We are a rapidly growing small Mfg co. We have a significant issue with respect to Purchasing receiving a flood of requisitions that are incomplete, lack a due date other than (ASAP), and generally reflect a lack of concern on the part of the originator.
Generally the requisition (especially for supplies and consumables) is generated when we are completely out of stock.

CEO wants improvement without Purchasing becoming heavy handed or overly bureaucratic.
I am charged with developing a formal procedure.

Does anyone have a procedure that they are willing to share?

Best regards,

Joe

We are fortunate enough to have someone on staff who was able to write a program for us that serves multiple purposes.

1. Generates POs with required fields. Unless all required fields are completed according to predetermined values, the PO is not issued.
2. Tracks inventory according to POs and maintains the serial numbers of all purchased equipment, as well as registration and version information for all software. This also enables us to monitor lifecycle and refresh times for our hardware and software.
3. Maintains approved supplier list and approval process. If supplier is not on the approved list, the system requires some level of approval to be established before the PO is issued.

We do not use the system for consumables, as we are a VERY small company with limited consumable needs. Every employee has some level of access to this program, depending on their purchasing authority. Some requests require approval from a higher authority before a PO is issued.

This has worked very nicely for us, both to keep all those functions under control and to satisfy our external auditors. This application has grown over time as we have thought of additional enhancements, and we are quite pleased with it, as it is tailored to our specific needs with no extraneous "stuff" to confuse staff.

sheeplady

I rather doubt that getting a procedure here is going to help! It'll be like fitting a square peg in a round hole........

What's needed, IMHO, is that you define the minimum requirements to put on a requisition, in your existing procedure - maybe a worked example attached to it. Then, the process should be to have the originator's supervisor review it. If it doesn't pass the minimum requirements, they must fix it.

Be sure to hold an awareness session for all staff who write requisitions - there shouldn't be many - and explain to them the principles of 'right first time' that Purchasing can respond more effectively if they are not second guessing the requirements.

Having said that, Purchasing is, from what you described only the symptom of the problem, and also, your boss probably doesn't know how to do problem solving. The real issues lies in better inventory controls and planning, so you don't 'run out' and the Purchasing process can get what you want just before you run out, with all the information they need to get it properly. IMHO, Purchasing is often the tail being wagged by the dog.......

Incidently, this is not unusual for a company in your situation! The CEo doesn't know everything - it's a bit like finding out your parents don't either......