IBM Contracts OnLine (COL)
A How to Guide
Release 4.0
Contract
1. Terms & Conditions
SECTION I: INTRODUCTION TO CONTRACTS ONLINE _______ 5
INTRODUCTION __________________________________________________ 5
WHAT ARE THE MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR MY WORKSTATION? _______ 8
WHAT IS CONTRACTS ONLINE? ______________________________________ 8
HOW DO I SIGN IN? _______________________________________________ 9
HOW DO I REGISTER WITH WEB IDENTITY? _____________________________ 10
WHAT DOES A SIMPLE CONTRACT CYCLE LOOK LIKE? ______________________ 11
HOW DO I NAVIGATE IN CONTRACTS ONLINE? ___________________________ 12
SECTION II: MANAGING CONTRACTS IN COL _____________ 16
WHAT IS MY TASK LIST?___________________________________________ 16
HOW DO I VIEW A LIST OF CONTRACTS?________________________________ 19
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT CONTRACT STATUSES AND WHAT DO THEY MEAN? ____ 21
HOW DO I TRACK THE STATUS OF A CONTRACT? _________________________ 23
HOW DO I READ THE TRANSACTION DETAILS PAGE? _______________________ 25
HOW DO I SUBMIT A CONTRACT TO MY CUSTOMER? _______________________ 33
HOW DO I REVIEW/APPROVE A CONTRACT? _____________________________ 53
HOW DO I SIGN A CONTRACT? ______________________________________ 56
HOW DO I COUNTERSIGN A CONTRACT? _______________________________ 60
HOW DO I VALIDATE A CONTRACT? ___________________________________ 64
WHAT IS A COMPLETED/EXECUTED CONTRACT? __________________________ 67
HOW DO I MAKE CORRECTIONS TO A CONTRACT?_________________________ 68
HOW DO I RESPOND TO A REPLIED OR DENIED CONTRACT?_______________ 71
HOW DO I READ A CONTRACT DOCUMENT FLOW? _________________________ 77
HOW DO I ADD/REMOVE A VIEWER TO MY CONTRACT? _____________________ 80
HOW DO I COPY A SIMILAR CONTRACT TO A NEW ONE? _____________________ 81
HOW DO I VIEW RELATED CONTRACTS? ________________________________ 83
HOW DO I VIEW A LIST OF PURCHASE ORDERS FOR A CONTRACT? _____________ 86
HOW DO I CONFIGURE NEXT STEP ACTOR? _____________________________ 87
HOW DO I VIEW THE EMAIL HISTORY OF A CONTRACT? _____________________ 90
HOW DO I VIEW THE DOCUMENT HISTORY OF A CONTRACT? _________________ 93
HOW DO I VIEW THE EXECUTION HISTORY OF A CONTRACT? _________________ 95
HOW DO I VIEW THE ACCESS HISTORY OF A CONTRACT?____________________ 96
WHAT IF I HAVE A QUESTION REGARDING MY CONTRACT OR HOW DO I USE THE “EMAIL
A USER” FUNCTION?______________________________________________ 98
FOLLOW THE LINK TO SEND THE ROLLBACK REQUEST: ____________________ 100
HOW DO I PROCESS THE RECEIVED ROLLBACK REQUEST? (HP FACILITATORS ONLY)
___________________________________________________________ 104
HOW DO I UPLOAD AN EXISTING CONTRACT TO CONTRACTS ONLINE? _________ 115
HOW DO I VIEW A LIST OF ALL CONTRACTS BY DEPARTMENT/ORGANISATION?____ 126
HOW DO I SUBMIT A NEW TRANSACTION IN PROCESS TO MY CUSTOMER? ______ 126
HOW DO I USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION IN DIFFERENT MODULES?_____________ 128
HOW DO I SEARCH MY ACTIVE CONTRACTS? ___________________________ 128
HOW DO I SUBMIT RETRO REQUEST FOR RETRO PROCESS? ________________ 132
HOW DO I SUBMIT RETRO REQUEST FOR RETRO SIGNATURE? _______________ 136
HOW DO I COPY A RETRO REQUEST?_________________________________ 139
HOW DO I LOOK UP AND VIEW IMPORTED TRANSACTIONS? _________________ 141
2
HOW DO I DELETE AN IMPORTED TRANSACTION? ________________________ 142
HOW DO I SUBMIT AN IMPORTED TRANSACTION AS A CONTRACTS IN PROCESS
TRANSACTION? ________________________________________________ 143
HOW DO I VIEW IMPORTED TRANSACTIONS REPORT? _____________________ 145
HOW DO I VIEW RELATED TRANSACTIONS ACROSS MODULES?_______________ 146
SECTION III: MANAGING PURCHASE ORDER IN COL ______ 147
HOW DO I RETRIEVE MY PURCHASE ORDER? ___________________________ 147
HOW DO I APPROVE A PURCHASE ORDER? ____________________________ 150
HOW DO I PROCESS A PURCHASE ORDER? ____________________________ 152
HOW DO I SUBMIT A PURCHASE ORDER? ______________________________ 154
HOW DO I REVIEW A PURCHASE ORDER? ______________________________ 158
HOW DO I COPY A PURCHASE ORDER? _______________________________ 160
SECTION IV: ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS & CUSTOMIZATION IN
COL _______________________________________________ 163
HOW DO I CUSTOMIZE E-SIGNATURE LEGAL VERBIAGE? ___________________ 163
HOW DO I CUSTOMIZE EMAIL MESSAGES? _____________________________ 164
HOW DO I CUSTOMIZE GENERIC EMAIL SETTINGS? _______________________ 166
HOW DO I CUSTOMIZE EMAIL FREQUENCY FOR EXPIRATION REMINDERS AND
WARNINGS? __________________________________________________ 167
HOW DO I SPECIFY TRANSACTION RETENTION/REMOVAL TIME? ______________ 169
HOW DO I UPDATE DEFAULT USER PERMISSIONS PROFILE? _________________ 171
HOW DO I MODIFY WATERMARK? ___________________________________ 174
HOW DO I CUSTOMIZE DOCUMENT SECURITY? __________________________ 175
HOW DO I CUSTOMIZE SYSTEM PARAMETERS? __________________________ 176
HOW DO I ADD A WATERMARK TO A CONTRACT?_________________________ 178
HOW DO I CREATE/MODIFY/DELETE STEPS FOR A DOCUMENT FLOW OR FOR AN
INTERNAL PROCESS? ____________________________________________ 182
HOW DO I CREATE/MODIFY/DELETE AN ACTION FOR A DOCUMENT FLOW OR FOR AN
INTERNAL PROCESS? ____________________________________________ 186
HOW DO I CREATE A DOCUMENT FLOW IN ANY CONTRACTS ONLINE SUPPORTED
LOCALE? ____________________________________________________ 200
HOW DO I SELECT/DESELECT DOCUMENT FLOWS?_______________________ 207
HOW DO I VIEW A DOCUMENT FLOW? ________________________________ 215
HOW DO I CONFIGURE MODULES?___________________________________ 223
HOW DO I CREATE DOCUMENT TYPE? ________________________________ 223
HOW DO I MODIFY DOCUMENT TYPE? ________________________________ 225
HOW DO I REGISTER A NEW ORGANISATION AND ENTITLE ITS
FACILITATOR/COORDINATOR? ______________________________________ 227
How do I register Customer organisations in Contracts Online? _______ 229
How do I register non-Customer organisations in Contracts Online? ____ 229
HOW DO I CONFIGURE CUSTOM TRANSACTION DATA?_____________________ 232
HOW DO I UPDATE ORGANISATION INFORMATION? _______________________ 234
HOW DO I ACTIVATE/DEACTIVATE AN ORGANISATION? ____________________ 237
HOW DO I ADD/REMOVE AN ORGANISATION’S SERVICE RELATIONSHIPS? _______ 239
HOW DO I ENTITLE/REGISTER A NEW USER?____________________________ 242
HOW DO I UPDATE A USER’S INFORMATION? ___________________________ 245
HOW DO I SELECT ORGANISATIONS FOR USER ACCESS? ___________________ 255
HOW DO I ACTIVATE OR DEACTIVATE A USER? __________________________ 257
HOW DO I UPDATE USER PERMISSIONS? ______________________________ 260
3
HOW DO I REGISTER A NEW APPLICATION? ____________________________ 262
HOW DO I ENTITLE A NEW APPLICATION? ______________________________ 263
HOW DO I UPDATE AN APPLICATION’S INFORMATION? _____________________ 265
HOW DO I ACTIVATE OR DEACTIVATE AN APPLICATION?____________________ 275
HOW DO I CREATE A DEPARTMENT? _________________________________ 278
HOW DO I MODIFY A DEPARTMENT? _________________________________ 279
HOW DO I VIEW A DEPARTMENT? ___________________________________ 281
HOW DO I CREATE A DELEGATION? __________________________________ 282
HOW DO I UPDATE/DELETE A DELEGATION? ____________________________ 284
HOW DO I CREATE A TEAM? _______________________________________ 286
HOW DO I MODIFY A TEAM? _______________________________________ 288
HOW DO I VIEW A TEAM? _________________________________________ 290
HOW DO I CONFIGURE AN ACTOR FOR A ROLE? _________________________ 291
HOW DO I CONFIGURE MY INTERNAL PROCESS? _________________________ 292
HOW DO I VIEW AN INTERNAL PROCESS? _____________________________ 300
HOW DO I CREATE A GENERATE REPORT?_____________________________ 305
HOW DO I CREATE A UTILIZATION REPORT? ____________________________ 308
HOW DO I VIEW THE ACTIVITY LOG? _________________________________ 313
WHAT IF I HAVE AN ERROR, COMMENT OR A SUGGESTION? _________________ 314
HOW DO I ADD, CHANGE OR DELETE A MESSAGE FOR THE BULLETIN BOARD? ____ 316
WILL CONTRACTS ONLINE INFORM ME WHEN MY SESSION EXPIRES? __________ 321
4
Section I: Introduction to Contracts OnLine
Introduction
The IBM Contracts OnLine (COL) system is an integrated solution for businesses
contracting with IBM. It is a secure web based application that supports the end-to-end
contract execution and management process to include electronic delivery, internal
approval and routing, negotiation, electronic signature, retrieval and print. The
application supports management of the entire contracting life cycle including
negotiation, execution, purchase order, active and archive modules.
COL was architected, designed and developed by IBM. It is powered by an integration of
many technologies such as electronic signature, watermark, workflow and document
control and management. An external application through IBM also provides a set of
PDF document processing tools to allow the processing and merging of PDF contracting
documents into a single document before uploading it into COL.
As an integrated solution, COL can work with contracts generated by any existing
contract generating tool, and can feed the contracts which are completed and executed in
COL to the contract fulfillment centers. It can be extended to integrate with the next
generation contract application and tool.
Figure 1: High level view of Contracts OnLine
5
Benefits of using COL
COL allows authorized users to view and execute contracts using a web browser anytime
and anywhere, eliminating copying and faxing contracts and resulting in overall time and
cost savings for all contracting parties. COL can support a wide range of businesses
because it provides a flexible business contract review/approval process from a single
person to a multi-step, multi-person process. All transactions in COL are conducted over
a 128-bit encryption web connection and all access is protected via user’s IBM ID and
password to ensure user privacy and confidentiality of information. COL notifies the
users automatically via email to remind the users when action is required on their part
during the contract process to prompt their response and shorten the contract cycle.
COL also offers additional services to businesses such as retrieving and searching of
currently active contracts online, notifying business of contracts about to expire, user
delegation for back up, and audit trails through contract execution history and activity
logs.
Example of a contract execution in COL
The following diagram shows an example of a simple contract document flow for a dual
signature contract in COL involving IBM and a customer.
Figure 2: Sample document flow for a dual signature contract between IBM and customer
A contract representative from IBM prepares the contract by using the contract Merge
tool to package multiple documents in a single contract document, if necessary, and to
upload it into COL. Once the contract is submitted for the customer, an email notification
is sent out to notify the customer approver that a new contract is awaiting approval. The
authorized approver then signs into COL to review the contract. Once the contract is
approved, it is routed to the next step to be signed. An email is sent to notify an
authorized customer signer that a contract is awaiting signature. Once the contract is
6
signed, it is then routed back to IBM. An email notification is sent to the authorized
contract manager at IBM informing that a contract is waiting to be countersigned. An
automated watermark function will add a stamp of “Final Copy” across the signed
document. The contract is now executed and completed.
The following flowchart shows all the possible transaction states in a contract document
flow similar to the example above. The process steps of a contract document flow are
owned by different involved parties. Only the party that owns the step can act on the
transaction, the other contracting parties can only view the transaction. For example, step
2 and 3 are owned by the customer and during these steps IBM can view but cannot make
any modification to the contract document until the customer has either signed the
contract or requested changes. This access control is to assure no document tampering
occurs while a contract document is already in the hands of a party, ready to be acted
upon.
SUBMITTED
Update
Review
Process
Deny
DENIED
Update/Withdraw
Approve
NEW
Reject
Approval
Process
Request
Changes
REPLIED
Approve
READY TO SIGN
Sign
SIGNED
Validate
VALIDATED
Countersign
Withdraw
COUNTERSIGNED
Add watermark
Validate
through
date in
past?
Yes
REJECTED
COMPLETED
EXPIRED
CANCELED
Figure 3: Possible transaction states in a contract document flow
How to send your comments
To send comments or suggestions about COL, please use the Feedback link on the COL
screen. You may also send email to [email protected].
7
What are the
workstation?
minimum
system
requirements
for
my
The user would primarily need a standard web browser to use COL. COL has been tested
using the following browser versions: Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 2.0.
Additionally, to support both the functions of Web Identity as well as the COL website, it
will be necessary for all users to have cookies enabled on their browser.
COL application supports tif, gif, jpg, rtf, txt, MS Word, MS Excel, Lotus 1-2-3, WordPro
and Portable Document Format (PDF) files. Additionally, the user would require having
the appropriate software installed to view the contracts. For example, to view a contract
which is a word document, MS word or a word viewer would be needed. Contracts are
generally in a PDF format. Adobe Acrobat Reader version 6 or higher would be required
to access and review these contracts.
Optionally, IBM contract representatives who are COL users may wish to obtain and
install the off-line COL Merge Tool. In order to use this application, it is necessary for
the user to have Adobe Acrobat Professional 6.0, or higher, and a valid license for its use.
This is because the Merge Tool requires the ability to update Portable Document Format
(PDF) files and Acrobat Professional is required for this purpose.
What are the differences between Mozilla Firefox and Internet
Explorer?
There is one notable difference between Firefox and Internet Explorer. If you open two
separate windows for Firefox and go to the COL homepage, you will only be prompted to
login the first time. The second window will not prompt you to login and you can
continue to use the application as the same user in either window.
In Internet Explorer, you can open a window and login. Then, using the shortcut to open
another window from within this window (do not use the File, New, Window menu
options or Ctrl+N). Enter the COL URL in this window. You will be prompted to login
again. Thus, Internet Explorer allows you to maintain two separate user sessions
simultaneously.
What is Contracts OnLine?
IBM has developed Contracts OnLine using leading middleware technologies such as
Websphere, DB2 and Java technologies to enable end-to-end contract transactions on the
Web.
COL brings IBM Clients many benefits including:
•
•
•
•
•
Transaction and management of the contract on the web
Easy access from a web browser
24/7 availability from anywhere
Reduced cost of processing contracts
Shortened end-to-end execution time of contract
8
•
•
No additional hardware or software other than browser & document reader
required on the client side for standard application functions.
Optional additional contract supporting services
How do I sign in?
Below is screenshot for landing page of Contracts OnLine. Landing page has legal details
for user and as well provides contact information of helpdesk for application. On landing
page, there are two buttons Sign in & Register.
New users can click on Register button for Registration of IBM ID. And existing Users
can Sign in to the application by clicking on Sign in button.
On left navigation, there are links to related application and also option to edit your
profile.
Figure 4: Landing page for COL
1. COL uses the IBM ID for sign in to Contracts OnLine.
9
2. Enter IBM ID and password. Your IBM ID is the same as your email address that you
registered with COL. IBM ID is case insensitive.
3. Hit Enter or click Submit button to log in.
Are you finding difficulties in signing in?
1. If you do not have an IBM ID, then you should click the link register now to create
your IBM ID. Once the IBM ID has been created, your facilitator or IBM
representative must register that IBM ID to the Contracts Online application.
2. If you forget your password, click on the link forgot your password? On the right hand
side of the page to request your password reset.
How do I register with Web Identity?
Contracts OnLine (COL) uses the IBM ID for sign in. If you do not have an IBM ID,
then you should click the link “register now” to create your Web Identity account.
Once the IBM ID has been created, your facilitator or IBM representative must register
that IBM ID to the COL application.
IBM Registration is not part of the COL application. Please follow the instructions on
the IBM Registration web page for detailed information on registering.
Note: The IBM ID that you choose to use with COL must be in a valid email format.
How do I change my password?
As a COL user, you can change your password at any time through the IBM Registration
sign in page. Choose something easy to remember and also compliant with the password
rules laid out on the IBM Registration page.
10
What if I forget my password?
If you forget your password to sign in to COL, you can request the system to reset your
password by clicking on the Forgot your password? link on the right hand side of the
IBM sign in page. Please follow the instructions laid out by IBM Registration.
How do I update my security question?
Click on Edit your profile link in the left navigation Related Links section. You may be
prompted to re-enter your username and password. Follow the steps laid out by IBM
Registration to update your security question.
What does a simple contract cycle look like?
The contracting cycle for your organisation is pre-defined in COL.
describes a simple contract cycle.
The following
Figure 5: Sample approval cycle for a contract
After you review a contract via your organisation’s approval process, you have the option
to approve, reject or request changes for the contract. If you approve the contract, then
COL will guide you to the final signing of the contract and then forward the signed
contract to the next contracting party for further processing. If contract changes are
requested, COL will inform the involved party to update the contract and it will be sent
back to you for review. Thus the contract cycle repeats as above. If the contract is
rejected, the involved contracting parties will be informed accordingly.
11
Figure 6: Sample of a contracting party’s approval process
How do I navigate in Contracts OnLine?
The following screen shot shows the welcome page of Contracts OnLine (COL) after you
sign in. Your name is displayed under the COL header.
The left navigation bar provides a list of actions that you may perform. The middle
portion of the welcome page shows these actions along with a brief description
explaining what each action is about. You can navigate by clicking either on the action
links on the left navigation bar or the action links provided on the middle portion of the
welcome page. The bottom links on the left navigation describe your session and provide
access to the online self help resources. Select About your session to display your sign in
user name, IBM ID and your organisation name. To view the online help document, click
on the link for Contracts OnLine help. At the very bottom of the left side are options to
edit your profile and Change password.
If you have any questions on how to use the system, either access the online help
documentation by clicking on the Contracts OnLine help link or call customer support
12
for your location listed in the table below. If you have a question regarding your
contract, use the Email a user link provided in the contract detail page to send your
question to the IBM sales rep or to your other contacts. If you have any comments or
suggestions, please use the link Feedback to send it to the COL team. In addition, there
may be action level help available.
Country
Australia
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Phone Numbers
132-426
0800 7014262
866-880-2765
向该用户的合同代表发送电子邮件
0-810-276-810
Germany
07032 15 49004
Hong Kong
India
Ireland
Please visit Customer Support OnLine (CSOL) and send
an E-mail to support team using E-mail request option.
Please send an e-mail to support team
01 8810085
Italy
800 016 338
Japan
Korea
New Zealand
Portugal
[email protected]宛Eメールでお問い合せください
사용자의 계약 대표에게 메일 보내기
0800 801 800
351 218 927 020
(Segunda a Sexta
das 10:00 às
17:30)
Please send an e-mail to support team
0860 700 700
Mon - Fri 08:00 16:30
901 200 400
De lunes a
viernes de 09:00
a 17:00 h
請傳送電子郵件給您的合約代表。
0-870-909-9997
Mon-Fri 9:00 to
17:00
1-877-504-8930
Mon-Fri 8:00 am
- 6:00 pm EST
Singapore
South Africa
Spain
Taiwan
United Kingdom
United States
13
Hours Available
(das 9h às 18 hs)
Lun - Ven 8h30 17h30
Mo-Fr 8:00 –
17:00
Mon-Fri 09:00 17:00
Lun - Ven 09:00
- 18:00
Figure 7: COL Welcome Page

Contracts OnLine returns you to the Contracts OnLine home page.
My task list allows you to view and take actions on all tasks that require your action.
My Special Request Use my special request to view rollback requests. (Available for
HP Facilitators)
Imported transactions provides a view into the transactions that have been imported
form other interfacing applications and are still waiting to be processed into submitted
state.
Sales support allows you to submit, update, review, approve, search, view, print and
track a retro request.
Transactions in Process allows you to submit, update, review, approve, search,
view, print and track transactions available in this module.
Contracts in process allows you to search, view, print, download, review, approve,
sign and track contracts waiting to be processed.
14

Purchase order allows you to submit, update, review, approve, search, view, print
and track the purchase orders of a contract.
Active contracts allow you to locate, view, print and download currently active
contracts online.
Archive contracts allow you to locate, view, print and download currently archived
contracts online.
Related transactions allows you to search for transactions across modules that share
the same transaction number.
Manage my user account allows you to update user delegations.
Administration allows you to configure services, document flows and internal
processes or to manage organisations, users, departments, delegations, operations and
bulletin board. Not all the administration functions are applicable to all users.
Bulletin board allows you to see bulletin board messages.
Feedback allows you to send an email to the Contracts OnLine team.
About your session provides information about the IBM ID that is currently signed
in.
Contracts OnLine Help is a help document with information regarding the entire
application
Edit Your Profile is a link to an IBM website outside of the COL tool that allows
you to update the information about your userID.
Change password is a link to an IBM website outside of the COL tool that allows
you to update the password for your userID
15
Section II: Managing Contracts in COL
What is My task list?
My task list captures all the tasks from all available modules (such as Sales support,
Contracts, Purchase Orders, etc.), and provides a shortcut to quickly access all the
transactions on which you need to act.
The following screen shot shows a list of transactions from My task list. There are two
navigation bars appearing at the top and the bottom of the My task list table for
navigation between the multiple pages of search data. The first button on the navigation
bar is the Refresh button which brings you back to the first page of your search data.
Next to the Refresh button is the current page of the search data and the Next page
button. Below the page navigation bar are the heading columns that allow you to
selectively choose the kind of data to be displayed in this view for your transactions.
Column 1 – Transaction: The first column from the left allows you to list the transaction
by any of these numbers:
• Master contract
• Parent contract
• Case
• PO
• Customer reference
• RFP/RFQ
• Quote
Column 2 – Transaction details. The second column from the left describes what the
transaction is about. Clicking on any link under this column will show the detail page of
the transaction.
Column 3 – Transaction sorting. The third column from the left allows you to sort the
transactions according to any of the following:
• Contract type
• Value
• Schedule Value (The schedule value field will not be visible to certain
organizations.)
• Other Value
• Submitter
• Delivery
• Category
• Industry
• Geography
Column 4 – Contract status. The fourth column from the left shows the status of the
contracts. For more detail on the definitions of the status, please refer to the section What
are the different contact statuses and what do they mean? in this online help document.
16
Column 5 – Date sort. The fifth column from the left allows you to sort the contracts by
any of the following dates:
• Last action
• Creation
• Expiration
• Start
• End date
Column 6 – Organisation sort. The last column from the left allows you to sort the
contracts by different organisations:
• Agent
• Customer
• Distributor
• Financier
• Host
• Partner
• Solution provider
• Supplier
Here are the steps to view the transactions in My task list:
1. Click on the link My task list to view a list of transactions that require your action.
2. Click on the different column names to have the transactions sorted by the values you
would like to see. Click on the link under the Transaction description column to see
the detail page of a particular transaction.
3. Click on the buttons or use the page jumper of the navigation bar to get to different
pages.
Note: When contract moves to a step where user is an assigned actor, those users will
have new task listed in their My task list. Any modification to actor list for this step will
not change my task list for any user. Task from users my task list will be removed when
the contract moves to the next step.
17
Figure 8: My Task List
18
How do I view a list of contracts?
Here are the steps for viewing a list of contracts:
1. Follow the link Contracts in process > All contracts to see a list of all the current
contracts in process.
2. Click on the different column names to have the contracts sorted by the values you
would like to see. Click on the link under the Contract description column to see the
detail page of a particular contract.
3. Click on the Next button on the navigation bars to get to different pages.
The following screen shot shows the default view of a list of contracts. There are two
navigation bars appearing on the top and the bottom of the table to allow users to
navigate the search data. The first button on the navigation bar is the Refresh button
which brings users back to the first page of their search data. Next to the Refresh button
is the current page of the search data and the Next page button. Below the page
navigation bar are the heading columns that allow users to selectively choose the kind of
data to be displayed in this view for their transactions.
Column 1 – Transaction: Allows the user to list the transaction by any of these numbers:
• Master contract
• Parent contract
• Case
• PO
• Customer reference
• RFP/RFQ
• Quote
Column 2 – Transaction details: Describes what the transaction is about. Clicking on any
link under this column will show the detail page of the transaction.
Column 3 – Transaction sorting: Allows the user to sort the transactions according to any
of the following:
• Contract type
• Value
• Schedule Value (The schedule value field will not be visible to certain
organizations.)
• Other Value
• Submitter
• Delivery
• Category
• Industry
• Geography
Column 4 – Contract status: Shows the status of the contracts. For more detail on the
definitions of the status, please refer to the section What are the different contact statuses
and what do they mean? in this online help document.
Column 5 – Date sort: Allows the user to sort the contracts by any of the following dates:
19
•
•
•
•
•
Last action
Creation
Expiration
Start
End date
Column 6 – Organisation sort: Allows the user to sort the contracts by different
organisations.
• Agent
• Customer
• Distributor
• Financier
• Host
• Partner
• Solution provider
• Supplier
20
Figure 9: Default view of a list of contracts
What are the different contract statuses and what do they mean?
To view all possible statuses of a contract over its life cycle from a document flow, click
on the link for the contract status from the contract detail page. The table below explains
what each status means. This is a comprehensive listing of the status. However a new
status type can be added into the application as needed.
ACTIVE
ACCEPTED
ARCHIVED
BILLING INCEPTED
CANCELED
CHANGE
REQUESTED
Contract is currently in effect.
Contract/PO has been accepted by the contracting party.
Contract has been archived.
Contract has been routed for billing process after it has been validated.
Contract/PO has been withdrawn by a contracting party.
Contract has been requested for changes.
21
CHECKLIST
CREATED
CHG AUTH
REPLIED
CHG AUTH
REQUESTED
COMPLETED
COUNTERSIGNED
DENIED
EXPIRED
NEW
PENDING
PKG
CONSTRUCTED
PKG
REVISED
PKG SENT
READY TO SIGN
RECEIVED
REJECTED
REPLACED
REPLIED
REVIEWED
REVISION
REQUESTED
REWORK
REQUESTED
SIGNED
SIGNED OFFLINE
SUBMITTED
TERMINATED
UPDATE
REQUESTED
VALIDATED
Checklist for this contract has been created.
A reply was received to a request for contract change authorization.
A contract change authorization was requested.
Contract/PO process has been executed.
Contract has been countersigned by a contracting party.
Contract/PO has been denied by the internal review process.
For the contracts in process, the system expires the contract when the
valid through date has passed and the contract becomes expired.
For the executed contract, the system expires the contract when the end
date has passed and the contract becomes expired.
Contract has been reviewed/approved and to be released to the client.
If the contract is fully executed but it has not become effective yet
because the start date is in the future. If the contract is in process, it
means it awaits further action.
Contract package has been signed and prepared for validation.
Contract package has gone through a revision request.
Contract package has been sent to the next authorized person(s).
Contract has been approved and is waiting for electronic signature.
PO has been approved and is waiting for the related contract to be
executed or completed. In a multi-party contract, this status means the
contract has been signed by one or more contracting parties and awaits
further action on another contracting party.
Contract has been rejected by a contracting party and it is the end (final
step) of a contract.
Contract has been replaced.
Contract/PO has been has requested for changes.
Contract has been reviewed.
Contract package has gone through exception handling and needs to be
revised.
Contract package has been rejected and needs to be reworked.
Contract has been signed electronically by a contracting party.
Contract has been signed offline by a contracting party.
Contract/PO has been submitted to the system and is waiting for review.
Contract has been terminated.
Solution provider requests changes to the contract to the distributor.
Contract has completed the validating process.
Following statuses are specific for maintenance and services transactions in the United
States as they flow between Contracts OnLine and Maintenance Validator.
Pended 0 = Pkg Sent
Pended 5 = Pkg
Rcvd
Pended 6 = Rework
CF
Pended 7 = Rework
Resolved
Pended 8 = Rework
Sales
Pended 14 =
Registered
Pended 15 =
Contract package has been sent to the next authorized person(s).
Contract package has been received by the next authorized person(s).
Contract package has been reworked by Customer Fulfillment.
Rework by Customer Fulfillment has been completed.
Contract package has been reworked by Sales.
Contract package has been registered.
Contract Registered and Fee Payment Requested.
22
Registered Fee
How do I track the status of a contract?
1. Follow the link Contract in process >All contracts to see a list of all the current
contracts in process.
2. Look under the Status column to see the status of the contract you are interested in.
The list can be sorted by clicking on different heading column names. You can
navigate using the two navigation bars appearing on the top and the bottom of the
contract list. Use the Refresh and the Next buttons on the navigation bars to view the
desired page. Click on a link under Transaction description column to see the details
of a particular contract.
23
Figure 10: Contracts filtered by status
24
How do I read the Transaction details page?
Locate the Transaction details page
There are two ways to view the details page of a contract:

•
Select the URL link provided in the email notification sent about that contract.
After signing in to COL, the details page will be displayed.
Locate the contract in the application and click on the contract description to
view the details. Several ways to locate the contract are described below.
To view the contract details from My task list:
1. Follow the link My task list to view a list of all the contracts that require your
action.
2. From the list of contracts click on the link under the Transaction Description to
view the details of the contract.
To view the contract details using the Contract in process search function:
1. Click on Contracts in process > Contracts in process search on the left
navigation bar.
2. Select your search criteria from the drop down box and click on the Go button.
3. Once the contract is located from the search result page, click on the link under
the Transaction Description to view the detail of the contract.
To view the contract detail of a contract from the Contracts in process module:
1. Follow the link Contracts in process > All contracts to view a list of all the
current contracts in process
2. From the list of contracts locate the contract you want to view and click on the
link under the Transaction Description to view its detail.
Layout of the detail page
The following screen shot shows a page layout that has navigation links on the left and
more menu links on the right to provide additional contract related functions. On the top
of the detail page, there are three tab links to allow the viewing of different levels of
contract detail data. Below the top tab links is the metadata section of this contract. In
certain contracts there could be additional special data and they will appear right after the
metadata section.
Below the metadata is the section for the primary contract document(s) that requires
signature. In addition to the document name(s) and description(s), the organisations that
can access each document are those whose ID number(s) are checked in the Document
access column.
Below this document section is the latest comment if any. If you are authorized to take
actions on a contract, and depending on where it is in the contracting cycle, then a list of
possible actions along with a comment box and a Submit button will be shown here.
Note: ID1, ID2,…. Under document access corresponds ID1, ID2,… fields displayed on
the top in “Key data” & “All data” tabs.
25
The document(s) that do not require signature such as the contract related supporting
document(s) and the non-contract related supporting document(s) such as marketing
material will be listed after the Submit button, if there are any for this contract.
The following screenshot shows the “Key data” view of a contract. To see more detail
data of the contract click on the “Additional data” view tab. To view all the contract
detail data, click on the “All data” view tab. To view all the uploaded contract
documents, click on the “All Documents” view tab.
26
Figure 11: Transaction details page
27
Figure 12: Transaction details – Additional data
28
Figure 13: Transaction details – All data for a contract
29
Figure 14: Transaction details – All documents
Meaning of the data fields
Customer name/Supplier name: Names of the party involved in this contract
Customer number:The IBM number used to identify a customer organisation at a
particular location (lowest level). For COL, try to use the 'sold to' customer number
whenever possible. This customer number equals the main customer number in ISAT.
Company number: The IBM number used to identify a customer at a company level such
as a division or subsidiary at a country level.
Enterprise number: The IBM number used to identify a customer at a enterprise level.
For many countries in Europe, the Company number is used in place of the Enterprise
number.
Contract/Proposal number: IBM specified unique contract identifier.
Transaction description: A brief description of what this contract is about.
Contract type: Class of a contract
30
Contract selection: The contract selection describes if the contract is New, Merge, or
Renewal.
Parent contract number: If the contract being created is a renewal or amendment or
addendum to another contract then this field is to store the identifier of that other
contract.
Source: Source is the 3 character acronym of the system in which a transaction was
originally created in. All transactions manually created in COL will be identified with
the source of COL. All other transactions that are imported from other applications will
display the 3 character acronym assigned to those applications in COL as their source.
Because it is possible that multiple transactions have the same proposal/transactions
number, the value provided in the Source will help provide for transaction uniqueness.
Sales channel (Non editable): The Sales channel is the channel of the user opening the
COL record.
Integrated support: The integrated support "Yes" describes the offering as having HW
and SW services
Contract value: Monetary value of this contract
Schedule value: The schedule value is charges from a schedule presented to the customer,
could be the first year charge or total prepay charge. This value will only be viewable to
IBM and the Distributor or Tier 1 business partner (SP1).
Other value: Value other than reference listed price of total contract value.
Other value 2: Another value other than reference listed price of total contract value.
Contract Term: The length of time that a contract is for in months.
Contract Start date: The effective date of the executed/completed contract.
Contract End date: End date of the executed/completed contract.
Annual review: The identifier that will trigger an email to be sent to the submitter of the
transaction when it is up for an annual review.
Auto-renew: Indicates if the contract will be auto-renewable after the contract period
expires.
Contract comments (internal): Any information specific to the comment. (This field is
viewable only to IBM and its direct partners.)
Attachment number: The contract agreement that attaches to the base contract
Agreement number: This is the identifier of the base contract that covers the basic terms
and conditions of the contract relationship, if applicable.
Customer reference: This field contains information/data to help customer identify this
contract.
PO number: Identifier of a purchase order related to this contract. It is a customer specific
purchase order number.
Representative Name: Generic field which can be used to specifically identify a type of
representative and his/her name.
Contract Rep. Name: Name of the sale rep that submitted this contract. The email link
under the rep name allows the user to send an email to the rep.
Awaiting action by: Next organisation this contract is waiting for action. In this screen
shot above, the contract is waiting for the authorized user from ‘IBM Host provider’
to review the contract and take one of three possible action listed.
Contract status: Current state of a contract. To see where the contract is in its entire life
cycle, click on the link for the contract status.
Internal status: Current internal business state of a contract. To see where the contract is
in its internal business process, click on the internal status link. This would be present for
the contracts whose organisation has the Internal business process attached.
Valid through date: Deadline to execute this contract before the system expires it.
Country (Geography): Country where the client resides (region of the client).
31
Submission date: Date this contract was submitted.
Last action date: Date the last action was taken on this contract.
Tier 2 agreement no: Agreement Number of BPA between IBM and T2 Business Partner.
This field is only available to certain organisations.
Fee Base: Transaction closed by IBM and BP is paid a fee for lead based on contract
value. This field is only available to certain organisations.
Remarketed: Transaction closed by BP who purchased service from IBM at a discounted
price. This field is only available to certain organisations.
Special bid approval no: The special bid approved pricing number (price release letter
approved).
Modified terms & conditions: The modified T&C is a yes or no, Yes meaning the
contract T&C's were modified (changes to the T&C's)
Distributor reference: Used by Business Partners to identify their distributors.
RFP/RFQ number: If this contract resulted from a RFP/RFQ then this field contains the
identifier of that RFP/RFQ.
Quote letter number: If this contract resulted from a quote then this field contains the
identifier of the quote letter.
Case number: If this contract is part of a deal/case then this field contains the identifier of
that deal/case number.
CF Assigned user: The Customer Fulfillment representative who has been assigned to
resolve any issues with a transaction as identified by Maintenance Validator. This field is
hidden in the submission form.
Delivery type: The way this contract is delivered to the client.
Industry sector: Industry to which the client belongs.
Contract category: Business class of this contract
Contract svc elements: Enter in this field the 15 digit offering names listed on the
contract.
Menu links on the detail page
There are menu links on the right hand side of the detail page that allow you to perform
contract related tasks. For more detail on these links please refer to the corresponding
How to section.
1. Make correction: allows you to correct/add metadata to the contract. But the contract
documents can not be changed using this link.
2. Update viewer: allows you to grant /remove read access to another user.
3. Related contracts: allows you to use this link to show all the related contracts for this
contract, if any exist.
4. Copy into new contract: allows you to use this link to copy all the metadata of the
current contract into a new one. The contract number needs to be modified to avoid
submitting a duplicate contract.
5. Expire this contract: allows you to expire the current contract.
6. Delete this transaction: allows you to delete the current contract.
7. Submit purchase order: allows you to submit a purchase order if this contract
requires a purchase order.
8. All related POs: allows you to show all the related purchase orders if this contract has
any purchase order(s).
9. Related transactions: allows you to search for transactions across modules that share
the same transaction number
32
10. Modify doc. access: allows you to modify access control (select/deselect IDs) for the
documents that have been submitted by you or others from your organisation.
11. Modify open access property: allows you to open or close this contract for access.
12. Email History: Store the history of all system generated emails and those created
using the email user function belonging to the contract.
13. Document history: stores the history of all the different versions of documents
belonging to this contract.
14. Execution history: captures the history of the execution of the contract including who
did what, when and their comments.
15. Access history: captures the access of all users to this contract.
16. Email a user: allow you to send an email from within COL.
17. Configure next step actor: allows you to select an actor to be notified for the next
step.
18. Rollback Request: allows you to raise a rollback request for this contract.
19. Change doc. Class: allows you to change the document class for this contract.
20. Get acrobat reader: allows you to download Acrobat Reader from Adobe web site.
Note: Awaiting action by field display organisation, after clicking on organisation popup
listing users who can take action on current step will be displayed. Meanwhile, if any
modifications are made to actor list for this step, will not change Awaiting action by.
How do I submit a contract to my customer?
Once your customer's/business partner's organisation has been properly registered and
configured in Contracts OnLine, you may submit a transaction in “Contracts in process”
to them.
1. From the left navigation bar, follow the links Contracts in process-> Submit
contract
2. In the Contract data section, fill in all the required entries indicated by asterisk
(*) and choose the type of contract to submit. See the meaning of data fields
below for field descriptions and usages.
3. In the Contract data section, fill in the field for Contract number, and
Transaction description. Select Locale/language of contract from drop down.
The contract locale data allows the user to set the country/language of the
contract. The legal verbiage that is presented to the user at the time of signing
or countersigning a contract, the Watermark for PDF documents or the
Signature file for non-PDF documents used will be that of the selected locale. It
is possible to have a contract for a country in another language. At the point of
choosing the contract locale, the user must make the appropriate choice as to
what country/language has legal authority over the contract and select that
contract locale. The locale of the contract also determines the format of the
time stamp to be used in the in the Watermark, Signature file, and the various
document history files such as Access history, Email History, Execution history,
Transaction history and Document history. Indicate whether this contract is
allowed changes by choosing one of the Request changes options. Fill in the
date with in which this contract needs to be executed (otherwise the system
expires it) in the Valid through date field. Choose the contract type for this
33
contract by clicking on the drop down box of Contract type. Fill in the value of
this contract and provider value Choose the currency type for contract
4.
Select Geography of contract from the drop down list. Once you selected the
geography, Contracts OnLine will display all supported countries of that
particular geography in county drop down list. Select Country of contract from
the drop down list. Indicate Time Zone of contract. The contract time zone will
allow Contracts OnLine user to set the expiration time zone of the contract
irrespective of the submitter’s regional time zone. Contracts OnLine will rather
calculate the expiration time of the contract, being submitted, as per the time
zone selected by the user. The times recorded in the Watermark, Signature file,
and the various document history files such as Access history, Execution
history, Transaction history and Document history will be in the Standard Time
of the time zone of the contract. All time zones are limited to Standard Time
and do not fluctuate between Daylight Savings and Standard times. Fill in the
rest of the optional fields in the data section as much as possible for easy
searching later.
5. Customer number, Country/system code and Customer organisation ID can be
entered when submitting a transaction under “Contracts in process”. These fields
are considered to be mandatory when the document flow selected for a transaction
involves a customer organisation. If the document flow you selected does not
involve a customer organisation then these three fields may or may be mandatory,
depending on the configuration of your organisation.(Please note that these fields
can be set to mandatory by selecting the checkbox for “Customer number required
for work flows without a customer party” during organisation registration or
update.)
a. If you select a document flow involving a customer organisation (all three
fields are mandatory) and while submitting the transaction you provide
both customer number and organisation ID, then Contracts Online will
validate the values you provided.
i. If you provided a customer number along with the organisation ID
and if the customer number you provided begins with “T” (a
temporary customer number), then Contracts Online will check
whether both customer number and organisation ID exist or not.
1. If both organisation ID and customer number do not match
then, an error message will be displayed requesting you to
provide the correct set of values.
2. If an existing organisation ID and customer number if
found in Contracts Online and the organisation is an
incomplete temporary organisation then an error will be
displayed to you requesting you to update the organisation
with a genuine coordinator.
3. If an organisation ID along with the desired customer
number is found in Contracts Online and the organisation is
a complete organisation (An organisation which has one or
more genuine users) then organisation’s meta-information
will be pre-populated on the second page of submission.
ii. If the customer number you provided does not begin with “T” (a
temporary customer number) along with the organisation ID, then
Contracts Online will check whether both customer number and
organisation ID exist or not.
34
1. If a corresponding match is found in Contracts Online then
customer number, organisation ID, Enterprise number and
company number will be populated on the second page of
submission accordingly.
2. If no match is found for both customer number and
organisation ID then, we will validate the Customer
number and the Country/system code provided against
IBM’s customer repository. If no results or multiple results
are found that match both the Customer number and
Country/system code then, an error message will be
displayed. In case if any of these two errors occur, you are
requested to register the organisation manually and resume
submitting the transaction. If a single exact match is found
in IBM’s customer repository, Contracts Online will fetch
its respective Meta information and populate Customer
name, Company number and Enterprise number on the
second page of transaction submission accordingly.
3. If the customer number matches but organisation ID does
not match to that of the given customer number, then an
appropriate error message will be displayed.
4. If the organisation ID matches but the customer number
provided does not match with the corresponding
organisation ID then Contracts Online shall verify the
customer number against IBM’s customer repository.
a. If it finds a match then Contracts Online shall
update the customer number for the organisation
having the corresponding organisation ID and prepopulate required information on the second page of
submission.
b. If it does not find a match then an error is displayed
informing you the same.
b. If you select a document flow involving a customer party (all three fields
are mandatory) and while submitting the transaction you provide customer
number but do not provide one or more of the three required fields, then
Contracts Online will display an error requesting you provide the
information required.
c. If you select a document flow which does not involve a customer
organisation and your organisation is configured to have customer number
as a mandatory field, then Contracts Online will validate the customer
number you provide. Please note that the criteria for validation and flow
will depend upon whether you opt to provide the organisation ID .Also
the procedure will be the same as in case of mandatory customer number
when you select a document flow involving a customer organisation.
d. If you select a document flow which does not involve a customer
organisation and your organisation is configured to have customer number
as an optional field then, Contracts Online will validate the values you
provided (if any).
i. If you provide a customer number beginning with “T” (a
temporary customer number) along with a organisation ID, then
35
Contracts Online will check whether the organisation ID exists or
not.
1. If no matches are found for both of them then, an error
message will displayed requesting you enter a correct set of
values
2. If an existing match is found in Contracts Online and the
organisation is an incomplete temporary organisation (Any
organisation which has a dummy coordinator as the only
user is considered as an incomplete organisation), then
organisation’s meta-information will be pre-populated on
the second page of submission.
3. If an existing match in Contracts Online and the
organisation is a complete organisation (An organisation
which has one or more genuine users) then organisation’s
meta-information will be pre-populated on the second page
of submission.
4. If the customer number is not found in both Contracts
Online or IBM’s customer repository, but an existing
organisation ID is found within Contracts Online then, an
error will be displayed informing you the same.
ii. If you provide a customer number beginning with “T” (a
temporary customer number) but do not provide an organisation
ID, then Contracts Online will check whether the customer number
exists or not.
1. If it does not find a corresponding match then Contracts
Online will auto-register the organisation as a temporary
incomplete organisation and populate the values
accordingly on the second page of submission with a
warning message.
2. If it finds a corresponding customer number then it will
display an error accordingly.
iii. If you choose to provide both customer number and organisation
ID and if the customer number you provided does not begin with
“T”, then Contracts Online will check whether the organisation ID
exists or not.
1. If a corresponding match is found then customer number,
organisation ID, Enterprise number and company number
will be populated on the second page of submission
accordingly.
2. If no match is found for both customer number and
organisation ID then, we will validate the Customer
number and the Country/system code provided against
IBM’s customer repository. If no results or multiple results
are found that match both the Customer number and
Country/system code then, an error message will be
displayed. In case if any of these two errors occur, you are
requested to register the organisation manually and resume
submitting the transaction. If a single exact match is found
in IBM’s customer repository, Contracts Online will fetch
its respective Meta information and populate Customer
36
name, Company number and Enterprise number on the
second page of transaction submission accordingly.
3. If the customer number matches but organisation ID does
not match to that of the given customer number, then an
appropriate error message will be displayed.
4. If the organisation ID matches but the customer number
provided does not match with the corresponding
organisation ID then Contracts Online shall verify the
customer number against IBM’s customer repository.
a. If it finds a match then Contracts Online shall
update the customer number for the organisation
having the corresponding organisation ID and prepopulate required information on the second page of
submission.
b. If it does not find a match then an error is displayed
informing you the same.
iv. If you choose to provide the organisation ID and do not provide
any customer number along with it then Contracts Online will
validate the organisation ID accordingly. If it does not find a match
then an error message is displayed informing you the same.
e. If you select a document flow which does not involve a customer
organisation and your organisation is configured to have customer number
as an optional field, then you may choose not to provide customer number,
country/system code and customer organisation ID fields. If you provide
the customer number field then contracts online shall validate it
accordingly. Please note that every conditional validation criterion will
remain the same as in case of mandatory customer number.
f. If you select a document flow which does not involve a customer
organisation, your organisation is configured to have customer number as
an optional field and you choose not to provide the customer number and
the organisation ID while submitting the contract, then contracts online
will not validate either of the three fields and allow you to continue further
with contract submission.
6. Contracts Online will allow you select an optional field “Contracts Selection”.
You can select from the following options; New, Renewal, Merge, If a
selection has been made for Renewal or Merge, COL shall require that a value
be entered in the Parent contract number field.
7. If you do add a Parent contract number or Agreement number then you must
select the respective Source(s) as well. After entering a Parent contract or
Agreement numbers, if COL finds any transaction with the same Parent contract
or Agreement numbers, upon clicking on “Find” (a link provided adjacent to the
field), a pop up screen will appear with the listing of those matching
transactionsalong with their Proposal numbers, their Source and descriptions.
To select a particular Proposal number and Source combination select the
respective radio button and click on copy selected which will populate the
Parent contract source on the submission page. If COL does not find any
transaction with the Proposal number, upon clicking on the “Find” link, an error
message will be displayed. If results are found, COL will display their Proposal
number, source and descriptions from which the user can make a selection.
37
8.
Contracts Online allows you to configure a transaction under Contracts in
process for Auto-renewal. This is not a mandatory field. Contracts Online will
issue a warning message when the field is left blank while submitting the
contract. If you choose to auto-renew the contract and select “Yes” then,
Contracts Online will prevent you from entering a Contract end date. On the
other hand if you set Auto-renew to “No” and do not provide the contract end
date then, Contracts Online will issue a warning regarding the same but will
allow the user to continue with the submission. Please note that if you choose
to set it for auto-renewal then you cannot provide a Contract end date.
9.
Contracts Online allows you to set a reminder for an annual review notification.
The ‘Annual review' field will allow you to enter the day, month, and the
number of years for receiving this annual review notification. This field will be
empty by default. Contracts Online will then send the submitter identified in
the transaction an annual notification on that day and month for each of the
number of years identified.
10. Contract term defines the total term for which the contract will be active. This
can be a 3 digit value indicating the total number of months for which the
contract will be remain valid. This is an optional field.
11. In the Contract routing section, review the default Document flow for the
selected contract type above. Use the “View” link to view the entire flow to
make sure this is the intended flow you want for the contract. Use the drop down
box of the Signature type to indicate whether this contract will be signed
electronically or offline.
12. Below the signature type is a check box that normally should be left unchecked.
There are certain circumstances where one or more organisations need to play a
different role (e.g. supplier, customer) than their default one for this particular
transaction. Checking this box will allow you to select a different role for each
participating organisation if needed on the next page after you select the
Continue radio button and click on the Submit button. (At any time during the
creation of the transaction, you have the opportunity to save it as a draft by
selecting the Save as a draft radio button and clicking on the Submit button. Or
to deleting an existing draft by selecting the Delete radio button and clicking on
the Submit button. Or continuing to the next page from the first page by
selecting the Continue radio button and clicking on the Submit button. From all
other pages, the Process radio button in conjunction with the Submit button may
be selected to process the selected user request such as adding additional fields to
upload additional documents or in the final page to submit the transaction to the
next step of the workflow.)
13. On contract submission page 2, all the required entries are indicated by asterisk
(*). Above the Contracting role, there is a check box to allow user configuration.
By checking this box, you will have the option later in the submission process to
configure which authorized user should take action for a certain step for this
contract, for example, which user should review or approve a contract. The
Configuring step actors form will appear after you click the Submit button. See
the online help document on How do I configure next step actor for more detail. A
screen shot of the configure step actor is shown below along with the submission
form screen shot.
14. If you belong to a HP Organisation or SP Organisation and if the country of the
contract is “United States”, then the Deal Section is displayed with two fields;
Deal ID and Solution ID. The Solution ID field will remain a non-editable field
until the Deal ID is entered. It is not mandatory to enter the Deal ID and Solution
38
ID value for submitting the contract. If you know the Deal ID value, it may be
entered manually into the text box of the Deal ID, otherwise click on the “Search”
link for the Deal ID if you wish to search for one. When clicking the search link,
the following popup window will be displayed.
Figure 15: Deal ID Search popup window
You can search the Deal ID by selecting “Customer Name” or “Deal Team Member” or
both in the “Search by” multiple select combo box and clicking on the ‘Go’ button. The
search popup window gets refreshed and displays the fields as show in the figure below
Figure 16: Search page for searching the Deal ID displaying different search types.
Fill in all the search criteria and if you do not want to view the corresponding solution
IDs in the search result, uncheck the check box “Check here to view corresponding
solution ID’s also” and click on the “Submit” button. (The number of Deals returned
from the search will be by default 25 rows. You can also choose up to the maximum
number of 50 Deals to be returned from VSC (in multiples of 5) by selecting the rows in
the “Filter rows” drop down.). If you chooses to display both Deal ID and the
corresponding Solution ID, then you will get 2 options in the search result window “Copy
Deal ID” and “Copy both Deal ID and Solution ID”, else you will get only one option
“Copy Deal ID” in the search result window.
39
Once the search result is displayed, select the corresponding option and click on the
“Copy Deal ID” or “Copy both Deal ID and Solution ID”. If you select the “Copy both
Deal ID and Solution ID”, then both the Deal ID and Solution ID are populated with the
selected Deal ID and Solution ID. If you select the “Copy Deal ID” option, then only the
selected Deal ID value is populated in the Deal ID text box.
If the Deal ID has been manually entered or automatically as a result of a search, the
Solution ID field will then be editable. If the Solution ID is known, it may be manually
entered into the text box of the Solution ID or it may be searched for by using the
Solution ID “Search” link. The Solution ID may be searched for using one of three
options; either by “Deal ID” or “Solution Name” or “Solution ID”. Select the
corresponding “Search by” value and click on the “Go” button. The search page gets
refreshed and displays the fields as shown in the figure below.
Figure 17: Search page for the Solution ID with all the fields
Fill in the search criteria based on the ‘Search By’ values and click on the “Submit”
button. The Solution ID’s matching the search criteria will be displayed. Click on the
“Solution ID” link in the search result table and the Solution ID value will be populated
in the “Solution ID” text box. The "Close" link in the search popup window will allow
closing the popup any time and will redirect the user to contract submission page.
Note: You can have contracts with only a Deal ID or with both a Deal ID and a Solution
ID. But you cannot have a contract with only a Solution ID. When such a contract is
submitted, a validation will be done to verify if the Deal ID and (if one exists) Solution ID
are valid or not. If any of them are not valid, an error message will display and the
contract will not be able to be submitted. If an error is displayed during validation, you
will be forced to either remove the invalid ID or replace it with a valid one. If you decide
to remove the IDs, you may enter them later through the “Make Correction” link after
the contract has been submitted and before the contract reaches “Completed” status.
Once a submitted contract in process with a Deal ID reaches “Completed” status an
email with the contract number, Deal ID and Solution ID (if one exists) will be sent to a
preconfigured email address. (The Configuration of this Email ID is done by the Contract
Online Administrator using the “Customize Application -> Customize System
Parameter” link).
40
15. In the Contracting role section, fill in the ID(s) of the involved contracting parties
(organisations) based on the selected document flow. Use the “search” link to
search/validate the ID for your contracting party. When this link is clicked, a
popup window appears to allow you to search for the ID of your contracting
party. Set the search criteria and click the Submit button of the popup window
and if there is a match, a list will be shown to let you validate and select an
organisation ID. If JavaScript is enabled in your browser, click on the link under
Organisation ID and it will be copied to the ID field in the submission form. If
JavaScript is not enabled in the browser, copy Organisation ID from the popup
into ID field in the Submission form. Submitter's organisation will be one of the
contracting parties and ID field for them will be pre-populated. A screenshot of
this popup window is shown below along with the submission screen shot. If you
have previously checked the box for changing organisation roles, the ID fields
will appear as a drop down box to allow you authorize organisations for roles
different than the default.
16. In the Configure notification section, select which contracting party/organisation
should receive the emails of “Contract in process” and “Active contract”
imminent expiration emails, expiration notification emails and termination emails.
If you uncheck the check box for a particular notification for an organisation, then
the organisation users will not receive the corresponding emails.
17. In the Contract documents section, upload the contract document that needs to be
signed and select “Primary” as its document class. Use the Browse button to
locate the document on your computer. Currently the system supports upto 40
documents and one of them has to be the primary contract document viewable to
all parties. Upload additional contract supporting documents, if applicable, and
select “Secondary” as their document classes. Upload any marketing material, if
applicable, and select “Tertiary” as its document class. By default the form will
provide the option to upload 6 documents. But, if you want to upload more
documents just select the Check here for uploading more documents check
box.
18. In the Document access section, the default document access is chosen for a
contracting party by having a check in the box under that organisation ID. A
check in the box under an organisation ID means you allow document view
access to that organisation. You could add or remove the document access by
checking or leaving blank the check box under its organisation ID. An
organisation can view the document only if it is granted access by you the
contract submitter. The submitter’s organisation will by default have access to all
the documents uploaded at the time of submission.
19. If you have previously checked to upload more documents, the document upload
form will appear next, otherwise goto next step. (The upload more document page
will provide option to upload 6 documents per page. If you want to upload more
documents, select the “Check here for uploading more documents”, then select
the Process radio button and click on the Submit button.)
20. After uploading the document, if you want to save the contract, select the Save as
a draft radio button and click on the Submit button. The “My task List” page is
displayed with a success message “The Contract saved successfully” and the
saved contract in the top of the list.
[Or]
After uploading the document, if you want to continue with the next page select
Process radio button and click on the Submit button to continue with the next
41
page of the submission form or click the Cancel button to cancel the submission.
To correct any previously entered fields; click the Back button at the bottom of
this submission form to go back to the previous page.
[Or]
After uploading the document(s), if you want to upload additional documents,
select the “Check here for uploading more documents”, then select the Process
radio button and click on the Submit button or click the Cancel button to cancel
the submission. To correct any previously entered fields; click the Back button at
the bottom of this submission form to go back to the previous page.
21. If you had selected to configure users, the configure step actors form will appear
next. Otherwise go to next step.
After selecting the users, if you want to save the contract, select the Save as a
draft radio button and click on the Submit button. The “My task List” page is
displayed with a success message “The Contract saved successfully” and the
saved contract in the top of the list.
[Or]
After selecting the users, if you want to Submit the contract, select Process radio
button and click on the Submit button to continue with the next page of the
submission form or click the Cancel button to cancel the submission. To correct
any previously entered fields; click the Back button at the bottom of this
submission form to go back to the previous page.
22. The “Transaction details” page of the contract will appear and if there is no
internal review process required by other authorized users, you will be prompted
to go ahead and approve the contract.
The following screen shot shows a Submit contract form and the meaning of the data
fields.
Contract/Proposal number:IBM specified unique contract identifier.
Transaction Description:A brief description of what this contract is about.
Contract Type:Class of contract.
Contract selection:The contract selection describes if the contract is New, Merge, or
Renewal
Parent Contract Number:If this contract is an amendment or addendum to another
contract then this field contains the identifier of that contract if applicable.
Parent contract source:Source is the 3 character acronym of the system in which the
parent transaction was originally created in. All transactions manually created in COL
will be identified with the source of COL. All other transactions that are imported from
other applications will display the 3 character acronym assigned to those applications in
COL as their source. Because it is possible that multiple transactions have the same
proposal/transactions number, the value provided in the Source will hep provide for
transaction uniquenss.
Customer number:The IBM number used to identify a customer organisation at a
particular location (lowest level). For COL, try to use the 'sold to' customer number
whenever possible. This customer number equals the main customer number in ISAT.
Geography of country/system code:The geography to which the country/system code
belongs to.
42
Country/system code:This is the system in which the customer master record was
originally created in. This code is needed when validating a customer number.
Customer organisation ID:This field is used to enter the oraganization id for the given
customer number.
Language/locale of contract:Country and language which will have jurisdiction over the
contract. This is not necessarily the language of the contract but will be the language that
the watermark/signature file will be applied. This will also be the language that system
generated notifications will be in.
Request Changes:An option to allow the customer to request changes to this contract.
Valid Through Date:The contract needs to be executed by this date before the system
expires it.
Integrated support:The integrated support "Yes" describes the offering as having HW
and SW services
Contract Value:Monetary value of this contract.
Schedule value: The schedule value is charges from a schedule presented to the customer,
could be the first year charge or total prepay charge. This value will only be viewable to
IBM and the Distributor or Tier 1 business partner (SP1).
Other value:Value other than reference listed price of total contract value
Other value 2: Another value other than reference listed price of total contract value.
Contract term:The length of time that a contract is for, example 3 year, 5 year
Contract start date:The effective date of the executed/completed contract.
Contract end date:End date of the executed/completed contract.
Auto renew: The auto renew option is a yes or no indicaor, when no is selected the
Contract end date must be entered. When yes is selected the contract end date is blank.
Annual review:The identifier that will trigger an email to be sent to the submitter of the
transaction when it is up for an annual review.
Contract comments (internal): Any information specific to the contract. (This field is
viewable only to IBM and its direct partners.)
Attachment number:The contract agreement that attaches to the base contract
Agreement number:The base contract
Agreement source:Source is the 3 character acronym of the system in which the
respective agreement transaction was originally created in. All transactions manually
created in COL will be identified with the source of COL. All other transactions that are
imported from other applications will display the 3 character acronym assigned to those
applications in COL as their source. Because it is possible that multiple transactions have
the same proposal/transactions number, the value provided in the Source will hep provide
for transaction uniquenss.
Special bid approval no.:The special bid approved pricing number, (price release letter
approved).
Modified terms & conditions:The modified T&C is a yes or no, Yes meaning the contract
T&C's were modified (changes to the T&C's)
Tier 2 agreement no:Agreement Number of BPA between IBM and T2 Business Partner
Provider value:Monetary value of this contract intended for Provider of the contract only,
not for customer.
Currency:Currency of this contract.
Geography of contract:The geography the country belongs to.
Country of contract:The country the contract is for.
Time zone of contract:This is the time zone that the contract is for. If a contract is for an
area covered by multiple time zones, then the most western time zone should be used.
43
Contracts usually complete/expire at midnight and this value will be used by the system
to change the status of contracts as they move along their lifecycle. It is also used to
determine the date and time recorded in the watermark/signature file and various log files
that are generated for a transaction. The time zone value will not account for changes
between Daylight Savings time and Standard time for any of the time zones. Time for all
time zones is always Standard time.
Allow access across IBM (optional):If the user is able to share a contract with other
organisations, this option will be displayed. Using this options, a contract can be granted
read only access to other IBM organisations. If 'Yes' is selected this contract will be
visible to users with access level 1, from related organisations.
Fee base:Transaction closed by IBM and BP is paid a fee for lead based on contract
value
Remarketed:Transaction closed by BP who purchased service from IBM at a discounted
price
Distributor reference:Used by Business Partners to identify their distributors.
RFP/RFQ number:If this contract resulted from a RFP/RFQ then this field contains the
identifier of that RFP/RFQ.
Quote number:If this contract resulted from a quote then this field contains the identifier
of the quote letter if applicable.
PO number:Identifier of a purchase order related to this contract. It is a customer specific
purchase order number.
Customer Reference:This field contains information/data to help customer identify this
contract.
Opportunity Number:This is an identifier to be used by every contracting party to tie all
the related contracts across different brands (providers) together.
Case Number:If this contract is part of a deal/case then this field contains the identifier of
that deal/case number. It is mainly used by CSO pilot.
Delivery Type:The way this contract is delivered to the client.
Industry Sector:Industry of the client.
Contract Category:Business classification of this contract.
Document Flow:Routing and execution steps of a contract.
Signature Type:Online or offline option for contract signature.
44
Figure 18: Submit Contract Page 1
45
After selecting a document flow, you could click on the “View” link to the right of the
drop down box to view the entire flow to make sure this is the intended contract flow. A
separate popup window similar to one shown below will appear showing all the possible
steps of the selected flow. After viewing the document flow close the popup window and
switch back to your submission window to continue your contract submission.
Figure 19: View document flow
Select the “Continue” option and click on the “Submit” button.
46
Figure 20: Submit contract page 2
47
The following screen shot shows a popup window for ID search/verification when the
“search” link under the Contracting organisation ID is clicked.
Figure 21: Verify organisation
If the check box for uploading more documents was checked when submitting a contract,
the document upload form will appear. You can upload additional 6 documents in the
document upload page. If you still want to upload more documents, select the Check
here for upload more documents check box, click on the Process radio button and click
on the Submit button.
Note: - You can upload up to 20 MB per page.
48
Figure 22: Upload more document page
49
If the check box for selecting users was checked when submitting a contract, the
Configure step actors form will appear with the default settings. Follow the instructions
on the form to select which step actor(s) from the list should receive email notification(s)
for the next step, i.e. what IBM party should receive notification to review the contract
and what client party should receive notification to approve the contract. If you want only
the selected actor(s) to act for the next step, click on the check box under Restrict Actors
to restrict all the other authorized actors on the list from performing the next step. To
configure more than one user, hold down the Ctrl key and continue the selection.
Configure step actors page contains an additional (optional) field; “Relationship owner”.
The name entered here does not have to be entitled in Contracts Online. Once you have
provided a relationship owner, Contracts Online will allow you to select from a list of
roles the appropriate title for this person..
Note: It is important to choose Continue radio button and click on the Submit button of
the Configuring step actors form during the contract submission process; otherwise, the
contract submission process will not be complete. If you want to get the default setting
back any time during the configuration, click on the browser refresh button and
reconfigure your selection or take the default and click on the submit button to complete
the whole contract submission process.
The screen shot below shows a sample default configuration setting for all the steps.
Figure 23: Configure next Actor page
50
Now that all steps for creating a contract are complete, the system will display a message
indicating whether it has successfully created the contract or it has encountered any
failure. The message will appear near the top of the transaction detail page as shown in
the screen shot below.
51
Figure 24: Successful contract submission
52
How do I review/approve a contract?
COL will notify you via an e-mail when a contracting party has submitted a contract for
your action. That e-mail will contain a direct URL link that will direct you to the
transaction requiring your action for the contract. You can click on the URL from your
email notification and you will be prompted for your IBM ID and password to sign in.
Then proceed to Step 6 (below).
After your first email notification informing you that a contract is waiting for your
approval, you will continue to receive two more reminders for this contract if you have
not taken any action on it.
Figure 25: Notification of a contract waiting approval
To access that contract anytime (without the e-mailed link):
1. Select “Contracts in process >All contracts” or use the “Contracts in process>Contract in process search” link to locate the contract.
2. The view will display all the contracts that have been submitted to you, with the most
recent ones listed on the top of the page.
3. Click on the link for the contract you want to review. This contact will have “NEW”
status under the Status column. This will bring you to Transaction details page similar
to the page shown below.
53
Figure 26: Detail page for newly created contract
54
4. Notice in this Transaction details page the Contract status field indicates that the
contract is now in the NEW state and it is awaiting your organisation to take action as
the organisation name indicated in the Awaiting action by field. To see where the
contract is in the whole document flow click on the link next to the Contract status
field and a popup window will appear with a flowchart of the contract life cycle. The
internal status shows the status of the current contract in a step of an internal
business process. To see the internal business process flow, click on the link next to
the internal status field and a popup window will appear with a flowchart of the
business process life cycle.
5. Click on the contract document attachment(s) on the detail page using Adobe Acrobat
Reader and read them carefully. (If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, use the
link Get acrobat reader under Additional tasks panel on the right hand side of the
page to download a free copy.) You could print a hard copy of the primary contract
document, save it or read it online. If there is any Additional contract related
supporting documents and non-contract related supporting documents are available
they are listed under the Submit button. Your approval and signature are required
only for the primary contract document.
6. If you want to add or remove a user of your organisation (who already registered with
Contracts OnLine) to view this contract, click on the Update viewer link to do so.
Once you have added someone as a viewer to this contract, you may want to click on
the Email a user link to email this user regarding your decision. You could also use
Email a user to communicate with the involving contracting parties about your
contract. To view more metadata for this contract, click on the Additional data or All
data tabs provided on the top of the Transaction detail page. Users who are removed
from the list to view this contract will no longer have access to this contract.
7. If your organisation has more than one authorized signer for this contract, you could
choose among the authorized signers who should receive email notification for the
signing of the contract after your review by clicking on the Config next step actor
link.
8. Once the contract has been reviewed to your satisfaction, choose your action from
one of the actions presented under Your possible actions by clicking on the
corresponding radio button.
9. If you’ve reviewed the contract, and wish to request changes, select “Request
changes” enter your comments in the space provided and click on the Submit button.
This will return the contract to the submitter for updating the contract and returning it
back to you for review later.
10. If you’ve reviewed the contract, and wish to reject it, select “Reject”, enter your
comments in the space provided and click on the Submit button. This will inform the
contract submitter of your decision.
11. If you’ve reviewed the contract, and are ready to sign, select the “Approve As Is”
option, then click on the Submit button.
12. If you are authorized to sign this contract, you will be prompted next to complete the
signing process after your review. Please refer to the section on How do I sign a
contract from the online help document link for more information if you have any
question regarding how to sign this contract online. However, if you are not
authorized to sign this contract COL will notify the corresponding signer that this
contract is ready for his/her signature.
55
How do I sign a contract?
If you are up to step 12 from “How do I review/approve a contract?” section in the online
help document, then you will see the “Transaction details” view of the contract with
which you are working. See the Transaction Details screen shot shown below. The
contract now has been updated to “READY TO SIGN.” Continue with step 4 below to
sign the contract.
If you receive an email notification similar to the one shown below informing you to sign
a contract, click on the URL provided in the email and this will direct you to the
transaction requiring your signature after you sign in. Continue with step 6 to sign the
contract.
Figure 27: Email notification that a contract is ready to sign
If you know you need to sign a contract but have deleted the notification email
prematurely, then logon to Contracts OnLine and locate the contract you need to sign.
1. Select “My Task List” or “Contracts in process >All contracts” or use the “Contracts
in process search” link to locate the contract. For consistency with other user guide
docs, format links as bold, italic, no quotes.
2. The view will display all the contracts that have been submitted to your organisation,
with the most recent ones listed at the top of the page.
3. Click on the link to the contract you want to sign. This contact will have a “READY
TO SIGN” status under the Status column. This will bring you to the Contract Detail
page similar to the page shown below.
4. You will be presented with the legal terms and conditions regarding your contract
below the contract document. Please read it carefully before you sign. To sign the
contract, follow the steps listed below.
5. Select “I Accept” radio button.
6. Enter your IBM ID and password (an additional measure of security).
7. Press Submit button. This will inform the involved contracting parties that you have
signed the contract.
56
Figure 28: Transaction Details
57
Note: The legal verbiage only displays to Guest Non-Providers when accepting and
signing a contract. All other users will not see this message.
Once the Submit button is pressed, COL will prompt the user with a final chance to opt
out from signing the contract as detailed in the next figure.
58
Figure 29: Second Acceptance Sign Page
Once the authorized contracting parties have countersigned and the contract is complete,
you will receive a similar email notification to the one shown below reminding you to
download and print a copy of the contract for your records.
Figure 30: Email notice that contract was countersigned
59
How do I countersign a contract?
Users that are authorized to be the counter signers for an organisation will receive an
email notification similar to the one shown below when a contract is ready to be
countersigned. Authorized counter signers are configured by the administrative users.
Figure 31: Email notification for countersign
1. Click on the link provided in the email to sign into Contracts OnLine and be
shown the contract that needs to be countersigned.
2. Review contract details.
3. Make sure the attached contract document is the correct one. If it is not, select the
action WITHDRAW under Your possible actions section. Provide the
comments in the box next to the actions.
4. Select COUNTERSIGN from the possible actions if everything in the contract is
correct.
5. Enter your IBM ID and password as an additional measure of security.
6. Click on Submit button when done.
The following shows you countersign a contract online by selecting "Countersign" action
and entering your valid IBM ID and password.
60
Figure 32: Countersigning a contract
61
Like the signing user, the countersigning user is also prompted with a final chance to opt
out from countersigning the contract as detailed in the next figure.
Figure 33: Second Acceptance Countersign Page
Once the contract is completed (after the last required party has signed the contract), then
the primary contract document will have a watermark automatically added to it. A
“TransactionHistory.pdf” file containing the transaction execution history will also be
automatically generated by the system. The date and time recorded in the Execution
History Log will be based on the current date and standard time of the contract's time
zone. COL does not account for time changes between Daylight Savings and Standard
times for any of the time zones. An Email History.pdf file containing the email history
will also be automatically generated by the system. If the watermark cannot be added to
the primary contract document for any reason (such as a contract in non-PDF format)
then a file called “signaturePage.pdf” containing all contract primary document names
and electronic signatures captured for this transaction will be generated instead. Note
that the “TransactionHistory.pdf” file generated contains the same content as shown in a
popup window when the “Execution history” link is clicked for that transaction.
The following shows a sample screen shot of a watermarked page from a completed
contract. A “Final Copy” mark has been added to the contract document along with the
signer names, their organisations, and the timestamps when they signed this contract
electronically.
62
Figure 34: Example of a finalized contract with watermark
When a watermark cannot be added to the completed contract, a signature page
(signaturePage.pdf) with all signatures information will be generated instead. The
following shows a screen shot of a sample signature page of a contract between two
parties ACME and IBM. The time and the information of the persons signed this
transaction electronically were recorded.
63
Figure 35: signaturePage.pdf for a finalized contract
Note: Once the contract is complete, the final version of the contract along with the
transaction history can be printed out for record keeping. The transaction/execution
history shows the names of the signer, the counter signer, the outcome of their actions
(“SIGNED/COUNTERSIGNED”) and the Date/Timestamp of their actions.
How do I validate a contract?
You will receive an email notification informing you that the contract has been signed by
the authorized contracting party. You now need to validate all the necessary requirements
for the contract, or you can withdraw the contract before it is countersigned by IBM.
When you receive the email notification, click on the URL provided in the email. After
signing in to COL, the contract detail view will be displayed. See a sample screen shot
below. Continue with step 2 to validate the contract.
To validate the contract:
1. If you do not have the email available, sign into Contracts OnLine, follow the link
My task list to see a list of contracts and locate the one you want to validate.
Alternatively, follow the link Contracts in process >Contracts in process search
to search for contracts with “SIGNED” status and locate the contract you want to
validate or withdraw. Click on the link for that contract to view the contract
details page.
2. Validate the check list for this contract, if a checklist exists, and select Validate if
the contract is ready to countersign.
64
3. If the contract becomes unacceptable for any reason, select Withdraw to
withdraw the contract.
4. Provide any optional comments.
5. Click on Submit button.
The following screen shot shows the page where you can validate or withdraw the
contract before it is released for further processing.
65
Figure 36: Validate or Withdraw a Signed Contract
66
What is a completed/executed contract?
Once the contract has been signed by the required contracting parties, all involved users
will receive an email notification similar to the one shown below to confirm the fully
executed contract has been put in place. The contract provider may choose to add a
watermark to the executed contract. Contracts OnLine puts the executed contract in the
“Active contracts” module where it will stay until the contract expires. If the start date of
the signed contract has passed then the contract immediately becomes ACTIVE,
otherwise, the contract stays in a PENDING status.
All involved contracting parties can always download or print a copy of this contract
document for their own record keeping.
Figure 37: Notification for Fully executed contract
67
How do I make corrections to a contract?
1. Follow the link Contract in process>All contracts to see a list of all the current
contracts in process or through My task list link or Contract in process search to
locate the contract you would like to modify.
2. From the list of contracts shown click on the link under Transaction description
to open the detail page of the contract you need to modify.
3. Click on the link Make correction on the right hand side of the transaction detail
page under the Additional tasks panel to open the contract for edit.
4. Make any necessary modifications to the meta data fields.
5. Click the Submit button when done.
This shows where to click Make Correction on the Transaction details page.
This function allows modifications or updates to most transaction meta data specified in
the "Contract data" section of submission form (except for contract document type) and
the electronic signature type. The document flow and organisation IDs cannot be
modified as they will create problems when changed midstream of the execution. Users
from contract submitting organisations or host provider organisations can use this
function to modify transaction meta data. Correction can be done any time after contract
submission and before the contract reaches one of its ending states (e.g. COMPLETED,
EXPIRED, CANCELED, REJECTED).
Please note that for transactions involving a customer party in the document flow, the
field customer number, country/system code, customer organisation ID will be disabled
thus cannot be modified after submission. These fields will be editable if the document
flow selected does not involve any customer organisation.
Note: Contract document cannot be changed using make correction link. To do, refer to
"How do I respond to a REPLIED or DENIED contract?"
68
Figure 38: Link to make a contract correction
69
Figure 39: Modify contract form
70
How do I respond to a REPLIED or DENIED contract?
When a contract is submitted with the Change Request Allowed option set to “Yes,”
Contracts OnLine gives you the option to request changes when they are presented with a
contract for approval. When this happens, the contract will be returned to the involving
contracting party with a REPLIED status and an email notification similar to one below
will be sent to the contract submitter.
When a contract is denied during an organisation internal review, the contract will be
returned to the submitter or to the reviewer (if the reviewer is authorized to upload a new
version of the contract) with a DENIED status. Also, an email will be sent to notify the
contract submitter or the reviewer to update the contract.
Figure 40: Notification email requesting the actor to update contract documents
The submitter/reviewer then has the option to either Update or Withdraw the contract
after it has been REPLIED or DENIED. In either case, enter a comment indicating the
reason for the change request or for denying the contract. You can view comments via
the Execution history link on the returned contract.
To process the returned contract:
1. Click on the link provided in the email. After signing in to Contracts OnLine, you
will be shown the contract that needs to be updated. If you are already signed in
to Contracts OnLine, search for contracts whose status is “REPLIED” or
“DENIED” and select the contract that you want to update.
2. Click on the link Execution history to see if the request has been captured in the
Comments column.
3. Select Withdraw to end the contract, or select Update to upload a new version of
the contract.
4. Provide any optional comments.
5. Click on the Submit button to continue the contract updating process.
The following screen shot shows how you can Update/Withdraw a returned contract.
71
Figure 41: Contract ready for update or withdraw
72
Click on Execution history to review the Comments column to determine the reason for
requesting the change or denial.
Once you choose to update the contract, the Update contract form is recalled as shown
below, pre-populated with the values previously entered.
In the Contract data section, change the information as necessary.
In the Contract routing section, choose to have this contract signed electronically or
offline by selecting the options in the Signature type drop down box. The check box
under Configure user is currently disabled and the actor(s) that were configured at the
contract submission time will continue to receive email notification for the next step.
In the Contract documents section, decide which document to replace, retain or delete.
To replace a document, perform these steps:
Select “Replace” from the drop down box next to the document
Use the Browse button to locate the replacement document on your computer
In the Document description field, fill in a short description for the new
document
In the drop down box under the Document class indicate whether this document
is Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary
Decide which contracting parties need to have view access to this new document
by checking the boxes below their IDs in the Document access column
To retain or delete a document select the “Retain” or “Delete” option from the drop down
box next the document. At least one document has to be the primary contract document;
the upload form will provide the option to upload more documents in the section right
below the current list of documents.
Click on the Submit button when done. Once submitted, the updated contract will follow
the same contract cycle flow through the review/approval process again.
The following is a list of the data fields on the Update contract form. A screen shot of an
Update contract form is displayed below.
Customer name/Supplier name: Names of the party involved in this contract
Parent contract number: If the contract being created is a renewal or amendment or
addendum to another contract then this field is to store the identifier of that other
contract.
Parent contract source: Source ID of the system in which the parent contract was
created. The Source is used with the Parent contract number to uniquely identify the
parent contract in COLCompany number: The IBM number used to identify a customer
at a company level such as a division or subsidiary at a country level.
Enterprise number: The IBM number used to identify a customer at a enterprise level.
For many countries in Europe, the Company number is used in place of the Enterprise
number.
Contract/Proposal number: IBM specified unique contract identifier.
Source: Source is the 3 character acronym of the system in which a transaction was
originally created in. All transactions manually created in COL will be identified with
the source of COL. All other transactions that are imported from other applications will
display the 3 character acronym assigned to those applications in COL as their source.
73
Because it is possible that multiple transactions have the same proposal/transactions
number, the value provided in the Source will help provide for transaction uniqueness.
Transaction description: A brief description of what this contract is about.
Contract type: Class of a contract
Contract selection: The contract selection describes if the contract is New, Merge, or
Renewal.
Sales channel (Non editable): The Sales channel is the channel of the user opening the
COL record.
Integrated support: The integrated support "Yes" describes the offering as having HW
and SW services
Contract svc elements: Enter in this field the 15 digit offering names listed on the
contract.
Contract value: Monetary value of this contract
Schedule value: The schedule value is charges from a schedule presented to the customer,
could be the first year charge or total prepay charge. This value will only be viewable to
IBM and the Distributor or Tier 1 business partner (SP1).
Other value: Value other than reference listed price of total contract value
.Other value 2: Another value other than reference listed price of total contract value.
Customer reference: This field contains information/data to help customer identify this
contract.
Customer reference: This field contains information/data to help customer identify this
contract.
PO number: Identifier of a purchase order related to this contract. It is a customer specific
purchase order number.
Representative Name: Generic field in which can be used to specifically identify a type of
representative and his/her name.
Contract Rep. name: Name of the sale rep that submitted this contract. The email link
under the rep name allows the user to send an email to the rep.
Awaiting action by: Next organisation this contract is waiting for action. In this screen
shot above, the contract is waiting for the authorized user from ‘IBM Host Provider’
to review the contract and take one of three possible action listed.
Contract status: Current state of a contract. To see where the contract is in its entire life
cycle, click on the link for the contract status.
Internal status: Current internal business state of a contract. To see where the contract is
in its internal business process, click on the internal status link. This would be present for
the contracts whose organisation has the Internal business process attached.
Valid through date: Deadline to execute this contract before the system expires it.
Submission date: Date this contract was submitted.
Last action date: Date the last action was taken on this contract.
Contract Start date: The effective date of the executed/completed contract.
Contract End date: End date of the executed/completed contract.
Auto-renew: Indicates if the contract will be auto-renewable after the contract period
expires.
Annual review: The identifier that will trigger an email to be sent to the submitter of the
transaction when it is up for an annual review.
Contract Term: The length of time that a contract is for in months.
Attachment number: The contract agreement that attaches to the base contract
Contract comments: Any information specific to the comment.
74
Agreement number: This is the identifier of the base contract that covers the basic terms
and conditions of the contract relationship, if applicable.
Agreement source: Source ID of the master contract number specified above. (This is
used to uniquely identify the master contract your transaction refers to.)
Special bid approval no: The special bid approved pricing number, (price release letter
approved).
Modified terms & conditions: The modified T&C is a yes or no, Yes meaning the
contract T&C's were modified (changes to the T&C's)
Tier 2 agreement no: Agreement Number of BPA between IBM and T2 Business Partner.
This field is only available to certain organisations.
Fee Base: Transaction closed by IBM and BP is paid a fee for lead based on contract
value. This field is only available to certain organisations.
Remarketed: Transaction closed by BP who purchased service from IBM at a discounted
price. This field is only available to certain organisations.
RFP/RFQ number: If this contract resulted from a RFP/RFQ then this field contains the
identifier of that RFP/RFQ.
Quote letter number: If this contract resulted from a quote then this field contains the
identifier of the quote letter.
Case number: If this contract is part of a deal/case then this field contains the identifier of
that deal/case number.
CWM number: CSO Workflow Management record number. This field is hidden in the
submission form.
CF Assigned user: The Customer Fulfillment representative who has been assigned to
resolve any issues with a transaction as identified by Maintenance Validator. This field is
hidden in the submission form.
Distributor reference: Used by Business Partners to identify their distributors.
Delivery type: The way this contract is delivered to the client.
Industry sector: Industry to which the client belongs.
Contract category: Business class of this contract
Country (Geography): Country where the client resides (region of the client).
Document flow: Routing and execution steps of a contract.
Signature type: Online or offline option for contract signature.
75
Figure 42: Update Contract
76
How do I read a contract document flow?
To understand where a contract is in its life cycle, either
Click on the View link next to the Document flow in the Contract routing section
of a Submit contract form, or
Click on the link for the contract status on the contract detail page to open a
graphic view of a document flow.
The screen shot below shows the “One-way with IBM Signature Contract Process”
document flow. The color codes indicate the organisation that owns the step in the flow.
For example, the green steps belong to the supplier (IBM) and the pink steps belong to
the customer.
Each step in the flow is shown with a status and the organisation that owns that step. The
first step in the process has a status of SUBMITTED and it is owned by the supplier
indicated by (S).
All the possible actions for a step are listed below the step and the result of each action
will lead the contract into a next step of the flow.
If the flow has been pre-configured with step actors then the authorized users for a step
can be viewed by clicking on the link next to the Role.
Note: Guest Non Provider (GNP) will not be able to view roles at steps not owned by
their organisation even though the roles may have been configured.
The bold blue down arrow symbol in the document flow view shows where the contract
currently is in its contract life cycle.
77
Figure 43: Transaction details page
78
Figure 44: Document flow for One-way with IBM Signature Contract Process
The following screen shot show the actor configured for the Signer role for the Ready To
Sign step.
Figure 45: User details for the actor in the Signer role
79
How do I add/remove a viewer to my contract?
1. Follow the link Contract in process > All contracts to see a list of all the current
contracts in process.
2. From the list of contracts shown select the contract under Contract number for
the contract you want to add or remove a viewer(s).
3. On the right in the Additional Tasks box, click the Update viewer link. Select the
user(s) you want to add/remove as viewer(s) for this contract by clicking on the
check box next to the user name.
4. Click on the Submit button when done.
Figure 46: Add Viewer
Figure 47: Show/Remove Viewer
80
How do I copy a similar contract to a new one?
For convenience, you can copy a similar contract to a new one rather than retyping some
of the input fields. This function is called “Copy into new contract.” You must assign a
different contract number, and upload a new contract document. It is then ready to be
submitted to the other contracting party, if applicable.
In the negotiation module, you can copy an existing transaction into either the Contracts
in negotiation module or the Contracts in process module. This is because when a
transaction from the negotiation module has finally reached the end of a negotiation, you
may want to create a clean version and submit it to the other party to sign in the Contracts
in process module. The following section describes how to use the “Copy into new
contract” function for the Contracts in process module. For more detail on how to submit
a contract please refer to the online help document on How do I submit a contract?
Note: From Active contracts and Archive contracts module, you can copy the current
contract Meta data to a new submission form in Contracts in process module, which
facilitate the submission of a renewal contract. User needs to have authorization to submit
a contract.
1. From the left navigation bar, follow the links Contracts in process > All contracts to
see a list of contracts and locate the one you would like to copy from, or use the
Contracts in process > Contract in process search link to locate a specific contract.
2. Click the link for the contract under Transaction description to open up the detail
page of the contract you would like to copy from.
3. On the right hand side of the transaction detail page in the Additional tasks panel,
click on the link Copy into new contract.
4. The contract submission form will be populated with the same metadata as the
contract you copied from.
5. Please continue this process with step 3 in How do I submit a contract?
81
Figure 48: Link to copy contract
82
How do I view related contracts?
A group of contracts can be related if they have the same parent contract number which
can be included at the contract submission time or added later through the Make
correction function.
To view a group of related contracts, follow these steps:
1. Follow the link Contract in process > All contracts to see a list of all the current
contracts in process. Click to open one of the contracts in the group you want to
view. The detail view of the contract looks similar to the screen shot below.
2. On the right hand side navigation bar under the Additional tasks, click on the
link Related contracts to see a group of related contracts.
83
Figure 49: Related contract link on a contract detail form
84
Figure 50: Related contracts
85
How do I view a list of purchase orders for a contract?
If purchase orders have been created for a certain contract, on the contract detail page,
select All related POs on the right navigation bar under Additional tasks, and a list of
related purchase orders will be shown.
This function is available for Contracts in process and Active contracts modules only.
The PO module needs to be configured for your organisation.
To locate the contract follow these steps:
1. Follow the link Contract in process > All contracts to see a list of all the current
contracts in process.
2. Click on the link for the contract you want to open under the Transaction
description column. The next screen shot shows a contract detail page.
3. Click on the link All related POs on the right navigation bar and a list of related
POs will be shown similar to the screen below.
Figure 51: Related contract link on a contract detail form
86
Figure 52: All related POs
How do I configure next step actor?
The Config next step actor has two different purposes:
1. To eliminate email notification to be sent to all the authorized step actors of
the next step.
2. To restrict the action to only be taken by a specific authorized step actor(s)
for the next step.
In order to achieve this, the contract submitter or the actor of each step in the contract
cycle could configure this function by clicking on the Config next step actor link in the
Additional tasks panel on the right side of the contract detail page after the contract is
submitted, or check the box under Configure user of the Submit contract form during
the contract submission process.
To configure the step actor for next step:
1. From the left navigation bar, follow the links Contracts in process> All
contracts to see a list of contracts or use the Contracts in process > Contract
in process search link to locate the contract for which you would like to
configure next step actor. Click the link for that contract under “Transaction
description” column to open up the “Transaction details” page view of the
contract. Click on the Config next step actor link in the Additional tasks
panel on the right side of the contract details page to open the configure user
form. If the contract is being created, check the box for configure user to be
87
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
prompted later with the configure user form. A screen shot of a configure user
form is shown below.
If you wish to provide the details of the contract representative for the given
contract then, you may choose to provide the name and select the
representative role accordingly. Both representative name and role are
optional.
Select the step name you want to configure by checking the check box below
the step name column. Only if you selected the step names the configuration
will be saved. The “Action” column shows the action to be performed for the
selected step and the “Organisation” column shows the contracting party that
owns that step. If the step was not selected, configuration changes for that step
will not take effect.
From the authorized actors list shown in the “Actors” column, select the
actors to receive the email notification for the selected step by clicking on
their actor names. To select more than one actor hold down the Ctrl key while
clicking on the actor names from the list. If you want to revert your selection
back to the default setting, click on the Cancel button.
Click on the box under the “Restrict Actors” if you want the selected
user(s) to be the only actor(s) to perform the action for the step and not any
other authorized actors from the list.
If you want to save the default role actor configurations for yourself, check the
“Save this step actor list as default step actor list” check box. (This list will
become the new “Default step actor list” for that Document floworganisation combination for only that user saving it. This new default list
will be available only if the same user submits a contract using for the same
document flow and organisation combination).
Click on the Submit button when done.
The following screen shot shows an example of how to configure the users for different
actions on a two-party contract.
88
Figure 53: Configure next actor page
89
How do I view the email History of a contract?
Contracts Online captures the email history of all emails generated during the
“Contract in process” flows. These include system generated emails as a contract
progresses through a workflow or from “Rollback requests” and “Change document
class” requests as well as those generated using “Email a user” function. These are all
recorded in a tabular format with the following details:
Step of the workflow in which the email was generated,
Subject of the email,
Sender’s email address,
To: recipients of the email,
Cc: recipients of the email,
Date and time at which the email was sent,
o Email/Remarks
o
o
o
o
o
o
These details will be displayed in a chronological order per the steps of document flow.
Any user who can view the transaction details page can view the Email history
link. The Email history link will be shown on the right hand side of the Additional tasks
panel of the Transaction details view page of a transaction, only if the contract is not in
COMPLETED state.
If the contract is in “COMPLETED” state, then the “Email history” link under
“Additional Tasks” section will be deactivated and the “EmailHistory.PDF” link under
“Other documents” section in the transaction details page will be activated instead.
The following steps show how to view the email history of a contract using the “Email
History” link.
1. Follow the link Contract in process > All contracts to see a list of all the current
contracts in process
2. Click on the second link from the left under Transaction description header for
the contract you would like to view the access history.
3. Once the Transaction details view of the contract appears, click on the link Email
history on the right hand side of the Additional tasks panel of the Transaction
details page.
90
Figure 54: Transaction details page with email history link
4. A popup window appears with the email history of this contract.
91
Figure 55: Email History Page
The following steps show how to view the email history of a test contract using the
“EmailHistory.PDF” link under “Other documents” section for a contract in
“COMPLETED” state.
1. Follow the link Contract in process > All contracts to see a list of all the current
contracts in process
2. Click on the second link from the left under Transaction description header for
the contract whose state is“Completed”.
3. Once in the Transaction details view of the contract, click on the link
EmailHistory.PDF” link under “Other documents” section of the Transaction
details page.
Figure 56: Transaction details page with emailHistory.pdf
4. The PDF file is opened in a new window with the email history of this contract.
92
Figure 57: EmailHistory.pdf file
How do I view the document history of a contract?
Contracts OnLine captures the history of the documents in a transaction throughout the
contract cycle. Anytime a document is uploaded into the contract, the document history
records the document version, name, description, class, submitter and the timestamp. At
submission time the primary contract document is uploaded and starts with version
number one. The version is updated if the document is replaced when there is a request
for changes for the contract. Other contract related documents or contract supporting
documents can also be uploaded along with the primary contract document. They will be
recorded in the document history as well.
The document history link can be accessed through the Document history link on the
right hand side of the Additional tasks panel of the Transaction detail view page of a
transaction. The following steps show how to access the document history of a test
contract QW0856BR.
1. Follow the link Contract in process > All contracts to see a list of all the current
contracts in process
2. Click on the second link from the left under Transaction description header for
the contract you would like to see the document history.
3. Once in the Transaction detail view of the contract, click on the link Document
history on the right hand side of the Additional tasks panel of the Transaction
detail page.
4. A popup window appears with the document history of this contract.
The following screen shot shows the transaction detail page
93
Figure 58: Link to access the document history of a contract
The following screen shot shows the document history. There are three documents
uploaded at submission time. The contract has been updated and, hence, the second
versions of the documents were uploaded and when the contract was completed, the
watermarked version (version 2 in this example) for the contract document was created.
For completeness, all the supporting documents are kept in all versions.
Figure 59: Sample document history of a contract
94
How do I view the execution history of a contract?
Contracts OnLine captures the history of a transaction throughout its execution cycle. At
each state of a transaction cycle, it records the name of the user, the actions taken, the
user organisations, the timestamps of the actions taken and the user comments. The
execution history of a transaction can be accessed through the Execution history link on
the right hand side of the Additional tasks panel of the Transaction detail view page of a
transaction. The following steps show how to access the execution history of a contract
QW0856BR.
1. Follow the link Contract in process > All contracts to see a list of all the current
contracts in process
2. Click on the second link from the left under Transaction description header for
the contract you would like to see the execution history.
3. Once in the Transaction detail view of the contract, click on the link Execution
history on the right hand side of the Additional tasks panel of the Transaction
detail page.
4. A popup window appears with the execution history of this contract.
Figure 60: Sample execution history of a contract
The date and time recorded in the Execution History Log will be based on the current
date and standard time of the contract's time zone. COL does not account for time
changes between Daylight Savings and Standard times for any of the time zones.
The table below shows the definitions of the end states in the execution history.
ACTIVE
ACCEPTED
ARCHIVED
CANCELED
CHANGE
REQUESTED
COMPLETED
Contract is currently in effect.
Contract/PO has been accepted by the contracting party.
Contract has been archived.
Contract/PO has been withdrawn by a contracting party.
Contract has been requested for changes.
Contract/PO process has been executed.
95
COUNTERSIGNED
DENIED
EXPIRED
NEW
PENDING
PKG
CONSTRUCTED
PKG
REVISED
READY TO SIGN
RECEIVED
REJECTED
REGISTERED
REPLACED
REPLIED
REVIEWED
REVISION
REQUESTED
REWORK
REQUESTED
SIGNED
SUBMITTED
TERMINATED
UPDATE
REQUESTED
VALIDATED
Contract has been countersigned by a contracting party.
Contract/PO has been denied by the internal review process.
For the contracts in process, the system expires the contract when the
valid through date has passed and the contract becomes expired.
For the executed contract, the system expires the contract when the
end date has passed and the contract becomes expired.
Contract has been reviewed/approved and to be released to the client.
If the contract is executed but it has not become effective yet because
the start date is in the future.
Contract package has been signed and prepared for validation.
Contract package has gone through a revision request.
Contract has been approved and is waiting for signature.
PO has been approved and is waiting for the related contract to be
executed or completed.
Contract has been rejected by a contracting party and it is the end
(final step) of a contract.
Signed offline contract has been uploaded, validated and registered
with the Contract OnLine.
Contract has been replaced.
Contract/PO has been has requested for changes.
Contract has been reviewed.
Contract package has gone through exception handling and needs to
be revised.
Contract package has been rejected and needs to be reworked.
Contract has been signed by a contracting party.
Contract/PO has been submitted to the system and is waiting for
review.
Contract has been terminated.
Solution provider requests changes to the contract to the distributor
Contract has completed the validating process.
Following statuses are specific for maintenance and services transactions in the United
States as they flow between Contracts OnLine and Maintenance validator.
Pended 0 = Pkg Sent
Pended 5 = Pkg
Rcvd
Pended 6 = Rework
CF
Pended 7 = Rework
Resolved
Pended 8 = Rework
Sales
Pended 14 =
Registered
Pended 15 =
Registered Fee
Contract package has been sent to the next authorized person(s).
Contract package has been received by the next authorized person(s).
Contract package has been reworked by Customer Fulfillment.
Rework by Customer Fulfillment has been completed.
Contract package has been reworked by Sales.
Contract package has been registered.
Contract Registered and Fee Payment Requested.
How do I view the access history of a contract?
Contracts OnLine captures the access history of a transaction throughout its execution
cycle. At each state of a transaction cycle, it records the time of access, the user name, the
organisation name, the transaction status and the session ID of the user. If you are
96
authorized to view the access history of a transaction, the Access history link will be
shown on the right hand side of the Additional tasks panel of the Transaction detail view
page of a transaction. The following steps show how to view the access history of a test
contract.
1. Follow the link Contract in process > All contracts to see a list of all the current
contracts in process
2. Click on the second link from the left under Transaction description header for
the contract you would like to view the access history.
3. Once in the Transaction detail view of the contract, click on the link Access
history on the right hand side of the Additional tasks panel of the Transaction
detail page.
4. A popup window appears with the access history of this contract.
Figure 61: Link to the access history of a contract
97
Figure 62: Sample access history of a contract
What if I have a question regarding my contract or how do I use the “Email
a user” function?
You can use “Email a user” feature from any contract detail page to send your contract
rep questions about your contract, or to email another COL user from your organisation
to come in to the system and view your contract. You could also use “Email a user”
function to configure user(s) on a need to know basis to automatically receive future
email notification related to this transaction.
.
1. From the left navigation bar, follow the link My Task List or Contract in process
> All contracts to see a list of all the current contracts in process or use the
Contract in process > Contract in process search link to locate your contract.
2. From the list of contracts shown, click on a link under the Transaction description
column for the contract detail page you want to view.
3. Click on the Email a user link in the right hand side Additional tasks panel of
the contract detail page.
4. Select an Email type from the drop down list to choose emailing a user or
configuring the email address of a user to automatically receive future emails for
this contract. A screen shot of the form to configure user(s) is shown along the
email a user form.
5. The “from” field is automatically filled in with your email address.
6. Select or type in the email recipients for the “To” address. Click on the Lookup
address link next to the field to see a list of email addresses. If JavaScript is
98
enabled in your browser, a separate popup window will appear with a list of users
including the contract submitter for you to select. A screen shot of this popup
window is shown along with the “Email a user” form. To select an email address
from the popup window, check one or more boxes for the users to whom you
would like to send this email. Then click on the Copy selected link at the bottom
of the popup window to have these names copied into the address field.
7. Similarly, select or type in the Cc email address if there is any.
8. The subject line can be selected with the pre-populated subject lines from the drop
down box, but it can be typed over with your own subject line in the field below
the Subject drop down box.
9. Type in your email message in the Message body panel. A pre-generated URL is
included in the email to provide the email recipient a direct access to this contract.
10. Check one or more boxes next to the document names to include the documents
as attachments in the email.
11. Click the Submit button when done.
Figure 63: Email a user function
99
A screen shot of a popup window with a list of email addresses when the Lookup
address link was clicked on.
Figure 64: Lookup function for emailing users
How do I submit a roll back request for a contract?
COL allows any user who has been configured with the “Submit rollback
requests” permission (this permission is given by an authorized user thru the “Update
individual user permission” page under “Manage User” Page) and is a participant in the
previous steps of a 'Contracts in process' transaction that is not in 'COMPLETED' state,
to submit a rollback request using the 'Rollback request' link from the right navigator of
the “Transaction details” page.
Note: the 'Rollback request' link is disabled for all users who do not have this permission
enabled.
A “Contract in process” transaction can be rolled back from the current step to
any of the previous steps. Contracts which are “COMPLETED” or “WATERMARKED”
cannot be rolled back. A contract which is in “EXPIRED” state may also be rolled back.
Follow the link to send the rollback request:
1. Follow the link Contract in process > All contracts to see a list of all the
transactions in “Contracts in process”. Click on the transaction description to
open one of the contracts for which you want to send a roll back request. The
100
“Transaction details” view of the contract looks similar to the screen shot
below.
Figure 65: Transaction Details page with Rollback request link.
2. On the right hand side navigation bar under the Additional tasks, click on the
link Rollback Request to send a rollback request for the contract.
3. The Rollback request form is displayed as below.
101
Figure 66: Rollback Request form
a. The Email Type field is by default set to ‘Rollback Request’.
b. The To address field is automatically filled with the email Id’s of the HP
facilitators of the organisation.
c. The CC address field is automatically filled with the email ID’s of the
contract submitter and the next step actors of the contract. If you want to
add more email addresses, use the lookup address link and add the users.
d. The Subject field is also pre-filled with a meaningful text followed by the
contract number.
e. The Current Step field is also pre-filled with the contract current status
and it is not editable.
f. Select one step from the Rollback to drop down box to which you want to
move the contract to. The Rollback to drop down will contain the list of
all previous step names of the document flow involved in the contract.
Steps will be displayed in the reverse order of completion starting from the
102
most recently executed step first. Select one step from the rollback to drop
down box.
g. The Message body text area field is also pre-filled with the contract
number, transaction description, contract status and the request submitter
details.
h. Enter the reason for the rollback request in the Explanation text area.
i. Click on the Submit button.
Once you click the Submit button, an email will be sent to all the selected HP facilitators
and all the users in the CC list to notify about the rollback request and the contract will be
locked (a user will not be able to take any action on the contract).
Figure 67: Email notification for the rollback request
Figure 68: A locked transaction details page
103
How do I process the received rollback request? (HP Facilitators
only)
Once the authorized user submits the rollback request for a transaction in
“Contracts in process”, an email will be sent to all the selected HP facilitators to approve
or reject the rollback request. HP Facilitator can process the rollback request through the
link provided in the email (figure3) or with the help of the “My Special Requests” tab.
All HP Facilitators and other delegated users by the HP facilitators will be provided with
a “My special requests” tab in the left hand navigation bar.
Figure 69: My Special Requests page
Follow the link to process the rollback request:
1. Click on the “My Special requests” link under the left hand navigation panel.
2. The “My Special Request” page is displayed with 4 tabs. The awaiting approval
tab is highlighted by default with the list of rollback request waiting for your
approval.
Awaiting approval: Lists all the pending rollback request awaiting approval.
Completed: Lists all the approved requests.
Rejected: Lists all the rejected requests.
All requests: Lists all the requests received by the user.
104
3.
4.
5.
6.
All the approved and rejected request will be retained by Contracts OnLine for
365 days or until the contract gets COMPLETED. (Which ever comes first.)
Select “Awaiting Approval” view
Click on the different column names to have the rollback requests sorted by the
values you would like to see.
Click on the link under the Description column to see the “Request details”
page of a particular rollback request.
The ”Request details” page is displayed with the contract number, requestor
name, requestor’s email ID, rollback to step, explanation and your possible
actions (Approve & Rollback, Reject) section as shown in the below figure
Figure 70: “Request details” page
7. Select the Approve / Reject option based on the explanation provided for the
rollback.
a. If you are satisfied with the reason for the rollback and you want to
approve it, select the ‘Approve & rollback’ option, enter your comments
and click on the “Submit” button. The Rollback details confirmation page
will be displayed as shown below.
105
Figure 71: Rollback Request Confirmation page.
b. If you want to proceed with the rollback, click on the Continue button, the
rollback request becomes approved and “My Special Request” page
displays a success message. The transaction in “Contract in process” is
rolled back to the requested step and unlocked. A notification email of the
successful rollback is sent to the rollback requestor and recipients of the
original rollback request as well as to the new current step actor if not
already included in the distribution list.
106
Figure 72: Email notification for the approved rollback request
c. If you do not want to proceed with the rollback, click on the Cancel
button and the rollback request details page is displayed again as shown in
figure 6.
8. If you are not satisfied with the reason for the rollback and you want to reject the
request, select the Reject option from the rollback request details page, provide
your comments and click on the Submit button.
a. If you want to proceed with the rejection, click on the Continue button.
Rollback of the contract is rejected and the “My Special Request” page is
displayed with a success message. The contract is not rolled back to the
requested step is also unlocked. A notification email of the rejected
rollback is sent to the request creator and the users in the original CC list.
b. If you do not want to proceed with the rollback, click on the Cancel
button and the rollback request details page is displayed again as shown in
figure 6.
9. If you want to take the action later, click on the Cancel button and the “My
Special Request” page is displayed again.
Note 1: - If you submit a rollback request for a contract which is going to expire within
30 days, Contracts OnLine will display a message - “The valid through date on this
contract is set to expire in ## days. You may cancel out and update the valid through
date in the transaction details page which may require prior authorization from
Contracts & Negotiation and/or legal. Or you may confirm to process the rollback of the
transaction using the current valid through date. Are you sure you want to process the
rollback for this transaction?” with the options to “Confirm” or “Cancel” the processing
of the rollback request.
Note 2:- If the transaction is set to expire in the target rollback to step and its current
valid through date is in the past, Contracts OnLine shall display the error message “The
valid through date is in the past. Before approving this request you must first update the
valid through date in the transaction details”.
107
Note 3:- For contracts using the parent/child workflows where dependencies exist,
rollbacks can only be done up to the step after the first step in the rollback process that
contains a dependency. (i.e. if the contract is in step 7 and steps 2, 4 and 9 contains
dependencies, then rollback can only be done to step 5.)
How do I change the document class?
Contracts OnLine allows for the document class to be changed after the contract
is submitted. The document class change will not be possible after the signature has been
applied to the transaction in “Contracts in process”. The contract or document submitter
or the HP facilitators have the authority to change the document class.
Note:
If a signature has been applied, then a document class is still possible by first
doing a rollback.
If the document is not viewable by the submitter or HP Facilitator, then the
document owner (belong to party other than contract submitter) will need to change the
document class of his/her document.
Follow the steps to change the document class:
1. Follow the link Contract in process > All contracts to see a list of all the
transactions in “Contracts in process”. Click on transaction description to open
one of the contracts for which you want to change the document class. The
“Transaction details” view of the contract looks similar to the screen shot
below.
2. On the right hand side navigation bar under the Additional tasks, click on the
link Change doc. class to change the document class.
Figure 73: Transaction details page with change doc. Class link
108
3. The document class change form is displayed with the list of documents, which
are accessible to the user.
Figure 74: Document class change page
4. Select the documents whose class you want to change and select the new
document class using the drop down box.
a. Click on the “Submit” button once you are completed changing the
document classes. A success message is displayed in the transaction
details page, the document class is changed and an email notification is
sent to all the contracting parties who have acted on this contract thus far,
stating that the document class has been changed. You can change the
document class from primary to secondary/ tertiary or vice versa.
Figure 75: Document Class change email notification
109
b. If you want to cancel the document class change, click on the “Cancel”
button and the transaction details page is displayed with the document
class changes are not reflected
c. If you want to clear the changes you made, click on the “Clear” button.
Note: If the transaction has only one primary document open to all organisations and the
submitter or HP Facilitator tries to do a document class change for this primary
document, Contracts OnLine will display the following error message "At least one
document needs to be defined with the class of primary”.
If you upload 40 documents, then the entire 40 document are displayed in a
single Change doc. Class page.
How do I create a document flow with parent-child relationship
for European BP process?
1. Creating a parent contract document flow.
Creating a parent contract (a “Contracts in process” transaction) document flow,
requires a special step attribute to include in the document flow step. This special step
attribute will act as a trigger on the child contract (a transaction in “Contracts in
process”).
a. Creating a step with special attribute.
1. An Administrator and SP Manager have the authority to configure a document
flow. Follow the links Administration> Configure document flows [or]
Administration > Configure internal processes.
2. Click on the “Role/Action/Step” tab.
3. Click on the link Configure steps to create, modify or delete a step for a
document
flow
or
for
an
internal
process.
(In the case where the creation/modification/deletion is done on behalf of another
organisation through configure internal process, the organisation has to be
selected first from the drop down box).
4. To create steps, click on the link “To add a new step, click here.”
5. Enter the step name, short description and type the Primary attribute value as AC
(AC or AC1, AC2……AC9)
6. Click on the Submit button.
110
Figure 76: Configure Steps page
b. Creating a Parent document flow with special attribute step:
The creation of parent document flow is similar to the normal document flow
creation. You need to follow the same step which is defined in the create document flow
section (Refer: How do I create a document flow) but you need to include the step
which contain the special attribute AC (or AC1, AC2……AC9), in the document flow.
111
Figure 77: A Parent Document flow with special attribute step
2. Creating a child contract document flow:
You have to create an exclusive document flow for a child contract (a transaction in
“Contracts in process”). Action in the child contract will be dependent on the status of the
parent contract. In order to activate such dependencies you have to incorporate actions
with special action attributes set in the child contract document flow.
a. Creating a step with special attribute:
An action is used in document flows/internal processes to move from one step to
another.
1. An Administrator and SP Manager have the authority to configure a document
flow. Follow the links Administration> Configure document flows or
Administration> Configure internal processes.
2. Click on the “Role/Action/Step” tab at the top of the page to access all the
functions related to managing actor roles, actions, and steps. The following
shows how to configure actions.
3. Select Configure actions to create, modify or delete an action. If the
creation/modification/deletion is done on behalf of another organisation
through “Configure internal process” page, first select the organisation from
the drop down box, or type the first 5 characters of the organisation name in
the text field.
4. To create an action, select Click here at the top of the Action name list.
5. Enter the Action name, select the action type as Document Flow, type the
short description and enter the primary attribute as AP or (AP1,
AP2……AP9).
6. Click on the Submit button.
112
Figure 78: Configure actions page
b. Creating a child document flow with special attribute action:
The creation of child document flow is similar to the normal document
flow creation. You need to follow the same step which is defined in the create document
flow section (Refer: How do I create a document flow) but you need to include the action
which contain the special attribute AP or (AP1, AP2……AP9), in the document flow.
113
Figure 79: Child document flow with special attribute action
3. When using these parent and child document flows, the child contract action (action
with special attribute) can only be exercised once the corresponding action with the
special attribute in the parent contract is completed.
Figure 80: Depicts dependency established between the two flows
114
How do I upload an existing contract to Contracts OnLine?
Contracts OnLine allows you to upload a contract that has been executed offline into the
Active Contract Module. The contract then can be viewed and retrieved online just like
other contracts that have been submitted online.
1. From the left navigation bar, follow the links Active contracts > Upload existing
contract.
2. In the Contract data section, fill in all the required entries indicated by asterisk (*)
and choose the type of contract to submit. See Meaning of the data fields listed
below for field descriptions and usages.
3. In the Contract data section, fill in the field for Contract number and Transaction
description. Choose the contract type for this contract by clicking on the drop
down box of Contract type. Fill in the contract value and choose the currency. Fill
in the rest of the optional fields in the data section as much as possible for easy
searching later.
4. .Customer number, Country/system code and Customer organisation ID can be
entered when submitting a transaction under “Contracts in process”. These fields
are considered to be mandatory when a transaction involves a customer
organisation. If the does not involve a customer organisation then these three
fields may or may be mandatory, depending on the configuration of your
organisation.(Please note that these fields can be set to mandatory by selecting the
checkbox for “Customer number required for work flows without a customer
party” during organisation registration or update.)
a. If you choose to submit a transaction involving a customer organisation
(all three fields are mandatory) and while submitting the transaction you
provide both customer number and organisation ID, then Contracts Online
will validate the values you provided.
i. If you provided a customer number along with the organisation ID
and if the customer number you provided begins with “T” (a
temporary customer number), then Contracts Online will check
whether both customer number and organisation ID exist or not.
1. If both organisation ID and customer number do not match
then, an error message will be displayed requesting you to
provide the correct set of values.
2. If an existing organisation ID and customer number if
found in Contracts Online and the organisation is an
incomplete temporary organisation then an error will be
displayed to you requesting you to update the organisation
with a genuine coordinator.
3. If an organisation ID along with the desired customer
number is found in Contracts Online and the organisation is
a complete organisation (An organisation which has one or
more genuine users) then organisation’s meta-information
will be pre-populated on the second page of submission.
ii. If the customer number you provided does not begin with “T” (a
temporary customer number) along with the organisation ID, then
Contracts Online will check whether both customer number and
organisation ID exist or not.
1. If a corresponding match is found in Contracts Online then
customer number, organisation ID, Enterprise number and
115
company number will be populated on the second page of
submission accordingly.
2. If no match is found for both customer number and
organisation ID then, we will validate the Customer
number and the Country/system code provided against
IBM’s customer repository. If no results or multiple results
are found that match both the Customer number and
Country/system code then, an error message will be
displayed. In case if any of these two errors occur, you are
requested to register the organisation manually and resume
submitting the transaction. If a single exact match is found
in IBM’s customer repository, Contracts Online will fetch
its respective Meta information and populate Customer
name, Company number and Enterprise number on the
second page of transaction submission accordingly.
3. If the customer number matches but organisation ID does
not match to that of the given customer number, then an
appropriate error message will be displayed.
4. If the organisation ID matches but the customer number
provided does not match with the corresponding
organisation ID then Contracts Online shall verify the
customer number against IBM’s customer repository.
a. If it finds a match then Contracts Online shall
update the customer number for the organisation
having the corresponding organisation ID and prepopulate required information on the second page of
submission.
b. If it does not find a match then an error is displayed
informing you the same.
b. If you submit a transaction involving a customer party (all three fields are
mandatory) and while submitting the transaction you provide customer
number but do not provide one or more of the three required fields, then
Contracts Online will display an error requesting you provide the
information required.
c. If the transaction does not involve a customer organisation and your
organisation is configured to have customer number as a mandatory field,
then Contracts Online will validate the customer number you provide.
Please note that the criteria for validation and flow will depend upon
whether you opt to provide the organisation ID .Also the procedure will
be the same as in case of mandatory customer number when you select a
document flow involving a customer organisation.
d. If the transaction does not involve a customer organisation and your
organisation is configured to have customer number as an optional field
then, Contracts Online will validate the values you provided (if any).
i. If you provide a customer number beginning with “T” (a
temporary customer number) along with a organisation ID, then
Contracts Online will check whether the organisation ID exists or
not.
116
1. If no matches are found for both of them then, an error
message will displayed requesting you enter a correct set of
values
2. If an existing match is found in Contracts Online and the
organisation is an incomplete temporary organisation (Any
organisation which has a dummy coordinator as the only
user is considered as an incomplete organisation), then
organisation’s meta-information will be pre-populated on
the second page of submission.
3. If an existing match in Contracts Online and the
organisation is a complete organisation (An organisation
which has one or more genuine users) then organisation’s
meta-information will be pre-populated on the second page
of submission.
4. If the customer number is not found in both Contracts
Online or IBM’s customer repository, but an existing
organisation ID is found within Contracts Online then, an
error will be displayed informing you the same.
ii. If you provide a customer number beginning with “T” (a
temporary customer number) but do not provide an organisation
ID, then Contracts Online will check whether the customer number
exists or not.
1. If it does not find a corresponding match then Contracts
Online will auto-register the organisation as a temporary
incomplete organisation and populate the values
accordingly on the second page of submission with a
warning message.
2. If it finds a corresponding customer number then it will
display an error accordingly.
iii. If you choose to provide both customer number and organisation
ID and if the customer number you provided does not begin with
“T”, then Contracts Online will check whether the organisation ID
exists or not.
1. If a corresponding match is found then customer number,
organisation ID, Enterprise number and company number
will be populated on the second page of submission
accordingly.
2. If no match is found for both customer number and
organisation ID then, we will validate the Customer
number and the Country/system code provided against
IBM’s customer repository. If no results or multiple results
are found that match both the Customer number and
Country/system code then, an error message will be
displayed. In case if any of these two errors occur, you are
requested to register the organisation manually and resume
submitting the transaction. If a single exact match is found
in IBM’s customer repository, Contracts Online will fetch
its respective Meta information and populate Customer
name, Company number and Enterprise number on the
second page of transaction submission accordingly.
117
3. If the customer number matches but organisation ID does
not match to that of the given customer number, then an
appropriate error message will be displayed.
4. If the organisation ID matches but the customer number
provided does not match with the corresponding
organisation ID then Contracts Online shall verify the
customer number against IBM’s customer repository.
a. If it finds a match then Contracts Online shall
update the customer number for the organisation
having the corresponding organisation ID and prepopulate required information on the second page of
submission.
b. If it does not find a match then an error is displayed
informing you the same.
iv. If you choose to provide the organisation ID and do not provide
any customer number along with it then Contracts Online will
validate the organisation ID accordingly. If it does not find a match
then an error message is displayed informing you the same.
e. If the transaction does not involve a customer organisation and your
organisation is configured to have customer number as an optional field,
then you may choose not to provide customer number, country/system
code and customer organisation ID fields. If you provide the customer
number field then contracts online shall validate it accordingly. Please
note that every conditional validation criterion will remain the same as in
case of mandatory customer number.
f. If the transaction does not involve a customer organisation, your
organisation is configured to have customer number as an optional field
and you choose not to provide the customer number and the organisation
ID while submitting the contract, then contracts online will not validate
either of the three fields and allow you to continue further with contract
submission.
5. Contracts Online will allow you select an optional field “Contracts Selection”.
You can select from the following options; New, Renewal, Merge, If a selection
has been made for Renewal or Merge, COL shall require that a value be entered in
the Parent contract number field.
6. If you do add a Parent contract number or Agreement number then you must
select the respective Source(s) as well. After entering a Parent contract or
Agreement numbers, if COL finds any transaction with the same Parent contract
or Agreement numbers, upon clicking on “Find” (a link provided adjacent to the
field), a pop up screen will appear with the listing of those matching transactions
along with their Proposal numbers, their Source and descriptions. To select a
particular Proposal number and Source combination select the respective radio
button and click on copy selected which will populate the Parent contract source
on the submission page. If COL does not find any transaction with the Proposal
number, upon clicking on the “Find” link, an error message will be displayed. If
results are found, COL will display their Proposal number, source and
descriptions from which the user can make a selection.
7. Contracts Online allows you to configure a transaction under Contracts in process
for Auto-renewal. This is not a mandatory field. Contracts Online will issue a
warning message when the field is left blank while submitting the contract. If you
118
choose to auto-renew the contract and select “Yes” then, Contracts Online will
prevent you from entering a Contract end date. On the other hand if you set Autorenew to “No” and do not provide the contract end date then, Contracts Online
will issue a warning regarding the same but will allow the user to continue with
the submission. Please note that if you choose to set it for auto-renewal then you
cannot provide a Contract end date.
8. Contracts Online allows you to set a reminder for an annual review notification.
The ‘Annual review' field will allow you to enter the day, month, and the number
of years for receiving this annual review notification. This field will be empty by
default. Contracts Online will then send the submitter identified in the transaction
an annual notification on that day and month for each of the number of years
identified.
9. Contract term defines the total term for which the contract will be active. This can
be a 3 digit value indicating the total number of months for which the contract
will remain valid. This is an optional field.
10. If you belong to a HP Organisation or SP Organisation and if the country of the
contract is “United States”, then the Deal Section is displayed with two fields;
Deal ID and Solution ID. The Solution ID field will remain a non-editable field
until the Deal ID is entered. It is not mandatory to enter the Deal ID and Solution
ID value for submitting the contract. If you know the Deal ID value, it may be
entered manually into the text box of the Deal ID, otherwise click on the “Search”
link for the Deal ID if you wish to search for one. When clicking the search link,
the following popup window will be displayed.
Figure 81: Deal ID Search popup window
You can search the Deal ID by selecting “Customer Name” or “Deal Team Member” or
both in the “Search by” multiple select combo box and clicking on the ‘Go’ button. The
search popup window gets refreshed and displays the fields as show in the figure below
119
Figure 82: Search page for searching the Deal ID displaying different search types
Fill in all the search criteria and if you do not want to view the corresponding solution
IDs in the search result, uncheck the check box “Check here to view corresponding
solution ID’s also” and click on the “Submit” button. (The number of Deals returned
from the search will be by default 25 rows. You can also choose up to the maximum
number of 50 Deals to be returned from VSC (in multiples of 5) by selecting the rows in
the “Filter rows” drop down.). If you chooses to display both Deal ID and the
corresponding Solution ID, then you will get 2 options in the search result window “Copy
Deal ID” and “Copy both Deal ID and Solution ID”, else you will get only one option
“Copy Deal ID” in the search result window.
Once the search result is displayed, select the corresponding option and click on the
“Copy Deal ID” or “Copy both Deal ID and Solution ID”. If you select the “Copy both
Deal ID and Solution ID”, then both the fields, Deal ID and Solution ID will get
populated with the selected Deal ID and Solution ID. If you select the “Copy Deal ID”
option, then only the selected Deal ID value is populated in the Deal ID field.
If the Deal ID has been manually entered or automatically as a result of a search, the
Solution ID field will then be editable. If the Solution ID is known, it may be manually
entered into the field named Solution ID or it may be searched for by using the Solution
ID “Search” link. The Solution ID may be searched for using one of three options; either
by “Deal ID” or “Solution Name” or “Solution ID”. Select the corresponding “Search
by” value and click on the “Go” button. The search page gets refreshed and displays the
fields as shown in the figure below.
120
Figure 83: Search page for the Solution ID with all the fields
Fill in the search criteria based on the ‘Search By’ values and click on the “Submit”
button. The Solution ID’s matching the search criteria will be displayed. Click on the
“Solution ID” link in the search result table and the Solution ID value will be populated
in the “Solution ID” text box. The "Close" link in the search popup window will allow
closing the popup any time and will redirect the user to contract submission page.
Note: When a contract is submitted with deal ID and Solution ID, a validation will be
done to check whether the Deal ID and Solution ID are valid or not. If any of them are
invalid, COL will display an error message and the contract will not submitted. Once the
Active Contract is submitted changing the Deal ID and Solution ID will no longer be
possible.
11. Under the Contracting organisations section, fill in the organisation ID(s) of the
involved contracting parties. Use the “Search” link to validate the organisation
ID for your contracting parties. Note that the ID1 field is read only and will be
pre-populated with your organisation.
12. In the Configure notification section, select which contracting party/organisation
should receive the active contract imminent expiration, expiration notification and
termination mails. If you uncheck the check box for a particular notification for an
Organisation, then the organisation users will not receive the corresponding
notification emails.
13. In the Contract documents section, upload the contract document that has been
executed offline and select “Primary” as its document class. Use the Browse
button to locate the document on your computer. Currently the system supports
upto 40 documents and one of them has to be the primary contract document.
Upload additional contract supporting documents, if applicable, and select
“Secondary” as their document classes. Upload any marketing material, if
applicable, and select “Tertiary” as the document class. By default the form will
provide the option to upload 4 documents, if you want to upload more documents
select the check box check here for uploading more documents.
14. In the Document access section, the default document access is chosen for a
contracting party by a check in the box under that organisation ID. This check
means that you are allowing view access to that organisation for the selected
121
document. You could add or remove the document access by checking or
unchecking the box under its organisation ID. An organisation can view the
document only if it is granted access by you, the contract submitter.
15. If you are satisfied with the information on the page and if you want to save the
contract, select the Save as a draft radio button and click on the Submit button.
The “My task List” page is displayed with a success message “The Contract saved
successfully” and the saved contract in the top of the list. [or] If you are satisfied
with the information on this page and if you want to continue with the next page,
select Process radio button and click on the Submit button to continue with the
next page of the submission form or click the Cancel button to cancel the
submission.
16. If you have previously checked to upload more documents, the document upload
form will appear next, otherwise goto step 11
After uploading the document, if you want to save the contract, select the
Save as a draft radio button and click on the Submit button. The “My task
List” page is displayed with a success message “The Contract saved
successfully” and the saved contract in the top of the list.
[Or]
After uploading the document, if you want to continue with the next page
select Process radio button and click on the Submit button to continue with
the next page of the submission form or click the Cancel button to cancel the
submission.
[Or]
After uploading the document, if you want to upload more documents, select
Process and Upload more document radio button and click on the Submit
button to continue with the next page of the upload more document page or
click the Cancel button to cancel the submission. To correct any previously
entered fields; click the Back button at the bottom of this submission form to
go back to the previous page of the submission form.
17. The transaction details page is displayed with a success message.
The following screen shot shows the form to upload an existing contract.
Meaning of the data fields
Contract/Proposal number:IBM specified unique contract identifier.
Transaction Description:A brief description of what this contract is about.
Contract Type:Class of contract.
Contract selection:The contract selection describes if the contract is New, Merge, or
Renewal
Parent Contract Number:If this contract is an amendment or addendum to another
contract then this field contains the identifier of that contract if applicable.
Parent contract source:Source is the 3 character acronym of the system in which the
parent transaction was originally created in. All transactions manually created in COL
will be identified with the source of COL. All other transactions that are imported from
other applications will display the 3 character acronym assigned to those applications in
COL as their source. Because it is possible that multiple transactions have the same
proposal/transactions number, the value provided in the Source will hep provide for
transaction uniquenss.
122
Customer number:The IBM number used to identify a customer organisation at a
particular location (lowest level). For COL, try to use the 'sold to' customer number
whenever possible. This customer number equals the main customer number in ISAT.
Geography of country/system code:The geography to which the country/system code
belongs to.
Country/system code:This is the system in which the customer master record was
originally created in. This code is needed when validating a customer number.
Customer organisation ID:This field is used to enter the oraganization id for the given
customer number.
Language/locale of contract:Country and language which will have jurisdiction over the
contract. This is not necessarily the language of the contract but will be the language that
the watermark/signature file will be applied. This will also be the language that system
generated notifications will be in.
Integrated support:The integrated support "Yes" describes the offering as having HW
and SW services
Contract Value:Monetary value of this contract.
Schedule value: The schedule value is charges from a schedule presented to the customer,
could be the first year charge or total prepay charge. This value will only be viewable to
IBM and the Distributor or Tier 1 business partner (SP1).(This field is visible only to
certain organizations)
Other value:Value other than reference listed price of total contract value
Other value 2: Another value other than reference listed price of total contract value.
Contract term:The length of time that a contract is for, example 3 year, 5 year
Contract start date:The effective date of the executed/completed contract.
Contract end date:End date of the executed/completed contract.
Auto renew: The auto renew option is a yes or no indicaor, when no is selected the
Contract end date must be entered. When yes is selected the contract end date is blank.
Annual review:The identifier that will trigger an email to be sent to the submitter of the
transaction when it is up for an annual review.
Contract comments:Any information specific to the contract.
Attachment number:The contract agreement that attaches to the base contract
Agreement number:The base contract
Agreement source:Source is the 3 character acronym of the system in which the
respective agreement transaction was originally created in. All transactions manually
created in COL will be identified with the source of COL. All other transactions that are
imported from other applications will display the 3 character acronym assigned to those
applications in COL as their source. Because it is possible that multiple transactions have
the same proposal/transactions number, the value provided in the Source will hep provide
for transaction uniquenss.
Special bid approval no.:The special bid approved pricing number, (price release letter
approved).
Modified terms & conditions:The modified T&C is a yes or no, Yes meaning the contract
T&C's were modified (changes to the T&C's)
Tier 2 agreement no:Agreement Number of BPA between IBM and T2 Business Partner
Provider value:Monetary value of this contract intended for Provider of the contract only,
not for customer.
Currency:Currency of this contract.
Geography of contract:The geography the country belongs to.
Country of contract:The country the contract is for.
123
Time zone of contract:This is the time zone that the contract is for. If a contract is for an
area covered by multiple time zones, then the most western time zone should be used.
Contracts usually complete/expire at midnight and this value will be used by the system
to change the status of contracts as they move along their lifecycle. It is also used to
determine the date and time recorded in the watermark/signature file and various log files
that are generated for a transaction. The time zone value will not account for changes
between Daylight Savings time and Standard time for any of the time zones. Time for all
time zones is always Standard time.
Allow access across IBM (optional):If the user is able to share a contract with other
organisations, this option will be displayed. Using this options, a contract can be granted
read only access to other IBM organisations. If 'Yes' is selected this contract will be
visible to users with access level 1, from related organisations.
Fee base:Transaction closed by IBM and BP is paid a fee for lead based on contract
value
Remarketed:Transaction closed by BP who purchased service from IBM at a discounted
price
Distributor reference: Used by Business Partners to identify their distributors.
RFP/RFQ number: If this contract resulted from a RFP/RFQ then this field contains the
identifier of that RFP/RFQ.
Quote number:If this contract resulted from a quote then this field contains the identifier
of the quote letter if applicable.
PO number:Identifier of a purchase order related to this contract. It is a customer specific
purchase order number.
Customer Reference:This field contains information/data to help customer identify this
contract.
Opportunity Number: This is an identifier to be used by every contracting party to tie all
the related contracts across different brands (providers) together.
Case Number:If this contract is part of a deal/case then this field contains the identifier of
that deal/case number. It is mainly used by CSO pilot.
Delivery Type: The way this contract is delivered to the client.
Industry Sector: Industry of the client.
Contract Category: Business classification of this contract.Customer name:The legal
customer name at the customer number level.
Company number: IBM assigned customer number at the enterprise level. Not all
customers have these numbers assigned.
Enterprise number:The IBM number used to identify a customer at a the enterprise level.
Contract Svc Elements: Enter in this field the 15 digit offering names listed on the
contract.
124
Figure 84: Upload an existing contract
125
How do I view a list of all contracts by department/organisation?
The following instructions can be used to view contracts sorted by department or by a
child organisation.
Here are the steps to view a list of contracts belong to a department or an organisation:
1. If authorized, follow Contracts in process > Contracts by department to see the
reporting structure of your department, or follow Contracts in process >
Contracts by organisation to see a list of all the related child organisations on a
page similar to the one shown below.
2. To view the contracts belonging to a department or a child organisation, click on
the group name or the organisation name. To view the contracts belonging to a
particular user, click on the user name.
Figure 85: View of contracts belonging to departments or users
How do I submit a new Transaction in Process to my customer?
A Transaction in Process is created in exactly the same manner as a contract in process.
To create a Transaction in Process:
1. From the left navigation bar, follow the links Transactions in Process > Submit
Transaction
2. Please continue this process with step 3 in How do I submit a contract?
Please note that while submitting a transaction in process providing customer
organisation ID is mandatory .Both Customer number and Country/System code and are
optional fields thus need not necessarily be provided.
126
Figure 86: Transaction in process
127
How do I use the search function in different modules?
1. Select the module for which you would like to do the search.
2. Click on Search link on the module page.
3. Select the search criteria from the pull down menu Search By and click on the
GO button.
4. Enter any additional information regarding searching criteria.
5. Click on the Submit button.
Please note:
1. If you choose to conduct a search on parent contract number, agreement number
or related contracts, it is mandatory that you provide the parent contract
/agreement/contract source ID within your search criterion.
2. Contracts submitted with workflows not involving customer will also be returned
in search result when searching using customer number, customer organisation id
and customer organisation name, if the contract has customer number information
in it.
The following shows the search result for the query – search all contracts of type “IGS
statement of work.” The search result can be sorted by clicking on the different heading
column names. There are two navigation bars appearing on the top and the bottom of the
search results. Each shows the current display range and, if needed, a Next button to help
navigation for the page.
Figure 87: Search contract
How do I search my active contracts?
128
1. Follow link Active contracts>Active contracts search to select the search criteria
for how you would like to search active contracts and click the Go button.
2. Enter any additional information regarding searching criteria.
3. Click on the Submit button.
Figure 88: Search Active Contracts
How do I delete a drafted Transaction?
129
Contract Online will have the ability to delete a saved Transaction. All the
transactions drafted by you will be available under the “My Task List” with the
Transaction status as “DRAFT”. Follow the steps to delete a drafted transaction.
1. Click on the “My Task List”.
2. Click on the “Transaction Description” of the drafted transaction which you want
to delete.
3. The transaction details page is displayed as shown below
4. Select the “Delete” option and Click on the ‘Submit’ button.
5. The Delete confirmation message is displayed with a ‘Continue’ and ‘Cancel’.
6. Click on the ‘Continue’ button to delete the transaction (Click on the ‘Cancel’
button to cancel the deletion process.)
7. The My Task List page is displayed with a success message “Contract draft
deleted successfully”.
130
Figure 89: Transaction Details Page with a delete option
131
How do I submit retro request for Retro process?
Contracts that are not submitted or signed within 30 days of the contract start date require
retro approval. The retro request form can be used to obtain approval for either a retro
process or retro signature request.
IBM user navigates to Sales Support->Retro Request-> Create retro request to submit a
retro request. Under Create Retro Request drop down list you will find two options. One
is ‘Retro process’ another is ‘Retro Signature’, select Retro process. He/She fills out a
retro request Submission form to submit a new retro request. See below for field details
of retro request for retro process form1. Fill the all mandatory fields and click on
continue.
Contract/Proposal number: IBM specified unique five digit number generated from
ISAT
Source: Source is the 3 character acronym of the system in which a transaction was
originally created in. All transactions manually created in COL will be identified with
the source of COL. All other transactions that are imported from other applications will
display the 3 character acronym assigned to those applications in COL as their source.
Because it is possible that multiple transactions have the same proposal/transactions
number, the value provided in the Source will help provide for transaction uniqueness.
Customer name: Customer legal name
Proposal create date: Date the ISAT proposal was created
Proposal last update date: Last date user updated the ISAT proposal
Locale/language of contract: Country and language which will have jurisdiction over the
contract. This is not necessarily the language of the contract but will be the language that
the watermark/signature file will be applied. This will also be the language that system
generated notifications will be in.
Currency: Monetary unit used in for Contract value.
Contract value: Monetary value of this contract.
Request start date: Proposal/contract start date
End user/MSA signature date: Date MSA was signed
Valid thru date: The retro request needs to be executed by this date before the system
expires it.
Contract Term: The length of time that a contract is for in months.
Prepaid: Answer Yes or No if the contract is prepaid
IGF financed: Answer yes or no if the contract financed by IGF
Retro request is for: The type of retro request
Contract type: The type of machines included in this contract
Cause for retro: The reason for submitting the retro
Geography of contract: The geography the country belongs to.
Country of contract: The country the contract is for.
Time zone of contract: This is the time zone that the contract is for. If a contract is for an
area covered by multiple time zones, then the most western time zone should be used.
Contracts usually complete/expire at midnight and this value will be used by the system
to change the status of contracts as they move along their lifecycle. It is also used to
determine the date and time recorded in the watermark/signature file and various log files
that are generated for a transaction. The time zone value will not account for changes
between Daylight Savings time and Standard time for any of the time zones. Time for all
time zones is always Standard time.
Retro request routing: Routing and execution steps of a contract.
132
Once you have entered a Proposal number, you may choose to search for its Source ID
using ”Find” link provided adjacent to “Proposal number” field. If COL finds any
transaction with the same Proposal number, a screen will appear listing those contracts
along with their numbers, source and descriptions. To select a particular Proposal number
and source combination select respective radio button and click on copy selected button
which will populate the Source in the submission page. If COL does not find any
transaction with the Proposal number, upon clicking on the “Find” link, an error message
will be displayed. If results are found, COL will display their Proposal number, source
and descriptions from which the user can make a selection
.
The following figure depicts the user interfaces for retro request:
133
Figure 90: Retro process Submission Form1
Once you select the Continue option and click on Submit we will shown by Retro
process Submission Page2.see below. (If you want to save the retro process submission
form-1 select Save as draft and click the Submit button). In this page Provide the more
information for reason selected above in the specified textbox, select the solution
provider and upload retro request documents and click on submit.
See below for Retro process Submission Form2.
134
Figure 91: Retro process Submission Form2
If everything is correct, select the Process radio button and click on the Submit button.
(If you want to save the retro process submission form-2 select Save as draft and click
the Submit button). If the “Check here to select users, who needs to be notified to take
action on the retro” is checked in the retro submission form-2, then a Configure next
action page is displayed, else you will shown by ‘details page’ with success message. see
below
Figure 92: Transaction details Page
135
How do I submit retro request for Retro signature?
Contracts that are not submitted or signed within 30 days of the contract start date require
retro approval. The retro request form can be used to obtain approval for either a retro
process or retro signature request.
IBM user navigates to Sales Support->Retro Request-> Create retro request to create
retro request. Under Create Retro Request drop down list you will find two options. One
is ‘Retro process’ another is ‘Retro Signature’, select Retro signature. He/She fills out a
retro request Submission form to submit a new retro request. See below for field details
of retro request for retro signature form. Fill the all mandatory fields and click on
continue.
Proposal number: IBM specified unique five digit number generated from ISAT
Customer name: Customer legal name
Proposal create date: Date the ISAT proposal was created
Proposal last update date: Last date user updated the ISAT proposal
Locale/language of contract: Country and language which will have jurisdiction over the
contract. This is not necessarily the language of the contract but will be the language that
the watermark/signature file will be applied. This will also be the language that system
generated notifications will be in.
Currency: Monetary unit used in for Contract value.
Contract value: Monetary value of this contract.
Request start date: Proposal/contract start date
End user/MSA signature date: Date MSA was signed
Valid thru date: The retro request needs to be executed by this date before the system
expires it.
Contract Term: The length of time that a contract is for in months
Prepaid: Answer Yes or No if the contract is prepaid
IGF financed: Answer yes or no if the contract financed by IGF
Retro request is for: The type of retro request
Contract type: The type of machines included in this contract
Cause for retro: The reason for submitting the retro
Geography of contract: The geography the country belongs to.
Country of contract: The country the contract is for.
Time zone of contract: This is the time zone that the contract is for. If a contract is for an
area covered by multiple time zones, then the most western time zone should be used.
Contracts usually complete/expire at midnight and this value will be used by the system
to change the status of contracts as they move along their lifecycle. It is also used to
determine the date and time recorded in the watermark/signature file and various log files
that are generated for a transaction. The time zone value will not account for changes
between Daylight Savings time and Standard time for any of the time zones. Time for all
time zones is always Standard time.
Retro request routing: Routing and execution steps of a contract.
The following figure depicts the user interfaces for retro request signature:
136
Figure 93: Retro signature Submission Page1
Once you select the Continue option and click on Submit button, we will shown by Retro
Request Submission Page2.see below. (If you want to save the retro signature submission
form-1 select Save as draft and click the Submit button). In this page Provide the more
information for reason selected above in the specified textbox, select the solution
provider and upload retro request documents and click on submit.
137
See below for Retro Signature Submission Form2.
Figure 94: Retro signature Submission Page1
138
If everything is correct, select the Process radio button and click on the Submit button.
(If you want to save the retro signature submission form-2 select Save as draft and click
the Submit button). If the “Check here to select users, who needs to be notified to take
action on the retro” is checked in the retro submission form-2, then a Configure next
action page is displayed, else you will shown by ‘details page’ with success message. see
below
Figure 95: Transaction details Page
How do I copy a retro request?
In the sales support module, you can copy an existing retro request into either the
“Retro request” module or the “Contracts in process” module. This can be achieved
using the “Copy into module” link, which is displayed in the “Transaction details” page
“Additional tasks” list on the right side of the page. The following section describes how
to use the “Copy into module” function for the retro request module.
1. From the left navigation bar, follow the links Sales Support > Retro Request >
All retro request to see a list of request and locate the one you would like to copy
from, or use the Sales Support > Retro Request > Retro Request search link to
locate a specific retro request.
139
2. Click the link for the retro request under retro reason to open up the details page
of the retro you would like to copy from.
3. On the right hand side of the transaction details page in the Additional tasks
panel, click on the link Copy into module.
4. The transaction details page displays where do you want to copy the retro request
with 2 options “Retro Request” and “Contract in Process”
a. If the user selects “Retro Request”, the retro request submission form will
be populated with the same metadata as the retro request you copied from.
Assign a different proposal number and modify the other meta data if
required. Select the “continue” option and click on the Submit button.
Once you click on the Submit button, COL will display “by retro process”
or “retro signature submission” page 2. In this page provide the additional
information for the reason selected above in the specified textbox, upload
the retro request document(s) if any, select the continue option and click
on the submit button. Once you click on the submit button, the
“Configure next actor” page is displayed. Select the users you want to
notify, select the continue option and click on the “Submit” button. If
everything is correct you will shown by “Transaction details” page with
a success message. See below
Figure 96: Retro Request Transaction details page
140
b. If you select “Contract in process” module, the contract in process
submission form is displayed with pre-filled meta data. For more details
on how to submit a transaction in “Contracts in process”, please refer to
the online help document on How do I submit a contract process?
Note : If the retro request is copied to contract in process, all the retro request
documents are copied to the new transaction as secondary documents.
How do I look up and view imported transactions?
Contracts Online provides a web service in order to enable authorized interfacing
applications to create transactions within Contracts Online. Any application which is
registered into Contracts Online by using the “Register application” link and entitled to at
least one organisation (by using the “Entitle application” link) is authorized to import
transactions into COL. If your application is not registered and entitled to any
organisation, then you will not be allowed to import transactions into COL.In order to
understand the procedure of registering and entitling new applications into COL please
follow the given links How do I register a new application?
How do I entitle a new application?
External application for e.g. ISAT and S2 can invoke COL’s web service client to import
transactions into COL application. COL will store transaction meta-data in its database.
After conducting a successful import COL will keep a record of transaction’s
information. Once you log into COL, you will be able to see your imported transactions
in COL in the following view.
1. In order to view imported transactions, please follow the “Imported transaction”
link on the left bar. You will be requested to provide a search criterion. You may
opt to provide transaction number, description, user name, source, imported date
as search criteria or search all transactions. Upon criteria selection and
submission, you will be presented with a list of transactions imported into
Contracts Online by you. The list displays the transaction number, transaction
description, transaction submitter id, source & imported date. Please refer to the
following snapshot for further details.
141
How do I delete an imported transaction?
Contracts Online allows you to delete an imported transaction. In order to delete an
imported transaction, select the radio button displayed adjacent to the listed transaction,
followed by clicking on the delete button provided below the list. A confirmation page
will be displayed giving you options to either continue and confirm transaction deletion
142
or cancel it. Upon successful transaction deletion you will be redirected to search result
page with a message informing you that the transaction was successfully deleted.
How do I submit an imported transaction as a Contracts in
Process transaction?
Contracts Online allows you to submit an imported transaction into the Contracts in
process module.
1. In order to transfer/submit an imported transaction into contracts in process,
please select the radio button provided adjacent to the listed imported transaction,
followed by clicking on the “continue” button. You will be directed to module
selection & contract selection page. Select “Contracts in Process” (this is
currently the only choice) under the module list available followed by selecting
either new, update, merge or renewal within the contract selection dropdown
avaliable., .Upon submission you will be directed to the contract submission
page. On this page , the contract selection dropdown will get populated with
options in accordance with the choice you made earlier on module & contract
selection page while importing the transaction. (The procedure for submission of
this transaction will be similar to that followed while submitting a new transaction
under contracts in process).
A version number may get appended to the transaction number depending on the value
you select under main contract selection while submitting an imported transaction.
•
If you selected “new” under contract selection then COL shall search whether a
contract in process already exists with the same number , If COL finds any such
transaction and this transaction is in either “CANCELLED”, “REJECTED” or “
EXPIRED” state, then COL will append a version number “-v#” to the transaction
number, for example “111111–v1” . If the transaction found is not in either of
these states, then COL will display an error.
•
If you selected “renewal” or “merge” under contract selection then COL will
append the next available version number (-v1, v2, -v3….) accordingly.
143
2. If a transaction already exists with the same unique transaction identifier in COL
in a submitted (non-ended) state as that of the selected imported transaction and it
is in a step in which it can be updated, then the user will be redirected to
“Imported Transaction Confirmation” page. (Illustrated below).Upon successful
confirmation you will be redirected to contract submission page; the procedure for
submission of this transaction will be similar to that followed while submitting a
new transaction under contracts in process.
144
How do I view imported transactions report?
Contracts Online provides you a facility to view dynamic reports generated on the total
number of imported, processed, deleted or purged transactions imported from interfacing
applications.
1. From left bar follow the provided link Manage Operations > Imported
transactions report.
2. You can view an organisation specific report by selecting the desired
organisation. Once you have selected the desired organisation, you will be
presented with a form in order to provide your search criteria. Based on the search
criteria provided, Contracts Online will generate a report. Following is an image
of the report generated.
145
How do I view related transactions across modules?
Related transactions are those transactions that have the exact same transaction number in
the different modules.
146
The left navigator will also include a link to this search facility. The right navigator in a
transaction details page in following modules will also have a link to search for related
transactions across modules.
• Contract in Process
• Active Contracts
• Transaction in Process
• Purchase Order
• Retro request
If you use the link from the transaction details right navigator, you will be redirected to
the related transaction search page. Search by value and search criteria along with the
respective transaction number will get auto-populated accordingly. You are allowed to
change the value of transaction number however; you must enter a minimum of six
characters. If you choose the link from the left navigator, you will need to manually enter
the search criteria.
Upon submitting the request, a list of all related transactions will be displayed in a
manner similar to that of “My task list”.
Note: In case the number of results are greater than 100, you will be shown a message
requesting you to enter additional criterion to narrow down the search results. Along with
the message, the first 100 matches will be displayed..
Section III: Managing Purchase order in COL
How do I retrieve my purchase order?
Purchase orders can be retrieved through the Purchase order module (from either the left
navigation bar or the link on COL welcome page), or it can be retrieved from the
Transaction detail view of the contract to which the PO belongs, or it can be retrieved
using the Purchase order search link.
To retrieve the PO through the PO module:
1. Click on Purchase orders to access the PO module.
2. Click on All purchase orders to see a list of POs or use the Purchase order search
link to locate a specific PO.
To retrieve the PO from the contract to which it belongs:
1. Follow the link Contract in process > All contracts to see a list of all the current
contracts in process
2. From the list of contracts shown, click on the link under Transaction description to
view the contract to which the PO belongs as shown below.
147
Click on the link All related POs to see all the orders that belong to this contract.
Figure 97: Link to access related purchase orders from a contract form
148
To retrieve the PO through the Search purchase order link, select the search criteria
from the drop down box, enter the search data, and click the Submit button. Depending
on the search criteria, different search data must be entered to complete the search. The
following example shows a PO search based on the PO number. The user can select
whether to search for POs with PO number exactly match the PO number entered, to
search for POs that contain the PO number entered, or to search for POs that begin with
or end with the PO number entered.
Figure 98: Purchase orders related to a specified contract
149
How do I approve a purchase order?
Both IBM and customers can submit purchase orders for a submitted contract that may
not be in COMPLETED state. Purchase orders that have been submitted before a contract
is completed can be reviewed and approved by IBM and will have a “RECEIVED”
status. Once the contract is completed, an IBM representative will verify the contract
completion and move it to "ACCEPTED" status. If the purchase order has been submitted
for a completed contract, this order will be automatically moved to “ACCEPTED” and an
email notification will be sent to the purchase order representative.
If you receive an email notification to review/approve a PO, click on the URL provided
in the email. After signing in, you will be presented with the PO detail view. From there
you may approve, reject, or request changes to the PO.
Figure 99: Notification mail to Review Purchase Order
The following shows a Purchase Order Approval form. Select the PO document link
under the Order documents to review the PO. Then you can choose to approve, reject
or request changes to this PO by selecting the action under the Your possible actions
section.
150
Figure 100: Approve Purchase Order
151
How do I process a purchase order?
If you are authorized to process POs for an organisation will receive an email notification
similar to the one shown below when a PO has been ACCEPTED
Figure 101: Notification for Process a Purchase order
To process a PO:
1. Click on the link provided in the email to sign into Contracts OnLine and be
shown the PO that needs to be processed. Or sign into Contracts OnLine and
follow the link Purchase order > Purchase order search to search for a PO
whose status is “ACCEPTED”. Then and click on the link for the PO that you
want to process.
2. Prepare any requirement for PO processing and select “Process PO”.
3. Provide any optional comments
4. Click on the Submit button.
The following shows the PO processing form.
152
Figure 102: Process Purchase Order
153
How do I submit a purchase order?
Purchase orders can be created for a contract as soon as the contract itself has been
created in Contracts OnLine. A contract number is needed to associate this purchase
order to the contract. The PO can be reviewed and approved but will not be fulfilled until
the contract is complete.
1. Select Purchase order to access the PO module.
2. Select All Purchase orders to see a list of POs or use the Purchase order search
link to locate a specific PO.
3. Select Submit purchase order to submit a new PO. The alternative is to open the
detail page of a contract for which you want to submit a PO and click on the link
Submit purchase order on the right navigation bar of the contract detail page (see
the Contract detail section in the online help document for how to access the
contract detail page). The alternative way will automatically copy the contract
number to the PO.
4. Fill in the fields of the “Submit purchase order” form as shown in the following
screen shot. The required fields are marked with a red asterisk next to them.
5. Contract number is a required field and has to be validated successfully before
you can submit a purchase order. Use the “Find” link to locate the correct contract
transaction. A pop up screen will then appear with the listing of those contracts
along with their contract numbers, their source and descriptions. To select a
particular contract number and source combination click on the link provided over
contract ID.
6. Select an Order type and also select a corresponding Document flow.
7. Check the box for configuring users to be notified and to take actions if it is
required for this order.
8. Attach the PO document
9. If you are satisfied with the information on the page and if you want to save the
contract, select the Save as a draft radio button and click on the Submit button.
The “My task List” page is displayed with a success message “The Contract saved
successfully” and the saved contract in the top of the list. [or] If you are satisfied
with the information on this page and if you want to continue with the next page,
select Process radio button and click on the Submit button to continue with the
next page of the submission form or click the Cancel button to cancel the
submission.
10. If you have previously checked to configure next actor, the configure next actor
form will appear next, otherwise goto step 10
After selecting the actors, if you want to save the contract, select the Save as a
draft radio button and click on the Submit button. The “My task List” page is
displayed with a success message “The Contract saved successfully” and the
saved contract in the top of the list.
[Or]
After selecting the actors, if you want to continue with the next page select
Process radio button and click on the Submit button to continue with the next
page of the submission form or click the Cancel button to cancel the
submission.
11. The transaction details page is displayed with a success message.
The following explains the meaning of the fields appear in the PO submission form.
Order number: A unique purchase order identifier.
Transaction description: A brief description of what this PO is about.
154
Locale/language of contract: Country and language which will have jurisdiction over the
contract. This is not necessarily the language of the contract but will be the language that
the watermark/signature file will be applied. This will also be the language that system
generated notifications will be in.
Contract number and Source: The contract number this PO refers to.
Request changes: An option to allow the customer to request changes to this contract.
Valid through date: Date this contract needs to be executed by before the system expires
it.
Order type: Class of a PO.
Order value: Monetary value of this order.
Currency: Currency of this order.
Geography of contract: The geography the country belongs to.
Country of contract: The country the contract is for.
Time zone of contract: This is the time zone that the contract is for. If a contract is for an
area covered by multiple time zones, then the most western time zone should be used.
Contracts usually complete/expire at midnight and this value will be used by the system
to change the status of contracts as they move along their lifecycle. It is also used to
determine the date and time recorded in the watermark/signature file and various log files
that are generated for a transaction. The time zone value will not account for changes
between Daylight Savings time and Standard time for any of the time zones. Time for all
time zones is always Standard time.
Request ship date: The requested shipment date.
Order comments: Any information specific to the order.
Case number: If this order is part of a deal/case then this field contains the identifier of
that deal/case number.
Delivery type: The way this order is delivered to the client.
Industry sector: Industry to which the client belongs.
Order category: Business classification of this order
The following shows a screen shot of a sample PO submission form.
155
Figure 103: Submit Purchase order
If the box was checked for selecting user to be notified then the form for Configure step
actors will appear as shown in the screen shot below. Check the box for the step that
needs to be configured and select user(s) from the list to be notified. Check the box under
Restrict Actors to restrict email notification to the selected user(s).
156
Figure 104: Config next actors page
The PO process has to go through a review/approval process similar to a contract flow
but specified by the Purchase order process flow. The authorized users from the supplier
and the customer will be notified to take action to review/approve the PO as it goes
through each step in the purchase order process. If there is no internal review process
required by other authorized users, you will be prompted to go ahead and approve the
POs yourself.
157
How do I review a purchase order?
Purchase order can be created for a contract as soon as the contract itself has been created
in Contracts OnLine, so that there is a contract number to associate this purchase order to
the contract. The PO can be reviewed and approved but will not be fulfilled until the
contract is complete.
If you receive an email notification to review/approve a PO, click on the URL provided
in the email and that link will direct you to the transaction requiring your approval and
you will be prompted for your IBM ID and password to sign in. You will be presented
with the PO detail view which looks similar to the screen shot shown below. Continue
with step 4 to review the PO.
1. Select “Purchase order” to access the PO module.
2. Select “All Purchase orders” to see a list of POs and look for those with
SUBMITTED status or use the “Purchase order search” link to locate a specific
PO. Click on the link under Transaction description to open the detail page of a
PO you would like to review.
3. Click on the PO documents under Primary documents section to review the
details of the PO.
4. Under the Your possible actions select Approve to approve the PO, select Deny
to deny the PO (the PO flow may be defined such that a denied PO will be sent
back to the submitter to be revised and submitted again) and select Withdraw to
cancel the PO.
5. Provide any optional comments.
6. Click the Submit button when done.
The following shows a screen shot of a sample PO submission form.
158
Figure 105: Review Purchase Order
159
How do I copy a purchase order?
A purchase order can be created for a contract as soon as the contract itself has been
created in Contracts OnLine. That way, a contract number is available to associate this
purchase order to the contract. The PO can be review and approved but will not be
fulfilled until the contract is complete.
For convenience, an authorized user can copy a similar PO to a new one to save from
having to retype some of the input fields.
1. Select “Purchase order” to access the PO module.
2. Select “All Purchase orders” to see a list of POs or use the “Purchase order search”
link to locate a specific PO.
3. Click the link for the contract under Transaction description to open up the detail
page of the PO you would like to copy from.
4. On the right hand side of the transaction detail page in the Additional task panel,
click on the link Copy into new order.
5. The order submission form will be populated with the same Meta data from the
order you copied from.
6. Modify the order number so it will be unique and make modification to any other
data field if necessary. The required fields are marked with a red asterisk next to
them.
7. Select an order type and also select a corresponding document flow.
8. Make sure that “Purchase Order” has been selected as the Order type, and a
purchase order document flow has also been selected.
9. Check the box for selecting users to be notified and to take actions if it is required
for this order.
10. Upload a new order document for this new contract.
11. Select the Continue option and Click the Submit button when done. For more
detail on how to submit a contract please refer to the online help document on How
do I submit a PO?
The following explains the meaning of the fields that appear in the PO submission form.
Order number: A unique purchase order identifier.
Transaction description: A brief description of what this PO is about.
Contract number: The contract number this PO refers to.
Request changes: An option to allow the customer to request changes to this contract.
Valid through date: Date this contract needs to be executed by before the system expires
the contract.
Order type: Class of a PO.
Order value: Monetary value of this order.
Currency: Currency of this order.
Request ship date: The requested shipment date.
Order comments: Any information specific to the order.
Case number: If this order is part of a deal/case then this field contains the identifier of
that deal/case number.
Delivery type: The way this order is delivered to the client.
Industry sector: Industry that the client belongs to.
Order category: Business classification of this order
Geography: Region of the client.
160
The following shows a screen shot of a sample PO submission form.
Figure 106: Copy Purchase order
161
If the box was checked for selecting user to be notified then the form for Configure step
actors will appear as shown in the screen shot below. Check the box for the step that
needs to be configured and select user(s) to be notified from the list. Check the box under
Restrict Actors to restrict email notification to the selected user(s).
Figure 107: Configure step actors
The PO process has to go through a review/approval process similar to a contract flow
but specified by the Purchase order process flow. The authorized users from the supplier
and the customer will be notified to take action to review/approve the PO as it goes
through each step in the purchase order process. If there is no internal review process
required by other authorized users, the submitters of POs will be prompted to go ahead
and approve the POs themselves.
162
Section
IV:
Administrative
customization in COL
tasks
&
How do I customize e-signature legal verbiage?
If you are authorized to customize the application, follow the links Administration >
Customize application >Customize e-signature legal verbiage. You may customize the
legal verbiage for a locale shown on the transaction details page when users sign a
contract using electronic signature. To customize the legal verbiage, click on the link
under signature type as shown below.
Figure 108: Customize legal verbiage
The following screenshot shows how to customize the legal verbiages to use password as
electronic signature. Enter the updated legal verbiages and click the Submit button to
submit the request.
163
Figure 109: Update legal verbiage
If you are an Administrator or Service provider manager, you may create or remove
signature types.
The legal verbiage only displays to Guest Non-Providers when accepting and signing a
contract. All other users will not see this message.
How do I customize email messages?
1. If the user is authorized to customize application then after following the links
Administration > Customize application the user will see the links for
customizing the web pages, emails and operation. The following screen shot
shows how to customize email messages.
After that the user follow the link Administration > Customize application >Customize
email messages and he can choose among the supported email notification messages to
customize a particular one by clicking on the link under Short description. Message
information varies by locale.
164
Figure 110: Customize email messages
For each message, several fields are preconfigured and un-editable. These fields include
Organisation class, Module, Message type, Reminder number and Action. The following
screenshot shows the page to allow customization. To make any change, just click on that
field and type over the changes. Once all the changes are made, click the Submit button
165
to complete the request. Once the fields for the email message have been customized,
they will be used in all subsequent email notifications.
Figure 111: Customize email message
How do I customize generic email Settings?
If you are authorized to customize the application, follow the links Administration >
Customize application>Customize generic email settings. You may choose to customize
the prolog, epilog, subject, administration address and the supporting address and blind
carbon copy addresses for a generic email notification for a specified locale. The
following screenshot shows a form to configure these fields. To make any changes, just
click on that field and type over the text. Once all the changes are made, click the Submit
button to complete the request.
166
Figure 112: Customize generic Email settings
How do I customize email frequency for expiration reminders
and warnings?
If you are authorized to customize the application, follow the links Administration >
Customize application > Set time for reminders and expiration warnings. You may
configure the frequency of email notification for reminders and expiration warnings. The
following screen shot shows a segment of a form with email types whose frequencies can
be customized. To customize the frequency of an email type, click on the Customize link
on the right hand for that line.
167
Figure 113: Customize email frequency
The following screenshot shows how to customize an Expiration warning. The “Email
number” is the total number of emails that will be sent out. The “Days to send” value
indicates the number of days before expiration. If this were an “Email type” of
“Reminder”, then “Days to send” would specify the number of days after the initial email
was sent. To make an update, modify the “Days to send” and click the Submit button to
complete the request. Your new value will be used in all subsequent email notifications
of that type.
168
Figure 114: Set time for reminders and expiration warnings
Administrators may add new, update or remove existing configurations. To add a new
time, select Click here link on the initial “Set time for reminders and expiration
warnings” screen. Be sure not to create an item with key values that already exist. To
make an update, modify the “Days to send,” select the “Update this configuration” radio
button and click the Submit button to complete the request. To remove an email
specification, select the “Delete this configuration” radio button followed by Submit.
How do I specify transaction retention/removal time?
This feature is used to customize how long to retain transactions, and how long to keep
transactions before removing them from the system (transactions may need to remain a
while longer before being removed even though the retention period has passed). If you
are authorized, follow the links Administration > Customize application. You will see
the links for customizing the web pages, emails and operation. This feature is located
under
the
Operation
tab.
“Days to retain” refers to the number of days that the contract is visible in the system. “
Days to remove” refers to the number of days before the transaction is permanently
deleted from the system.
A transaction that is between its “days to retention” and “days to remove” is not visible to
standard users, but is still in the database. A service provider manager may give users
permission to view these transactions. The service provider can grant this privilege by
following the links Manage Users >Update individual user permissions. After
selecting the user, enable “View contracts beyond retention date.”
169
The following screen shot shows a form with the current “Days to retain” and “Days to
remove” settings for different types of transactions. To add a new entry, click on the
Click here link at the top of the page. To customize the retention/removal time, click on
the Customize link to the right of the transaction for that module.
Document class and Document version links are provided to correlate the descriptions
with the codes displayed in the entry list.
Only administrators may delete entries. To do this click the Customize link and then
choose the “Delete this configuration” button and press Submit.
Figure 115: List of document
170
The following screenshot shows a form to allow customization for the days to retain and
the days to remove expired transactions for the Active contracts module. Specify the
document class and the version from the drop down boxes, update the days to retain and
remove, then click the Submit button to submit the request.
Figure 116: Update retention/removal time
How do I update default user permissions profile?
1. If you are authorized to customize the application, follow the links
Administration > Customize application. You will be able to customize the web
pages, emails and operation.
2. Select Update default user permissions profiles.
3. Select a default profile to update for a specific organisation class, an organisation
type and a user role by selecting from the various drop down boxes as shown
below.
4. Once the criterion has been chosen, click on the Submit button to continue the
update.
After that the user follow the link Administration > Customize application > and he can
update default user permission.
171
Figure 117: Select criteria for default user permissions
The following screen shot shows the current default permission profile of a facilitator of a
large host provider organisation. The permission includes a list of tasks that the
facilitator is/is not allowed to perform. To change the default permission for a certain
task, click on the check box “can do” or “can not” to grant or deny permission. To
propagate the updated permission to all existing users, make sure to check the box for
“Update the permissions of existing users” at the bottom of the form. Otherwise only the
new registered users will have this updated default permission profile.
172
Figure 118: Update default user permission
173
How do I modify watermark?
If you are authorized to customize the application, follow the link Administration >
Customize application >Modify watermark. You can then modify the wording contained
in the watermark that is added to the transactions when they reach completion.
As shown in the screen shot below, the current watermark contains “Final copy.” Type
over the text with the updated wording and click the Submit button. If you are not an
administrator and make a change to the value and then submit it, the “Reset to default”
button will reset the watermark value back to what the administrator has set.
Figure 119: Modify watermark
174
How do I customize document security?
1. Follow the links Administration > Configure services. Once in this page, the
facilitator can choose to configure modules, select document flows, create
document type or modify document type, configure custom transaction data or
customize document security.
After that the user follow the link Administration > Configure services >Customize
document security and he can choose to either add a new document security or can
modify/delete an existing document security. To add new document security passwords
click on the link “Click here” as shown below. To modify/delete a document password,
use the drop down box on the right hand side provided for each document password.
The document security password(s) configured through this GUI is used to add to the
primary contract document(s) when the contract reaches completion to prevent any future
written modification to the documents. If a PDF contract document has a write
protection password, the system will try to use the configured document security
password(s) to open the document, add watermark and finally add the security password
to the document(s). If there is more than one security passwords the system will try to
use these passwords according to the priority they have been configured.
Figure 120: Customize document security
The following screen shot shows a form to create a document security. Fill in all the
required entries indicated by asterisk (*). Enter a password type by selecting from the
drop down box or enter it in the field. Enter a password value that you would use to
secure your PDF contract documents. Choose the priority (1-10) in which you would like
the system to try out the password as one being the most recently used and ten being the
least recently used. When done, click the Submit button to create the document password.
175
Figure 121: Configuring document security
To modify or delete a document password, choose the Modify or Delete links from the
action column.
Once a document password has been selected to be modified, a form similar to the screen
shot above will appear for you to update the necessary information. "update this record"
button is selected by default. Make all the necessary modification and then click the
Submit button. However, for convenience this form can be used to add a new document
password. After entering all the values for the new security password, select the radio
button for “Add as new record” instead and click the Submit button.
How do I customize system parameters?
NOTE: This is a powerful tool that should be used only by qualified and cognizant
administrators.
If you are an administrator of a Host organisation, follow the links Administration >
Customize application >Customize System Parameters to add, modify and delete various
system parameters. A popup window is available providing a list and description of all
the system parameters. To add a new system parameter, use the Click here link.
To delete a system parameter, choose the Delete link. The parameter will be shown and
you must confirm your decision by pressing the Submit button. To modify a parameter,
choose the Modify link. Make your changes and then press the Submit button.
176
Figure 122: List of System parameters
The following screen shot shows a parameter value that is being modified.
Figure 123: Customize System parameter
177
How do I add a watermark to a contract?
Watermark is done automatically by the system if a contract reaches ending state whose
primary attribute is "C". Watermarking is supported in Contracts in process module only.
Also, if the contract has one or more primary documents which are pdf documents, then
only watermark gets applied.
How do I create/modify/delete a role for a document flow or for an internal process?
Roles are a mechanism for assigning users to workflow steps generically. In other words,
you do not have to assign a user’s IBM ID to each step. You assign the user’s IBM ID to
the role and all steps configured with that role automatically assign the user id.
Roles are used in document flows and internal processes. Document flows are created
for a module – Contracts in process, Sales support, etc. Internal processes are created for
a specific organisation.
Roles created for document flows can be used for multiple flows regardless of the
module. Roles created for internal processes can only be used for the organisation for
which they were created.
Document Flow roles can only be created/modified/deleted by the Manager User role.
Internal Process roles can be created by the organisation Facilitator.
Because the navigation to create/modify/delete roles is similar for document flows and
internal flows, the following instructions apply to both unless otherwise noted.
1. To create a role for a document flow, follow the links Administration >Configure
document flows. Click on the “Role/Action/Step” tab on top of the page to access all
the functions related to manage actor roles. Then click on the Configure roles action
(Administration > Configure document flow >Configure roles) to create, modify, or
delete a role.
2. To create a role for an internal process, follow the links Administration > Configure
internal process > Configure roles. Here you will see a difference, in that you must
select an organisation first. Your own organisation is the default.
Note when configuring a role for an internal process, if the role configuration is done on
behalf of another organisation; first select the desired organisation from the
“Organisation Name” drop down box. The first five characters of the organisation name
can be entered to filter the number of organisations listed. If you are not authorized to
configure a role for another organisation, then your own organisation is selected by
default.
3. The “Configure roles” page is displayed with the user’s (the person configuring) WI
locale pre-selected in the locale dropdown and the list of all the currently configured
roles displayed in the language of the user’s WI locale. If a role is not translated in
that locale, then the role will be displayed in “English-United States” the default
language.
178
Note that if a role has the Delete action, the role is not being used in a flow and can be
deleted. If that action is missing, the role is being used in a flow and must remain.
a. Create a Role
i. To create a role, click on the “Click Here” link at the top of the page.
ii. The page gets refreshed and it display a page as shown below. The
creation of new role is limited to ”English-United States” only. So the
locale dropdown box contains only “English-United States” and the
drop down is disabled.
Figure 124: Create role page
iii. Enter a role name and a description of the role in their respective
fields. The role name has to be unique across the organisation (internal
process) or Host or service provider (document flow).
iv. The role type is set by default to either document flow.
v. The actor type is “Multiple”, “Single” or “Restrict”.

Multiple means individual users and/or all team types can
be assigned to this role.
179

Single means individual users and/or ONLY ONE team can
be assigned to this role.
Restrict means individual users and/or ONLY ONE team
can be assigned to this role and the email notifications for
actions will be restricted to users within the group to which
the transaction belongs.
vi. Click on the “Submit” button and if the role is created successfully you
will receive a message “Success: Action role creation/ update/ delete
successful.
b. Modify a Role
i. If you want to modify a role, select the locale as “English-United
states” and click the Go button.
ii. The list of roles configured for the selected locale is displayed as
shown in the figure below.
Figure 125: Configure Roles page
iii. Click on the Modify action corresponding to the role, which you want
to modify. (Note: when you modify a document flow role, it may
180
impact others who are using this role in their flows. Check first before
making any modifications.)
iv. The following page is displayed, you can edit the required fields in the
language of the selected locale and once complete, click on the
“Submit” button.
Figure 126: Modify Role page
v. The modification is done successfully and the configure roles page is
displayed.
Note: If you want to make correction to a translated version, first select the locale as
“English-United States” and click on the “Translate” link corresponding to the role you
want to correct and select the “Target Locale” as the one which you want to make
correction”.
c. Delete a Role
i. If you want to delete a role that is not being used by a flow, select the
locale as “English-United States” and Click on the “Go” button.
(Delete role will be done only for “English-United States” locale.
When “English-United states” version is deleted all the translated
version will also be deleted).
ii. The list of roles configured for the selected locale is displayed
iii. Click on the Delete action corresponding to the role, which you want
to delete.
iv. The following screen shot shows the form for deleting a role. Make
sure that this is a role you really want to delete. Click the Submit
button to delete; otherwise click the Cancel button to keep the role.
181
Figure 127: Delete role
How do I create/modify/delete steps for a document flow or for
an internal process?
Steps are used in document flows and internal processes. Document flows are created for
a module – Contracts in process, Sales support, etc. Internal processes are created for a
specific organisation.
Steps created for document flows can be used for multiple flows regardless of the
module. Steps created for internal processes can only be used for the organisation for
which they were created.
Document Flow steps can only be created/modified/deleted by the Manager User role.
Internal Process steps can be created by the organisation Facilitator.
Because the navigation to create/modify/delete steps is similar for document flows and
internal flows, the following instructions apply to both unless otherwise noted.
1. To create a step for a document flow, follow the links Administration >Configure
document flows. Click on the “Role/Action/Step” tab on top of the page to access all
the functions related to manage steps. Then click on the Configure steps action
(Administration > Configure document flow >Configure steps) to create, modify, or
delete a step.
182
2. To create a step for an internal process, follow the links Administration > Configure
internal process > Configure steps. Here you will see a difference, in that you must
select an organisation first. Your own organisation is the default.
Note when configuring a step for an internal process, if the step configuration is done on
behalf of another organisation; first select the desired organisation from the
“Organisation Name” drop down box. The first five characters of the organisation name
can be entered to filter the number of organisations listed. If you are not authorized to
configure a step for another organisation, then your own organisation is selected by
default.
3. The “Configure steps” page is displayed with the user’s (the person configuring) WI
locale pre-selected in the locale dropdown and the list of all the currently configured
steps displayed in the language of the user’s WI locale. If a step is not translated in
that locale, then the steps will be displayed in “English-United States” the default
language.
Note that if a step has the Delete action, the step is not being used in a flow and can be
deleted. If that action is missing, the step is being used in a flow and must remain.
a. Create a Step
i. To create steps, click on the link “To add a new step, click here.”
ii. The page gets refreshed and it display a page as shown below. The
Creation of new step is limited to “English-United States” only. So the
locale dropdown box contains only English-United States and the drop
down is disabled.
Figure 128: Create step for a document flow
iii. Enter a step name and a description of the step in their respective
fields. The required fields are marked with an asterisk. Click on the
‘Help’ link corresponding to the Primary attribute, a popup window is
183
shown to list the primary attribute to associate with this step. Select the
primary attribute needed for your step.
Figure 129: Step primary attribute
iv. Click on the ‘Submit’ button. The step is created successfully.
b. Modify a Step
i. If you want to modify a step, select the locale as “English-United
States” and click the Go button.
ii. The list of steps configured for the selected locale is displayed as
shown in the figure below.
184
Figure 130: Configure step page
iii. Click on the “Modify” action corresponding to the step, which you
want to modify.
iv. The following page is displayed; you can edit the required fields in the
language of the selected locale and once complete, click on the
“Submit” button.
185
Figure 131: Modify Step page
v. The modification is done successfully and the configure step page is
displayed with the list of steps.
Note: If you want to make correction to a translated version, first select the
locale as “English-United States” and click on the “Translate” link
corresponding to the step you want to correct and select the “Target Locale”
as the one which you want to make correction”.
c. Delete a step
i. If you want to delete a step that is not being used by a flow, select the
locale as “English-United States” and Click on the “Go” button.
(Delete Step will be done only for “English-United States” locale.
When “English-United States” version is deleted all the translated
version will also be deleted).
ii. The list of step configured for the selected locale is displayed as shown
in the figure below.
iii. Click on the Delete action corresponding to the step, which you want
to delete.
iv. Make sure that this is a step you really want to delete. Click the
Submit button to delete; otherwise click the Cancel button to keep the
role.
How do I create/modify/delete an action for a document flow or
for an internal process?
Actions are used in document flows and internal processes. Document flows are created
for a module – Contracts in process, Sales support, etc. Internal processes are created for
a specific organisation.
186
Actions created for document flows can be used for multiple flows regardless of the
module. Actions created for internal processes can only be used for the organisation for
which they were created.
Document Flow actions can only be created/modified/deleted by the Manager User role.
Internal Process actions can be created by the organisation Facilitator.
Because the navigation to create/modify/delete actions is similar for document flows and
internal flows, the following instructions apply to both unless otherwise noted.
1. To create an action for a document flow, follow the links Administration >Configure
document flows. Click on the “Role/Action/Step” tab on top of the page to access all
the functions related to manage actions. Then click on the Configure action
(Administration > Configure document flow >Configure steps) to create, modify, or
delete a action.
2. To create a action for an internal process, follow the links Administration >
Configure internal process > Configure actions. Here you will see a difference, in
that you must select an organisation first. Your own organisation is the default.
Note when configuring a action for an internal process, if the action configuration is
done on behalf of another organisation; first select the desired organisation from the
“Organisation Name” drop down box. The first five characters of the organisation name
can be entered to filter the number of organisations listed. If you are not authorized to
configure an action for another organisation, then your own organisation is selected by
default.
3. The “Configure actions” page is displayed with the user’s (the person configuring)
WI locale pre-selected in the locale dropdown and the list of all the currently
configured steps displayed in the language of the user’s WI locale. If an action is not
translated in that locale, then the actions will be displayed in “English-United States”
the default language.
Note that if an action has the Delete action, the action is not being used in a flow and can
be deleted. If that action is missing, the action is being used in a flow and must remain.
a. Create a Action:
i. To create an action, select “To add new action Click here” at the
top of the Action name list.
ii. The page gets refreshed and it display a page as shown below. The
Creation of new action is limited to US-English only. So the locale
dropdown box contains only English-United States and the drop
down is disabled.
187
Figure 132: Create Action Page
iii. Enter the Action Name and description of the action. The required
fields are marked in asterisk. Click on the “Help” link
corresponding to the “Primary Attribute”, a popup window is
displayed with the list of primary attribute as shown below. Select
the primary attribute needed for your action, based on the primary
attribute different action will be taken.
188
Figure 133: Action primary attributes
iv. Click on the “Submit” button. The action is created successfully.
189
b. Modify a Action:
i. If you want to modify an action, select the locale as “EnglishUnited States” and click the Go button.
ii. The list of actions configured for the selected locale is displayed as
shown in the figure below.
Figure 134: Configure action page
iii. Click on the Modify action corresponding to the action, which you
want to modify.
Note: when you modify a document flow action, it may impact others
who are using this action in their flows. Check first before making
any modifications.
iv. The following page is displayed, you can edit the required fields in
the language of the selected locale and once complete, click on the
“Submit” button.
190
Figure 135: Modify action page
v. The modification is done successfully and the configure action
page is displayed with the list of action for the selected locale.
Note: If you want to make correction to a translated version, first
select the locale as “English-United States” and click on the
“Translate” link corresponding to the action you want to change
and select the “Target Locale” as the one which you want to make
correction”.
c. Delete a Action:
i. If you want to delete an action that is not being used by a flow,
Select the locale as “English-United states” and click on the “Go”
button. (Delete action will be done only for “English-United
States” locale. When “English-United States” version is deleted, all
the translated version will also be deleted).
ii. The list of actions configured for the selected locale is displayed
iii. Click on the Delete action corresponding to the role, which you
want to delete.
iv. Make sure that this is a role you really want to delete. Click the
Submit button to delete; otherwise click the Cancel button to keep
the role.
How do I translate an existing role from one Contracts OnLine supported
locale to another Contracts OnLine supported locale?
191
1. Follow the links Administration >Configure document flows. Click on the
“Role/Action/Step” tab on top of the page to access all the functions related to
manage actor roles, actions and steps. The following shows how to configure
roles.
2. If you are authorized to manage roles, follow the links Administration >
Configure document flow >Configure roles to create, modify, or delete a role for
a document flow. The links Administration > Configure internal process >
Configure roles allows you to create, modify, or delete a role for an internal
business flow of a selected organisation.
3. Because the navigation to create/modify/delete roles is similar for document flows
and internal document flows, the following instructions apply to both cases. The
only difference is, if you are creating/modifying/deleting role using configure
internal process page an Organisation Name drop down will be displayed. When
configuring through Internal document flow if the role configuration is done on
behalf of another organisation, first select the organisation from the Organisation
name drop down box. The first five characters of the organisation name can be
entered to filter the number of organisations listed. If you are not authorized to
configure an actor for another organisation, then your own organisation is selected
by default. (This is applicable to the internal processes only).
4. Click on the Configure Role link.
5. The “Configure roles” page is displayed with user’s WI locale as pre-selected in
the locale dropdown and the list of all the roles configured is displayed in the
language of the user WI locale, If a role is not translated in that locale, then the
“English-United States” version will be displayed as shown in the figure.
192
6. Select the source locale as ‘English-United States” from the locale drop down box
and click on the “Go” button
7. The list of roles configured for the source locale is displayed.
8. For any role displayed, click the Translate link in the Action column.
9. The page is displayed with information of the role in source locale along with a
dropdown for target locale in which the role has to be translated.
10. Select the target locale in which the role has to be translated and click on the
“Go” button
11. The same page is displayed again along with a form with fields for entering the
role information as shown below.
193
12. Fill in the information in the editable field and click on the “Submit” button.
Click on the “Cancel” if you want to cancel the translation.
13. “Configure roles” page is displayed again with the target locale selected in the
locale drop down and list of all the roles, with the newly translated role, in target
locale. Also a success message is displayed stating, “Role translated
successfully”.
Note: Translation can be done from any supported locales to any other supported locales
except ‘English-United States’. For E.g.: If you translated a role from ‘English-United
states’ to ‘Spanish-Spain’. Then you can use “Spanish-Spain’ as Source locale and
translate that role to any other supported locale except “English-United states’.
How do I translate an existing step from one Contracts OnLine supported
locale to another Contracts OnLine supported locale?
1. Follow the links Administration >Configure document flows. Click on the
“Role/Action/Step” tab on top of the page to access all the functions related to
manage actor role, actions and steps. The following shows how to configure step.
194
2. If you are authorized to manage step, follow the links Administration >
Configure document flow >Configure step to create, modify, or delete a step for
a document flow. The links Administration > Configure internal process >
Configure step allows you to create, modify, or delete a step for an internal
business flow of a selected organisation.
3. Because the navigation to create/modify/delete roles is similar for document flows
and internal document flows, the following instructions apply to both cases. The
only difference is, if you are creating/modifying/deleting role using configure
internal process page an Organisation Name drop down will be displayed. When
configuring through Internal document flow if the role configuration is done on
behalf of another organisation, first select the organisation from the Organisation
name drop down box. The first five characters of the organisation name can be
entered to filter the number of organisations listed. If you are not authorized to
configure an actor for another organisation, then your own organisation is selected
by default. (This is applicable for the internal process only).
4. Click on the Configure Step link.
5. The “Configure Step” page is displayed with user WI locale as pre-selected in
the locale dropdown and the list of all the step configured is displayed in the
language of the user WI locale. If a step is not translated in that locale, then the
“English-United States” version will be displayed.
Figure 1: Configure Step page
6. Select the source locale as “English-United States” from the locale drop down and
click on the “Go” button
7. The list of step configured for the source locale is displayed.
8. For any step displayed, click the Translate link in the Action column.
9. The page is displayed with information of the step in source locale along with a
dropdown for target locale in which the step has to be translated.
10. Select the target locale in which the step has to be translated and click on the
“Go” button
11. The same page is displayed again along with a form with fields for entering the
action information as shown below.
195
Figure 136: Translate a step for a document flow
12. Fill in the information in the editable field and click on the “Submit” button.
Click on the “Cancel” if you want to cancel the translation.
13. “Configure step” page is displayed again with the target locale selected in the
locale drop down and list of all the steps, with the newly translated step, in target
locale. Also a success message is displayed stating, “Action translated
successfully”.
Note: Translation can be done from any supported locales to any other supported locales
except ‘English-United States’. For E.g.: If you translated an step from ‘English-United
states’ to ‘Spanish-Spain’. Then you can use “Spanish-Spain’ as Source locale and
translate that step to any other supported locale except “English-United states’.
How do I translate an existing action from one Contracts OnLine supported
locale to another Contracts OnLine supported locale?
1. Follow the links Administration >Configure document flows. Click on the
“Role/Action/Step” tab on top of the page to access all the functions related to
manage actor roles, actions and steps. The following shows how to configure
action.
196
2. If you are authorized to manage actions, follow the links Administration >
Configure document flow >Configure action to create, modify, or delete actions
for a document flow. The links Administration > Configure internal process >
Configure action allows you to create, modify, or delete an action for an internal
business
flow
of
a
selected
organisation.
3. Because the navigation to create/modify/delete roles is similar for document flows
and internal document flows, the following instructions apply to both cases. The
only difference is, if you are creating/modifying/deleting role using configure
internal process page an Organisation Name drop down will be displayed. When
configuring through Internal document flow if the role configuration is done on
behalf of another organisation, first select the organisation from the Organisation
name drop down box. The first five characters of the organisation name can be
entered to filter the number of organisations listed. If you are not authorized to
configure an actor for another organisation, then your own organisation is selected
by default. (This is applicable for the internal process only).
4. Click on the Configure Action link.
5. The “Configure action” page is displayed with user WI locale as pre-selected in
the locale dropdown and the list of all the action configured is displayed in the
language of the user WI locale, If a action is not transulated in that locale, then the
“English-United States” version will be displayed.
197
Figure 137: Configure Action page
6. Select the source locale as “English-United States” from the locale drop down and
click on the “Go” button
7. The list of action configured for the source locale is displayed.
8. For any action displayed, click the “Translate” link in the Action column.
9. The page is displayed with information of the action in source locale along with a
dropdown for target locale in which the action has to be translated.
10. Select the target locale in which the action has to be translated and click on the
“Go” button
11. The same page is displayed again along with a form with fields for entering the
action information as shown below.
198
Figure 138: Translate a action for a document flow
12. Fill in the information in the editable field and click on the “Submit” button.
Click on the “Cancel” if you want to cancel the translation.
13. “Configure action” page is displayed again with the target locale selected in the
locale drop down and list of all the action, with the newly translated action, in
target locale. Also a success message is displayed stating, “Action translated
successfully”.
Note: Translation can be done from any supported locales to any other supported locales
except ‘English-United States’. For E.g.: If you translated an action from ‘EnglishUnited states’ to ‘Spanish-Spain’. Then you can use “Spanish-Spain’ as Source locale
and translate that action to any other supported locale except “English-United states’.
199
How do I create a document flow in any Contracts OnLine
Supported Locale?
Contracts OnLine has the ability to create a document flow in all Contracts OnLine
supported locales. If you are creating a document flow for a non-English locale, then you
should first create the document flow for “English-United States” and then you need to
translate the document flow for other locale.
1. Follow
the
links
Administration
>
Configure
document
flows.
2. Click on the “Document flows” tab on top of the page or the link Document flows
on the page to access all the functions related to manage a document flow, or you
can directly access any of the document flow function links from the page. The
document flow functions supported are Create document flow, Modify document
flow and View document flow. The following shows how to create a document
flow.
3. Select Create document flow.
4.
The page is displayed with the Locale drop down set to “English-United States”
and the drop down is disabled as the document flow creation is limited to EnglishUnited States only, Choose the module from the Module drop down list to which
the new document flow will belong and click on the Go button.
The following screen shot shows a form for creating a document flow. The required
fields are marked with asterisks. The document ID is defined by the supplier and the
document flow name should be meaningful to the user. Once entered all the details, click
on the Submit button.
200
Figure 139: Create document flow
The Next page is displayed (Step 2 of 3 Add document step). All document flows require
a starting step and an ending step. If there are no steps available in the selected locale
then a message is displayed stating “There are no steps available for the selected locale,
please translate steps for the selected locale and then complete the document flow
through “Modify document flows” link”. Else the following form for step selection is
displayed
201
Figure 140: Create step in document flow
202
The step name drop down list shows all the steps that are currently supported by selected
locale. Select a step name and a step type (starting, intermediate or ending). Select an
owner role and specify the action associated with that step. This action is performed by
the organisation that owns the step. Assign an actor for the step, either by selecting the
actor from the Default actor list or by assigning a role to it from the “Actor role” drop
down list. Both the default actor and the actor role may be specified for a step. Once all
the information is entered, click the Submit button to continue the creation process.
Once the starting step is created, the document flow can continue to evolve by adding
new steps to it, which can be achieved with the help of the “Add a step” link. A new
document flow needs at least a starting step and an ending step before it can be
configured. The configure document flow step will appear only if at least one ending step
is created.
Figure 141: Add step in document flow
Click the link for “Add a step” to create more steps for the new flow, or click the link for
“Configure document flow” to route the created steps together to configure the new
document flow. Continue with the “Add a step” link to add two intermediate steps and
two ending steps. The following screenshot shows the new document flow. It is a four
step process from starting to end. However the four steps are not connected so they
needto be configured.
203
Figure 142: Adding step to a document flow
204
Click on Configure document flow to route the four created steps together to complete
the new document flow. The following screen shot shows a graph of the steps for the
flow just created. To configure the step, click on the step name link to continue the step
configuration.
Figure 143: Configure document flow
The following screen shows the all the possible ways to route the SUBMITTED step. If
there are no actions available for the selected locale then a message is displayed stating
“There are no actions available for the selected locale, please translate actions for the
selected locale and then complete the document flow through “Modify document flows”
link”, else the a form will be displayed with the “Action taken” column lists all the
actions supported by the locale. Find the appropriate action to be taken for the
SUBMITTED step, and select the next step from the Next step name column to route to
the flow.
If there is more than one action to be taken for the step, choose the order these actions
should appear on the form by specifying their order in the “Action order” column and
their corresponding next steps. For example, there are two possible actions for the
SUBMITTED step, one is to accept the contract and the other is to reject the contract.
When the customer reviews the contract, “Approve” should appear first and “Reject”
should appear second. If the customer accepts the contract, then the next step for the
customer is to sign the contract. However, if the customer rejects the contract, the
contract will end in the contract cycle with a rejected status.
205
If there is any special data required for this step, check the “Data required” checkbox and
provide the instruction about this data field. Click the “Continue” button once this step
has been configured. This process can be repeated for each created step until all the steps
are configured.
Figure 144: Configure document flow page
After the SUBMITTED step has been configured, the document flow now looks like the
following screen. The message at the bottom of the page indicates that not all the steps of
the flow have been routed and hence the flow is not complete. Continue to configure the
flow by clicking on the steps that need to be configured and repeat the step above to route
all the steps together until the document flow is complete.
206
Figure 145: Document flow
Once all the steps are connected, click on the “Submit” button. The document flow is
created successfully for the selected locale and selected module.
How do I select/Deselect document flows?
Selecting Document Flow:
If you are a Service Provider manager, Service Provider facilitator, or a Host Provider
facilitator, you can perform this operation.
1. Follow the links “Administration > Configure services >Select document flows”
2. Choose which organisation the document flow configuration is for by choosing
the organisation name from the drop down list. (Note: you will see the
organisation to which you belong to or with which your organisation has a service
relationship).
3. Choose the module to which this document flow belongs and click on the “Go”
button.
207
4. Choose the locale from the ‘Document Flow Locale’ drop down and click on the
“Go” button.
5. The page gets refreshed and it shows the selected document flows under the
“Selected document flow” tab, deselected document flows under the “Deselected
document flow” tab and both selected and deselected document flow under the
“All document flow” tab. (If the you click “All document flows” tab, all the
selected document flows displayed at the top with marked checkbox and
deselected document flows displayed below the selected one’s with unmarked
check box.)
6. Click “Deselected document flows” tab, only the deselected document flows will
be displayed with unmarked check box.
Figure 146: Selected Document Flow Page with All document flow tab highlighted.
7. Click “Deselected document flows” tab, only the deselected document flows will
be displayed with unmarked check box.
208
Figure 147: Select Document flow page with deselected tab highlighted
8. Check mark the document flows and click on the “Submit” button.
9. The document flow is selected and “Document flow configuration Successful”
message is displayed.
Deselecting Document Flow:
If you are a Service Provider manager, Service Provider facilitator, or a Host Provider
facilitator, you can perform this operation.
1. Follow the links “Administration > Configure services >Select document flows”
2. Choose which organisation the document flow configuration is for by choosing
the Organisation Name from the drop down list. (Note: you will see the
organisation to which you belong to or with which your organisation has a service
relationship).
209
3. Choose the module to which this document flow belongs and click on the “Go”
button.
4. The page gets refreshed and it shows the selected document flows under the
selected document flow tab along with 2 other tabs “Deselected document flow
and all document flow for the selected organisation and the selected module.
5. Click “Selected document flows” tab, only the selected document flows will be
displayed with marked check box.
Figure 148: Select document flow tab with selected document flow tab highlighted.
6. Unmark the document flows and click on the “Submit” button.
7. The document flow is deselected and Document Flow Configuration Successful
message is displayed.
Note: When a document flow which is currently being used by a contract is deselected,
Contracts Online will allow you to deselect the document flow and the contract using that
document will not get affected. You can move that contract till completion step.
210
How do I Modify a document flow for a particular Contracts OnLine
supported locale?
1. Follow
the
links
Administration
>
Configure
document
flows.
2. Click on the “Document flows” tab on top of the page or the link Document flows
on the page to access all the functions related to manage a document flow. Or you
can directly access any of the document flow function links from the page. The
document flow functions supported are Create document flow, Modify document
flow, and View document flow. The following shows how to modify a document
flow.
3. Select Modify document flow. On the form, choose “English-United States”
Locale from the Locale drop down box to which the new document flow will
belong and click on the Go button (As the document flow creation is limited to
US-English locale, modification should happen only for US-English Locale)
4.
The page is displayed with the selected Locale and a module drop down box,
Choose the module from the Module drop down list to which the new document
flow will belong and click on the Go button.
5. Select the document flow from the drop down list and click on the Go button.
The following screen shot shows a form to modify a document flow in the “Sales
Support” module. You can modify any Meta data of the document flow or to the
information as it, click on the Submit button to send the modification request or to
continue to view the current steps of the flow.
211
Figure 149: Modify document flow
Once the request is sent, the following page displays so you can add a new step to the
document flow, or continue the document flow configuration. To modify a step in the
flow, click on the step name link in the leftmost column. To modify the configuration of a
step (to change the routing), click the “Configure document flow” link. To add a new
step to this flow, click the “Add a step” link. See the online help document topic “How
do I create a document flow in any Contracts OnLine Supported Locale?” for details on
adding steps and configuring the document flow for the steps.
212
Figure 150: List of steps in document
The following screen shot shows the new step can be added to document flow. The user
can select the step owner role, the action required, the default actor for the step and the
actor role and then click on the Submit button to add a step to document flow.
213
Figure 151: Submit a new step
Once the modification is completed, click on the Submit button. The document is
modified successfully for the selected locale and selected module.
214
How do I view a document flow?
1. Follow the links Administration > Configure Document Flow / Administration >
Configure internal processes.
2. Click on the “View Document Flow”
3. Select the locale for the flow you wish to view.
4. Select the module for the flow you wish to view.
5. Select the document flow that you would like to view.
The following screen shot shows the document flow of a “Dual Signature Contract
Process” The steps are color coded to indicate which organisation owns the step in the
flow. For example, the green steps belong to the supplier (IBM) and the pink steps belong
to the customer. Refer to the legend at the bottom left of the page for the color-coding
and abbreviations for each organisation.
Each step in the flow is shown with a status and the abbreviation for organisation that
owns that step. The first step in the process has a status of SUBMITTED and it is owned
by the supplier indicated by (S).
All the possible actions for a step are listed below the step and the result of each action
will lead the contract into a next step of the flow.
Figure 152: View document flow
215
How do I translate a document flow from one Contracts OnLine
supported locale to another Contracts OnLine supported locale?
1. Follow
the
links
Administration
>
Configure
document
flows.
2. Click on the “Document flows” tab on top of the page or the link Document flows
on the page to access all the functions related to manage a document flow or you
can directly access any of the document flow function links from the page. The
document flow functions supported are “Create document flow”, “Modify
document flow” and “View document flow”. The following step shows how to
modify a document flow.
3. Select Modify document flow. On the form, choose “English-United States”
locale from the “Locale” drop down box and click on the Go button. (As the
document flow creation is limited for “English-United States” locale, the source
locale for translation should be “English-United States”.)
4.
The same page is displayed with the selected locale and a module drop down
box, Choose the module from the “Module” drop down list to which the new
document flow will belong to and click on the Go button.
5. Select the document flow from the drop down list and click on the Go button.
6. The same page is displayed again with source locale, selected module name and
document flow along with the document flow’s meta data (Document flow ID,
name and description) and a link is displayed under it stating “Translate document
flow in other locale”. Click on the link “Translate document flow in other locale”
to translate it.
7. A page is displayed with the document flow’s meta data in non-editable format
with a drop down to select the target locale in which the document flow needs to
be translated. Selects an appropriate “Target locale” and click on Go button.
8. The following page is displayed with the document flow’s meta data, selected
target locale and a form with fields to capture the meta data of the document flow
in target locale. Fill in the required details in target locale and clicks on Submit
button.
216
Figure 153: Translate metadata for a document flow
A new page with the document flow’s meta data in target locale is displayed. The meta
data is displayed as static text followed by a table containing all the document flow’s
information (step name, step owner, step type, action, default actor and actor role) as
shown in the screen shot below. Either the information can fully be in target locale or else
user needs to translate the required information (steps, actions, action requested and
roles) into the target locale to view the complete document flow in target locale.
217
218
9. To translate the value in the action requested field to the target locale, click on the
corresponding step name, enter the details and click on the “Submit” button.
10. Once you are done with the steps changes, click on the “Configure document
Flow” link.
11. The document flow is displayed in graphical format in the target locale. Click on
the “Submit” button.
The document flow is translated in the target locale and the success message is displayed.
Note: Translation can be done from any supported locales to any other supported locales
except ‘English-United States’. For E.g.: If you translated a document flow from
‘English-United states’ to ‘Spanish-Spain’. Then you can use “Spanish-Spain’ as Source
locale and translate that document flow to any other supported locale except “EnglishUnited states’
How do I Export a document flow (Work Flow)?
Contracts Online have the ability to export a document flow (Work flow) to your
local disk. Only Administration and SP manager will able to export the document flow.
Only document flow in US-English can be copied.
1. Follow the link “Administration -> Configure Document Flow -> View
Document Flow”.
2. Select the “Locale” (English-US) from the locale drop down box and click on the
“Go” button.
3. Select the “Module” from the module drop down box and click on the “Go”
button.
4. Select the “Document Flow” from the document flow drop down box and click
on the “Go” button.
5. The page gets refreshed and it displays the selected document flow.
6. Click on the “Export Document Flow” link.
219
Figure 154: View Document flow page with export document flow link
7. Specify the location and click on the “Save” button.
8. The document flow is exported successfully.
Note: If you try to export a document flow which is having an internal process binded,
then only the document flow is exported and the internal process is not exported.
How do I Import a Document Flow to COL?
Contracts Online have the ability to import the previously exported document
flow (Work flow) from your local disk. Only “Administrator” and “SP manager” will
able to import the document flow.
220
1. Follow the link “Administration -> Configure Document Flow -> Import
Document Flow”.
2. Click on the ‘Browse’ button in the “Import Document Flow” page.
3. Select the document flow to be imported and click on the ‘Upload’ Button.
4. Page is refreshed and it will show Module name (non-editable), Doc flow ID
(non-editable), doc flow name (editable), doc flow description (editable).
5. Edit the Document Flow Name and Document Flow Description, if required and
click on the “Submit” button.
6. The document flow, which is imported into Contracts OnLine, is displayed in
graphical format and a message will be shown “The imported successfully”.
Note 1: The document flow name and Document flow ID should be unique. If you
enter the same document flow name and document flow ID an error message is
displayed and the document flow is not imported. Once the document flow is
imported successfully, Contracts OnLine shall by default display the imported
document flow as unselected in the “Select document flow” page.
Note 2: While importing a document flow, when a “step name” is found to already
exist in the target system, Contracts OnLine shall skip that step and only import those
that are not in the target system. Contracts OnLine shall display you the message "The
following steps were already found to be in the system and were not imported" with a
list of step names.
Note3: While importing a document flow, when a “role name” is found to already
exist in the target system, Contracts OnLine shall skip that role and only import those
that are not in the target system. Contracts OnLine shall display you the message "The
following roles were already found to be in the system and were not imported" with a
list of role names.
Note 4: While importing a document flow, when an “action name” is found to
already exist in the target system, Contracts OnLine shall skip that action and only
import those that are not in the target system. Contracts OnLine shall display you the
message "The following actions were already found to be in the system and were not
imported" with a list of action names.
How do I Copy a document flow (Work Flow)?
Contracts Online have the ability to copy a document flow (Work flow) and save
it with another name. Administrator and SP manager has the authority to copy the
document flow. Only document flow in US-English can be copied. If you try to copy a
non US-English document flow an error message is displayed.
1. Follow the link “Administration -> Configure Document Flow -> View
Document Flow”.
2. Select the “Module” from the module drop down box and click on the “Go”
button.
3. Select the “Locale” (English-United States) from the locale drop down box and
click on the “Go” button.
4. Select the “Document Flow” from the document flow drop down box and click on
the “Go” button.
221
5. The page gets refreshed and it displays the selected document flow.
6. Click on the “Copy Document Flow” link.
Figure 155: View Document Flow page with copy document flow link.
7. Page is refreshed and it will show Module name (non-editable), Doc flow ID
(editable), doc flow name (editable), doc flow description (editable).
8. Edit the Document Flow ID, Document Flow Name and Document Flow
Description and click on the “Submit” button.
9. The selected document flow is copied under a new name.
Note: The document flow name and Document flow ID should be unique. If you enter the
same document flow name and document flow ID an error message is displayed. If you
try to copy a document flow which is having an internal process binded, then only the
document flow is copied and the internal process is not copied.
222
How do I configure modules?
Follow the links Administration> Configure services. (Note: You may not see the same
menu options as shown on the sample page below.) The following shows how a module
is configured.
Select Configure modules. Check the Add or Remove checkbox under the Action
column to indicate which modules should be added or removed from the configuration.
Then click on the Submit button.
If the current status is “Removed,” then the application currently does not offer this
module. To toggle a module’s status, click on the Action and press Submit. If you are
adding the module, you must enter a description under Edit module name. the
application.
Figure 156: Configure Modules
“Provide module names for various supported locales” is a function that allows you to
customize the titles based on locale. Click on the link and choose an organisation and
locale. That will load the modules available for alteration.
How do I create document type?
Document types are created and associated to modules. Document types are then
available for selection in the modules and are tied to a specific document flow. The
creation of document type is limited to English-United States Only.
223
1. To create a document type, follow the links Administration > Configure services.
(Note: Menu options will vary based on your role.)
2. Select Create document type. The Locale drop down is by default set to
“English-United states” and the drop down is disabled (as the document type
creation is limited to “English-United States”), Choose a module from the drop
down list. A document flow must exist for this module in order to create a
document type.
3. Enter a document type ID and a document type name. The name must be unique.
4. Bind this document type to a selected default flow by choosing a document flow
from the drop down list.
5. Click the Submit button to complete the request
Figure 157: Create document type
224
How do I modify document type?
Document types are created and associated to modules. These document types are then
available for selection as a document type in the modules and are tied to a specific
document flow.
1. Follow the links Administration > Configure services. (Note that page displays
different menu options to different facilitators). The following shows how to
modify a document type.
2. Select Modify document type.
3. Choose the Locale as “English United States” and the module which contains the
document type, and then select the actual document type to be modified. Make
the necessary modifications and click the Submit button to complete the request.
Note: If you want to modify a translated version of the document type, select the locale as
“English-United States”, select the module and select the document type to be modified.
Click on the “Translate document type for various supported locales” link, select the
target locale to which you want to perform the modification and do the necessary
modification.
Figure 158: Modify document type
225
How do I translate a Document Type into to Contract OnLine Supported
Locales?
A document type can be created only for English-United States Locale. It can be
further translated into other supported locale with the help of the “Translate document
type for various supported locales”
1. Follow the links Administration > Configure services. (Note that page displays
different menu options to different facilitators). The following shows how to
modify a document type.
2. Select Modify document type.
3. Choose the Locale as “English-United States, and the Module which contains the
document type, and then select the actual document type to be translated.
4. Click on the “Translate document type for various supported locales” link.
5. A page is displayed with the document type meta data in non-editable format with
a drop down to select the target locale in which the document type needs to be
translated. Selects an appropriate “Target locale” and click on Go button.
6. The following page is displayed with the document type meta data, selected target
locale and a form with fields to capture the meta data of the document type in
target locale. Fill in the required details in target locale, and clicks on Submit
button.
7. The document type is translated in the Target Locale
226
Figure 159: Translate a document type
Note: Translation can be done from any supported locales to any other supported locales
except ‘English-United States’. For E.g.: If you translated a document type from
‘English-United states’ to ‘Spanish-Spain’. Then you can use “Spanish-Spain’ as Source
locale and translate that document type to any other supported locale except “EnglishUnited states’
How do I register a new organisation and entitle its
facilitator/coordinator?
Contracts Online allows SP Managers, SP Facilitators, HP Facilitators, HP users, GP Facilitators/
and GP users to register new organisations in COL.
The types of organisations which can be registered depend on the user’s profile. .
Following is a list of organisation types that can be registered by user type.
227
A SP Manager and SP Facilitator can register organisations belonging to the
following types:
• Supplier who can submit, review and validate contracts
• Customer who can submit, review and validate contracts
• Distributor who can submit, review and validate contracts
• Solution Provider who can submit, review and validate contracts
• Agent who can submit, review and validate contracts
• Business Partner who can approve or update contracts
• Customer who can approve and sign contracts
• Financier who can countersign contracts involving financing
• Supplier who can approve and sign contracts
A HP Facilitator and users can register organisations belonging to the following
types:
• Customer who can approve and sign contracts
• Business Partner who can approve or update contracts
• Distributor who can submit, review and validate contracts
• Solution Provider who can submit, review and validate contracts
• Agent who can submit, review and validate contracts
• Financier who can countersign contracts involving financing
HP Customer Facilitators and users can register organisations belonging to the
following types::
• Supplier who can approve and sign contracts
GP Distributor Facilitators and users can register organisations belonging to the
following types:
• Customer who can approve and sign contracts,
• Solution Provider who can submit, review and validate contracts
GP Solution Provider Facilitators and users can register organisations belonging to
the following types::
• Customer who can approve and sign contracts
The procedure to register a customer organisation is different than registering an IBM or
a Business Partner organisation. When registering a customer organisation, unless a
temporary number is being used, COL will verify that it is a valid customer in IBM’s
customer repository before it can be registered to COL.
To register a new organisation, please navigate to Administration > Manage
organisations > Register organisation, you will be requested to select the organisation
type to be registered, and the IBM ID of the facilitator/coordinator for the organisation
being registered.
228
How do I register Customer organisations in Contracts Online?
To register a new customer organisation, you will need either a temporary or a valid
customer number and at least one user to be entitled as the coordinator of the new
organisation. The coordinator will have the authority to register additional users within
this new organisation.
While registering a customer organisation in COL, the user may be able to search for the
customer number in IBM’s customer repository and fetch its details. The criterion used in
order for looking up organisations in IBM’s customer repository depends on the user’s
profile, i.e.; if you are a facilitator or a user belonging to an IBM organisation, then you
will be allowed to use both “Customer Number.” and “Organisation Name” (Customer
name) within your criterion. However, if you are a facilitator or a user belonging to any
GP organisation your search criteria will be limited to “Customer number”. Please note
that customer number searches require that the user also provide the Country/system
code. This is also known as the Legacy System Country which specifier the country of
the CMR system in which the customer number was originally created. Customer
(organisation) name searches on the other hand require ISO country code and city.
If you choose to register either a “Customer who can submit, review and validate
contracts” or a “Customer who can approve and sign contracts” then customer
number will be a required field. After identifying the coordinator, the user will be
prompted with the choice of whether registering a customer using a temporary or a valid
customer number. Note that temporary customer numbers must be prefixed with the
letter “T”. If the user selects 'Yes' and submits the form, the user will be directed to a
search facility to search for the customer number in IBM’s customer repository. If the
user decides instead to register a temporary customer and selects 'No', the user will be
provided with the registration form in which all the data will need to be manually
entered..
By choosing the option to use a valid customer number COL will then provide a search
facility to search IBM’s customer repository. Once the search results are returned, the
user will then be able to select the correct customer organisation. If more than 100 results
are found in IBM’s customer repository, the user will be requested to narrow down the
results by providing additional search criteria.
A fuzzy searching is allowed on organisation name by providing at least three characters.
In order to select an organisation from the returned list, select the radio button adjacent to
the desired organisation details and click on the “copy selected” icon provided at the end
of the table. All the common data of the selected customer organisation will be
automatically populated into the organisation registration form and will be in uneditable
format. The Organisation ID will be automatically computed by COL by combining the
ISO country code and the customer number and will also be uneditable.
The procedure to register the customer organisation here onwards will be the same as that
followed while registering a non-customer organisation.
How do I register non-Customer organisations in Contracts Online?
In order to register a non-customer organisation (IBM Host Provider or Business Partner
Guest Provider), navigate to Administration > Manage organisations > Register
organisation, you will be requested to select the organisation type to be registered,
229
followed by providing a IBM ID which will be entitled as facilitator of the organisation
being registered.
Upon submission of the desired organisation type and IBM ID to be entitled as a
facilitator of the organisation, you will be redirected to the user entitlement page where
you will be requested to submit the information required to entitle the facilitator. Once
you have successfully entitled the facilitator, you will be presented with a page requesting
you to enter certain mandatory organisation specific information. Following is an
illustration of the same.
Please note:
1. The information in this page will have to be entered by you manually as opposed
to auto- population of fields which occurs when you choose to retrieve and
validate customer organisation’s information from IBM’s customer repository.
2. COL will display an optional field on the Organisation Registration form
“Customer number required for work flows without a customer party”. This check
box will allow the user registering the organisation to specify whether, the
‘Customer Number’ field is required during contract submission for work flows
not having a customer party. This field is displayed while registering
organisations which can submit contracts.
230
231
Upon successful submission of the “Organisation registration page”, Contracts Online
shall register a new organisation. A message stating that the organisation was registered
successfully will be displayed.
Once the new organisation has been registered, the system will automatically generate
and send out two short emails. The first email is sent using your email address to inform
the user that he/she is entitled to use Contracts Online and that another email will follow
shortly providing brief instructions on how to use Contracts Online. The second email is
sent from the Contracts OnLine email address containing brief instructions on how to use
it. You will be notified if the first email fails to deliver. If this happens, get in touch with
user and ask him to update his Web Identity profile.
Note: The change in email address done in Web Identity will take effect in COL by next
working day. Its the registrar’s responsibility to update user characteristics and check
options to send welcome emails to user in order to re-send welcome emails.
A weekly process will synchronize all Contracts Online customer profiles with their existing
profile in IBM’s customer repository.
How do I configure custom transaction data?
Follow the links Administration> Configure services>Configure custom transaction
data.
Once added, these custom data fields will appear on the submission form the next time
someone creates a new contract in that corresponding module.
1. Select an action from the drop down to create, modify or delete custom
transaction data.
2. Select the organisation for which this data applies.
3. If creating new data, a form will be presented with the following fields:
Form name
Data name
Data type
Module
Sequence number
Enter “Submission form”
Enter the name of the field you want
displayed on the form
Enter a value such as string, date/time,
integer, etc.
Select the module to which this field
applies
If there is more than one custom data then
the sequence number dictates the order
these custom data appear on the
submission form
4. To modify data, select Modify custom transaction data from the drop down and
choose the organisation. If there are any types to modify, then a list of data names
will display.. Use the radio button to choose the item you wish to modify, and
press Submit. Make any changes necessary on the form and press Submit to save
the changes.
232
5. To delete data, select Delete and choose the organisation. Use the radio button to
choose the item you wish to delete and press Submit. You will not be prompted
to confirm this delete, so be sure that this is the correct field for deletion.
Figure 161: Configure custom data
The following screen shot shows how to delete a custom field.
233
Figure 162: Delete custom data
How do I update organisation information?
Once an organisation is registered, its information can be updated or completed by an
authorized user like a facilitator or a coordinator as more information becomes available.
1. Follow the links Administration > Manage organisations >Update organisation
information.
2. Select a value from the Organisation drop down list If the list is too long, type
one or more starting characters of the organisation and then click Go. Only the
organisations which match the criteria display.
234
Figure 163: Search Organisation
235
Once the organisation is located, a form similar to the one shown below appears for you
to enter any new information or change any existing information. The fields with
asterisks are required. When all the detail has been entered, click the Submit button to
complete the request.
Figure 164: Update Organisation Information
236
How do I activate/deactivate an organisation?
Follow the links Administration> Manage organisations. The facilitator can choose to
register an organisation, view a list of active organisations and to deactivate them, view a
list of inactive organisations and to activate them, update organisation information or
perform an organisation search. The following shows how to view a list of active
organisations and deactivate them.
Follow the link Administration> Manage organisations>Active organisations to view a
list of all the active organisations as shown in the following screenshot. If the list is long,
you may type in one or more starting characters of the organisation name to filter the list.
To deactivate one or more organisations, check the box next to the organisation name(s)
and then click the Submit button to complete the request.
Figure 165: Activate organisation
237
Figure 166: Deactivate organisation
238
How do I add/remove an organisation’s service relationships?
1. Follow the links Administration > Manage organisations >Relationships. You
may add a service relationship or remove a service relationship.
2. Chooses an organisation from the drop down list for which the relationship is to
be
modified.
3. The following screenshot shows how to add service relationship to the current
provider. Choose a non-provider organisation to add to the current provider
organisation. To make multiple selections hold down the Ctrl key and click on
one
or
more
organisation
names
on
the
list.
4. Once all the selection(s) are made, click the Submit button to complete the
request. Upon successful completion of the request, a message will be displayed
at the top of the page.
239
Figure 167: Add service relationship
To remove a service relationship, select the organisation from which one or more service
relationships needs to be removed. The following screenshot shows an example of
selecting two organisations to be removed from the non-provider organisation list. Once
all the selection(s) are made, click the Submit button to send the modification request.
Upon successful completion of the request, a message will be displayed at the top of the
page.
240
Figure 168: Remove service relationship
241
How do I entitle/register a new user?
There are two prerequisites to registering a new user in Contracts OnLine:
The user must have an IBM ID and provide that ID to you. If the user does not
already have one, he/she may obtain one at the IBM Registration site:
https://www.ibm.com/account/profile/

The organisation to which this user belongs must already be registered to COL. If
it is not, refer to How to register an organisation section in the online help
document.
Once you register a user with Contracts OnLine, the system will automatically generate
and send out two emails on your behalf. The first email is sent using your email address
to inform the new user that he/she has been registered. . If the new user’s IBM ID falls
under the “ibm.com” umbrella, then this user’s “IBM manager” will be sent a copy of the
first email. The second email is sent from Contracts OnLine containing some brief
instructions on how to use the application. You will be notified if the first email fails to
deliver. If this happens, notify the user manually, asking him/her to verify the email
address
in
the
IBM
Registration
profile.
Here are the steps to register a new user:
1. From the left navigation bar, follow the links Administration > Manage users >
Entitle user.
2. Select an Organisation and enter the IBM ID provided to you. Several fields are prepopulated based on the user’s IBM Profile information.
3. Verify that the email address is valid. Check the box to confirm email.
4. Fill in the required fields as indicated by an asterisk (*).
5. Using the drop down boxes, select the user role and the access level. Select “User”
for “User Role.” The access levels are as follows:
1
2
3
4
5
User can view all the contracts for his/her organisation as
well as selected contracts that do not involve user’s
organisation.
User can view all the contracts for his/her organisation.
User can view the contracts for his/her organisation, and
selected organisations(s) assigned to the user.
User can view his/her own contracts, and selected
contracts to which he/she has been given access.
Reserved for future use.
6. Group membership is optional. If this new user is to be a group leader, then check
the group leader box.
7. Click the Submit button to complete the request. Upon successful completion of the
request, a message will be displayed at the top of the page.
The Clear button is available to reset the entry fields to their previous values.
242
Figure 169: Select user for registration
243
Figure 170: Register User
244
How do I update a user’s information?
1. Follow the links Administration > Manage users >Update user characteristics.
2. Chooses the organisation to which this user belongs from the drop down list. The list
may be filtered by typing in one or more starting characters for the organisation.
3. Choose the user name from the drop down list. Again, the list may be filtered by
typing in one or more starting characters for the user name.
4. Enters the IBM Registration ID in the IBM ID field and select Continue.
5. Several fields are pre-populated based on the user’s profile. You may then change the
role and group membership and whether or not this user is a group leader. If the
update is to correct a mistake in the email address for a new user that you registered,
you may want to check the box for “Regenerate and send new account email” to the
new user.
6. Click the Submit button to complete the request. Upon successful completion of the
request, a message will be displayed at the top of the page.
245
Figure 171: Update user information
246
How do I assign multiple organisations to an existing Contracts OnLine
user?
Contract online will have the ability to assign a single Contracts OnLine user to
multiple organisations. This function will be helpful if there are multiple organisations
registered in Contracts OnLine (ex. Honda of NYC, Honda of LA, Honda of Miami) but
are owned by one company (Honda USA) then we want to allow one user to have access
to all contracts for all the registered Honda organisations. Also it applies to people who
handle contracting operations of multiple locations of the same company. The
Administrator, SP Manager, SP Facilitator, HP Facilitator, GP Facilitator and GNP
Coordinator have the authority to assign a user to multiple organisations. (Note: SP
Manager/SP Facilitator can manage all organisations, HP Facilitator can manage users of
their own organisation and also they can add users from other organisation to their own
organisation, GP Facilitator / GNP Coordinator can manage users within their own
Parent-Chile Umbrella and within their same class).
1. Follow the link “Administration -> Manage User -> Assign multiple
organisations”.
2. Choose an organisation from the organisation drop down for which the user
belongs.
3. The page is refreshed and User Name drop down list is displayed based on the
organisation selected.
4. Select the user name from the drop down list.
5. The page is refreshed and the selected user organisation details is displayed with 2
radio option button “Move” and “Assign Organisation to the user” (If the
selected user belongs to multiple organisation, then a “Remove” link is displayed
corresponding to each organisation.)
247
Figure 172: Assign Multiple Organisation
6. Select the option “Assign Organisation to the user”.
7. The page gets refreshed and it displays the “New Organisation name” drop
down box. (The list of organisations selectable by you shall include those
organisations which are part of the same parent/child relationship. This list does
not contain the organisations to which the user already belongs.)
248
Figure 173: Assign Organisation to user
8. Select an organisation from the dropdown box and clicks on the “Arrow” button.
9. The page gets refreshed and it displays the user details and the role information.
(The role of the user for the new selected organisation(s) shall default to the role
249
of 'user' and the admin have the ability to change the role of the user for the newly
added organisation.). Click on the “Submit” button.
10. User is assigned to selected organisations with access level and user role as
selected while adding user to new organisation. Assign multiple organisations page
is redisplayed with the message saying, “User is successfully assigned to selected
organisations”.
How do I remove organisation from an existing user?
1. Follow the link “Administration -> Manage User -> Assign Multiple
Organisations”.
2. Choose an organisation from the organisation drop down for which the user
belongs.
3. The page is refreshed and user name drop down list is displayed based on the
organisation selected.
4. Select a user name from the drop down list
5. The page is refreshed and 2 option buttons “Move User” and “Assign
Organisation to the user” is displayed and below that is a table of all
organisations that the selected user belongs to and the roles of the user per
organisation as shown in the figure 1.
6. Click on the “Remove” link corresponding to the organisation to be removed. (No
“Remove” link is displayed if the user belongs to a single organisation or the
selected user is only user for that organisation)
7. The page gets refreshed and it displays a ‘Delegate Name’ drop down box. (The
users listed are of a user role same or higher to what the selected user has).
8. Select a Delegate and click on the ‘Submit’ button.
9. The Assign Organisation page is displayed with the message “Organisation
Removed Successfully”.
Once the user is removed from the organisation and delegation is happened. The selected
delegate is assigned the transactions under the selected user for selected organisation. The
selected user can thereby no longer access these transactions and will not able to login
into this organisation.
How do I access particular organisation transactions if I belong to multiple
organisations?
This function will work only if you belong to multiple organisations.
1. Click on the Sign in button in the Contracts OnLine Index page.
2. Enter “Select service provider” page is displayed with the “Service Provider”
and “Organisation Name” drop down box as shown in the figure below.
250
Figure 174: Select Service Provider Page
3. Select the service provider and the organisation and click on the “Submit” button.
4. Login to the selected organisation is successful and the Contracts OnLine
welcome page is displayed.
You can able view all transactions that belong to the selected organisation.
How do I change an organisation of a user after logged into Contracts
OnLine?
This function will work only if the user belongs to multiple organisations.
1. Follow the Link “Manage my user account -> Change my Organisation”.
2. The “Select Service Provider” page is displayed with “Service Provider”
and “Organisation Name” drop down box as shown in figure 2.
3. Select the Service Provider and the Organisation name and click on the
“Submit” button.
4. Login to the selected organisation is successful and the Contracts OnLine
welcome page is displayed
You are now able to view all transactions that belong to the selected organisation.
How do I move or reassign or move a user from one organisation to
another organisation?
Contracts OnLine shall allow the Contracts OnLine role with manage user
authority and management over multiple organisations (Administrator, SP Manager, SP
Facilitator, HP Facilitator, GP Facilitator and GNP Coordinator) hence known as admin
to move a user from one organisation to another.
251
Note: Before a user is allowed to leave an organisation for another, all work must be
delegated to another user who has the same rights for the organisation and the user will
be cross marked on all Contracts OnLine teams belonging to the old organisation.
1. Follow the link “Administration -> Manage User -> Assign Multiple
Organisations”.
2. Choose an organisation from the organisation drop down for which the user
belongs.
3. The page is refreshed and user name drop down list is displayed based on the
organisation selected.
4. Select a user name from the drop down list
5. The page is refreshed and 2 option buttons “Move User” and “Assign
Organisation to the user” is displayed and below that is a table of all
organisations that the selected user belongs to and the roles of the user per
organisation as shown in the figure 1.
6. Select “Move User” option button and click on the “Arrow” button.
7. The Page gets refreshed and it display delegation details as show in the figure
below.
252
Figure 175: Reassigning a user with delegation details page
8. Enter the description; select the delegate and click on the “Continue” button.
9. The page gets refreshed and it displayed a “New Organisation Name” drop down
box.
10. Select the “Organisation Name” and Click on the “Continue” button.
11. The page gets refreshed and it displays the user details and the role information as
shown in the figure below. (The role of the user for the new selected
organisation(s) shall default to the role of 'user' and the admin have the ability to
change the role of the user for the newly added organisation.) Click on the
“Submit” button.
253
Figure 176: Assign Multiple Organisation page with user details
12. User is reassigned to selected organisations with access level and user role
selected on this page.
254
How do I select organisations for user access?
1. From the left navigation bar, follow the links Administration > Manage Users >
Select organisations for user access.
2. Select from the Organisation name drop down list the organisation to which a user
belongs and click on the Go button.
3. Select from the User name drop down list the user whose organisations require
change and click the Go button.
4. If you are authorized, you may then select or deselect the organisations to which the
selected user should or should not belong. To remove a user from an organisation,
click on a highlighted organisation. To add access to an organisation, highlight the
organisation by clicking on it. Use the CTRL key to select multiple organisations.
5. Click the Submit button to send the change request.
255
Figure 177: Select organisation for User access
256
How do I activate or deactivate a user?
1. Follow the links Administration> Manage users>Activate users or Deactivate users
2. Select from a drop down menu the organisation name of the user you would like to
activate or deactivate. A screen similar to the following screen will display all the
users belonging to the selected organisation. Note that you may only view users for
the organisations that you are authorized to access.
3. To deactivate a user, click on the check box next to the user name, select the action
you would like to do, select a delegatee for the user and specify the end date for
deactivation. The start date is set to today’s date. The start date for deactivation can
not be set in the future. A user remains permanently deactivated until he or she is
specifically activated again. The end date is when the delegate may no longer
execute the user’s work. If this delegation is indefinite, put the date far enough into
the future to cover this user’s pending tasks.
4. To activate a user, click on the check box next to the user name.
5. Click the Submit button to complete the request.
257
Figure 178: Activate Users
258
Figure 179: Deactivate Users
259
How do I update user permissions?
1. Follow the links Administration >Manage users >Update individual user
permissions.
2. Select the user whose permissions need to be updated. You may filter the list by
entering up to the first five characters. Note that special permission will be granted by
the Service Provider manager for a limited time.
3. Chooses the organisation to which this user belongs from the drop down list. The list
may be filtered by typing in one or more starting characters for the organisation.
4. Once a user is selected, the user’s current permissions are shown in a page similar to
one shown below. You can update the user permissions for a task by clicking on the
corresponding radio buttons under the Enabled and Disabled columns
5. Click the Submit button to send the update request or click on the Reset button to
reverse the changes and fall back to the user previous permission setting. Else click
the Cancel button to cancel your update request and start afresh.
260
Figure 180: Update user permission
261
How do I register a new application?
There are two prerequisites to registering a new application into Contracts OnLine:
The application must have an IBM ID and provide that ID to you. If the
application does not already have one, it may be obtained from the IBM
Registration site: https://www.ibm.com/account/profile/

The organisation to which this application is to belong must already be registered
to COL. If it is not, refer to How to register an organisation section in the online
help document.

Only a SP Manager/Facilitator can register an application provided he has the
permission to manage applications.
Here are the steps to register a new application:
1. From the left navigation bar, follow the links Administration > Manage applications
> Register applications.
2. The user should enter a valid application ID (i.e. one which is already registered in
WI) and choose to continue (figure 169 illustrates this page),
3. The second page will contain the application’s profile information which has been
fetched from Web Identity. The actor can enter the application description, Contact
person name and contact person’s email ID here (These fields are not mandatory).
Upon submitting this form the application will get registered with COL.
Figure 169: Enter an application ID for registration
262
Figure 170: Register Application: page 2
How do I entitle a new application?
Once the application is registered by SP manager, a facilitator (belonging to a SP, HP or
GP organisation) can entitle it to their organisation. The functionality is very similar to
Entitle user.
1. Navigate to Administration > Manage applications > Entitle applications.
263
2. The page displayed is illustrated below. Select the desired organisation from first
drop down. In second drop down, select the application to be entitled. The
applications drop down list will comprise of all applications registered but not entitled
in COL.
Figure 171: Entitle Application: page 1
3. Upon submission of this page, you will be presented with a page comprising of
application’s WI profile information. You can select an appropriate Application
role and Access level and submit accordingly. (Refer to fig Id: 172 for an
illustration of the same).
264
Figure 172: Entitle Application: page 2
How do I update an application’s information?
Prerequisites:
1. Only a SP Manager/Facilitator can update an application provided he has the
permission to manage applications.
1. Follow the links Administration > Manage applications >Update application.
265
2. Upon clicking the “Update application” link, you will be presented with a list of all
applications registered in COL under the same SP organisation. A link to modify the
information will be available against each application listed on the page.
Figure 171: Update Application
3. Upon click the “Modify” link, you will be able to change “Application description”,
“Contact person name” and “Contact person email address”. Other details which are
obtained from Web Identity (WI) can be updated by using WI’s profile update link.
Please note : Updates made using WI’s profile page will take up to 24 hrs to get
reflected within Contracts Online.
266
267
Figure 172: Modify Application page
How do I update application characteristics?
1. Follow the links Administration > Manage Applications >Update application
characteristics.
2. Chooses the organisation to which the application belongs to from the drop down list.
The list may be filtered by typing in one or more starting characters for the
organisation.
3. Choose the application name from the drop down list. Again, the list may be filtered
by typing in one or more starting characters for the application name.
4. Several fields are pre-populated based on the application’s profile. You may then
change the role and access level. (Refer to fig ID : 173) You can check the box for
“Regenerate and send new account email” to the updated application.
5. Click the Submit button to complete the request. Upon successful completion of the
request, a message will be displayed at the top of the page.
268
Figure 173: Update Application characteristics
How do I assign multiple organisations to an existing Contracts OnLine
application?
Contract Online will have the ability to assign a single Contracts OnLine
application to multiple organisations.
This function facilitates the permission to access multiple organisations falling under a
single organisation’s umbrella. (E.g. Honda of NYC, Honda of LA, Honda of Miami are
owned by one company (Honda USA) then we want to allow one application to have
access to all contracts for all the registered Honda organisations. Also, it applies to
applications which handle contracting operations of multiple locations of the same
company. The Administrator, SP Manager, SP Facilitator, HP Facilitator, GP Facilitator
269
and GNP Coordinator have the authority to assign an application to multiple
organisations. (Note: SP Manager/SP Facilitator can manage all organisations, HP
Facilitator can manage applications of their own organisation and also they can add
applications from other organisation to their own organisation, GP Facilitator / GNP
Coordinator can manage applications within their own Parent-Child Umbrella and within
their same class).
1. Follow the link “Administration > Manage applications > Assign Multiple
Organisations”.
2. Choose an organisation from the organisation drop down for which the application
belongs.
3. The page is refreshed and application Name drop down list is displayed based on the
organisation selected.
4. Select the application name from the drop down list.
5. The selected application’s organisation details are displayed with 2 radio options
“Move” and “Assign Organisation to the user” (If the selected application belongs
to multiple organisations, then a “Remove” link is displayed adjacent to each
organisation.)
Figure 174: Assign Multiple Organisation
6. Select the option “Assign Organisation to the application”.
7. The page gets refreshed and it displays the “New Organisation name” drop down
box. (The list of organisations selectable by you shall include those organisations
which are part of the same parent/child relationship. This list does not contain the
organisations to which the application already belongs.)
270
Figure 173: Assign Organisation to application
8. Select an organisation from the dropdown box and click on the “Arrow” button.
9. The page gets refreshed and it displays the application details and the role
information. (The role of the application for the new selected organisation(s) shall
default to the role of 'user'.) Click on the “Submit” button.
10. The application is assigned to selected organisations with access level and user role as
selected while adding application to new organisation. Assign multiple organisations
page is redisplayed with the message stating, “Application is successfully assigned to
selected organisations”.
271
How do I remove an organisation from an existing application?
1. Follow the link “Administration > Manage applications > Assign Multiple
Organisations”.
2. Choose an organisation from the organisations displayed in the drop down for which
the application belongs.
3. The page is refreshed and application name drop down list is displayed based on the
organisation selected.
4. Select a application name from the drop down list
5. The page is refreshed and 2 options “Move Application” and “Assign Organisation
to the Application” are displayed. Below that is a list of all organisations that the
application belongs to along with its role within the organisation.
6. Click on the “Remove” link corresponding to the organisation to be removed.
(“Remove” link is not displayed when the application belongs to a single organisation
or the selected application is only user for the organisation)
7. The page gets refreshed and it displays a ‘Delegate Name’ drop down box. (The
users listed have a role either equal to or higher than that of the selected application).
8. Select a Delegate and click on the ‘Submit’ button.
9. The Assign Organisation page is displayed with the message “Organisation Removed
Successfully”.
Once the application is removed from the organisation and is delegated successfully. The
selected delegatee is assigned the transactions under the delegator application for selected
organisation. The selected user can thereby no longer access these transactions and will
not able to login into this organisation.
How do I reassign or move an application from one organisation to
another organisation?
Contracts OnLine shall allow the Administrator, SP Manager, SP Facilitator , GP
Facilitator and GNP Coordinator to move an application from one organisation to
another.
Note: Before an application is allowed to leave an organisation for another, all pending
work must be delegated to another application which shares the same rights for the
organisation. The application will be cross marked on all Contracts OnLine teams
belonging to the old organisation.
1. Follow the link “Administration > Manage applications > Assign Multiple
Organisations”.
2. Choose an organisation from the organisation drop down for which the application
belongs.
3. The page is refreshed and the application name drop down list is displayed based on
the organisation selected.
4. Select an application name from the drop down list
5. The page is refreshed and 2 option buttons “Move Application” and “Assign
Organisation to the application” are displayed. A list of all organisations of the
selected application with its specific role information is displayed.
6. Select “Move Application” option button and click on the “Arrow” button.
7. The page gets refreshed and it displays delegation details as show in the figure below.
272
Figure 175: Reassigning a user with delegation details page
8. Enter the description; select the delegate and click on the “Continue” button.
9. The page gets refreshed and it displayed a “New Organisation Name” drop down
box.
10. Select the “Organisation Name” and Click on the “Continue” button.
11. The page gets refreshed and it displays the application details and the role
information as shown in the figure below. (The role of the application for the
selected organisation(s) shall default to the role of 'user.) Click on the “Submit”
button.
273
Figure 176: Assign Multiple Organisation page with user details
12. Application is reassigned to selected organisations with access level and application
role selected on this page.
274
How do I activate or deactivate an application?
1. Follow the links Administration> Manage applications>Activate applications or
Deactivate applications
2. Select from a drop down menu the organisation name of the application you would
like to activate or deactivate. A screen similar to the following screen will display all
the application belonging to the selected organisation. Note that you may only view
applications for the organisations that you are authorized to access.
3. To deactivate an application, click on the check box next to the application name,
select the action you would like to do, select a delegate for the application and specify
the end date for deactivation. The start date is set to today’s date. The start date for
deactivation can not be set in the future. An application remains permanently
deactivated until it gets activated again. The end date is when the delegate may no
longer execute the application’s work. If this delegation is indefinite, put the date far
enough into the future to cover this application’s pending tasks.
4. To activate an application, click on the check box next to the application name.
5. Click the Submit button to complete the request.
A user can activate/deactivate the applications having roles lower than the user. Like a
manger can do it for a facilitator or a user. The checkbox for a manger will be disabled
for him.
275
Figure 178: Activate applications
276
Figure 179: Deactivate applications
277
How do I create a department?
1. Follow the links Administration> Manage department>Create department.
2. You can create a department for your own organisation or, if authorized, for another
organisation. Currently, the “Department” function is supported only for the
organisations on the supplier side it does not support any organisation on the
customer side. Department support is an organisation reporting and viewing hierarchy
structure only, it does not necessarily reflect the team hierarchy in the contract
decision even in the same organisation.
3. After entering the department name and the department description, you can select
from the Users list one or more members from the organisation to form the new
department. To select more than one member, hold down the CTRL key while
clicking on the members from the list.
4. You may also select departments to belong to this department. If there are no
departments for this organisation, then this option will not appear.
5. Select a department leader from the Department leaders drop down list. To assign
more department leaders hold down the CTRL key and click on the name of the
person to be included as one of the leaders.
6. Once all the information is selected, click the Submit button to complete the request.
278
Figure 181: Create Department
How do I modify a department?
1. If you are authorized, follow the links Administration > Manage department
>Modify department. If you can manage other organisations, first choose an
organisation from the Organisation name drop down list, then choose the department
from the Department name drop down list.
279
2. To add one or more members to the department from the Users list, the Department
list, or the Department leaders hold down the CTRL key while clicking on a name
from the corresponding list. To remove a group member from the Users list, the
Departments or the Department leaders list, click on the user name or department
name from the corresponding list.
3. Once all the information is selected, click the Submit button to complete the request.
Figure 182: Modify department
280
How do I view a department?
1. Follow the links Administration > Manage departments.
2. Select View department.
3. If you are authorized to manage other organisations, choose an organisation name
from the drop down list. Then choose a department from the drop down list.
4. Click on the link for a department to modify its reporting structure. For more detailed
information regarding how to modify a department, see How do I modify a
department?
Figure 183: View Department
281
How do I create a delegation?
1. If you have authority to create delegations for other users, follow the links
Administration > Manage delegations >Create delegation. If you can only perform
your own delegation, follow the links Manage my user account >Create delegation.
2. Fill in the description.
3. Choose the person to whom you want to delegate your work by using the drop down
box for Delegatee.
4. Specify the delegation time frame, ensuring the date format is entered as shown.
When the end date is reached, the delegate may no longer execute your work. If this
delegation is indefinite, specify a date far enough into the future to cover this user’s
pending tasks.
5. Click on the Submit button when done.
Figure 184: Create Delegation
282
Once submitted successfully, the delegation can be seen in the delegation as shown in the
following screen shot.
Figure 185: View all Delegation
283
How do I update/delete a delegation?
1. If you are authorized, follow the links Administration > Manage delegations>View
all delegations. Or follow the links Manage my user account >My delegations to get
to your delegations. Or use the links Administration > Manage delegations
>Delegations search if you would like to search for a specific delegation.
2. Click on the link under the “Description” column to select the delegation you need to
update or delete.
Figure 186: View all delegations
3. For update, make the necessary correction. Required fields are marked with an
asterisk. Select the “Update” option.
284
4. For delete, select the “Delete” option.
5. Click on the Submit button when done.
Note: Delegations whose end date is in the past cannot be updated. If end date is in the
future but start date is in the past start date cannot be modified.
Figure 187: Update delegation
285
How do I create a team?
1. Follow
the
links
Administration
>
Configure
internal
processes.
2. Click on the “Teams” tab on top of the page or the link Teams on the page, or you
can directly access any of the team function links through Administration >
Configure internal processes > Create team. The team functions supported are
Create team, Modify team or View team. The following shows how to create a team.
3. If you are a facilitator, you can choose an organisation to create a team. If you are a
coordinator, you can only create a team for your own organisation.
4. Enter the name for the new team.
5. Select the team type from the drop down list. Currently, there are two types
supported: ONLY ONE (only one team member needs to take action), and ALL (all
the team members need to take action).
6. Optionally, add the team email address, any additional email addresses, and the team
description.
7. Select a team leader from the drop down list. This new team can be made up of users
as well as other teams. Select those users or teams from their respective lists. To
select multiple users/teams hold down the CTRL key while clicking on the user/team
names.
8. Once all the information is selected, click the Submit button to complete the request.
286
Figure 188: Create team
287
How do I modify a team?
1. Follow the links Administration > Configure internal processes. Once in this page,
click on the “Teams” tab on top of the page or the link Teams on the page to access
all the functions related to managing a team. The team functions supported are
Create team, Modify team, and View team. The following shows how to modify a
team.
2. If you are a facilitator, follow the links Administration > Configure internal
processes >Modify Team and choose the organisation and the team that needs to be
modified. If you are a coordinator, you can only modify the teams belonging to your
own organisation.
3. To modify any data field, just type over the existing data. To add or remove a team
member, or a team, hold down the CTRL key while clicking on the user name or the
team name that is being added or removed.
4. Once all the information is selected, click the Submit button to complete the request.
To keep the original team setting after making some changes click on the Cancel
button.
288
Figure 189: Modify Team
289
How do I view a team?
1. Follow
the
links
Administration
>
Configure
internal
processes.
2. Clink on the link Teams, or the “Teams” tab on top of the page. Administration>
Configure internal processes>
3. Select View team.
4. If your are authorized, you may search for and select an organisation to view. Then
select a team to view by clicking on the team name from the drop down list. A user
list for that team displays.
The following screen shot shows a view of a selected team from a selected organisation.
If this team has any nested sub-teams, they can also be viewed recursively by clicking on
the link under the team name.
Figure 190: View Team
290
How do I configure an actor for a role?
The coordinator can assign users to perform different actions by following the links
Administration> Configure internal processes>Configure role actors. If you are
authorized to configure actors for another organisation, select the organisation from the
drop down box for the organisation you would like to configure, but if you are not
authorized to configure actor for another organisation then your own organisation will be
selected by default. Once the organisation is selected the current default actors for the
organisation will be shown similar to the screen shot below.
291
1. Select the role that you would like to configure. For example, choose Reviewer
by clicking on the link under “Contract Reviewer” and the current configured
actors for the Reviewer role will be displayed similar to the screen shot below.
2. To add a new actor to the list or to delete an actor from the list, hold down the
Ctrl key and click on the actor name, then click the Submit button to request the
changes. To fall back to the default setting, click the Cancel button to clear all the
selection made.
Figure 191: Configure Actor for role
How do I configure my internal process?
Contracts Online provides a way for you to configure your organisation’s internal
business process to associate with a document flow step in the contract cycle. For
example, your organisation may require multiple levels of approval before a contract can
be forwarded for final signature. Creation of the internal process is limited to English292
United States Only. The created internal process can further translated to other supported
locales.
1. To configure an internal business process, follow this link
Administration>Configure internal process to access the Configure Internal
Processes module. Make sure that the steps & actors have been defined before
attempting to create this process.
2. Once inside this module, you can first create an internal business process by
accessing this link Create internal process and then associate this internal
business process to the contract document flow step by accessing the Bind
internal process link.
3. For each step in the internal business process, you need to specify who can take
action for this step by accessing the link Configure Step Actor.
4. Once created, view or modify an internal business process through the View
Internal Process link or the Modify Internal Process link.
Figure 192: Create Internal Process Page
293
Create Internal Processes
1. Follow the link Administration >Configure Internal Process to access the
Configure Internal Process module.
2. Click on the Create Internal Process link
3. The page is displayed with the Organisation Name Drop down and a Locale drop
down set to “English-United States” and the drop down box is disabled, as the
internal document flow creating is limited to English-United States only; Select
the Organisation name for which you are going to create the Internal Process, Fill
in the fields of the “Create Internal Process” form as shown in the following
screen shot. The required fields are marked with a red asterisk next to them. Note:
a. Internal Process ID is reserved for future use.
b. Internal Process Name has to be unique within an organisation.
4. Click the Submit button.
For any process there must be at least a starting step and ending step. Once all the steps
of an internal process for your organisation are created, they will need to be connected to
make a meaningful flow. Also, the users need to be configured to be actors for all the
created steps.
Figure 193: Adding a new steps to a Internal Process
294
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Add as many steps as are necessary using the “Add a step” link.
When steps are created, choose “Configure Internal Process” link.
Specify all the possible actions allowed for each step by click on each step name.
When all the steps have been configured, press Submit.
A message will be displayed specifying that the process was successfully
configured.
295
Figure 194: Internal Process document flow
Once an internal process has been created and submitted to Contracts Online
successfully, you may then bind this internal process to a step in the document flow.
Choose the Bind Internal Process link from Configure internal processes.
Once a module and a document flow is selected, the flow steps that allow internal process
assignment are listed in a screen similar to the one below. Under the Internal Process
Name field, select the internal process for the assignment, or under the Auto Action field
select the action that you want Contracts Online to execute automatically for this internal
process. Click the Submit button to finish the internal process configuration.
296
Figure 195: Binding Internal Process
How do I Modify a Internal Process for a particular Contracts OnLine
supported locale?
1. Follow
the
links
Administration
>
Configure
Internal
Process.
2. Click on the “Internal Processes” tab on top of the page or the link Configure
Internal Process on the page to access all the functions related to manage a
internal process. The Internal Process functions supported are Create internal
process, Modify internal process, View internal Process. The following shows
how to modify an internal process.
297
3. Select Modify internal process.
4.
The page is displayed with the Organisation Name, Locale and Internal Process
drop down box, Choose the Organisation name from the Organisation Name drop
down and click on the “Go” button.,
5. Choose “English-United states” from the Locale drop down box to which the new
document flow will belong and click on the Go button (As the internal process
creation is limited to US-English locale, modification should happen only for USEnglish Locale
6. Select the Internal Process from the drop down list and click on the Go button.
The following screen shot shows a form to modify an Internal Process. You can modify
any Meta data of the internal process or to the information as it, click on the Submit
button to send the modification request or to continue to view the current steps of the
flow.
Figure 196: modify document
298
Once the request is sent, the following page displays so you can add a new step to the
Internal Process, or continue the internal process configuration. To modify a step in the
flow, click on the step name link in the leftmost column. To modify the configuration of a
step (to change the routing), click the “Configure document flow” link. To add a new
step to this flow, click the “Add a step” link. See the online help document topic “How
do I create a document flow in any Contracts OnLine Supported Locale?” for details on
adding steps and configuring the document flow for the steps.
Figure 197: List of steps in document
299
The following screen shot shows the new step can be added to Internal Process. The user
can select the step owner role, the action required, the default actor for the step and the
actor role and then click on the Submit button to add a step to Internal Process.
Figure 198: Submit a new step
Once the modification is completed, click on the Submit button. The internal Process is
modified successfully.
How do I view an Internal Process?
1. Follow the links Administration > Configure internal processes.
2. Click on the “View Internal Process”
300
3. Select the Organisation Name you belong to.
4. Select the Locale for the flow you wish to view.
5. Select the Internal Process that you would like to view and click on the “Go”
button.
The Internal process document flow is displayed as shown below.
Figure 199: View Internal Process
How do I translate an Internal Process from one Contracts OnLine
supported locale to another Contracts OnLine supported locale?
1. Follow
the
links
Administration
301
>
Configure
Internal
Process.
2. Click on the “Internal Processes” tab on top of the page or the link Configure
Internal Process on the page to access all the functions related to manage a
internal process. The Internal Process functions supported are Create internal
process, Modify internal process, View internal Process. The following shows
how to modify an internal process.
3. Select Modify internal process.
4.
The page is displayed with the Organisation Name, Locale and Internal Process
drop down box, Choose the Organisation name from the Organisation Name drop
down and click on the “Go” button.,
5. Choose “English-United States” locale from the “Locale” drop down box and
click on the Go button. (As the document flow creation is limited for “EnglishUnited States” locale, the source locale for translation should be “English-United
States”.)
6. Select the Internal Process from the drop down list and click on the Go button.
7. The same page is displayed again with source locale, selected Organisation Name
and Internal Process along with the Internal Process meta data (Internal Process
ID, name and description) and a link is displayed under it stating “Translate
document flow in other locale”. Click on the link “Translate document flow in
other locale” to translate it.
8. A page is displayed with the Internal Process meta data in non-editable format
with a drop down to select the target locale in which the Internal Process needs to
be translated. Selects an appropriate “Target locale” and click on Go button.
9. The following page is displayed with the Internal Process meta data, selected
target locale and a form with fields to capture the meta data of the Internal
Process in target locale. Fill in the required details in target locale and clicks on
Submit button.
302
Figure 200: Translate metadata for a Internal Process
A new page with the Internal Process meta data in target locale is displayed. The
meta data is displayed as static text followed by a table containing all the Internal Process
information (step name, step owner, step type, action, default actor and actor role) as
shown in the screen shot below. Either the information can fully be in target locale or else
303
user needs to translate the required information (steps, actions, action requested and
roles) into the target locale to view the complete Internal Process in target locale.
Figure 201: Translate Internal Process
10. To translate the value in the action requested field to the target locale, click on the
corresponding step name, enter the details and click on the “Submit” button.
11. Once you are done with the steps changes, click on the “Configure document
Flow” link.
12. The Internal Process is displayed in graphical format in the target locale. Click on
the “Submit” button.
13. The Bind Internal Process Page is displayed with the “Organisation Name” and a
“Module” drop down box.
14. Select a Module and click on the “Go” button
304
15. Select the Document Flow in which you want to associate the Internal Process and
click on the “Continue” button.
16. Select the Step Name in which you want to associate the Internal Process and
click on the “Go” button.
17. Select the Internal Process and click on the “Submit” button.
18. The Internal Process is successfully translated in the selected target locale and it is
binded to the document flow.
Note: Translation can be done from any supported locales to any other supported locales
except ‘English-United States’. If you translated a document flow from ‘English-United
states’ to ‘Spanish-Spain’ then you can use “Spanish-Spain’ as Source locale and
translate that document flow to any other supported locale except “English-United
states’
Note: Bind internal process, Configure role actors, and Teams will not be translatable.
Configure these using the US-English version.
How do I create a Generate report?
Follow the links Administration > Manage Operations >Generate Report.
Allows a user to generate a report for an internal or external organisation. The report will
contain information about the contract status, contract value and contract submitter.
Additional information such as number of registered users, registered companies and
number of log-on sessions can be found on the report as well.
At present, to generate an organisation specific report, a Facilitator or authorized user
currently accesses COL, navigates to Administration->Generate Report, and specifies
search criteria, which include a module, a specific group in the organisation structure, a
time period and a date type, to generate a statistics and reporting data for the
organisation.
The page “Generate Report” will have two new fields to be added, namely “Geography”
and “Country” in search criteria.
Report will be generated with following conditions: User will be required to select a valid
geography-country option.
• If the user chooses Geography and then for County the user chooses “Entire
Region”, then COL displays a cumulative report for entire Region for an
organisation.
•
If the user chooses Geography and then for County the user chooses “Show all”,
then COL displays report broken up by country.
•
If the user chooses Geography and then for County the user chooses a country,
then COL displays a report for that country.
The figure below shows when a summary report is generated for an organisation for an
entire region
305
Figure 202: Generate report summary page
The figure below highlights the changes when summary report is generated country wise
for an organisation:
306
Figure 203: Generate country wise Report page
307
How do I create a utilization report?
Follow the links Administration > Manage Operations >Utilization Report.
The utilization reports show the average response time for transactions and operations.
The Storage usage report shows the number of uploads and downloads and their storage
sizes. If authorized, you may select the geography, country, department, the module, the
from date and the To date. User name is defaulted to “All Users.” If authorized, you may
also pick the Service provider. The organisation is preset to the user’s host organisation.
Once all the information is selected and the dates are entered, click the Submit button to
complete the request.
308
Figure 204: Utilization report
309
How do I export the reports into CSV file?
Contracts Online have the ability to export the report generated using the generate
report function to CSV (comma separated variable) file. The SP Manager, SP facilitator,
HP Facilitator, GP Facilitator have the authority to generate the report and export the
same to CSV file.
1. Follow the link “Administration -> Manage Operation -> Generate report”.
2. Select Organisation name and the appropriate constraints for generating the report
and click on the “Submit” button.
3. Click on the “Export into CSV” link.
4. Save the CSV file locally.
310
Figure 205: Generate report export CSV file.
311
How do I export Transaction in Process/ Contract in Process/ Active
Contracts/ Archive Contracts/ Retro Requests/ Purchase Order / My Task
List into CSV file?
Contracts online has the ability to export Transaction in Process/ Contracts in
process/Active contracts/Retro request/My task list/Archive contracts/Purchase order
results or all contracts of various modules.
Here are the steps to export the list of contracts in process:
1. Follow the link Contract in process -> All Contracts / Contract in Process
Search to see the list of contracts.
2. Click on the “Export into CSV” link
3. Specify the location to save and click on the “Save” button.
Figure 206: All contracts page with Export into CSV link
312
Here are the steps to export the list of Transaction in process:
1. Follow the link Transaction in process -> All Transaction / Transaction in
Process Search to see the list of transaction.
2. Click on the “Export into CSV” link.
3. Specify the location to save and click on the “Save” button.
Here are the steps to export the list of All Active Contracts:
1. Follow the link Active Contracts -> All Active Contracts / Active Contracts
Search to see the list of active contracts.
2. Click on the “Export into CSV” link.
3. Specify the location to save and click on the “Save” button.
Here are the steps to export the list of All Purchase Order:
1. Follow the link Purchase Order -> All Purchase Order / Purchase Order
Search to see the list of purchase order
2. Click on the “Export into CSV” link.
3. Specify the location to save and click on the “Save” button.
Here are the steps to export the list of All Retro Request:
1. Follow the link Sales Support -> Retro Request ->All Retro Request / Retro
Request Search to see the list of Retro Request.
2. Click on the “Export into CSV” link.
3. Specify the location to save and click on the “Save” button.
How do I view the activity log?
If you are authorized, follow the links Administration > Manage Operations >Activity
Report.
The activity log shows all activities of users recorded in the last 15 days.
specify whether to view the information in either plain text or tabular format.
313
You may
Figure 207: Activity log
What if I have an error, comment or a suggestion?
Use the Feedback link to send messages to the Contracts OnLine support team. Choose
the type of message and a very specific description of the problem or comment.
Figure 208: Feedback
314
Once you have submitted feedback, you will see a confirmation message. Your feedback
will be emailed to the support staff.
Figure 209: Confirmation message about successful submission of feedback
315
How do I add, change or delete a message for the bulletin
board?
Depending on your authority, you can create bulletin messages for a group of
organisations that fit in certain criteria, for some specific selected organisation(s), or only
for your own organisation in all Contracts OnLine supported languages. This message
will only be displayed to the users of those organisations for the duration specified based
on their preferred language if configured.
To Add Messages:
1. Follow the link Administration > Manage bulletin board > Create message.
2. Select the locale in which you want to create the message. (By default it will set
to user WI locale) and click on the “Go” button.
3. The page gets displayed in the language of the selected locale. Fill in the date
ranges that you would like the message to be displayed to the users.
4. If the message is intended for a group of organisations that satisfy certain criteria,
for example, for a certain organisation class and organisation role, check the radio
button for “Organisations satisfying following criteria” and select the criteria from
the organisation class and the organisation role drop down lists. For multiple
selections, hold down the CTRL key and click on each items desired in the list.
To select all criteria, select the check box for “All Organisation Classes” or “All
organisation roles.” Continue with step 6.
5. If the message is intended for a few organisations only, click the radio button for
“Selected organisations only.” For multiple selections, hold down the CTRL key
and click on each organisation name desired from the list.
6. Compose the bulletin board message in the language of the selected locale.
7. Click the Submit button to create the message.
316
Figure 210: Create message
317
To Change Messages:
1. Follow the link Administration > Manage bulletin board > Modify message.
2. Select the locale in which you want to modify the message. (By default it will set
to user WI locale) and click on the “Go” button.
3. Select the option button of the message you would like to modify and press
Submit.
4. Modify data as necessary
5. When your changes are ready to be applied, press Submit.
Figure 211: Select message
318
Figure 212: Modify message
Translating bulletin board message from one Contracts OnLine supported
locale to another Contracts OnLine supported locale
1. Follow the link Administration > Manage bulletin board > Modify message.
2. Select the locale in which you want to modify the message. (By default it will set
to user WI locale) and click on the “Go” button.
319
3. Select the option button of the message you would like to modify and press
Submit.
4. The next page is displayed having the message details, Click on the “Translate
Message” link.
5. The Next page is displayed with all the message information in source locale as
static text. Select the ‘Target Locale’ and enter the message and click on the
“Submit” button.
To Delete Messages:
1. Follow the link Administration > Manage bulletin board > Delete message.
2. Select the locale in which you want to delete the message. (By default it will set
to user WI locale) and click on the “Go” button.
3. Select the check boxes of the message(s) you would like to delete and press
Submit. (You have the authority to delete only the messages created by you.)
Figure 213: Delete message
320
Note: When you select to delete the created or translated version then all the version of
that messages will be deleted.
Will Contracts Online inform me when my session expires?
Contracts Online will inform you that your session has expired if it detects prolonged
period (minimum of 30 minutes) of user inactivity. For example, if you opened a
contract submission form and filled it but failed to submit it or perform any other activity
in Contracts Online for a continuous period of 30 minutes, then Contracts Online will
redirect you to its welcome page or SP selection page with a message informing you that
your session has expired and any information
321