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Release: Australia · Updated: 2026-03-12 · Official documentation · View source

Negotiations

A negotiation represents individual supplier negotiations and tracks the items and activities according to supplier. These activities involve obtaining the price for the products or services requested by the shopper, or negotiating the terms.

The type and outcome of a negotiation record can be used for reporting purposes.

Here’s a list of key fields of a negotiation:

FieldDescription
NumberSystem-generated unique identifier of the negotiation.
Assigned toUser who is responsible for the negotiation.
StateCurrent status of the negotiation.Note: This is a read-only field.
Due dateDate when this negotiation is scheduled to be completed.
Short descriptionBrief of the negotiation.
Summary
Sourcing eventSourcing event associated with this negotiation.
SupplierSupplier with whom you are negotiating.
Negotiation typeType of negotiation with the supplier. For example, you can initiate a contract renewal or ask for a quote.
Negotiation outcomeResult of the negotiation. For example, you can negotiate contract terms or savings on a purchase.
Expected startExpected start date of the negotiation.
Actual startActual start date of the negotiation.
Actual endActual end date of the negotiation.
DurationDuration of the negotiation.
Negotiation objectivesObjectives or goals for the negotiation.
Close notesNotes on closure of the negotiation, if any.

The following are the related lists of a negotiation:

Related listDescription
Sourcing RequestsView and track all the sourcing requests associated with the purchase lines in the negotiation​.For details, see Sourcing request.
Purchase LinesView and track all the purchase line records within the parent purchase for the supplier referenced on the negotiation.For details, see Purchase lines.
Purchasing TasksView information on all the purchasing tasks that are related to the negotiation. For details, see Purchasing tasks and procurement cases.
CasesView information on all the cases that are related to the sourcing event.
Draft ContractsView and track all the draft contracts for the supplier referenced on the negotiation. For more details, see Contracts.
Signed ContractsView and track all the signed contracts for the supplier referenced on the negotiation.
Other Legal DocumentsView and track all the other legal documents for the supplier referenced on the negotiation.
Contract RequestsDisplays all the associated contract requests against this negotiation.Note: This field is displayed only if you have the Source-to-Pay Operations with Contract Management Pro plugin (sn_spend_clm) installed.
Purchasing SLAsView all the purchasing SLAs associated to the purchasing tasks against the negotiation, along with tasks associated to the underlying purchase requisition line.
Draft EmailsAssociated email communication that is saved as drafts.
Sent EmailsAssociated email communication that has been sent.

Negotiation state flows

The status of the purchase line and the sourcing request updates automatically depending on the status of the negotiation. Negotiations are grouped by supplier.

  • When the state of the negotiation is updated to Awaiting Supplier Response, all applicable purchase requisition lines, for the same supplier, of sourcing requests associated to the negotiation are also updated to Awaiting Supplier Response. The purchase requisition lines not belonging to sourcing requests associated to the negotiation aren’t updated.
  • When all applicable purchase requisition lines, for the same supplier, of sourcing requests associated to the negotiation are updated to Pricing Obtained, the state of the negotiation should be Closed Complete. If one purchase requisition line is in Pricing Obtained state, while another is still in Awaiting Supplier Response, the state of the negotiation remains in the Awaiting Supplier Response state.
  • When the state of the negotiation is updated to Negotiation in Progress, all applicable purchase requisition lines, for the same supplier, of sourcing requests associated to the negotiation are updated to Negotiation in Progress. The purchase requisition lines not belonging to sourcing requests associated to the negotiation aren’t updated.
  • When the state of the negotiation is updated to Closed Complete or Closed Canceled, no state updates are affected on the purchase requisition lines.

The default states that are available for a negotiation are listed.

  • Planned
  • Qualification Needed
  • Qualified
  • Negotiation in Progress
  • Awaiting Supplier Response
  • Pricing Obtained
  • Awaiting Task Completion
  • Requires Decision
  • Closed Decided
  • Closed No Decision
  • Closed Rejected
  • Closed Canceled

Parent Topic:Sourcing and Purchasing Automation