Standard Controls for Sub‑Contract Approvals & Commitments

Description:
We are working with our implementation partner to strengthen Sub‑Contract controls in IFS. Several controls appear to be standard governance expectations (similar to PO behavior) but are currently absent or only available through manual steps. Before proceeding with bespoke work, we’d like to validate whether these are standard features, planned roadmap items, or should be considered a product gap/defect.

Controls required:

1. One‑click Approval Initiation (UI):

“Approvals” button on Sub‑Contract main screen; “Approve Revision” button on Revision & Items screen (not under Attachments).


2. Automatic Activation Post Approval:

Sub‑Contracts and Revisions auto‑activate immediately after all approvals are complete (no manual intervention).


3. Automatic Project Commitment on Activation & Remove Call‑Off:

On activation, auto‑commit full amounts to the linked project; remove the Call‑Off step/tab to mimic PO behavior.


4. Valuation Gating by State:

Block valuation creation unless Sub‑Contract and its current Revision are Active & Frozen.


5. Role‑Based Reduce‑Only Edits:

Allow Procurement/Finance to temporarily unfreeze to reduce values only; disallow increases; enforce re‑freeze.


6. Item Completion & Commitment Reversal:

Restrict item completion to Procurement/Finance; marking complete should remove the commitment automatically.

Questions:

Are any of the above available as standard configuration (e.g., approval templates + standard events + UI options) without customization?
If not, do these controls align with IFS’s intended standard behavior (especially parity with PO governance)?
Should these be logged as product gaps or defects, and can they be considered under maintenance rather than bespoke work?
If there are recommended configurations or official extensions to achieve this behavior, please share guidance and documentation.

We’re aiming to avoid unnecessary customization where standard capabilities should exist. Your confirmation will help us decide whether to proceed with partner‑delivered customizations or wait for a product‑level solution.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Product Version: 24.2.8
Business Impact: IFS currently allows creation, revision, and activation of Sub‑Contracts with insufficient governance controls:

Approval initiation for Sub‑Contracts/Revisions is buried under Attachments instead of being a visible one‑click action.
Sub‑Contracts and Revisions can be activated without an enforced, pre‑defined approval and automatic activation post‑approval.
Revisions, once Active, are not strictly frozen with role‑based reduce‑only edit rules (Procurement/Finance).
Valuations can be initiated without ensuring the Revision is Active & Frozen.
Commitment to project costs relies on an extra Call‑Off step, not automatic on activation (unlike POs).
Item completion is not limited to Procurement/Finance, nor does it automatically reverse commitments.

Result: Weak financial controls, additional manual steps, and a higher risk of unauthorized changes, incorrect commitments, and valuation errors.