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SAP Fieldglass - External Workforce Management
SAP Fieldglass is SAP's cloud vendor management system for people who are not on your payroll and for services bought under a statement of work (SOW). With the 22K integration, approved work orders, time sheets and invoices become purchasing documents in S/4HANA.
Part of these processes
Process
SAP Fieldglass to S/4HANA: the 22K flow
In SAP's recommended 22K (lean services) flow, each document goes to S/4HANA after approval and its number is written back to Fieldglass.
- 01Master dataBusiness partner · DRF
Sent before transactions
- 02Work order or SOWPurchase req. · F1048A
Sent after final approval
- 03Supplier acceptancePurchase order · F0842A
ERS flag set here
- 04Time sheet, SOW itemService entry · F2027
Optional SES integration
- 05InvoiceSupplier invoice · F0859
With ERS, S/4HANA creates it
- 06Payment statusFieldglass: Paid
No status return for ERS
Decision point
SOW approval and the S/4HANA requisition
An SOW is approved in Fieldglass first, then becomes a purchase requisition in S/4HANA and is approved there once more.
- SOWscope, schedule, payment terms
- Contract itemsent daily from S/4HANA
- Cost objectcost center or project
Two-step approvalFieldglass, then S/4HANA
- Approved, number written backsupplier response comes next
- Rejected, SOW goes backcorrected SOW is sent again
- Response approved, PO createdsecond transfer, PO number to Fieldglass
SAP calls the S/4HANA step financial approval; business approval can stay in Fieldglass.
Scope
What an SAP Fieldglass rollout involves
Contingent workforce
Contingent Workforce Management from job posting and work order to supplier acceptance, time sheets and expenses.
Services under an SOW
Services Procurement keeps scope, schedule, deliverables and payment terms in the SOW; payments follow SOW line items.
Off-payroll worker profiles
Worker Profile Management tracks non-payroll workers who use no time sheets, expense sheets or invoices.
22K lean services integration
Requisitions, purchase orders, service entry sheets and supplier invoices in S/4HANA, with optional ERS and accruals.
Master data and contracts
Business partners via DRF; cost centers, internal orders and WBS as master data; contract service lines moved daily.
SuccessFactors link
The External Workforce scenario brings Fieldglass, Employee Central, Master Data Integration and S/4HANA together.
Current state
Before you start with SAP Fieldglass
- Fieldglass is not an S/4HANA module but a cloud vendor management system (VMS) with its own interface, linked to S/4HANA by purchasing documents and to SuccessFactors by worker data.
- SAP's integration guide dated 13 May 2026 recommends 22K (lean services). The 19W standard purchasing flow still works but is being deprecated and has no service entry sheet integration.
- 22K does not include service hierarchy functions, so processes built on a hierarchical service structure need rethinking before the switch.
- SAP makes master data replication a prerequisite for transactional integration and names mediated connectivity through SAP BTP as the preferred method for master data.
Localization
External workforce in Türkiye
Temporary employment limits
Article 7 of Labor Law 4857 limits temporary work through private employment agencies to set cases and durations; work order end dates and extensions follow them.
One posting per e-Invoice
If supplier and buyer are both registered for e-Invoice, the invoice arrives through the tax authority. A Fieldglass or ERS invoice must not add a second posting.
E-InvoiceWorker data and KVKK
External worker data is processed in the Fieldglass cloud. Pin down the data center in the contract; if it is abroad, a transfer condition of KVKK article 9 must be met.
From the field
What to watch for in SAP Fieldglass rollouts
- A 19W setup leaves the job half done. SAP's guide supports 19W for on-premise (1709) only; it has no service entry sheet integration and is being deprecated. For integrations built on it we plan the move to 22K.
- Transactions go out before master data. SAP makes master data replication a prerequisite for transactional integration. We do not open the work order flow until suppliers and cost objects are in Fieldglass, and we test a full cycle before go-live.
- The same work order is approved twice. Separate approval chains in Fieldglass and S/4HANA stretch the cycle, and nobody owns the final call. We record in one table which approval happens where and leave only the financial one in S/4HANA.
- Buyer-managed workers end up on an SOW. In SAP's definition the supplier directs the daily work of SOW workers. If the buyer actually manages someone set up under an SOW, the model is wrong; we make that choice with HR and legal.
FAQ
SAP Fieldglass questions, answered
What is SAP Fieldglass?
A cloud vendor management system for contingent workers and services bought under an SOW, from request to payment. It has three products: Contingent Workforce Management, Services Procurement and Worker Profile Management. SAP acquired Fieldglass in 2014.
How does a contingent worker differ from an SOW?
A contingent worker is hired from a supplier through a job posting, joins your team and takes daily direction from you. Under an SOW you buy a defined piece of work; the supplier manages the people, and payment follows SOW line items and deliverables.
What does an SAP Fieldglass approval create in S/4HANA?
An approved work order or SOW becomes a purchase requisition in S/4HANA and, after supplier acceptance, a purchase order. With service entry sheet integration on, approved time sheets become lean services entry sheets and approved invoices become supplier invoices. Numbers and statuses are written back to Fieldglass.
Why use Fieldglass if we already have SuccessFactors?
SuccessFactors manages your own employees; Fieldglass handles sourcing, pay rates and invoices for external workers. In SAP's External Workforce scenario a position in Employee Central can open a Fieldglass requisition, and worker data can optionally be transferred to EC.
Can Fieldglass track temporary worker limits in Türkiye?
Work order end dates and extension counts can be set up to follow article 7 of Labor Law 4857, which in some cases caps the period at four months, renewable twice to a total of eight. Which case applies to which job is for your legal team to decide.
We use 19W. Should we move to 22K?
SAP's 2026 integration guide recommends 22K and describes 19W as being deprecated. 19W has no service entry sheet integration, so if you want time sheets and SOW line items posted in S/4HANA, you need a migration plan.
Sources11 sourcesSAP Help Portal, SAP Learning, SAP +3
SAP Help Portal
- SAP Fieldglass and SAP S/4HANA Integration (LEAN Services) Business Synopsis help.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- External Workforce Implementation Guide for Intelligent Enterprise help.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
- SAP Fieldglass and SAP Ariba Contract Integration Business Synopsis help.sap.com (opens in a new tab)
SAP Learning
SAP
Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi
SAP Fiori Apps Library
GİB
Sources checked as of October 2026.
SAP Consulting
Let's talk about linking SAP Fieldglass to S/4HANA
Trace with us which S/4HANA documents your contingent worker and SOW processes end up as.