Set up a Contract Link for a Sales or Purchase Contract

The contract in which the contract link is configured is called the source contract.

Contracts can be linked contract product to contract product, or quota to contract product. If a contract link is set up for both a contract product and a quota, the configuration at the quota level overrides the configuration at the product level.

Multiple products can be linked to only if they are within the same destination linked contract. To link to products from more than one contract, create one contract link per destination contract.

An alternative activity is to Create Inter-Company Contracts.

Security Note: You need the Allow contract maintenance security right in the Contracts domain security rights group for this activity.

Activity Steps

  1. Open the source Sales Contract or Purchase Contract.
  2. Expand the node for the required contract product below the Contract Products node.
  3. To create the link at the quota level:
    1. Expand the Quotas node for the contract product.
    2. Expand the node for the required quota.
  4. Select the Contract Links node for the contract product or quota.
  5. Select when the Contract Link Evaluation should occur. Point at which the contract link is evaluated and linked despatch orders (DOs) are created. Select from:
    • Invoicing—The linked DO is created when the source DO is invoiced for the first time.
    • Despatch Order Creation (default)—The linked DO is created when the source DO is created.
    • Manual—Linked DOs must be created manually via the Linked Despatch Orders tab of each source Despatch Order. The linked DO is not created automatically.

    Note: The Invoicing and Manual contract link evaluation can only be used with Create Linked DO set to Child.

  6. The default and recommended value of Create Linked DO As is Child. This means that source DOs are in the source contract (that is, the contract in which the contract link is configured), and linked DOs are in the linked contract. However, if the location for the DOs needs to be the other way around, change Create Linked DO As to Parent. Select from:
    • Child—When DOs are created in the source contract:
      • The source DOs are in the source contract.
      • The linked DOs are created in the linked contract.
    • Parent—When DOs are created in the source contract:
      • The linked DOs are in the source contract.
      • The source DOs are created in the linked contract.
      • Only one contract link can be created for the contract product, and the link is assumed to be 100%.

    Note: The following points are important considerations when configuring linked contracts:
    • Creating DOs in the linked contract will not create any DOs in the source contract.
    • Linked DOs cannot be associated with a despatch.

    Important: This usage of the words 'parent' and 'child' is different from Parent and Child Despatch Orders (PDOs/CDOs). If using any type of PDOs/CDOs, Create Linked DO As must be set to Child.

  7. Right-click in the Contract Links field group and select New from the menu.

    The Contract Explorer displays as a dialog box. See Find Sales or Purchase Contracts for descriptions of the search criteria.

  8. Search for and select the required destination contract.
  9. Click OK.

    The Link To Contract and Customer display.

  10. Click the drop-down arrow next to Destination Contract Products and select the contract products to be linked.
  11. Perform one of the following steps:
    1. (Default) To link the contract product or quota to a product in another contract using known fixed percentages:
      1. Uncheck Use Contributor Contract Links.
      2. Enter the fixed Percentage of material to be associated with the link.

        Only applicable if Create Linked DO As is Child and if Use Contributor Contract Links is unchecked.

    2. To link the contract product or quota to a product in another contract using contributors to determine the percentages that come through the supply chain:
      1. Check Use Contributor Contract Links.
      2. Enter the Default Percentage to be used until the percentage is overridden with contributor percentages associated with a loading transaction.
      3. Click the drop-down arrow next to Contributors.
      4. Expand the Contributor Groups tree and check the contributors that have a contribution to the contract product. Select from the contributors specified for contributor groups defined on the Quality panel of the Solution Explorer.
      5. To limit the contribution calculation to one analyte, select the Analyte Contributor. Select from the contributor analytes specified for contributor groups defined on the Quality panel of the Solution Explorer.
  12. Select whether to Link Services. Whether service charges incurred in the source contract are included in invoices for the linked contract. If checked, any service charges applicable to invoices of the source despatch order (DO) are included when invoicing the linked DO. If unchecked, only service charges applicable to the linked DO are included when invoicing the linked DO. Service charges may be entered in the contract term, on a despatch associated with the DO (source DO only), on the DO, in contract term overrides on the DO, and on the parent DO (if the DO is a child DO). Default: Unchecked.
  13. Select whether to Link Tolling. Whether toll returns configured in the parent contract are used by the linked contract. Default: Unchecked.
  14. To generate invoices for the linked DOs automatically:
    1. Select the Invoice Types to be generated.
    2. Check Apply Contract Term Override if the terms of linked DOs can be overridden. If checked, the snapshot and the invoice line items for the linked DO are calculated using the same contract terms as the source DO. If unchecked, snapshot and the invoice line items for the linked DO are calculated using the contract terms of the linked contract. However, if the source contract has an assay exchange, the linked DO's snapshot always displays the analyte values from the assay exchange.

      Note: Invoice field overrides are unaffected by this setting. If invoice field values are specified in the linked DO or the contract terms of the linked contract, these fields are used on invoices of the linked DO, even Apply Contract Term Override is checked.

    3. Enter the number of Payment Days; that is, the number of days before payment is due on the invoice generated for the linked despatch order.
  15. To synchronise source and linked DO specifications automatically, check Auto-Sync Specs. Default: Unchecked.

    If checked:

    • Linked DOs are created with specifications inherited from the source DO.
    • Changes to a source DO's specifications are synchronised automatically to linked DOs. This includes:
      • Adding or deleting analytes
      • Updating specification values, such as target, minimum and maximum

    If unchecked:

    • Linked DOs are created with specifications inherited from the linked contract product or quota.
    • Changes to a source DO's specifications are not synchronised automatically to linked DOs.
    • Changes to a source DO's specifications can be manually synchronised to linked DOs via the Sync Linked Despatch Order Specifications right-click menu option on the Specification tab of the Despatch Orders node in the source Sales Contract or Purchase Contract; or via the Sync Specifications right-click menu option on the Linked Despatch Orders tab of the Despatch Order.
  16. To synchronise changes to DO status from source DO to linked DO automatically, check Sync Despatch Order Status. If checked, the status of the linked DO is inherited from the source DO, and cannot be changed on the linked DO manually. If unchecked, the status of the source DO and the linked DO can be controlled independently. This makes it possible to control credit for linked DOs instead of source DOs. However, linked DOs are still not able to be associated with a despatch, even if they are in a selectable status, as specified in the Despatch Order status definition. Default: Checked.

    Note: A source DO can only be associated with a despatch if it and all of its linked DOs have a selectable status, as specified in the Despatch Order status definition. See Status Definitions.

  17. To enable the editing of some fields in linked DOs, uncheck the required fields in Sync Fields. Default: Checked for all fields. Whether to automatically synchronise each of the following fields on linked despatch orders (DOs):
    • Delivery Term
    • Planned Loading Location
    • Planned Unloading Location
    • Loading Location Override
    • Unloading Location Override
    • Ship To—Affects the Ship To field on sales DOs and the Receive From field on purchase DOs.
    • Ship To Address
    • Bill To
    • Bill To Address
    • Pay To
    • Pay To Address
    • Invoice Target

    If checked:

    • Linked DOs are created with field data inherited from the source DO.
    • These fields are read-only on the linked DOs.
    • Changes to these fields on the source DO are synchronised automatically to linked DOs.

    If unchecked:

    • Linked DOs are created with these fields inherited from the linked contract; except for the location fields, which are blank.
    • These fields are editable on the linked DOs.
    • Changes to these fields on the source DO are not synchronised automatically to linked DOs.
    • Changes to these fields on the source DO can be manually synchronised via the right-click menu options on the Linked Despatch Orders tab of the Despatch Order.
  18. To use contributor analyte values when invoicing linked despatch orders, check Use Contributor Analytes On Invoice. If checked, the contributor mass and contributor analyte values from the source despatch order are used when invoicing the linked despatch order. If unchecked, contributor mass is considered, but contributor analyte values are not considered when invoicing the linked despatch order. Default: Unchecked.
  19. Select whether to Use Linked DO Despatch Fulfilment Type. Whether to calculate the linked despatch order's (DO) quantity and quality based on the Despatch Fulfilment Type of the linked DO. The Despatch Fulfilment Type is inherited from the contract but can be edited in the linked DO if this setting is checked. If unchecked, the Despatch Fulfilment Type of the linked DO is ignored and the quantity and quality of the linked DO is the quantity and quality of the source DO, multiplied by the linked percentage or contributor percentage as required. Default: Unchecked.
  20. Select whether to Allow Assay Exchange. Whether to allow an assay exchange to be performed for linked despatch orders (DOs). Default: Unchecked. If unchecked, an assay exchange can only be performed for source DOs, and linked DOs inherit the final results from their source DO. If checked:
    • Assay rules (and analyte settlement rules if applicable) must be configured in the linked contract.
    • An assay exchange can be performed for linked DOs using the assay rules and analyte settlement rules of the linked contract.
    • If multiple laboratories are specified in the assay rules of the source contract, those results are available for the assay exchange of linked DOs. The Default Laboratories of the assay rules in the linked contract are ignored.
  21. Click Save.