Help Home/Creating Negotiations

You can add multiple line attributes to any line in your negotiation. The attribute(s) are added to that line only, and do not apply to all lines in the negotiation.

You can add line attributes when you add lines to your negotiation online, or when you upload your negotiation lines from a spreadsheet created offline. You can also add line attributes from a predefined attribute list or template.

To add line attributes online:

1. Create a new negotiation. After you enter your negotiation line information, click Add Another Row under the Add Attributes section of the Lines: Create/Update Line page.

2. When the page redisplays, enter your line attribute information. *Indicates a required field:

   • *Attribute (up to 240 characters) Name your line attribute (for example: Mileage; PPM Defect Rate; Grade).

   • Group Select an attribute group from the menu . Groups are used for categorizing attributes.

   • Attribute Type Your attribute can be required (all suppliers must enter a value for this attribute when responding), optional (suppliers are not required to enter a value for this attribute when responding), or display only (displayed without allowing any response).

   • Value Type Select the type of characters suppliers can enter for this attribute when responding: Text (letters/words, digits), Number (digits with decimals allowed), Date (numbers in date format), or URL (using the format http://www.oracle.com). The value type also governs the characters you can enter in the RFQ/Auction Value field.

     Note: Text is the most flexible value type. If you select Text, suppliers can enter letters as well as digits. If you select Numbers, participants can only enter digits; if you select Dates, suppliers can only enter digits in date format.

   • Target Value (up to 4000 characters) Enter a target value for the line attribute (for example: Fewer than twelve thousand miles per vehicle; Fewer than eight defects per million parts manufactured).

   • Display Target Indicate whether you want participants to see your target value .

   • Weight (Multi-Attribute Scored negotiations only) Enter a number that reflects the importance of this attribute relative to other scored attributes for this line. For example, a scored attribute with a weight of 50 is twice as important as an attribute with a weight of 25. The sum of all weights cannot be more than 100. Weights and scores are used by the system when calculating response ranking .

   • Score (Multi-Attribute Scored negotiations only) Click the pencil icon to access the Update Line: Enter Scoring Criteria page. Use this page to enter the possible values you will accept for this attribute. You can use discrete values or value ranges .

3. Click Add Another Row to add additional attributes to this line. Click Apply when you are finished.

4. Continue through the steps of creating your negotiation.

Note that depending on how your system is set up, if the outcome of the negotiation is a purchase agreement (Blanket Purchase Agreement, Global Blanket Purchase Agreement, or Contract Purchase Agreement), descriptors (base descriptors, catalog descriptors or both) for the line may be automatically added as Attributes. If they are not added, you can search for and add them manually. These attributes can be weighted and scored just like other attributes. Any attributes you do not wish to negotiate on can be deleted from the line.

To add line attributes using a spreadsheet

To add line attributes using a spreadsheet, you must download and complete the spreadsheet prior to the bulk load .

Add your line attribute information into the Attribute, Group, Quote/Bid Response, Attribute Value Type, RFQ/Auction Value, and RFQ/Auction Value Displayed columns of your spreadsheet (see Step 2 above for more information on each of these columns). When you enter an line attribute on your spreadsheet, all line attribute fields except RFQ/Auction Value and RFQ/Auction Display are required.

If you want to add another line attribute(s), copy the following set of columns on the spreadsheet: Attribute, Group, Quote/Bid Response, Attribute Value Type, RFQ/Auction Value, and RFQ/Auction Value Displayed. Paste the set of six columns to the right of the existing set of line attribute columns (be sure to paste the set of columns into the spreadsheet before the End of line delimiter column) .

1. Create a new negotiation. When you are ready to upload lines to your negotiation, on the Create: Lines page, select Load from Spreadsheet from the Add Line menu and click Go .

2. On the Import Lines page, use the Browse button to navigate to the location of your spreadsheet file.

3. Click Import .

Note that depending on how your system is set, if you associate a line with a shopping category, any attributes for that category may be automatically added.

Toadd line attributes from a predefined attribute list:

1. Create a new negotiation. After you enter your negotiation line information, click Add Attribute List .

2. Search for the attribute list you want to apply. Click the Add icon .

3. When you have finished adding line attributes from the attribute list, you can enter additional line attributes online, apply another predefined attribute list, or continue through the steps of creating your negotiation .

To add line attributes from a template:

1. On the Create: Header page, click Apply Template .

2. On the Search and Select: Template page, enter search criteria and click Go .

3. Select the template and click Apply. Any attributes defined to the template are added to the new document .