This article shows you how to fill in the pricing grid of a sourcing event in the Strategic Sourcing portal: entering prices per lot and line item, working with calculated and locked columns, marking items you cannot supply, adding your own line items, and creating bulk discounts. You reach the grid from the Pricing section of the response wizard, under the heading Pricing Information with the instruction to provide pricing for all items and mark items as No Bid if you do not sell them.
How is the pricing grid organized?
To enter pricing, open the response wizard and click Pricing in the sidebar. The grid shows one lot at a time. A lot is a group of related items the buyer bundles together, each with its own currency and settings. Inside a lot, every row is a line item: a single product or service identified by columns such as Item #, Description, Quantity, Unit, and Commodity Group. The buyer may attach a Buyer Note to a lot with special instructions; read it before pricing. Your entries save automatically: the toolbar shows Saving..., then All changes saved; Unsaved changes means a save is still pending. You can switch between Tree and Flat view modes, and use Export to download the current lot or all lots as CSV or Excel, or Import to upload prices from a file you filled offline.
How do pricing columns work?
To fill the grid correctly, understand the three kinds of pricing columns the buyer can define. This table lists each column type and how you interact with it.
Column type | How to recognize it | What you do |
Editable column | A normal input cell, possibly marked required. | Type your value. Required columns must be filled for every item you bid on. |
Calculated (formula) column | Shows a tooltip such as Auto-calculated: sum of Unit Price, Freight. | Nothing. The value is computed automatically from other columns (sum, product, average, minimum, or maximum) and cannot be edited. |
Locked column | The cell is not editable. | Nothing. The buyer pre-filled or locked this column. |
How do I fix validation errors?
To clear a red cell, match your entry to the rule shown. The grid validates as you type and displays exact messages: This field is required (fill the cell), Please enter a valid number (remove letters or symbols), Value must be at least [minimum] and Value must be at most [maximum] (stay inside the buyer's allowed range), and Maximum [N] decimal places allowed (round your value). The Send Response button stays disabled until every required pricing cell in every lot is valid, so resolve all errors before trying to submit.
What if I do not sell an item?
To decline individual items instead of the whole event, use No Bid, which is available when the lot's settings allow partial bids (bidding on only a subset of items). Right-click an item or select several rows, then choose Mark as No Bid. In the Decline to Bid dialog pick a Reason (Out of Stock, Discontinued, Technical Limitations, Regulatory Restrictions, Capacity Constraints, Geographical Limitations, Minimum Order Not Met, or Other), optionally add details, and confirm. The item shows as Declined and no longer counts against your required pricing. Choose Remove No Bid to price the item after all. If the lot requires all pricing, No Bid is not offered and you must price every item.
Can I add my own line items?
To propose additional materials the buyer did not list, use Add Line Item. The button appears only when the buyer enabled supplier line items for the lot. In the Add Line Item dialog, select a Commodity Group, then fill in Item Name and Item Number (each is mandatory when the lot's settings require it), any Characteristics, an optional Description, the Quantity, and the Unit, then click Add Item. Your added items carry an Added badge in the grid, and you can edit them via Edit Line Item or remove them with Delete Line Item until you submit. Price your added items in the same pricing columns as the buyer's items.
How do bulk discounts work?
To offer volume-based pricing, open Bulk Discounts from the pricing toolbar (available when the buyer allows bulk discounts on the lot). A bulk discount is a named set of quantity tiers that reduces your price at higher volumes. Create one as follows:
Click Bulk Discounts, then New Discount.
Enter a Name (for example Volume Tier A).
Choose the Type: Tiered applies each tier's rate only to the units inside that quantity range; Threshold applies the discount to all units once the order quantity exceeds the threshold.
Choose the Reduction Method: Percentage (a percentage off the price, between 0 and 100) or Fixed Amount (an amount off per unit).
Click Add Tier for each tier and fill Min Qty, Max Qty (leave empty for no upper bound), and Value. At least one tier is required.
Save, and you see Bulk discount saved successfully.
Assign the discount: select one or more items in the grid and click Assign Discount, or click the discount cell of a single item. A confirmation such as Bulk discount assigned to 4 items appears. Use Remove Discount to detach it.
You can create several discounts and assign different discounts to different items, but each item takes at most one bulk discount.
When is my pricing complete?
To confirm you are done, check the wizard sidebar: the Pricing section badge switches from a to-do count to Ready when every required cell is filled or validly marked No Bid. Only then does the Send Response button become available (provided the questionnaire and documents sections are also complete). Until you click Send Response, all pricing remains an editable draft.