When you create a new solicitation, or edit a draft negotiation, you must identify the goods or services you want to purchase or for which you want quotes. To do this, you can use Contract Lines and Sublines. Sub-lines or SLINs represent the sub-lines in a Contract. Contract sub-lines provide flexibility to further identify elements within a contract line item for tracking performance or simplifying administration.
Every solicitation line is automatically numbered, however you can change the numbering of a line. The Contract Line (CLIN) and Sub-line (SLIN) structure is used in all CLM solicitation documents, including modifications and amendments to solicitations. Contract Lines or CLIN capture information about the item or service to be acquired as separate contract line items. A Contract Line (CLIN) can be a priced line or an informational line. Similarly, Sub-Lines, which are used to capture additional information about the CLIN, can be priced sub-lines or informational sub-lines.
CLIN numbers are always 4 digit numeric values that fall in the range 0001-9999. Duplicate numbers are not supported by the system and an error message displays if a duplicate number is found. A segment with 4 digit numeric values from 0001 - 9999 is defined for each document. The numbers are sequentially generated.
SLINs are Sub-lines that use a 6-character numbering format - numeric or alphanumeric. The first 4 digits of the SLINs are populated with the parent CLIN number. The next 2 digits are automatically generated, based on whether the SLIN is a Priced sub-line or an Informational sub-line. You cannot update SLIN numbers. If the SLIN is Informational, the last 2 digits are always numeric values in the range 01-99. If the SLIN is Priced, the last 2 digits are always alphabetical values ranging from AA to ZZ (except the alphabets I and O which are not used in number generation at all).
Lines are usually Quantity Based (for items/supplies) or Amount Based (for services). Depending on the Line Type that is selected, the Item/Job field is enabled (for Quantity Based types) or disabled (for Amount Based types).
You can choose to create an option line on a solicitation document. Option lines can be created by associating them to a base line, or can be created without a base line.
To create an option line, first create a new line by selecting the Create a CLIN from the Actions LOV. Then select the Option checkbox to make the line an option line. You may opt to link the option line to a base line by selecting the correct baseline from the LOV. You can also click on the Option + icon next to the baseline to create an option line linked to the base line.
See: Contract Line / Sub-Line (CLIN / SLIN)
See: Exhibit Line / Contract Data Requirements List (ELIN/CDRL)
See: Options
To add lines online:
From the navigation bar in the top left corner, click Lines.
On the Create Solicitation Lines page, select how the line will be ranked and how the ranking will be displayed.
If you wish to score and weight your lines, select Multi-Attribute Scoring as the Ranking type. Also specify the ranking display method and whether to display the scoring criteria to suppliers based on the line level attributes.
Your Sourcing Administrator would have defined the default types of cost factors available to negotiations, however, you can override this value if you wish to use different types of cost factors.
Select the Suppliers see their offer price transformed check box to enable suppliers to view how a price change affects their bid.
If the document outcome for your negotiation is an award, and you wish to use price breaks, you can specify a default price break type for all negotiation lines by selecting a value from the Price Tiers menu (the initial default for this menu is defined by the Sourcing Administrator). You can override this value at the line level as necessary.
None - no price breaks will be used
Required - Suppliers must respond to your price breaks and cannot add or modify them.
Optional - Supplier do not have to respond to your price breaks. They can also modify the price breaks you specify, and/or add their own.
Add your negotiation lines by selecting the appropriate method from the Actions menu. You can Create a CLIN, Create a Line from a Catalog, Create a Line from Favorites, Import Lines, Global Update, Add Requisition Lines and Delete all Lines. Add Requisition Lines takes you to the Demand Workbench page, where you can add requisition lines to your solicitation. Select the appropriate entry from the Actions menu and click Go.
Click Organize Lines to move lines and sub-lines in different ways to recreate your CLIN/SLIN structure. The Organize Lines page consists of 2 regions: Current Structure (source) and Target Structure (destination). Select one or more lines by clicking on the Select checkbox in the Current Structure region. Then select the type of move you wish to perform using the Select Action LOV in the Target Structure region. Select from one of the 3 possible values: Move After Selected Line (moves the line after the line you selected in the Edit Lines page), Move Before Selected Line (moves the line above the line you selected in the Edit Lines page) and Move as sub-line(s) under selected line (moves a line as a SLIN under a CLIN).
The action Move as sub-line(s) under selected line is not applicable for :
Option SLINs without a base line
SLINs that are base lines for other option lines
CLINs containing cross-linked option lines
Click Done to save and apply your changes and return to the Lines page. The Lines page displays, showing you the new structure of the lines.
Click Delete to delete a line from the solicitation. Delete an Option line directly by clicking the Delete button. If you attempt to delete a Base Line that is associated with one or more Option Lines, a warning message is displayed, informing you that the base line with associated option lines will be deleted. You can choose to cancel the delete operation, delete the linked option lines or unlink the option lines. If an option CLIN with a base line or an option SLIN originating from a purchase requisition is deleted from a draft award or draft solicitation, the requestor of the purchase requisition is notified that the delete action has taken place.
Click Copy to duplicate the selected line and place it below the original line. You can then view the Update Line page and enter/edit additional line information.
The Copy Lines : Specify Copying Options page enables you to copy CLIN/SLIN structures, Exhibits, and option lines in the same CLM document. The copy alternatives are:
Copy CLINs with associated SLINs - use this checkbox to specify if only selected lines are to be copied, or associated SLINs of a selected CLIN are also to be copied.
Copy as Option Lines - use this checkbox to specify if you wish to copy one or more lines as option lines.
Maintain Base Line References - use this checkbox to specify if the base line reference needs to be maintained between the source line and the option line that will be created.
In addition, the Define Need By Date and Period of Performance Dates region enables you to enter a specific date or obtain a derived date. A derived date is calculated from the existing date values by the system after you enter a duration, for example, 1 month after the Need By Date of the source line.
The Define Option Dates region enables you to either enter a specific date or obtain a derived date. A derived date is calculated from the existing date values by the system after you enter a duration, for example, you can specify that the Option Start Date should be set to 3 months earlier than the Need-By Date derived for that line. after the Option From Date of the source line.
Click Apply to initiate the copy and when you return to the Lines page, you will see the copied lines with the appropriate dates and CLIN/SLIN structures and options, if any.
For more information on the rules governing the Copy action, see: Appendix - Copy Action.
The Related Exhibits region displays the exhibit details that the line is associated with. A line can be referenced in more than one exhibit. The Related Exhibits region displays if a line has an associated exhibit (you have associated the line to the exhibit using the Manage Exhibits page). This region displays only for Standalone CLINs, CLINs with informational SLINs and SLINs and not for exhibit lines. For example, if your line is A001 (exhibit line), the region will not be displayed. Similarly, this region does not appear for any informational line (CLINs or SLINs).
To add an independent CLIN:
On the Lines: Create Line page, provide the following information. *Indicates a required field :
Exhibit This field contains a list of values of Exhibits that you can search for and use. The values for the Exhibit list of values are pre-defined (seeded). The values are A through Z, followed by AA through AZ, BA through BZ and so on until ZZ. It should be noted that the alphabets I and O are not used at all for the Exhibit values. Additionally, an Exhibit icon is displayed before the line number in the Lines Summary page to indicate that the line is an exhibit line. The exhibit value is displayed in the Exhibit column in the Lines Summary page.
Line By default, this field displays a line number. You can edit this number only when the document is in Incomplete or Draft status. Once the document is submitted for approval or approved, you cannot edit the CLIN numbers.
Line Type The available line types are defined in Oracle Purchasing, broadly classified as Quantity Based or Amount Based. The line type determines whether this is a quantity-based line, such as 50 laser printers, or an amount-based item such as consulting services. The choice of line type determines the fields you can enter for the line.
To change the line type, select the line type you want and click Go. The page refreshes and the fields available for the line reflect the line type you select. If a solicitation was created AutoCreated from Document Builder, the line type value is carried from the backing requisition and is display only.
Select the Informational check box to indicate that the line is an information line.
Item, Rev The number and revision for this item. If this document was AutoCreated from Document Builder, these values are carried from the backing requisition line and are display only. If you are entering an item in Sourcing, you can enter item information directly or search for items from the Item Master.
*Description A text description of the item. If the solicitation was created from a backing requisition, the description is carried from the backing requisition and is display only. If the item was selected from the Master Items directly from Sourcing, the description from the Master Items will default.
*Category The group within the Item Master to which the item belongs. The default category value is based on line type. If the solicitation was created from a backing requisition, the category value is carried from the backing requisition line item and is display only. If you searched from Sourcing for an item from the Item Master, the category value defaults to the category for the item and cannot be updated.
Unit of Measure Unit of measure in which you plan to purchase your item. The system recognizes the UN standardized unit of measure codes. If you selected an amount based line type above, the default for this field is set by the Sourcing Super User. If the solicitation was AutoCreated from a backing requisition, the unit of measure value is carried from the backing requisition line item and is display only. If you selected the item from the Item Master directly in Sourcing, the UOM values available to you are only those appropriate to the item.
Contract Type Select the Contract Type applicable for the solicitation. IDC (Indefinite Delivery Contract) is not applicable for Requisitions and Purchase Orders. The Contract Type LOV contains all the Contract Types that can be used for that Line Type. If you select Quantity Based Line Types, the LOV for the Contract Type displays only those Contract Types that don't depend on any pricing attribute other than Quantity and Unit Price for the price calculation.
Cost Constraint Select the cost constraint to use. A Cost Constraint is an indicator at CLIN/SLIN level that controls the pricing or the document printing behavior for that CLIN/SLIN. You can choose from:
Catalog - Use this to identify that the price is based on the vendor's catalog pricing.
Estimated - Use this when the exact quantity of supplies or services is not known. For example, a Requirement Type contract or a Labor Hour/T&M services contract.
Fabrication Cost - Use this in major system/supply contracts to indicate the price for fabricating or assembling the system not including the incorporated Government Furnished Materials (GFM).
No Charge - Use this to identify an item that is normally priced, but for which the vendor is not charging. For example, shipping and handling charges on a catalog item purchase.
Not Separately Priced - Use this for line items in which the price of the information described on the line is included in the price for other lines. For example, a line describing a monitor that is included in the price of a PC that is priced separately on another line.
Not to Exceed - Use this when the exact quantity of supplies or services is not known and the government desires to set a ceiling on the maximum value, such as in a Labor Hour/T&M services contract.
To be Negotiated - Use this for line items that have not yet been priced and will be priced at a later time. You can use this for letter contracts, in contract modifications, or for option line items.
*Quantity Number of units of the item you want to purchase. This is applicable only for goods-based lines.
Unit Price Enter the unit price for an individual unit.
The application automatically calculates and displays the Extended Price based on the unit price and the quantity.
Extended Price This field displays the value of the quantity multiplied by the unit price. The Extended Price is a calculated field, it displays the formula that went into the price calculation as a caption below the Extended Price value.
You can open the Pricing Details popup window called for Amount Based Lines. This popup enables you to input the values for the pricing elements and calculates the line amount. The pricing elements that are derived from the calculation logic are view-only fields and you cannot update them. The popup has a Calculate button to calculate the final price (Total Amount) and any other calculated pricing elements.
See: Pricing.
Currency and Price Precision This is the functional currency for your operating unit and the price precision you selected when you created your negotiation header. You cannot change these values .
Total Start Price/Unit The total price at which responding for one unit of an item must begin. A start price is not required, but if the buyer specifies one, all responses must be equal to or below the Start Price. If the negotiation was created from backing requisitions, the start price defaults to the lowest requisition price of all requisitions for that item. However, if the line type is amount-based, the start price defaults to the requisition quantity.
Total Target Price/Unit Total price you hope to get paid for one unit of your item. Select the Display to Suppliers check box if you want the participants to see your target price.
Total Current Price/Unit Total price you are currently paying for the item. The current price is used to calculate negotiation performance used for savings calculations in the application.
Note: Suppliers are never able to view the current price.
Need-By From/Need-By To Select the dates necessary to specify when you need to receive the item. If you supply values for both fields, you specify a time window (inclusive of the end date). If you leave both fields blank, there is no time constraint on receiving the item. A value in Need-By From with no value in Need-By To indicates the date on or after which you need to receive the item. A value in Need-By To with no value in Need-By From indicates the date on or before which you need to receive the item. You can use the pop-up calendar to pick your dates. If the negotiation was created from a single backing requisition, the Need-By From and the Need-By To fields are set to the requisition need-by date. If the negotiation was created from multiple backing requisitions, the Need-By From field defaults to the earliest requisition line's need-by date. The Need-By To field defaults to the latest requisitions need-by date.
If you source for an item (as opposed to sourcing for a category), Need-By date(s) are required.
The Option checkbox in the Option region is used to specify that a line is an option line. You can also use this checkbox to convert a line into an option line or an option line into a regular line. The system displays a warning before allowing the change. Click Continue to proceed with the conversion or Cancel to retain the existing lines as is.
An option line that has been auto-created from a requisition cannot be converted to a regular line
If you wish to associate a base line to your option line, select a Base Line Number from the LOV. The option line may or may not be associated with a base line. If the line being edited is a CLIN, the base line LOV will display only CLINs. If the selected line is a SLIN, then the base line LOV shows only SLINs within the same CLIN-SLIN structure.
Option Num (Number) is a system generated number and is non-updateable.
Option Dates are mandatory fields. These are the dates when you plan to exercise the option line.
If the solicitation is a CLM document, and if the outcome document of the solicitation is CLM Award, the Delivery Event, Period and Period of Performance Duration fields are enabled in the Solicitation Line Details page.
The Delivery Event list of values are:
Blank
After Date of Contract
After First Article Test Approval
After Production Lot Test Approval
After Notice of Award
The Delivery Event list of values is a lookup and is extensible, which means you can configure the values you wish to see and use. You can add more values to this lookup, if required.
If you select one of the above values (other than Blank), the following fields become read-only, you cannot edit their values: Need-By Date, Period of Performance Start Date, Period of Performance End Date. You can enter values for Period and Period of Performance Duration.
If you do not select a value (i.e.Blank), then the Period and Period of Performance Duration fields remain read-only.
When you save the solicitation, these values get saved along with the rest of the solicitation information. When the outcome document (CLM Award) is created, these values are also part of the award and get saved with the rest of the fields and their values.
Additional Item Information Use this region to enter additional information about the item. The details you can enter include NSN, Drawing Number, Serial Number, Piece Number, Model Number, Specification Number, Manufacturer Name, Manufacturer Part Number, Product/Catalog Number, and Supplier Part Number.
Federal Customer Designation Use this region to enter federal customer designation details. The details you can enter are MDAPS/MAIS, NAICS, Customer Project Code, Program Code, FSC/PSC, and Customer Project Text.
Inspection Information Enter details of inspection information such as Inspection Responsibility, Inspection Location, Inspection Level, and Inspection Address.
Additional Shipping Information Use this region to enter details of shipping information such as FOB Code, Shipment Mode, Charge Shipping To, MILSTRIP Code, Additional Marking Text, Transportation Control Number, Transportation Priority, Precious Metal Code, and HAZMAT Code. The Ship-to Address displays.
Related Requisition Lines The Related Requisition Lines region displays the linked requisition lines for this solicitation line. If you wish to remove the link between the solicitation line and the requisition line, click the Remove (trashcan) icon. If you wish to link another requisition line(s) to the solicitation line, click the Link Requisition Lines button. The Requisition Lines Search page displays.
The fields MIPR Document Reference and MIPR Reference Number display MIPR related information. The MIPR Document Reference displays the MIPR type (MIPR-Others is displayed only) and the Obligation Type (Direct Citation or Reimbursement).
For more information on linking requisition lines to solicitation lines, please refer to the section Linking Requisition Lines.
Attributes Attributes are used to describe the good or service being purchased. They identify characteristics which will negotiated on in addition to item price. To add attributes, click Add Another Row or Add Attribute List. In a Multi-Attribute Weighted Scoring negotiation, you can assign weights and scores to attributes.
Note that depending on how your system is set up, if the outcome of this negotiation is a purchase agreement item descriptors assigned to an item in the Item Master or the Unified Catalog may be automatically added as Attributes for that item. These attributes are assigned to the default Attribute Group, but you can modify that if necessary. If the system is set up to not automatically add descriptors as Attributes, you can add them yourself by clicking Add Catalog Attributes. On the Search and Select: Add Catalog Descriptors, click Go to see all the descriptors defined for that item, or enter a search value to see only those descriptors whose name or description begin with those characters.
Price Breaks (award or IDVs only)
Enter price break information to negotiate a pricing structure with your supplier based on quantity, ship-to location, and effective-date values.
Cost Factors Cost factors allow you to capture additional item costs such as freight or special charges.
Note and Attachments Optional information you can provide to users of your document.
When you have finished entering your line information, click Apply. You return to the Create: Lines page and the line you just entered appears in the Lines table. To enter another item online, click Go. Follow the preceding instructions. Note that if your negotiation is a large or very large negotiation, you only see the line(s) you just created in the Lines table (if you used spreadsheet upload, or added lines from the Catalog or your Favorites, you could have created multiple lines). To display more lines, you must use the Search facility.
To bulk load lines from a spreadsheet:
Select Import Lines to add lines to a negotiation.
On the Lines: Import Spreadsheet page, click Export.
Save the .zip file to a convenient location on your machine.
Open the Instructions file (the .htm file) and follow the directions to complete the template.
When you have completed the template, return to the Lines: Import Spreadsheet page, navigate to the location of your completed spreadsheet file, and click Import.
If there are errors with the upload, error messages are displayed describing the errors. For each error, the message will indicate the spreadsheet line, the column, and a description of the error. Access the spreadsheet, correct the errors and try uploading again.
If the upload is successful, the lines that you have uploaded are listed on the Create: Lines page.
When the upload has completed, the lines that you have uploaded are listed on the Add Lines page.
You can edit or delete existing lines by selecting a line and clicking the appropriate button.
You can still enter additional lines online.
If you created the negotiation using a spreadsheet, any spreadsheet item category values take precedence over item category values defined for the negotiation template.
If you used a negotiation template, any item attributes defined to the template are added to any item attributes defined in the spreadsheet. If the same item attribute is defined in both places, the spreadsheet value takes precedence.
You can use a spreadsheet to upload item attributes and price factors.
Global Update enables you to add common field values for multiple lines or update common field values for multiple lines on draft CLM documents: Awards (lines, schedules and distributions included where applicable), IDVs, Modifications, Solicitations, and Solicitation Amendments. For example, you may want to update the Need-By Dates for all the selected solicitation lines to a date which is 3 months after the current date. Instead of updating the lines individually, which is a time-consuming exercise, you can update the Need-By Dates in a single global update operation.
Another example: if Shipment Mode is blank, you can use Global Update to add a value to the field. Or, if Inspection Location needs to be changed to another location, you can also use Global Update to change the existing field value to another one.
Navigate to the Lines tab of a solicitation. Select one, multiple or all lines (use the Select All link) and then click Global Update. The Global Update Lines page displays with the fields that you can update for multiple lines.
If you want to add a new value to the solicitation lines such as Customer Project Code or Customer Project Text, enter the value in the Global Update Lines page and click Apply. If you want to update / replace the original field value(s) with a new field value, such as FSC/PSC, select or enter the new field value and click Apply. A message confirming that the update was successful displays in the Solicitation Lines page. You can navigate to individual solicitation lines to verify that the update has taken place for the fields you specified.
Similarly, you can globally update field values for solicitation amendments, as required.
Note: You cannot blank out any existing values using Global Update. You can only add or update a value.