Vendor s Guide to the Vendor Deal Portal (VDP) The Toys R Us, Inc On-line Application for Electronic Approval and Management of Credit Allowance Contracts 1 P age
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. ABOUT... 3 2. GETTING STARTED... 4 3. REVIEW AND APPROVAL PROCESS... 5 3.1 RECEIVE EMAIL NOTIFICATION... 5 3.2 ACCESS VDP... 6 3.3 REVIEW CREDIT ALLOWANCE CONTRACT... 6 3.4 APPROVE THE CONTRACT... 10 3.5 RECOMMEND CHANGE TO THE CONTRACT... 12 4. ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS... 15 4.1 SEARCH FOR A CREDIT ALLOWANCE CONTRACT... 15 4.2 PRINT CREDIT ALLOWANCE CONTRACT... 16 4.3 EXIT VDP... 17 5. ABOUT VOID CONTRACTS... 18 6. ABOUT CONTRACT AMENDENDMENTS... 18 7. APPENDIX... 19 7.1 TERMINOLOGY, DEFINITIONS & ACRONYMS... 19 7.2 ELECTRONIC APPROVAL PROCESS... 19 7.3 CREDIT ALLOWANCE CONTRACT STATUS... 20 7.4 ABOUT EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS... 20 2 P age
1. ABOUT The Vendor Deal Portal (VDP) is a new, web based application designed for the electronic approval and management of Credit Allowance Contracts. This portal will eliminate paperwork, reduce data entry errors and make the process of contract creation and approval more efficient. In addition, the VDP will help manage Toys R Us credit allowance contracts by providing online access to active contracts. TOYS 'R' US, INC REQUIRES THAT ALL DOMESTIC VENDORS COMPLY WITH THE USE OF THE VENDOR DEAL PORTAL TO APPROVE CREDIT ALLOWANCES AS OUTLINED IN THIS GUIDE. THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTION TO THIS REQUIREMENT. This guide is a reference for individuals, who are authorized to review or approve Toys R Us Credit Allowance Contracts. If you have any feedback or suggestions to improve this guide or make the VDP a more effective tool in managing Credit Allowance Contracts, please contact TRUPayables@toysrus.com. 3 P age
2. GETTING STARTED If you are an individual with authority to review or approve Toys R Us Credit Allowance Contracts you MUST: a. Register on the Toys R Us Vendor Extranet at: https://vendorconnect.toysrus.com/ b. Click the REGISTER NOW link c. Follow the on screen instructions 2. Contact your company s Security Administrator for the Toys R Us Vendor Extranet, who will provide you access to the VDP. Please note that each vendor s Security Administrator is responsible for assigning access rights to the VDP application through the Vendor Extranet. 4 P age
3. REVIEW AND APPROVAL PROCESS 3.1 RECEIVE EMAIL NOTIFICATION The Credit Allowance Contract review and approval process begins when you receive an email notification from your TRU Buyer. This is an automated email sent by the VDP, after the Buyer has entered all the negotiated details into the VDP, and clicked Sign Off and Send to Vendor. Below is a sample email, which Buyer, Jane Doe, has sent to request approval on a Credit Allowance Contract. Disclaimer The Subject line contains the Credit Allowance Contract number (CA # 8536). The body of the email contains step by step instructions on how to review and approve the Credit Allowance Contract. Please note the disclaimer and contact the Buyer if you do not have authority to approve Toys R Us Credit Allowance Contracts for your company. 5 P age
3.2 ACCESS VDP Go to Vendor Extranet website at: https://vendorconnect.toysrus.com. To login, enter your User ID and Password and click Submit. On the landing page of the Toys R Us, Inc. Vendor Extranet you will see the VDP link under the Application Links section. Click on the link to launch the VDP. A new browser window will open, which will display the VDP home page titled Search for Credit Allowances. Contact your Toys R Us, Inc Vendor Extranet Security Administrator if you do not see the VDP link in Application Links. 3.3 REVIEW CREDIT ALLOWANCE CONTRACT The initial Search for Credit Allowances page lists all Credit Allowance Contracts that require your approval. You must have received an email notification for each of the contracts listed in the default search page. As shown in the example below, all deals displayed in the default results will be in the Vendor Review status. Click on a CA # 6 P age
Click on the CA # hyperlink to review the Credit Allowance Contract terms. Do not use Browser buttons Click to Review Hyperlinked Details 7 P age Horizontal and vertical scroll bar will be displayed, if required. 3.3.1 Contract Information on Summary Page The Summary Page displays information about the contract. Some of the key information to review on this page: Allowance Type Advertizing, Markdown, Freight, etc. Contract Type Master Deal, Over & Above, etc. Base Amount Flat $ or Percent rate Effective Date Allowance Processing Details Off Invoice or on a Collection Schedule Volume Based On Invoice Date, Receipt Date, etc. Review this information before you approve the contract. 3.3.2 Hyperlinked Details Click to Review Comments Depending on the terms of a contract, additional Credit Allowance Contract details are displayed as hyperlinks. Click on the hyperlink(s) to view details before you approve the contract. Click the Back button in the VDP window (shown with an arrow) to go back to
the Summary page after reviewing the details. Do not use browser Back button when working in the VDP. 3.3.2.1 Included Subsidiaries Hyperlink This hyperlink will be displayed for contracts that include the subsidiary vendors. 3.3.2.2 Included/Excluded Merchandise (Department, Class, Item, etc.) Hyperlink This hyperlink will be displayed for exclusions or inclusions to the Credit Allowance Contract. 3.3.2.3 Case Discounts Details Hyperlink This hyperlink will be displayed for a Case discount Credit Allowance Contract. These contracts are always applicable to specific Department, Class or Items. 3.3.2.4 Markdown and Price Protection Details Hyperlink This hyperlink will be displayed for a Flat $ Credit Allowance Contract created to cover markdowns (both Regular and TPRs) for specific Department, Class and Items. 8 P age
3.3.2.5 Plateau Details Hyperlink This hyperlink will be displayed for a Plateau Credit Allowance Contract. 3.3.3 Review Comments To review notes, comments and attachments associated with the Credit Allowance Contract click on the Comments button. A sample Comments page is shown below: 9 P age Click to go back to the Summary page.
Review comments in the Vendor Communication and Contract Comments sections. Also, click on the hyperlink to view Uploaded Documents, if any. Click on the Back button to go back to the Summary page. 3.4 APPROVE THE CONTRACT After you have reviewed the Credit Allowance Contract, click on the Approve button 1, which is available on the Summary page. When you click Approve, the VDP will prompt you to enter your credentials as shown below: Enter your TRU Vendor Extranet User ID and Password and click Submit. After validating your credentials, the VDP will record the Date/Time of your approval. This is captured as proof of electronic approval and the contract moves to DMM 2 Review status. The VDP will send an email to the appropriate DMM notifying your approval. The DMM must approve this contract before Toys R Us can execute the contract. Best Practice Tip: Always review and verify the following details before you approve any Credit Allowance Contract. Contract Information on Summary Page Hyperlinked Details Comments Page 1 The Approve button is disabled if the contract has already been approved or it indicates that the current user does not have authority to approve. The Toy R Us Buyer is responsible for selecting the appropriate individual to approve the contract. Each individual with access to the VDP can review the contract, however, only the individual who has received the email notification can approve the contract. 2 DMM Toys R Us Divisional Merchandising Manager 10 P age
After your approval: The Contract record in the VDP becomes read only for you. It was already read only for the Buyer and no one is allowed to edit the contract. The DMM receives an email notification of your (Vendor) approval. The DMM verifies the details and approves. 3 Upon DMM approval, an email notification is sent to you and the Buyer. The Credit Allowance Contract is executed as per terms of the contract. 3 It is rare that the DMM does not approve the contract. If that happens, the credit allowance terms may be re-negotiated. 11 P age
3.5 RECOMMEND CHANGE TO THE CONTRACT Toys R Buyers will make their best effort to ensure that they have captured the negotiated details accurately; however, on some occasions, one of these scenarios may occur: a) Base Amount is different than negotiated. b) Allowance Processing Date requires a change. c) While reviewing the contract, you may notice that an item is missed in case discount or an extra item has been included. d) An additional document must be part of the contract. You can recommend the change by one of the two methods: Summary Page Edit Base Amount or Remittance Date Comments Page Enter Comments or Upload Attachments 3.5.1 Summary Page If the recommend change is related to the Base Amount or Remittance Date, edit these fields and click on the Recommend Change button. Below are some examples of how to update these details. 3.5.1.1 Base Amount Change - % Contract 3.5.1.2 Base Amount Change Flat $ Contract 3.5.1.3 Base Amount Change Per Unit Contract 3.5.1.4 Allowance Processing Change Remittance Date 12 P age
3.5.2 Comments Page Go to the Comments page by clicking Comments button on the Summary Page. 1a. Enter Comments 2. Click to Recommend Change to your Buyer 1b. Browse to Upload Document 1a. Enter Comments These comments will become part of a comments trail, which includes information on who added the comments and when. The comments in this section cannot be deleted or overwritten to ensure retention of communication related to the recommended changes. 1b. Upload Document You can include an attachment to the contract if it is essential to the contract. In order to attach a document: Click on Browse to select the document to upload. The Upload Document field is populated with the name and location the document. Valid file formats to upload are Word, Excel and PDF. Enter the title for the attachment. This is mandatory field if you are uploading a document. 13 P age
3.5.3 Submit Recommend Change If you make a modification on the Summary Page or add a new Comment or Attachment, the Approve button will be disabled. In order to save your changes, click on the Recommend Change 4 button on the Summary Page. Upon clicking Recommend Change : Your Toys R Us Buyer receives an email notification requesting a review of recommended changes. The contract is no longer available for your review as it will go through the TRU internal approval of the recommended changes. You will receive this contract for approval and go through the review and approval process again. 4 The Recommend Change button is disabled if the contract has already been approved or it indicates that the current user does not have authority to recommend change. The Toy R Us Buyer is responsible for selecting the appropriate individual to approve (or recommend changes to) the contract. Each individual at company respectively with access to the VDP can review the contract, however, only the individual who has received the email notification can approve (or recommend changes to) the contract. 14 P age
4. ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS 4.1 SEARCH FOR A CREDIT ALLOWANCE CONTRACT This is the default page when you launch the VDP from Vendor Extranet. Alternatively, click on Search for CA in left navigation bar to access this page. You can search by: CA # enter the Credit Allowance number Status Vendor Review, DMM Review, DMM Approved Year Select Year Contract Type Master, Over & Above, etc. Allowance Type Advertising, Markdown, etc. Markdown Sub Code Regular or Temporary (TPR) 4.1.1 Search After selecting the appropriate criteria, click on the Search button and search results will be populated matching the criteria. No results will be displayed if you do not give any search criteria and click on the Search button. 15 P age
4.1.2 Sort Search Results Click on a column heading to sort the Search Results. 4.1.3 Search Result Navigation If the search results exceed 20 rows, the results will be displayed in multiple pages and the First, Previous, Next and Last buttons can be used to navigate through them. The last column of the search results is Comments, which will be displayed as a hyperlink if that particular Credit Allowance Contract has associated comments or attachments. Click on a CA # hyperlink to see details in the Summary Page. 4.1.4 Export to Excel Click on the Export to Excel button prompts to select between Save and Open. If you click on Save you will be prompted for a filename. You can type the filename and select a location to save the file. The Excel spreadsheet containing the displayed search results will be saved as per the specified filename and folder location. If you select Open, the Excel spreadsheet containing the displayed search results will be displayed in a separate window. 4.2 PRINT CREDIT ALLOWANCE CONTRACT Click Print CA in the left navigation bar to print one or more CAs. Alternatively, you can print a Credit Allowance from the Summary page. 16 P age
CAS #: Enter one or multiple (separated by a comma) Credit Allowance Contract #. CAS List: Enter the range of Credit Allowance Contract numbers by inputting a starting and an ending Credit Allowance Contract number. Max # Printed: The default is set at 10. If CAS From To is selected, the Portal will print up to 10 allowances to the user s default printer. This field is not for number of copies. You will see an error message if a Credit Allowance Contract # is not valid for your review. Print: Click on Print after you enter the details as above. Exit: This will close the Credit Allowance Print page and display the Search for Credit Allowance Page. 4.3 EXIT VDP Close the browser window to exit the VDP. Click on Logout to Exit Toys R US Vendor Extranet. 17 P age
5. ABOUT VOID CONTRACTS If the contract is in Vendor Review, Vendor Approved or DMM Approved status and the Buyer has discussed with you to void the contract, you will be notified via an email after it has been voided. The Void requires DMM approval. The contract will not be available to you for review once it has been voided. 6. ABOUT CONTRACT AMENDENDMENTS Credit Allowance Contracts can be amended by the Buyer, however, if that happens, the Credit Allowance Contract will follow the same review and approval workflow as new contracts. 18 P age
7. APPENDIX 7.1 TERMINOLOGY, DEFINITIONS & ACRONYMS Credit Allowances: Funds, which vendors provide to Toys R Us to support Promotional, Advertising, Fixture, and Markdown expenditures. Allowance Type: Describes the type of expense that the credit allowance contract will fund. TRU has pre defined types. Deal: A Credit Allowance Contract. CA: Credit Allowance VDP: Vendor Deal Portal DMM: Toys R Us Divisional Merchandising Manager One DMM for each division. CA #: A unique number used as Credit Allowance Contract reference number. Electronic Approval: Click on the Approve button in VDP along with credential verification is recorded as a contract approval instead of the paper signature. 7.2 ELECTRONIC APPROVAL PROCESS Clicking on the Approve button in the VDP equals Electronic Approval. In order to validate the approver s identity, the VDP prompts for user name and password. The VDP sends an email notification to the Vendor when a contract is ready for review and approval. When a Vendor approves the Credit Allowance Contract, the VDP sends an email to the DMM notifying of the Vendor s approval and requests DMM s approval. Once the contract is in approval process, the Buyer cannot edit or make changes to it. The DMM approval is the final approval and upon DMM approval, TRU executes the contract. Once the contract is DMM Approved, it cannot be edited and is displayed as read only to all VDP users. This contract in the electronic format, with related comments and attachment is considered a valid, signed contract. The Vendor or the DMM has the ability to recommend changes instead of approving. If this happens, the contract can be edited by the Buyer and the approval process gets reset. The contract is sent back for Vendor approval and requires Vendor and DMM approval before it can be executed. 19 P age
The Portal sends a reminder to the Vendor if the contract is pending approval every 3 rd day until the deal is approved or sent back with recommend changes. 7.3 CREDIT ALLOWANCE CONTRACT STATUS To enable automated workflow and electronic approvals, the VDP uses the following Credit Allowance Contract status: Contract Status New Vendor Review DMM Review DMM Approved Void Description A new contract is created in the portal by Buyer. Vendors do not have visibility to the contract in New status. The contract has been sent for Vendor approval after the Buyer s Sign Off. The contract has been approved by the Vendor and is pending DMM approval. The contract has been approved by the DMM. The contract has been Voided. A contract is in the Void status if: the Buyer has voided a contract before Vendor approval. OR the DMM has approved the Request for Void once a contract was approved by the Vendor or the DMM. Vendors do not have visibility to Voided contracts. 7.4 ABOUT EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS The email is used to notify the next workflow action. The portal sends email alerts to the user(s) who must take the action. Below is the list of events, Actor (who performs the action) and Recipient (Next Actor who receives notification emails). Event Actor Email Recipient Submit to Vendor Buyer Vendor Accept Vendor DMM Recommend Change Vendor Buyer Void Accept DMM Buyer & Vendor Pending more than 3 days for approval Automatic Alert Vendor 20 P age