You use Ariba Enterprise Sourcing to initiate and manage the sourcing event, called an RFX activity or simply RFX, related to an SR. To learn more about RFX activities, see What is an RFX activity? in the Ariba Enterprise Sourcing Online Help Contents tab.

You can spot source multiple non-catalog items together in one SR, or in separate SRs. For example, if a purchase request includes office furniture items and computer equipment items, you can create one SR for the furniture items and then create a second SR for the computer items.

See collective negotiation for additional information about rfx activities.

If Ariba Contract Compliance encounters an unknown supplier, users with the appropriate Contracts permissions are notified to correct the problem. The requester also receives a courtesy notification message.

If you have the permission required to work with sourcing requests, you can create spot purchase sourcing requests (SRs) in Ariba Contract Compliance. An SR originates from a purchase request that contains a non-catalog line item; for example, a line item for a database server machine. As an authorized approver of the purchase request, you decide whether to create an SR for the server, so that suppliers can bid on providing it and you can potentially receive a better price for it.

Follow these basic steps to create or work with an SR in Ariba Contract Compliance:

1. View the details of a purchase request that you have been asked to approve, click the check box for the non-catalog item you want to source, and then click Source Request.
2. Complete the sourcing request (edit line items as needed) and submit the SR for approval.
3. Monitor the SR status using the status screen.
4. View the details of the approved SR and click Source to connect to Ariba Enterprise Sourcing and set up the corresponding RFX, which is pre-populated with information from the SR.
5. Monitor the RFX status using the Sourcing screen or directly in Ariba Enterprise Sourcing.
6. Continue as needed with the purchase orders that Ariba Contract Compliance generates after the RFX is completed, and the original purchase request is updated with information from the RFX and is fully approved.