Adding and Linking Commodities

Use the + Commodity item on the Bid Catalog Information page's Action Bar to create a commodity and link it to a bid at the same time. This is useful when creating bid items for commodities that were not previously entered in the Commodity Codes table.

The + Commodity item displays the Create and Link New Commodity Code page. The page contains the same fields as those used in the Commodity Codes option.

For information on adding an existing commodity to a bid, refer to Linking Commodities to Bids.

Menu Path: Vendor Bidding > Entry & Processing > Bid Information > Bid Catalog Information > search for and select a bid > click + Commodity on the Action Bar

Creating a new commodity and adding it to a bid

Select Vendor Bidding > Entry & Processing > Bid Information > Bid Catalog Information to display the Bid Catalog Information page.
In the Search Criteria section, enter criteria identifying the bids to list, and then click Find.
Select a bid, and then click OK.
- If commodities have already been added to the bid, they will display in the section at the bottom of the page as soon as you select the bid.
- When you click OK the page's Action Bar displays the following items: + Class, Link Commodity, + Commodity, and Full Commodity Description.
Click + Commodity on the Action Bar to display the Create and Link New Commodity Code page.
Complete the page's fields.
Click OK to save the commodity to the Commodity Codes table and add it to the current bid.

Field	Description
Commodity Code	Code identifying the commodity. The first three digits in the code identify the commodity’s class. For details, refer to Commodity Codes Table. Character/13, including dashes
Status Code	User-defined code identifying a commodity’s status, for example, A for Active or I for Inactive. Character/1
Stock Number	Code used to track a commodity in your inventory. Often referred to as an inventory control code, the code can be based on whatever numbering system you use to identify stock. Character/13 When stock is recorded in Purchasing, the stock number defaults from the commodity code on the purchase order. If you use Warehouse Inventory and the purchase order’s shipping location is also your warehouse location, the inventory level for this item will be updated with the quantity ordered. When the item is recorded in the Warehouse Inventory, the quantity received is also updated. However, if a stock number is not entered, the item cannot be recorded in the inventory system.
Measure	Unit of measure for ordering this commodity, for example, UNIT, GALLON, or CASE/24. This is the default measure that displays when you enter bids for an item. Character/13
Bid Required	Checkbox indicating whether a bid should be required for this commodity. Items that require a bid cannot be entered on a purchase order in the Purchasing System until the bid process is complete. Selecting the box has these effects: Enables the commodity to be used in Vendor Bidding’s Bid Catalog features. Enables requisition line items that include the commodity to be converted to a bid. Selects the Bid Item checkbox on requisition and bid line items by default, though it can be cleared to exclude the line item if needed.
Important	If you do not select the Bid Required field, a line item for this commodity cannot be converted from a requisition to a bid, nor can users access the Bid Item checkbox when adding bid line items for the commodity. However, if a commodity’s Bid Required field is not selected, the commodity can be added to the Bid List manually.
Description	Five lines describing the commodity. Character/50, each line The first line of the description displays in pages when you enter the commodity’s code. The first line also can be used for sorting commodities in pages and reports. The system updates the following fields in the table record when bids are converted to purchase orders in Vendor Bidding and when requisitions are converted to purchase orders and encumbered in Purchasing. These fields are also updated when purchase orders are posted from Purchasing to Fund Accounting.
Last Price	Most recent per-unit price paid for the commodity. Decimal/12,4 This price can be used to determine the minimum bid amount when running the Convert Requisition to Bid option. The last price also defaults to the Unit Price field when you enter a requisition or purchase order line item for this commodity. When the commodity is included in a purchase order, the system updates the Commodity record’s Last Price field to show the per-unit price paid from the purchase order line item. When this update occurs, the system moves the Commodity record’s existing Last Price field value to the 2nd Price field and the existing 2nd Price field value to the 3rd Price field. The existing 3rd Price field value is deleted from the Commodity record.
2nd Price	Second most recent unit price paid for the commodity. Decimal/12,4
3rd Price	Third most recent unit price paid for the commodity. Decimal/12,4
Date	Three fields for the dates of the purchases reflected in the Last Price, 2nd Price, and 3rd Price fields.
Vendor	Three fields for codes identifying the vendors associated with the Last Price, 2nd Price, and 3rd Price fields.
Qual Prod List	Qualified Product List. Depending on your procedures, you may use this field to identify a commodity as a qualified product or as part of a group of products. This text appears on the Bid List report. Character/24