Required Setup Steps for Sourcing Implementation

1. Set the Enterprise Name (Required)

You can specify the Enterprise name that is used in notification e-mails that are sent from Oracle Sourcing. To specify this name, run the following script
$APPL_TOP/pos/11.5.0/patch/115/sql/POSENTUP.sql
This script prompts for an enterprise name and updates the relevant tables with this
information. If you do not run this script, any notifications sent to supplier users will have "Default enterprise name" as the company name in the subject and body of these notifications.

2. Define System Profile Options (Required)

Profile options are one way to control system processing. They can control resource
usage as well as enable or disable certain application features. The following system
profile options relate to Oracle Sourcing. Other profile options are involved with
enabling integrations between Oracle Sourcing and other applications such as Oracle
Procurement Contracts and Oracle Services Procurement.

• Setting the option PO: Allow Autocreation of Oracle Sourcing Documents to Yes
enables buyers to use AutoCreate to generate draft auctions and Sourcing RFQs that
can then be completed and awarded in Oracle Sourcing.

• Setting the option PO: Display the Autocreated Document to Yes allows Sourcing to launch automatically from Oracle Purchasing once your buyers have finished AutoCreating the draft sourcing document. Buyers must also have a responsibility that contains the Edit Draft Negotiation function.

• The Award Approval feature allows buyer to go through an approval process before
creating a Purchase Order. Before using this functionality, you need to implement
Oracle Approvals Management following instructions in the Oracle Approvals
Management Implementation Guide. Afterwards, set PON: Enable Sourcing Award
Approval to Yes.

The system can search recent supplier transactions. Buyers can use this transaction
history to research a supplier’s performance, for example, when identifying suppliers
to invite to a particular negotiation. Set the PON: Supplier Transaction History
Time Period to a number to indicate the number of prior days the system should search for supplier transaction details.

• PON:External Application Framework Agent specifies a URL (typically outside your firewall) will be used for the links in notifications sent to suppliers. If this value is not specified, the system will use the applications frame work agent value assigned to the Sourcing Default Responsibility (See below).
• Setting the Sourcing Default Responsibility for External User profile option
specifies the applications framework agent that will be used if the PON: External Applications Framework Agent profile option is not set (See above). .

• In addition to the reports available from Oracle Sourcing, if you have Oracle Daily
Business Intelligence implemented, you can set POA: DBI Implementation to Yes to access additional reports from Oracle DBI.

• The POS: External URL profile option sets the URL included in notifications sent from the system

3. Assign Sourcing Responsibilities (Required)

During this step, you assign your users the responsibilities they need to perform their jobs. As you assign a user a responsibility, make sure that each buyer’s HR profile contains a first name, last name, and e-mail address.

The Sourcing Super User, Sourcing Buyer, and Sourcing Supplier responsibilities
come predefined with most of the necessary job functions. However, you can create
customized responsibilities using the job functions available. For a complete list of
the job functions defined, "Oracle Sourcing Responsibilities and
Functions.", will help you decide whether to create a customized responsibility, and if so, which job functions to assign to the new responsibility.

4. Register Suppliers and Supplier Users (Required)

Supplier companies must be registered with the system to access Oracle Sourcing and
participate in negotiations.
Once suppliers are registered, they can create profiles that supply detailed information on the products and services they provide. Buyers can search this supplier information to more efficiently target suppliers for negotiations they are creating. The system also tracks purchasing information on suppliers which can be used to generate many different reports for performance analysis.

The contacts at your supplier companies must also be registered with the system
and assigned the Sourcing Supplier responsibility before they can participate in any
Oracle Sourcing negotiations.

There are several other steps which are optional depending upon your specfic business requirements.

Thanks & Regards,
S.Grace Paul Regan

Tips for implementing i-Sourcing and -i-Supplier

Dear Friends,

These steps are created by me by my own experience, tips for implementation!

First go through all the functionalities available within the i-Sourcing and i-Supplier functionality and then decide what you can show up to the client as you already know your client business, never describe any functionality which will not be used by the client even though it may any simple one.
Try to give only the most required functionalities to the client!
The basic and most important functionalities are,
1. Auto Creating RFQ from Requisition.
2. Amending a RFQ

3. Playing with control functionality for RFQ
a. Register suppliers in i-Supplier, Its better you can send them a word document asking for their details and once they respond back you can register them from your side in oracle rather giving them an online link to directly register with you; this will bring lot of complications in registering process.
b. Then and there check for pending supplier approval and approve the suppliers you have qualified to let them take part in i-Sourcing.

4. Communicatting a RFQ to client through e-mail
5. Try to have on-line discussions with the supplier
6. Receive online quotations through mail from Registered Supplier’s
7. Award appropriate suppliers with the contract (Initially do not play with the score functionality)
8. Create Purchase Order from the awarded quote and get the approval for further procurement process.

These are the minimal process and most required process for any company who has implemented i-Sourcing and i-Supplier. Still there are lot of other useful functionalities available within the i-Sourcing and i-Supplier module, its better for any consultant to go with these basic steps. Once when the Key users and Key Suppliers are ok with the i-Sourcing basic functionality, then you can proceed with teaching them other functionality like

• Negotiation Configuration
• Reusable Attribute Lists
• Price Factors and Reusable Price Factor Lists
• Reusable Invitation Lists
• Negotiation Templates
• Tender From Approved List of Suppliers
• Major Tendering Process
• Reverse Auction

Too many functionalities thought to the client at the beginning stage will complicate the training process, implementation process and project phase as the users were using some other system for a long time and when they are comfortable using that system we are trying to introduce a expensive product which users are aware already, So they want the new expensive system to work very smoothly and it should be ease of their use. So it’s better for any experienced consultant to start with the minimal functionality and if required you can go with the others. In some case its better you even don’t explain them these other extra functionalities are available because client will start to confuse if I am not aware of this now then when will I and who will teach all these functionalities and they will ask you to teach all the available functionalities that will complicate everything and will make you life miserable.

To stay happy and leave others happy sometimes you need to take un-ethical decisions.

Thanks & Regards,
S.Grace Paul Regan
965(66382159)

What is Oracle Sourcing?

Oracle Sourcing offers flexible negotiation capabilities to buyers and sellers,
enabling them to efficiently obtain the best possible prices for goods and services.

Prices are established based on actual supply and demand at the time the negotiation
is transacted.

The different types of sourcing documents available -
requests for quotations (RFQs),
requests for information (RFIs),
and buyer's auctions.

Buyers use real-time interaction to obtain information on suppliers' products and services, and then use that information to create negotiations that drive prices based not only on price, but on lead times, quantity, and item-specific attributes. Buyers and sellers, who might never meet face-to-face, can bypass intermediaries and establish relationships that might not have been possible using more traditional methods of buying and selling.

Thanks & Regards,
S.Grace Paul Regan