Business Partner Grouping for Multiple Suppliers

You can use this function in SAP Supplier Relationship Management (SAP SRM), Procurement for Public Sector (PPS), to create contracts or purchase orders with more than one supplier. You can include a main supplier or legal representative, whom you always pay directly, and additional suppliers, whom you can pay either directly or via the main supplier. All suppliers are listed as business partners in your document, and you can specify the data at header or at item level, depending on your Customizing settings.

Example Example

In construction projects, it is common practice that you cooperate with a main supplier, also referred to as “main contractor”, who works with several additional suppliers, also referred to as “co-contractors ”or “subcontractors”. For each line item in a contract or purchase order, you can list all suppliers that are involved in delivering the product or service, and you can specify whether they are paid directly or via the main supplier.

End of the example.

Integration

You can use this function in the following business scenarios:

Contract Management and Administration
Operational Procurement
Procurement Services

Prerequisites

You have activated the business function SRM, Cross-Industry Functions (SRM_CROSS_INDUSTRY_1). Note that you can only use this business function in conjunction with the business function SRM, Procurement for Public Sector (SRM_PUBLIC_SECTOR_1). In other words, you must activate both business functions.

In addition, you have done the following:

In Customizing for SAP SRM

Defined partner functions in SAP SRM for suppliers with and without direct payment, under SRM Server Cross-Application Basic Settings Define Partner Functions .
Created one or several partner grouping schemas for these partner functions and mapped the schema(s) to transaction types under SRM Server Cross-Industry Functions Attributes for Purchasing Documents Partner Grouping for Multiple Suppliers Define Partner Grouping Schema and Map to Transaction Types .
Mapped the SAP SRM partner functions to the SAP ERP partner roles (defined in SAP ERP Customizing, see below) under SRM Server Cross-Industry Functions Attributes for Purchasing Documents Partner Grouping for Multiple Suppliers Map Partner Function to Partner Role .

In Customizing for SAP ERP

Created partner roles that correspond to the partner functions in SAP SRM under Materials Management Purchasing Partner Determination Partner Roles Define Partner Roles .
Created partner schemas under Materials Management Purchasing Partner Determination Partner Settings in Vendor Master Record Define Partner Schemas .
Allowed the partner roles in SAP ERP to receive direct payment under Materials Management Logistics Invoice Verification Incoming Invoice Define Partner Role as Allowed Payee .
Configured the corresponding error or warning messages (messages 776 and 777) under Materials Management Logistics Invoice Verification Define Attributes of System Messages .

You have also implemented the following BAdIs that enable multi-supplier functions (known as “multi-vendor functions” in SAP ERP) for SAP ERP purchase orders, goods receipts, and for Logistics Invoice Verification (LIV).

BAdIs in SAP SRM

BAdI BBP_ECS_PO_OUT_BADI
Exports the purchase order from SAP SRM and hands it over to the BAPI ME_BAPI_PO_CUST.

BAdIs in SAP ERP

BAPI ME_BAPI_PO_CUST
Creates the purchase order in SAP ERP.
BAdI ME_BAPI_PO_IBS
Enables and checks the multi-vendor functions in the SAP ERP purchase order, creates the BAPI, and triggers the follow-on processing.
BAdI ME_PROCESS_PO_CUST
Processes the purchase order in SAP ERP, enables the partner screens at line item level, and displays the partners.
BAdI ME_GUI_PO_CUST
Enables the partner screens at line item level and displays the partners.
BAdI MB_MIGO_BADI
Reads the partners from header or item and enables the popup for selecting the partner in transaction Goods Movement (MIGO).
BAdI MRM_PARTNER_CHECK
Checks if the partners on the line items of purchase orders are the same partners to whom the invoice is paid.

For more information, see SAP Solution Manager under Start of the navigation path SAP SRM Next navigation step Configuration SAP SRM <number of current release>, PPS Business Partner Grouping End of the navigation path .

Features

Business partner grouping for multiple suppliers in PPS complements the partner schema that you define in core SAP SRM and that provides for the main supplier who always receives direct payment. (This supplier is based on the business partner function type 0012.)

Business partner grouping for multiple suppliers in PPS offers the following additional features:

Suppliers With and Without Direct Payment

You can create additional business partner functions for your suppliers and define names that reflect the business relationship you have with them. To distinguish between suppliers with direct payment and suppliers without direct payment, you can base the additional business partner functions on the following business partner function types:

Contractor w/o direct payment (type 0112)
Contractor with direct payment (type 0113)

To display the additional suppliers in your procurement documents, you must include the partner functions in a business partner grouping schema and make the schema available for a transaction type. If purchasers want to specify more than one supplier, they can select the corresponding partner grouping schema when creating a contract or purchase order.

Note Note

Purchase orders are always sent to the main supplier, who then forwards them to the co-contractors or subcontractors.

End of the note.

Copying of Business Partner Number to Lower Hierarchy Levels

In procurement documents with hierarchical structures, you can define whether a business partner number that you have specified at a higher level is automatically copied to lower levels. For example, a business partner number can be copied from header level to item level, or from item level to sub-item level.

You can also define whether users can change or delete the business partner data that was copied to a lower level.

Note Note

You can only delete or change business partners at header level of a document if the same partner is not used at item level within the same procurement document.

End of the note.

Copying of Supplier Data to Release Orders

For release orders that are created against contracts or mixed-use purchase order items with a different supplier than the main supplier, you can specify in Customizing that supplier data is copied from the referenced item to the header of the release order. This way, users do not have to enter the supplier data manually in the release order.

You have the following options:

The system copies the supplier data only to the Partner tab and not to the Supplier field on the General Header Data tab. This means that the field still contains the main supplier of the reference document (who is based on the business partner function type 0012).
The system copies the supplier data both to the Partner tab and to the Supplier field on the General Header Data tab. This means that the main supplier of the reference document is replaced by a supplier that was originally a co-contractor or sub-contractor in the reference document

Note Note

When you create a release order, the system copies the supplier data of the first referenced line item to the header of the releasing purchase order. You cannot create additional line items with reference to contract or purchase order items that have a different supplier.

End of the note.

Logistics Invoice Verification System (LIV)

In Logistic Invoice Verification you can customize two messages that control the process flow. The messages are presented to the user if the supplier in the invoice is either not part of the purchase order at all or if he has the wrong partner role. You can customize the two messages separately.
You can implement a BAdI that enables the Logistics Invoice Verification (LIV) of SAP ERP to check whether payment is made only to the suppliers that you have specified to be paid at purchase order line item level.