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X12 transaction guide · Catalogs and pricing

EDI 503 Pricing History

The bi-directional X12 document used by a buyer or vendor to request, or respond with, pricing history for an item.

Sent by
Purchasing party or vendor
Received by
Vendor or purchasing party
Standard
ANSI ASC X12

What is an EDI 503?

The EDI 503 Pricing History is the bi-directional ANSI X12 transaction set a purchasing party or vendor can use to request pricing history information for an item, and to respond to such a request.

Buyers use pricing history to judge whether a new price is reasonable, for example by comparing it with past purchases of the same item at similar quantities. It is particularly relevant in government procurement, where price reasonableness must be documented. It supports price negotiations as well.

How the EDI 503 worksDiagram of the EDI 503 Pricing History. Purchasing party or vendor sends it to vendor or purchasing party. It usually starts the exchange. It is usually followed by 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: BGN (Beginning Segment). 2 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 503 worksPricing History: who sends it, where it fits and what the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeEDI 503SENDERPurchasing party orvendorRECEIVERVendor or purchasingparty997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partners agreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY997FunctionalAcknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDsISA … IEAFunctional group, ID code PHGS … GETransaction set 503ST … SEHEADINGBGNBeginning Segment+ 1 optional loop, starting with:N1DETAIL+ 1 optional loop, starting with:LINBlue box: required loop. Optional loops are listed by the segment that starts them; when a loop is used, that first segment is required. Optional segmentsoutside loops are not drawn.Structure: required segments and loops in the X12 008010 listing for the 503. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds its own requirements.
How the EDI 503 worksDiagram of the EDI 503 Pricing History. Purchasing party or vendor sends it to vendor or purchasing party. It usually starts the exchange. It is usually followed by 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: BGN (Beginning Segment). 2 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 503 worksPricing History: who sends it, where it fits andwhat the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeEDI 503SENDERPurchasingparty or vendorRECEIVERVendor orpurchasing party997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partnersagreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY997Functional Acknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDs (ISA… IEA)Functional group, ID code PH (GS … GE)Transaction set 503 (ST … SE)HEADINGBGNBeginning Segment+ 1 optional loop, starting with:N1DETAIL+ 1 optional loop, starting with:LINBlue box: required loop. Optional loops are listedby the segment that starts them; when a loop isused, that first segment is required. Optionalsegments outside loops are not drawn.Structure: required segments and loops in the X12008010 listing for the 503. Your trading partner'simplementation guide adds its own requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends the 503, to whom, and which documents usually come before and after it. The lower part shows what X12 release 008010 itself requires: the envelopes around the 503 and the segments and loops the standard marks as required, area by area. Optional loops are listed by the segment that starts them rather than drawn in full. This is the standard's minimum, not a trading partner's requirement: each partner's implementation guide usually makes some optional loops mandatory, restricts the codes and may use a different release.

Expand diagram Download SVG

When it is used

  • Requesting past prices for an item
  • Supporting price reasonableness analysis
  • Responding to pricing history requests

Where it fits in the document flow

This document 503 Pricing History
Usually followed by 997 Functional Acknowledgment

Structure

Mandatory segments in the 503 (X12 release 008010)

The segments X12 release 008010 marks as mandatory at their level, in order. Segments inside optional loops are needed only when the loop is used. This is the standard's requirement, not your trading partner's: each partner's implementation guide names the release it uses, adds the optional segments it requires and restricts the values. The requirement status comes from one published X12 reference listing and has not been checked against a second source.

  • ST
  • BGN
  • N1
  • LIN
  • LM
  • LQ
  • QTY
  • SE

Practical example

The 503 in practice

A buyer receives a quote for a spare part that seems high. It sends a 503 requesting pricing history for the part. The response lists past purchases with dates, quantities and unit prices, and the buyer uses them to negotiate the new price.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for the 503

  • Compare prices at similar quantities and terms.
  • Identify items consistently over the whole history.
  • Include dates so price trends can be analyzed.
  • Protect commercially sensitive price data.

How ECOM helps

Automate the 503 with ECOM

Solution

Procure-to-Pay Automation

Automate purchasing, receiving and supplier invoicing across EDI, portals and documents.

Industry

Industrial Manufacturing

Distributor, OEM customer and supplier integration for industrial manufacturers.

Solution

Financial Document Automation

Automate invoices, remittances, payment files and bank statements from capture to posting.

More general questions about EDI are answered in the EDI FAQ.

Related transactions

Related catalogs and pricing documents

All 21 catalogs and pricing documents

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