Sourcing events

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
    • Summarize
    Summarized using AI
    This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.

    Summary of Sourcing events

    Sourcing events in ServiceNow Australia release provide a structured approach for sourcing managers to manage negotiations with multiple suppliers and products efficiently. Instead of handling individual negotiations separately, sourcing events allow consolidation of related sourcing requests and negotiations into a single event, streamlining tracking, communication, and decision-making.

    Show full answer Show less

    This capability enables sourcing managers to oversee negotiation progress per supplier, engage in discussions, update or cancel events, and make award decisions, including awarding single or multiple suppliers or rejecting bids. Awarding multiple suppliers directs users to the Source-to-Pay Workspace to finalize the process.

    Key Features

    • Sourcing Event Fields: Each event includes important fields such as a unique system-generated number, assigned user, state (read-only), supplier response deadline, short description, detailed description, negotiation type and outcome, start and end dates (expected and actual), duration, negotiation objectives, and closure notes.
    • Related Lists: Sourcing events integrate with various related data entities including sourcing requests, negotiations, purchase lines, purchasing tasks, cases, draft and signed contracts, other legal documents, contract requests (with Contract Management Pro plugin), purchase SLAs, purchase requisitions, and email communications (draft and sent). This comprehensive linkage supports complete visibility and management from negotiation through contract and procurement lifecycle.
    • Sourcing Event Workflow: Events progress through predefined states: Draft, Planned, Work in Progress, Pricing Obtained, Awaiting Task Completion, Requires Decision, Closed Complete, Closed No Decision, and Closed Canceled. This workflow guides sourcing managers through the lifecycle of the event.
    • Source-to-Pay Integration: The sourcing event is best managed from the Source-to-Pay Workspace list page, providing a centralized interface for viewing and managing events and related activities.

    What This Enables You To Do

    • Manage complex negotiations involving multiple suppliers and products within a single sourcing event, reducing administrative overhead.
    • Track negotiation progress, communicate with suppliers, and update event details in real time.
    • Make informed award decisions, including selecting multiple suppliers, with seamless transition to the Source-to-Pay Workspace for final procurement actions.
    • Maintain comprehensive documentation and linkage between sourcing events and related procurement and contract records for auditability and transparency.
    • Follow a structured workflow to ensure sourcing events progress methodically from drafting through closure.

    Sourcing events represent the type of sourcing activity needed to negotiate with each supplier, and track the individual negotiations with each supplier. They help sourcing managers manage multi-supplier and multi-product negotiations.

    Instead of individually managing negotiations of similar item requests from various suppliers who provide that item, sourcing managers can create a sourcing event for a negotiation intent or objective to manage multi-supplier and multi-product negotiations. Multiple negotiations and sourcing requests can be mapped to a single sourcing event as child entities.

    Through this sourcing event, the sourcing managers can view and effectively manage the progress of the negotiations created for each supplier​. They can also discuss, follow, update, or cancel the event, as required. Further, they can award a single supplier or multiple suppliers, or even reject bids by selecting Award, Award multiple suppliers, or Reject bids respectively. Selecting Award multiple suppliers redirects them to the Source-to-Pay Workspace, where they can complete the process. For more information on this, see Award multiple suppliers from a sourcing event.

    Sourcing events can be best viewed from the Source-to-Pay Workspace list page.

    Here’s a list of key fields of a sourcing event:
    Table 1. Sourcing event fields
    Field Description
    Number System-generated unique identifier of the sourcing event.
    Assigned to User who is responsible for the sourcing event.
    State Current state of the sourcing event.
    Note:
    This is a read-only field.
    Supplier responses close Date by which the suppliers must submit their responses to the sourcing activity.
    Short description Brief of the sourcing event.
    Description Details of the sourcing event.
    Summary
    Negotiation type Type of sourcing event or the method used to engage with the supplier.

    For example, you can initiate a contract renewal or ask for a quote.
    Negotiation outcome Anticipated outcome or end results of the sourcing event.

    For example, you can negotiate contract terms or standard savings on a purchase.
    Expected start Expected start date of the sourcing event.
    Actual start Actual start date of the sourcing event.
    Actual end Actual end date of the sourcing event.
    Duration Duration of the sourcing event.
    Negotiation objectives Objectives or goals for the sourcing event.
    Close notes Notes on closure of the sourcing event, if any.
    The following are the related lists of a sourcing event:
    Table 2. Sourcing event related lists
    Related list Description
    Sourcing Requests View all the sourcing requests that are mapped to this sourcing event.

    For details, see Sourcing request.
    Negotiations View all the negotiations with each supplier that are mapped to this sourcing event.

    For details, see Negotiations.
    Purchase Lines View and track all the purchase line records within the parent purchase for the suppliers referenced on the sourcing event.

    For details, see Purchase lines.
    Purchasing Tasks View information on all the purchasing tasks that are related to the sourcing event.

    For details, see Purchasing tasks and procurement cases.
    Cases View information on all the cases that are related to the sourcing event.
    Draft Contracts View and track all the draft contracts for the suppliers referenced on the sourcing event.

    For more details, see Contracts.
    Signed Contracts View and track all the signed contracts for the suppliers referenced on the sourcing event.
    Other Legal Documents View and track all the other legal documents for the suppliers referenced on the sourcing event.
    Contract Requests Displays all the associated contract requests against this sourcing event.
    Note:
    This field is displayed only if you have the Source-to-Pay Operations with Contract Management Pro plugin (sn_spend_clm) installed.
    Purchase SLAs View all the purchase SLAs associated to purchasing tasks against the sourcing event, along with tasks associated to the underlying purchase requisition lines.
    Purchase Requisitions View information on all the purchase requisitions that are related to the sourcing event.

    For more details, see Purchase requisition.
    Draft Emails Associated email communication that is saved as drafts.
    Sent Emails Associated email communication that has been sent.

    Sourcing event workflow

    The default states that are available for a sourcing event are listed.
    • Draft
    • Planned
    • Work in Progress
    • Pricing Obtained
    • Awaiting Task Completion
    • Requires Decision
    • Closed Complete
    • Closed No Decision
    • Closed Canceled