Quick start: from forecast to contract in six steps

This guide takes you from a planned purchase to a filed contract in six short steps. Each step links to the full article.

Navigation bar: Dashboard, Forecasts, Contracts, Notifications, Ask AI, Admin

The idea in one sentence

Plan each purchase as a forecast record (Forecasts page), move it through five phases as the real-world steps happen, and when the contract is awarded, upload the PDF so it becomes a contract (Contracts page) linked to that record.

Step 1: Create the forecast record

Forecasts → Initiate an Acquisition Forecast. Fill in the red-labeled fields (year, quarter, priority, office, title, description, action type, estimated amount, POP End Date) and click Save. The record starts in Phase 1: New/Draft.
Already have a workbook? Use Import from Excel instead (import each workbook once).
Full article: Creating an Acquisition Forecast record · Using the Acquisition Forecast list

Step 2: Gather the package

Open the record. In the Associated Files panel, click Upload Associated Files to store quotes and supporting documents. Move the record to Phase 2 by clicking the phase button in the phase bar.
Full article: Attaching files and linking contracts to a forecast

Step 3: Track intake and approvals

Phase bar showing Phase 3 with Update, Send to OD and Closeout buttons

Move the record to Phase 3. As you complete each step outside the system, check the matching box (checkboxes save instantly; other fields save when you click Update):

  • Submitted to PCAIS + PCAIS #, then PAA-DER Approval.
  • Send to OD (phase bar) emails the full package to OD Acquisition and checks Package Submitted to OD Acquisition Email Inbox for you.
  • POTS Order Created, then Find Associated POTS Record → Confirm to pull in the POTS Requisition #.
  • Enter the Contracting Officer and check Requisition Number Sent to CO.

Full articles: Moving a forecast through the phases · Sending the package to OD Acquisition · Finding and confirming the POTS record

Step 4: Award – upload the contract

When the signed contract arrives, click Upload Official File in the record's Official Documents panel, select the PDF (10 MB max), and click Upload. Answer Move to Phase 4: Awarded when asked. The system reads the PDF and creates the contract; most become Active within a minute or two. If it shows Ready to Review, open it, fill in the three required fields, check any orange warning icons, and click Save.
Full articles: Uploading contract PDFs · Using the Contracts list and Contract Detail page

Step 5: Manage the contract and close out

On the Contracts page, open the contract to set its Tier, check Line Items and Option Years, and add Notes. When the forecast needs no more action, click Closeout on the record (Phase 4 only). If the contract has option years in later fiscal years, closeout offers to create next year's forecast records for them.
Full article: Closing out a forecast

Step 6: Stay informed

  • Bell on a record → ADD to subscribe people to alerts such as “POP End Date approaching”. Alerts arrive by email and under Notifications.
  • Bookmark records you check often; they appear on the Dashboard.
  • Dashboard shows totals by phase, status, and tier for any fiscal year. Ask AI answers questions such as “Which contracts expire in the next 90 days?”

Full articles: Setting up notifications · Understanding the Dashboard · Ask AI and the Audit Log

Five things to remember

  1. Phase changes are manual: click the phase button in the phase bar.
  2. Checkboxes save instantly; everything else needs Update.
  3. Deleting a record or contract is permanent. Close out instead.
  4. Quotes go in Associated Files; the signed contract goes in Official Documents.
  5. You only see records for your own IC. If you see Access not yet provisioned, ask your System Administrator.