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Function documentationOptions

 

You can use options, that is, optional line items, to specify purchase details for a product or service when you want to make the final purchase decision at a later date.

An optional line item in an SAP SRM, Procurement for Public Sector (PPS) purchasing document allows you to stipulate the details necessary for ordering the item, for example, quantity, price, and conditions. However, you can decide whether or not to exercise the option later, depending on market or business conditions. The prices and conditions specified when creating the line items still apply when you exercise the option.

By including optional line items with standard line items in the same procurement document, you can bundle the purchase of goods and services that logically belong together, even if you have not yet made a purchasing decision for all items.

You use optional line items in the following cases:

  • You want to order a service over a certain period of time and you want to allow for extending the timeline later. However, you want the price and conditions to apply that were agreed on when ordering the first period of the service delivery.

    Example Example

    You want to order a certain number of language classes for your employees. If necessary, you want to extend the training at a similarly favorable price in the future.

    End of the example.

  • You want to order some goods or services only if you are satisfied with the delivery of another line item.

    Example Example

    You want to build a low-energy office building. You order a preliminary design of the building from several specialized construction companies. Your orders include optional lines for the actual construction of the building. After evaluating the preliminary design, you can exercise the options to order from the company who submitted the most suitable preliminary design.

    End of the example.

As a purchaser, you can use optional line items in the following ways:

  • If you include options in purchase orders, you can later exercise the options to order the goods or services. The optional line items are ordered as soon as the period of performance starts.

  • If you include surge options in purchase orders, you can later create release orders against the optional line items.

  • If you include options in contracts, you can later create release orders against the optional line items.

Note Note

Purchasing documents cannot consist exclusively of optional line items, they must always contain at least one standard line item that you order definitely.

End of the note.

Integration

You can use this function in the following business scenarios:

  • Public Sourcing and Tendering

  • Contract Management and Administration

  • Operational Procurement

  • Procurement Services

Replication of Option Data to the SAP ERP Back End

Data for optional line items in purchase orders is replicated to the SAP ERP back-end system when an optional line item is activated and ordered in the SAP SRM system. At this stage, the corresponding purchase order in the back end is updated. The system uses the purchase order in the SAP ERP back end to start follow-on processes, such as:

  • Transmission of data to the supplier

  • Funds reservation

  • Goods receipt

  • Invoice receipt

Data for optional line items in contracts is not replicated to the SAP ERP back-end system. Only the purchase order that is used as a release order for goods or services is replicated.

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.

To use optional line items in your purchasing documents, you have done the following in Customizing for SAP Supplier Relationship Management under Start of the navigation path SRM Server Next navigation step Cross-Industry Functions Next navigation step Application Settings Next navigation step Options End of the navigation path:

  • You have specified for which transaction types users can create optional line items.

    You do this under Allow Optional Line Items.

  • You have scheduled the options handler report to perform automatic status updates for optional line items.

    You do this under Schedule Options Handler Report.

  • You have defined whether to include the value of optional line items in the header values of a procurement document.

    You do this under Include Options in Header Values.

  • You have considered implementing Business Add-Ins (BAdIs) that allow you to do the following:

    • Relate Option Data to Other Data of Business Process

      You use this BAdI to relate certain data of an optional line item to each other, for example, the exercise period of a line item to its period of performance.

    • Limit Non-Optional Lines on Purchase Order and Contract

    You implement the BAdIs in Customizing for SAP Supplier Relationship Management under Start of the navigation path SRM Server Next navigation step Cross-Industry Functions Next navigation step Customer Enhancements (BAdIs) Next navigation step Options End of the navigation path.

Features

Options have the following features:

Availability in Procurement Documents

You can create optional line items in the following procurement documents:

  • RFx

  • Contract

  • Purchase order

  • Shopping cart

    Note Note

    • You can define optional line items only in the shopping cart (professional), not in the shopping cart (wizard).

    • For optional line items in a shopping cart, you must specify an option reference item. This is a technical prerequisite for the sourcing process.

    End of the note.
Exercise Period

By specifying an exercise period for an optional line item that starts before the period of performance of the line item, you can grant suppliers a certain amount of time to prepare before delivering the goods or providing the services you want to order.

Period of Performance

By specifying a period of performance for your optional line items that is subsequent to the period of performance of the option reference item, you can extend the validity of the contract or purchase order for the specific line item. The supplier will then provide the additional goods or services during a later period of time than the standard line items.

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