* Exchange From Date: '''Select '''the date from which you want to make the exchange rate applicable. For example, '''select '''July 8, 2020. 
*Exchange To Date: '''Select '''the date to which you want to make the exchange rate applicable. The ''To Date ''must always be greater than the ''From Date. ''For example, '''select '''''August 8, 2020. ''
*Exchange Rate: '''Select '''or '''enter '''the exchange rate. This is the value of one currency used to convert to another currency. For example, 1 SGD equals to 0.72 USD. 
*Rate Type: '''Select '''the type of rate from the available list. For example, Fixed Rate which is the rule applied by the government that ties the country's currency official exchange rate with another country's currency. 

4. '''Click '''''Save. ''The masterdata record for exchange rate between two currencies is added successfully. The masterdata ''Details ''page opens. 

You can perform the following operations on this page: 

*Edit: '''Click '''''Edit ''to make changes to the masterdata record. 
*Deactivate: '''Click '''''Deactivate ''to deactivate but not delete the masterdata record. 
*Delete: '''Click '''''Delete ''to delete the masterdata record. 

=== Selecting RFx currency and allowed currencies  ===

You can select the RFx currency (primary currency) and allowed currency on Create RFx page. 

* Primary Currency: '''Select''' the primary currency for the RFx. If the user preferred currency is not added in the currency master, then the corporate currency is set as the primary currency of the RFx. For example, if user preferred currency is SGD which is not added in currency master, then the primary currency is set as USD assuming it is set as the corporate currency. 
*Allowed Currency: '''Select''' the allowed currency for the RFx. This is the currency allowed by the buyers for the suppliers operating from a different country. The selected allowed currencies can be used by suppliers for bidding. Suppliers can view the newly added currencies even when the round is Open and select them as required. Buyers can update the allowed currency at any time using ''Modify RFx'' option. The allowed currencies cannot be deleted after the RFx is approved.

=== Selecting the exchange rate for RFx  ===

Buyers can view the exchange rate throughout the RFx lifecycle by clicking the View Exchange Rate Table icon at RFx, Line Items, Bids, Bid Responses. The exchange rate basis can have one of the following values:

*RFx Open Date: This is selected by default. When this is selected, system uses the start date of first round for determining exchange rates.
*RFx Closed Date: This date must be selected same as the round end date. When this is selected, system uses close date of the last round for determining applicable exchange rates.
*User selected: This is the date from when the exchange rates are made applicable by the buyers. It is mandatory to select the Exchange Rate Date that is enabled after selecting User Selected as the Exchange Rate Basis. The selected date is used as the date to determine the exchange rate and all calculations of currency conversion.

Buyers can view the exchange rate information when selecting the Exchange Rate Basis as RFx Open Date or RFx Closed Date after the RFx is approved and the round is created.

=== Selecting currencies from the list of allowed currencies ===

Buyers can select the currencies for the RFx from the list of allowed currencies. The allowed currencies of the RFx can be used as the bid currency by the suppliers. The currency attributes for the line item are restricted to RFx currency. The modified allowed currencies for RFx are displayed as bid currencies for all items. 
<div class="note-box">'''Note''': Changing the currency type in any of the line item displays a validation message in the Validation Description column in the Microsoft Excel if the values selected in Primary and Allowed Currency is different.</div>
 

=== Using currency conversion rate in Bid Analysis ===

Buyers can now: 

*Download the bid analysis excel file that allows to view all the bids received from multiple suppliers.
*Download the flexible bid analysis excel file for each round after it is closed that allows viewing bids received and converted to RFx primary currency. This file contains information for specific rounds only.

=== Bidding in multiple currencies  ===

Buyers can take the following actions when the bid is created: 

*Select the bid currency that allows submitting the surrogate bid on behalf of the supplier. 
*View the changes made to the bid that are logged in the ''History ''section on the RFx ''Details ''page. 

Suppliers can take the following actions when bidding in multiple currencies: 

*View the supported currencies for RFx that allows viewing the applicable exchange rates 
*Select the currency from the list of allowed currencies that allows submitting the bid in the selected currency. 
*Submit the bids for items in selected currencies.
*Upload or download the bidding template that allows adding bid information in excel sheet and upload to ICM. 
*Update the bid currency using ICM and Microsoft Excel. 

=== Currency information in awarding contracts  ===

Buyers can take the following actions when updating the awarding object for RFx using multiple currencies. 

*Download the awarding decision template that will allow to award the desired suppliers and upload the awarding decision.
*Include the bid currency in awarding decision that allows including bid currency and other bid information in the contract. 

== Glossary ==

*'''Sourcing event:''' Refers to any solicitation process whether informational, commercial or technical.
*'''RFx:''' An acronym for X where X may stand for Information, Proposal or Quotation.
*'''Round:''' A single cycle of seeking proposals or bids from suppliers and evaluating them may be referred to as a Round. There can be multiple Rounds in the complete RFx lifecycle.
*'''Bid:''' The response submitted by a supplier for an RFx created by the buyer is referred to as a bid. Typically, bid is part of a round and may be revised and resubmitted by the supplier till the round is open.
*'''Bid Analysis: '''The process of comparing and analyzing the bid responses received from one or more suppliers along with the evaluation criteria created by the buyer.
*'''Awarding: '''When all the Rounds are closed, and bids are analyzed, the buyer creates the awarding instance that will be awarded to the suppliers that match the evaluation criteria.
*'''Split Awarding: '''It is the process of awarding the RFx to multiple suppliers with specifically decided quantity or percentage.

'''Related Topics''':'' [[Agreement_Management|Agreement Management]] | [[ICM_Sourcing_App|ICM Sourcing App]] | ''