Before entering Stage 5, which condition must be met?

• A. Stage 5 has commenced
• B. A case for Contract Entry has been submitted
• C. Forecast Category is Commit
• D. FI Prep calls have been scheduled

Answer: (B)

The key idea here is that stage progression is gated by a formal prerequisite in the workflow. Before you can move into Stage 5, a case for Contract Entry must be submitted. This step serves as the official authorization and data foundation for the contracting work to proceed—ensuring that contract details, terms, pricing, and approvals are captured in the system and ready for the next steps.

If you skip submitting the contract entry case, there wouldn’t be a formal record to base the Stage 5 activities on, which could lead to missing information or compliance gaps. The other options describe actions or statuses that occur after Stage 5 or are not the triggering condition to unlock Stage 5—for example, Stage 5 starting is the result of meeting the prerequisite, forecast category being a forecast status, and FI Prep calls being routine activities rather than gating prerequisites.