Negotiation events

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Negotiation events

    Negotiation events in ServiceNow represent sourcing activities designed to negotiate with suppliers and track negotiations individually. They enable sourcing managers to efficiently handle multi-supplier and multi-product negotiations by consolidating multiple sourcing requests and negotiations into a single event. This centralized approach simplifies monitoring, updating, and managing the negotiation process with each supplier.

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    Sourcing managers can create negotiation events for specific negotiation intents or objectives, view progress, discuss details, update status, cancel events if needed, and make award decisions. Awarding suppliers can be done for a single supplier, multiple suppliers, or bids can be rejected. Awarding multiple suppliers redirects to the Source-to-Pay Workspace to complete the process.

    Key Features

    • Multi-supplier and multi-product management: Map multiple sourcing requests and negotiations as child entities under one negotiation event.
    • Comprehensive tracking: Monitor negotiation progress, update statuses, and handle communications within the event.
    • Awarding options: Award single or multiple suppliers or reject bids directly from the negotiation event interface.
    • Source-to-Pay Workspace integration: Provides a centralized view and completion workflow for awarding multiple suppliers.
    • Detailed fields: Includes unique identifier, assigned user, state, supplier response deadline, descriptions, negotiation type and outcome, start/end dates, duration, objectives, and closure notes.
    • Related lists: Access linked 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.
    • Negotiation event workflow states: Events progress through states such as Draft, Planned, Work in Progress, Pricing Obtained, Awaiting Task Completion, Requires Decision, and various Closed states including Complete, No Decision, and Canceled.

    Practical Use for ServiceNow Customers

    ServiceNow customers can leverage negotiation events to streamline complex sourcing processes involving multiple suppliers and products. By consolidating negotiations into single events, sourcing managers gain better visibility and control over negotiation progress and outcomes. The integration with Source-to-Pay Workspace further facilitates efficient awarding and contract management.

    Using negotiation events helps reduce manual effort in managing separate supplier negotiations and improves decision-making through comprehensive tracking and reporting. The related lists provide easy access to all relevant documents, tasks, and communications tied to the negotiation, supporting effective collaboration and compliance.

    Negotiation 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 negotiation 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 negotiation event as child entities.

    Through this negotiation 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 negotiation event.

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

    Here’s a list of key fields of a negotiation event:
    Table 1. Negotiation event fields
    Field Description
    Number System-generated unique identifier of the negotiation event.
    Assigned to User who is responsible for the negotiation event.
    State Current state of the negotiation 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 negotiation event.
    Description Details of the negotiation event.
    Summary
    Negotiation type Type of negotiation 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 negotiation event.

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

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

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

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

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

    Negotiation event workflow

    Negotiation event workflow

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