Purchasing Process
Purchasing Process
Introduction
This purchasing manual will bring out the procedures involved in the purchasing process, the product specifications, storage standards as well as the limitations foreseen if any. It will also describe the storeroom standards for temperature as well as humidity and give information wit regard top the local buying practices. Lastly, it will explain how adherence to the purchasing policies and practices in the manual will be of benefit.
The purchasing process
The authority to purchase
Unless otherwise specified, the authority to purchase rests with the purchasing department and in this regard, it will; initiate all the negotiations when it comes to effecting a purchase of meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, canned goods, dry goods, cleaning supplies, dairy products or any other product as required.
Individual purchases
It should be noted that no staff shall organize any individual purchase with the purchasing department. There is hence an explicit prohibition on any personal arrangement with the purchasing department. Hence no personal purchases for meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, canned goods, dry goods, cleaning supplies or dairy products may be made for an employee or any other individual.
Quality of goods and product specifications
Meat
The purchase of meat will be informed by a comparison of various products from several vendors. In the purchase of meat, the purchasing department will look for well preserved meat. Specifically, the meat to be purchased is pork and beef. Storage for the meat will be in line will the laid down guidelines. First, it will be stored in the cold room and the temperatures will be kept below 10 degrees Celsius.
Poultry
With regard to purchasing poultry, measures must be taken to ensure that all the poultry purchases meets the health standards laid down. With this in mind, the purchase will be made in the presence of a qualified veterinary officer who will be required to carry out tests on all the poultry purchased to ensure that none suffers from and kind of ailment. The specific poultry to be considered for purchase here is chicken. The chicken purchased will be stored in the cold room at the same temperatures specified above for pork and beef.
Sea food
Efforts will, be made to purchasefin fish as well as selfish which has the required weight. The officer in charge of effecting the actual purchase will utilize specified weighing machines to in the selection of seafood. Storage will be effected at the cold room at less than 10 degrees Celsius.
Vegetables
With regard to vegetables, we shall have five varieties of the same. The shelf life must be below two weeks. This will include onions, leeks, tomatoes, cauliflower, cabbage as well as carrots. The vegetables must be particularly fresh and they will also be stored in a separate cold room at temperatures ranging from 5-10 degrees Celsius. Humidity levels will be maintained at 95-100%.
canned goods
Specific canned goods including but not limited to vegetables and fruits, sauces, beef stew, beans and sausages. Specific attention must be given to the expiry date to ensure that no expired canned goods are purchased. The canned goods will be stored in a special dry room at temperatures ranging from 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, the canned goods must be sourced from an accredited vendor.
Dry goods
The dry goods to be purchased include beans, vanilla crunch, dried meat, dry corn and biscuits. Just like canned goods, this dry goods must be sourced from an accredited vendor. Storage will be done at an extremely low humid area to avert mold formation.
Cleaning items
Cleaning items may be acquired from any vendor but their quality must not be compromised whatsoever. Only those cleaning items with warranties shall be considered and this will go hand in hand with assessed durability standards. As for detergents, they may be acquired from any reputable vendor. This items shall be stored in a separate room separate from any food storage facility or room.
Dairy products
The dairy products include cheese, butter, low fat milk, yogurt, as well as gee. The products will be sourced from a specified vendor as per the schedule below. Storage for milk and yogurt will be at 35 degrees Fahrenheit for the first one week while the other dairy products will be stored in the cold room at temperatures below 7 degrees Celsius.
Seasonal buying of products
Certain products listed in the quality of goods and products specification section are entirely seasonal. With that ion mind, purchase decisions have to be effected accordingly as well as appropriately. For instance, the vegetables have to be purchased on the period ranging from may to October. On the other hand, carrots may be purchased in the period falling between January and march and then again on the period between July and December. For cauliflower, its mostly available in the periods between January and march and then again between July and December. Onions are also seasonal and they follow the same pattern as cauliflower and carrots.
Most of the other products in this purchase manual such as meat, poultry, seafood, canned products as well as dairy products are not seasonal and hence their availability is guaranteed all year round.
Local buying practices
The buying of the various products shall be subject to local standards, procedures and practices.
Vendor selection
The various departments may beallowed to give suggestions with regard to the choice of the vendorbut it is important to note thatthe purchasing department shall be free to select any vendor it deems appropriate. However, the purchasing department must follow the prescribed procedure when it comes to the selection of the vendor.
Payment
Payment shall be effected on delivery of goods and or performance of services. Advance payments are explicitly not permitted. However, the management may waiver the prohibition of advanced payment if and when it deems fit.
The approval of the budget
The budget must be approved in advance by all the parties involved. This is a control process aimed at verifying the quantities, specifications as well as other properties of the required items before purchase.
Conclusion
It is important to note that there are specific benefits that will accrue as a result of adherence to the purchasing policies and practices and in this manual and other supporting procedures. First, this will ensure that the right products are purchased at a fair price. Secondly, chances are higher that the quality will be superior. Lastly, errors in the purchasing process i.e. quantity and specification errors will be averted. The manual acts as a control for the purchasing process where any questionable aspect of the purchasing process is checked and mitigated in a timely manner.
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