Exploring the Various SOW Workflows

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

Contrast SOWs that are Buyer Defined, Supplier Defined, and Buyer/Supplier Collaboration.
Describe how to onboard an Independent Contractor using the SOW module.
Explain how redlining functionality supports collaborative SOW development.

Defined By and Collaboration

One of the initial decisions that the creator of an SOW must make relates specifically to how the scope of the SOW will be defined. SAP Fieldglass provides three options:

Defined by the buyer,
Defined by the supplier, or
Collaboration between buyer and supplier.

If a Statement of Work is set up to support collaboration between buyer and supplier, the workflow will provide opportunities for both parties to provide input and review.

Buyer defined, supplier defined, and buyer and supplier defined represented images showing how an SOW is managed through each configuration.

1	In the standard workflow for a buyer-defined SOW, the buyer remains in control of the details that make up the SOW agreement. It then requires a supplier response based on characteristics, or fees and milestones, added and the level of collaboration awarded to the supplier. Input that is provided during the supplier response is reviewed by the buyer and is either approved or rejected.
2	In a supplier-defined workflow, the buyer submits the shell of an SOW to the supplier and the supplier is responsible for adding the characteristic line items and submitting them for buyer review. When the document is both buyer- and supplier-defined, both parties can add and make changes to line items. In both cases, once collaboration is complete, the buyer can submit the document for approval.
3	Statements of Work that are supplier-defined or defined by both the buyer and the supplier offer a more collaborative workflow that tracks each change requested and allows for additional reviews. In these situations, when a buyer submits the document to the supplier, the supplier has an opportunity to make changes. The document can then be submitted back to the buyer for review having the process repeat and continue until both parties agree to the final terms.

Statements of Work for Independent Contractors

Occasionally, an organization may want to leverage the specialized skills and expertise of a self-employed 1099 Independent Contractor (IC) for a project, instead of a costly specialty supplier. For these cases, SAP Fieldglass provides an end-to-end solution to quickly onboard Independent Contractors via the Services module.

The process is almost identical to creating a standard Statement of Work for a supplier, except instead of selecting a supplier for the SOW, users would select the Independent Contractor’s Vendor Master record.

A screenshot of the SOW Create page showing the Source section where a Supplier or a Vendor Master record is selected from the list, which has three records displayed. Two for Independent Contractors and one for a standard supplier.

For any existing Independent Contractors in SAP Fieldglass, the system follows the standard SOW creation process. For new Independent Contractors, buyer users can create a new Statement of Work using a Vendor Master record for the IC, even before their formal registration in the system. Then, once the SOW is submitted, the system automatically sends a registration invitation to the new Independent Contractor, guiding them through a simple onboarding process in SAP Fieldglass. Their SOW becomes immediately accessible for review and response once the IC completes their new Independent Contractor Supplier registration.

A newly submitted SOW for a new Independent Contractor who has not registered in SAP Fieldglass yet, showing an informational banner in blue that confirms the system will send an invitation to register in the system.

Comparing Versions of an SOW

When suppliers and/or buyers make changes to the SOW in a collaborative workflow, those changes are visible using redlining: a visual form of tracking changes seen on the SOW by both parties. Different versions of the SOW can be compared by selecting the View Versions option on the Action menu. Data from the original SOW will appear as strikethrough text, and the corrected data will appear below that.

Defined rules on the Statement of Work determine how changes can continue to be made if needed. For example, the SOW becomes a living and ever-changing document as suppliers continue to add line items to support any unplanned work not identified initially, if the structure of the SOW allows and based on configured approval groups.

Screenshot of an SOW with the View Versions function activated, showing budget figures with strikethrough text next to corrected figures

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