Once you have closed your solicitation, you decide on the supplier(s) to whom you want to make the award. You can choose to make a full award or a partial award. Partial awards depend on the CLIN/SLIN structure you use.
Some actions you may need during the awarding process:
When you wish to view the suppliers' responses and then move ahead with the awarding process, the following actions in the Actions LOV in the closed solicitation help you with the award-making decision and process:
Analyze By Offer - you can choose to view all the offers either at a high-level summary or a detailed view of each supplier response by using the Analyze by Offer option. The Analyze by Offer page shows the suppliers who have responded to your solicitation. The Offer column displays the offer number links which you can click on to open the Offer page with the details of the supplier response. The Offer page has a main region, a Lines region and an Unsolicited Lines region. You can view the unsolicited lines details using the Unsolicited Lines region. The Link to Solicitation Line(s) link opens a popup, where you can see the linked solicitation line information.
Analyze by Line - select the Analyze by Line action when you wish to analyze and compare the suppliers' responses to a single line on the solicitation. The Analyze by Line page displays with the individual lines for which offers have been received, along with a Best Offer column that is calculated by the system. Click Analyze to open the Analyze Line page and view the responses for the selected line. Select more than one offer and click Compare to open the Analyze Line: Compare Offers page. The supplier offer information is displayed in separate columns for each supplier. Click Analyze Unsolicited Lines to view and compare the unsolicited lines of the various offers. View all unsolicited lines, alternate lines or related lines by selecting one of the Show radiobutton values.
Award by Offer - select the Award by Offer action to open the Award by Offer page. Use the Select checkbox to select one or more suppliers to award the solicitation to. Then click Award Multiple Lines to award multiple lines to one or more suppliers. If you wish to award the entire offer to one or more suppliers, click Award to open the Award Offer page. The Award Offer page enables you to award the solicitation to one or more suppliers. Click Review / Award Unsolicited Lines to open the Award Unsolicited Lines page and award the unsolicited lines. If you wish to clear the award you have just made, click Clear. Click the Award checkbox at a unsolicited line row and then click Save Award to save your award decision. Finally, click Return to go back to the Award Offer page. Note that for an Award By Offer/Award Multiple Lines scenario, unsolicited lines can be awarded only at CLIN level.
All lines on the offer are awarded, including ELINs. ELINs are created in the award with the same name as the solicitation. The ELINs in the solicitation are automatically linked to the ELINs in the outcome award document.
Award by Line - select the Award by Line action to award the line to one or more suppliers. Click the Active Offers number link to view and compare the offers received for the line and then proceed with the awarding. You can also select the line by using the Select radiobutton and then click Award. The Award Line page displays and you can proceed with awarding the line to one or more suppliers. Click Award Unsolicited Lines to open the Award Unsolicited Lines page and award the unsolicited lines. You can only award priced lines, and not informational lines. Click Yes from the LOV to award the unsolicited line. You need to enter an award quantity to award a quantity based line. Click the Award checkbox at a unsolicited line row and then click Save Award to save your award decision. Finally, click Return to go back to the Award Offer page.
Option lines without base lines can also be awarded to a supplier. Option lines with a base line may also be awarded to the same supplier as the base line. A CLIN/SLIN structure that is linked to another CLIN/SLIN structure via a cross-linked Option SLIN is also automatically awarded when one of the CLIN/SLIN structures is awarded.
Note: If you select any of the above actions and there are no lines in a Fair Opportunity Notice type solicitation, an error message will be displayed. However if there are unsolicited lines in an offer, then the Offer Totals will display in the appropriate fields, and the buyer can award the unsolicited lines.
Both Not Separately Priced or No Charge Priced ELINs are available for Awarding. If you award the CLIN or SLIN, all associated ELINs are also awarded with the CLIN or SLIN. If you award individual ELINs only, then only the individually awarded ELINs, along with parent CLIN or SLIN and CLIN flow to the Award. If you award a mix of CLIN / SLIN and ELINs, then only the selected ELINs along with the parent CLIN or parent SLIN/CLIN will be placed in the outcome award.
Using Umbrella Programs when creating multiple supplier awards
In this scenario (multi-supplier award), the Umbrella Program number specified during the award confirmation is the same Umbrella Program number that appears in the outcome IDVs. If the buyer forgets to specify an Umbrella Program here, all the IDVs will be created without any Umbrella Program. Later, the buyer manually update the IDVs if required.
Note: Each IDV references only the Umbrella Program that the buyer entered while creating outcome documents.
Awarding a solicitation when multiple active offers exist
The awarding process ensures that there is only one award per supplier. If lines are awarded from multiple active offers from the same supplier, they are consolidated and awarded in one award document. If the same line is awarded in both the offer documents, the line has two records for each award. Multiple Active offers awarded from same supplier will lead to multiple awards. Each offer awarded leads to one award.
Only CLINs are available to be awarded. When CLINs are awarded, the underlying SLINs and ELINs will also flow to the Award. This would be the case, even if the CLIN is Not Separately Priced / No Charge and the ELINs are priced. Note here that the ELINs will not display here and users will award the parent lines only. ELINs are created in the award with the same name as the solicitation. The ELINs in the solicitation are automatically linked to the ELINs in the outcome award document.
Note: When there are exhibits (CDRLs) mapped to one or more solicitation lines, and when the solicitation lines are awarded, either fully or partially to one or multiple vendors, then the mapped exhibits (CDRLs) are also available in the outcome award documents.
To make an award:
From the Negotiations Home page, search for and select the solicitation to award.
Select Close Solicitation from the Actions menu to close the solicitation. On the Close Solicitations page that displays, enter a note to the suppliers and Click Apply. This closes the solicitation immediately.
Select either Award by Offer, or Award by Line from the Actions menu.
If you select Award by Offer, then select the supplier and click Award Multiple Lines to award the supplier multiple lines. On the Award Multiple Lines page, review the award and recalculate if required. Select Save Award.
Select Change Shortlist Status to alter the supplier's status.
If you select Award by Line, then select the line to award and click Award. The Award Line page displays information about the offer. Add a note to the suppliers and click the Award radiobutton.
Click Award Summary to see a summary of the award. The Award Summary page displays the Unsolicited Lines Awarded column in the Supplier tab. The column displays the number of unsolicited lines awarded, as a hyperlink. Clicking on this link takes you to a page where all the awarded unsolicited lines are displayed.
Click Complete Award or Complete Fair Opportunity Notice action in the Solicitation page to complete the awarding process for the solicitation or Fair Opportunity Notice.
The appropriate outcome documents are created and displayed in the Create Outcome Document page. The Create Outcome Document page displays the Unsolicited Lines Awarded column. The column displays the number of unsolicited lines awarded, as a hyperlink. Clicking on this link takes you to a page where all the awarded unsolicited lines are displayed.
Click Review / Link Unsolicited Lines to open the Link Unsolicited Lines page. Click the Edit icon to open the Edit Links page. You can add or remove a link from the unsolicited line to its associated solicitation line. You cannot add a solicitation line from the original solicitation twice. You cannot add a CLIN or SLIN from the same structure if you have already linked or established a relationship with a CLIN or SLIN. You can create links to an existing CLIN or SLIN but not both.
Click Apply to return to the Link Unsolicited Lines page. Return to the Create Outcome Document page.
Click Manage Requisitions to open the Manage Requisitions page. The Solicitation Lines / Unsolicited Lines region displays all the awarded solicitation lines and the awarded unsolicited lines (with their associated solicitation line numbers) that are part of the outcome award.
Use the Select radiobutton to select a solicitation line or an unsolicited line. The Select radiobutton is available for all lines, however, the PR Lines Summary region is not available for Option and Info lines. When you select a line, the linked backing requisition line information displays in the Related Requisition Lines region. You can opt to remove the association between the solicitation line / unsolicited line and the requisition line (if such funds are not to be used in any of the solicitation / unsolicited lines) by clicking the Remove (trashcan) icon. The Remove icon is not available for solicitation lines that were created by the AutoCreate process.
If you wish to associate one or more requisition lines to the solicitation line / unsolicited line, first select the line in the Solicitation Lines / Unsolicited Lines region using the Select radiobutton. For an unsolicited line that has no solicitation line reference, you can use this page to add a solicitation line reference. Also, if the solicitation line reference changes for an unsolicited line during the awarding process, then one of the two scenarios will take place:
If the unsolicited line has a linked requisition line associated to it, the link will be retained as is.
If the unsolicited line has no linked requisition line and it's newly referenced solicitation line has a linked requisition line, the unsolicited line will now reference the linked requisition line.
Click the Link Requisition Lines button to open the Requisition Lines Search page. The Link Requisition Lines button is not available for those solicitation lines that were created by the auto-create process (that is, solicitation lines created by referencing requisition lines in Document Builder). The search patterns is similar to the Search page for linking requisition lines to a draft solicitation.
The Search region in the Requisition Lines Search page consists of the following default search criteria: Buyer, Requisition, Line Number, Item. In addition, you can add other search criteria fields using the Add Another LOV and selecting a value. Click Add to add another search criteria after selecting a search field from the Add Another LOV.
The search region displays only those requisitions that are created for non-Inventory (i.e. Expense) items. Additionally, requisition lines that have no distributions are not displayed in the search region either.
Enter values for the default search criteria as well as for the newly added search fields and then click Go. The search results display the requisition lines that match the search criteria.
Select one or more requisition lines from the search results region and click Add. The Manage Requisitions page displays again and you can see the linked requisition lines. Click Apply to confirm your changes and return to the Create Outcome Document page. Clicking Apply will immediately associate the requisition lines to the solicitation / unsolicited lines. When you have made all the updates in the Create Outcome Document page, click Submit to create the outcome award. The Outcome Document Summary page shows you the award information, with the outcome award number as a hyperlink. Click the award number to view the award. When the Awards page displays, click the Distributions link to verify that the distribution has been created and funds are allocated from the requisition. You can cross-check the Amount, Charge Account and Fund Value in the award to verify that the requisition funds can now be used in the award.
Click Return to Negotiations to return to your solicitation.
When an award is created as an outcome document from the solicitation, the following fields are defaulted from the offer to the award:
Delivery Event - defaulted to award line
Period - defaulted to award line
Period of Performance Duration - defaulted to award schedule
Promised Period - defaulted to award line
Enter Effective Dates, Release Method and click Submit to create the outcome documents, When the outcome documents are created, they are listed in the page. Click on the document number link to open the document and view the details. The unsolicited line(s) that you awarded are also displayed in the outcome document.
Awarding the same CLIN/SLIN structure to two or more suppliers is possible. Quantity and Amount Based lines can be awarded to multiple suppliers, however, fixed priced lines can be awarded to one supplier only.