This functionality is available since SAP S/4HANA 2020 and for higher releases.

What is Preliminary Billing Document (PBD)?

A Preliminary Billing Document (PBD) is an optional intermediary document between
the billed reference document and the final billing document.

It is intended purely for negotiation purposes (align on details e.g. prices, payment terms with the customer) and is structured identically to regular billing documents.

A Preliminary billing document is relevant for output, but not for posting to financial accounting.

You can use it for incorporate changes and internal review and approval for critical invoices before creating the final billing document and sent it to the customer.

Pre-requisites

To enable Preliminary billing documents the business function SD_BIL_PRELIMBILLINGDOC must be activated.

To use the functionality it is necessary to maintain a new number range prefix and a new interval for the number range object RV_BELEG. SAP Note 2921988

Technical information

Preliminary billing documents are structured identically to standard billing documents. That means, header and item fields are identical to those found in a standard billing document and will stored in the known database tables for billing documents (e.g. VBRK, VBRP, PRCD_Elements). Of course the error log (table VBFS) and the SD document flow (table VBFA) will be updated.

The billing type dictates what type of billing document is created when the preliminary billing document is converted to a standard billing document.

If it is necessary, you can reach the functionality in SAP GUI via transaction code:
VFP3 – Display Preliminary Billing Document
VFP2 – Manage Preliminary Billing Document

Since the Preliminary billing document is stored in the VBRK and VBRP database tables, the Preliminary billing document does not have its own extensibility context.
Billing document and Preliminary billing document share the same business contexts.

Restrictions

It is not possible to create a Preliminary billing document for Down Payment (billing type FAZ) and for credit memos (Billing type G2).

Status Handling

The system will execute the following change in the preceding document: After you create Preliminary billing document for a document in the billing due list, the billing status of this preceding document changes to “billed”. The document is therefore removed from the billing due list, even though no final billing document exists. This mean that you can no longer create a billing document for it directly from the billing due list in the Create Billing Documents App, unless you first reject the PBD. Rejecting a preliminary billing document reopens the preceding document for billing.

Preliminary Billing Document Status (VBRK-PBD_STATUS)

Reject – PBD is unsuitable for billing document creation, cannot be converted to billing document

Finalize – PBD was checked and no further changes are required, PBD is prevent to further changes; if anyway further changes necessary, the status can be set back to in progress

Usage

You can use the following Fiori Apps for Preliminary billing documents.

Create Preliminary billing document (App ID: F2876)

• starts creating PBD from billing due list items displayed in the app
• settings for PBD’s are possible (e.g. billing type, billing date, separate PBD for each item)

Change Preliminary billing document (App ID: VFP2)

• change certain attributes of PBD (e.g. price, texts, billing date, payment terms)
• add billing items from documents in the billing due list (matching header data provided, split
  criterias will be considered)
• add/remove attachments
• print preview

Manage Preliminary billing document (App ID: F2875)

• reject PBD
• finalize PBD

Display Preliminary billing document (App ID: F2874)

• display PBD

Enhancements

To set up approval workflows for preliminary billing documents some settings in different parts of the system are necessary.
How to Set Up Approval Workflows for Preliminary Billing Documents | SAP Help Portal

Conclusion

An interesting new functionality to limit the cancellation during the billing process, gives the opportunity to preview the print out and to change some attributes before creation the billing document and to add billing items from documents in the billing due list.

Appendix

SAP Help: Preliminary Billing Document | SAP Help Portal

Thanks,

Brought to you by the SAP S/4HANA RIG team.