Why Is My Contract Not Linking to a PO

  • Updated

Buyers, Contract Administrators, and users with the Create Contracts role can link contracts to POs.

 

Core Requirement

To link a contract:

  • The Organization Unit assigned to the contract must match the Organization Unit of the PO.

 

Common Reasons for Linking Failures

Reason 1: The Contract and PO Does Not Share the Same Org Unit

Action: Verify that the organization unit designated on the contract is the same on the order.

Troubleshooting Steps:

  1. Check the Contract: Go to the Contracts module, search for your contract, and select the Leadsheet tab. Notate the exact organization unit name.

 

  1. Go to the Order: To confirm the organization is as it appears on the contract.

 

Reason 2: The Order Date Is Not With the Contract Date

Action: Ensure the order date is within the Contract start and end dates.

Troubleshooting Steps:

  1. Check the Contract: Go to the Contracts module, search for your contract, and select the Leadsheet tab. Notate the exact start and end date.
  2. Go to the Order: To confirm the created date is within the dates listed on the contract.

 

Reason 3: The User Must Share the Same Org Unit as the Contract and Order

Action: Make sure the user has the same org unit as the contract and order, listed in their profile.

Troubleshooting Steps:

  1. Navigate to the Administration module.
  2. Select Users, to open the management screen.
  3. Locate the desire user by enter the name in the User Name field.
  4. Click Search (magnify icon).

  5. Select Edit.

 

Reason 4: Similar Supplier Names

A community may have multiple supplier profiles with very similar names (e.g., "Office Depot" vs. "Office Depot - Local Branch"). If the contract is tied to one profile and the PO is raised against the other, they will not link.

 

Action: Verify that the exact supplier profile is being used for both records.

Troubleshooting Steps:

  1. Check the Contract: Go to the Contracts module, search for your contract, and select the Counterpart tab. Note the exact supplier name.
  2. Check the Directory: Go to Administration > Suppliers. Search for that name and clear the "State" filter to see all possible matches.

 

  1. Compare: If the names do not match exactly, the records are not tied to the same database entry.

 

Reason 5: Free Text vs. Database Selection

On the Counterpart tab of a contract, a user may have typed the supplier's name as "Free Text" instead of selecting the supplier from the Unimarket database dropdown. Unimarket only recognizes a link if the supplier is a "system-linked" supplier.

 

Action: Ensure the contract is tied to a registered system supplier.

Troubleshooting Steps:

  1. Verify Counterpart: View the contract's Counterpart tab.
  2. Identify Free Text: If the name was typed in manually (indicated by the name not appearing with a blue hyperlink) and not selected from the system list. The PO (which is always tied to a system supplier) will not recognize the contract.

 

Resolution: How to Fix the Mismatch

If you discover the supplier on the contract is incorrect or was entered as free text. You cannot simply edit the name on an active contract to fix the database link. 

You must follow these steps:

  1. Cancel the Contract: Follow the standard procedure to cancel the existing, incorrect contract record.
  2. Create a New Contract: Start the creation process again.
  3. Select from Dropdown: When adding the supplier on the Counterpart tab, ensure you select the supplier from the dropdown menu. This creates the necessary database connection.
  4. Re-link: Once the new contract is active, it will be available to link to POs for that specific supplier.

 

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