Forms are data-entry pages designed for an organization’s specific business needs. They can contain a rich palette of controls and widgets. Administrators use a drag-and-drop interface in the forms builder tool to configure forms easily without the help of IT teams or SAP Ariba. The forms builder provides a fast and flexible way to extend procurement processes.
Note
Forms created in the guided buying capability are different than forms created in the SAP Ariba Buying extension studio UI.
You can design different types of forms for use in guided buying. Let’s examine each type of form and when to use them.
Request Forms
Request forms capture information from users to generate a request for quotation (RFQ). There are two types of request forms: legacy single-line forms and single- and multi-line RFQ forms composed of multiple form components.
These forms can be used for the following situations:
- Medium to large purchase amounts
- High-risk purchases
- No existing contract with a supplier, but has the potential for a new contract
- Unstructured requests that can't be predicted
Line Item Request Forms
Line item request forms collect information from users to create a customized non-catalog request. Users complete the form fields in addition to the standard non-catalog request fields. After filling out the required fields, users check out and submit the request for approval.
These forms are helpful for the following situations:
- Preferred suppliers don’t exist for the type of purchase
- Small to medium purchase amounts
- Demand is predictable
- The procurement department needs to define a structured way to handle the type of purchase
Externally Managed Forms
Externally managed forms allow you to connect guided buying with external client applications through APIs. For example, a post-purchase evaluation form can be sent to a client application for processing, and users can see the results in guided buying.
Procurement Workspace Project Forms
Procurement workspace project forms capture information from users to initiate procurement workspace projects. There are two types of forms, header forms and optional project-specific forms, which describe the business purpose of new projects.
Transfer of Ownership Forms
Transfer of ownership forms allow the transfer of ownership of approvable documents from one user to another. Users can fill in the details of the approvable documents, including the original owner and new owner, and submit the form for approval. After the request is approved, the ownership of the documents is transferred to the new owner.This type of form is created through the Manage forms with Approval Graph menu option and not the regular forms builder.
Non-PO Invoice Forms
Guided buying includes a default non-PO invoice form suitable for most organizations. Enable the default form by adding an Invoice Request tile and assigning it a commodity code; there's no need to design a form manually. When users select the Invoice Request tile, the default non-PO invoice form displays so they can create a new invoice request.