Use this activity to add a new Service Contractor. This allows users to create and manage external Service Contractors who are not on the payroll but can be scheduled for work and receive payments.
To add a new Service Contractor, add the Contractor ID and Description.
When creating a Service Contractor, you can also define whether the contractor should be included in the dynamic selection rules process. This setting determines if the contractor can be automatically considered for work assignments based on contractor ranking and acceptance logic in dynamic selection rules.
If included, the contractor may receive Contractor Orders based on ranking. Dynamic Selection Rules use Supplier Performance Evaluations to establish these rankings (see Supplier Performance Evaluation and Rating to set up). Generally, to create a Contractor Order, each service contractor must be linked to a supplier, and the service contractor’s eligibility is determined by the supplier’s latest evaluation results.
The ranking process uses Supplier Performance Evaluation. In the Contractor Selection Rule criteria, you define the Supplier Performance Evaluation Template ID to be used. The system then:
The contractor linked to the highest-scoring supplier will be sent the Contractor Order. If that contractor does not accept within the defined Acceptance Period (when enabled), the order is automatically rejected and reassigned to the next best contractor, depending on the rule configuration.
Additional considerations in dynamic rule evaluation include:
When creating a Service Contractor, you can also define two acceptance-related settings on the Settings tab and in the New Service Contractor Assistant:
Note: You cannot enable both Auto Accept and Acceptance Period for the same contractor. A message is displayed if the acceptance period is modified, indicating that the new value will only apply to future Contractor Orders.
When creating a Service Contractor, you can also define the Material Sourcing Model to control how materials are handled when technicians perform work. A toggle on the Service Contractor indicates whether the contractor uses Contractor Sourced Material:
The selected sourcing model is inherited to the Material Lines of Work Tasks associated with the Service Contractor. If Contractor Sourced Material is enabled, issuing parts does not trigger a procurement process, and inventory demand is disabled.