Specialization in the field of Purchasing and Supplies Management

The majority of students who are making their preparations to enter the area of purchasing in various public organizations and enterprises have deemed purchasing and supplies management specialization as one of the first programs that should be given a lot of focus. The value or supply chain’s core components are primarily examined by purchasing and supply management (Addenda and Cost, 2011). This encompasses the various techniques used to enhance how an organization makes it possible to acquire the things they want. The improvement goes hand in hand with the services that the said organization may be in need of or a product which it offers to its customers. Supply chain management brings together all the management activities that are involved when making procurements and sourcing for items. It also deals with other activities that are involved in logistics, the relationship between an organization and the customers as well as the process of productions. It also stretches to the inclusion of essential parts of collaboration and coordination which exists between a firm and its partners. These components may include service providers who act as third parties, intermediaries, customers, and suppliers. Purchasing and Supplies Management is tasked with the sourcing of the much needed raw materials by an organization which will enable it to produce the goods required by its clients. Many scholars have explained purchasing as a challenging and exciting profession that is experiencing a rapid evolution (Clavel et al., 2002). Irrespective of whether the purchases are made at an individual level or on a large-scale basis, the principles involved are similar. The buying process in purchasing and supplies management is not simple paperwork as many people may assume. This is because there are complexities involved in the control of expenditures as a process.

Part 1: Need Identification and Specification

The following questions will assist to be able to note the computer hardware and software needed. The information obtained will help enhance efficient service delivery to the customers(Addenda and Cost, 2011). The report will also be essential to help identify and be able to prioritize the products. The purchasing agent is required to ask the client the questions are as follows;

1-What kind of the computer do you prefer?

This question will assist in facilitating the activities of the suppliers and the procurement department to do an appropriate estimation of the prices of the computers to give or acquire(Lou and Alshawi, 2010). It will also help in facilitating the process of budgeting.

2-Between Laptops and Desktop, which do you prefer efficient?

This is useful in the determination of the nature and size of computers needed by the company. Furthermore, it is essential as it gives a clear and precise description of the equipment needed for the operations of the company.

3-What is the specification of a computer do you prefer?

Provision of the specification is crucial in the budgeting. This will help in the quotation process by the bidder. It also helps in solving the issue of under-specification or over-specification. Over-specification may compel the company to use a lot of funds which can be directed to other operations of the firm (De Boer and Heijboer, 2002). Under-specification, on the other hand, may bring problems in the activities and use of the computers.This is because they may not be efficient for the intended use.

4-What are the computer hardware do you need?

The question is crucial in the identification of the extra equipment needed for the operations of the computers to be efficient.

5-Do you need disk drives?

The question gives additional information about the other equipment that should accompany the computers apart from the basic components.

6-What size of hard drive storage do you prefer?

This question is important in the determination of the storage needs of the firm. It provides information on the size of storage in gigabytes (GB) or megabytes (MB) that the company needs(Lou and Alshawi, 2010). The supplier will, therefore, be able to make adjustments to the storage capacity of the computers before the delivery is done.

7-Do you prefer pidging for your messaging accounts?

8-What are some of the basic software do you require?

This outlines the basic software that must be pre-installed before the delivery process(Addenda and Cost, 2011). The software can also help in determining the requirements of the computers needed as the experts will be able to advise accordingly on the specifications that can best run the software proposed.

9-Which Windows OS do you prefer? (Windows 2010 or 2007)

The question will help the suppliers to determine the operating system to install in the computers before delivery as well as the specifications needed to perform the use efficiently.

10-Do you find Mozilla Firefox essential in the computers?

This is important in determining the extensions that may be required for the browser as well as their installations. This will enable the suppliers to source for the software before the delivery of the computers.

11-Do you prefer PDF creator on your computer for your office work?

This will help in determining the nature of activities the computer will perform and enable planning and training of the customer service personnel on how to use them.

12-In managing your computer, do you need Antivirus and VirtualBox?

Antivirus is crucial in the protection of the information and files stored in the hard drives of the computers and therefore, they must be installed for the smooth and secure operation of the computers.

The questions above are concerned with customers taste and preference to the computer software and hardware(Addenda and Cost, 2011). These issues will be of great significance as to satisfy the customers’ demands and expectation. The basic idea is to promote efficiency and effectiveness in the customer’s operations.

Part 2: RFP

The development of the technology has boosted the businesses to a great extent. The customers have shown more significant interest in different computer hardware and software. These preferences are to meet their goals and promote efficiency in the business operations. In the business, innovations have improved a lot.

Purchasing and supplies management is a multidimensional job which is very unusual in all aspects. This is because its operations are done at the most crucial point of meeting between the seller and the buyer. In other words, it concentrates mostly on the point of intersection between the client and the supplier(Lou and Alshawi, 2010). This is the point where the forces involved in demand meet. Therefore, it is right to say that the scope of this field is broad and combines both the external and internal elements that are available in supply interaction. A number of the governments and major companies have a department that has been tasked with the purchasing and procurement of their needs and materials. These units are viewed as the backbone of most of the retail, manufacturing and even the military organizations.

The roles of purchasing and supplies department in the company include;

1-Procuring of materials

The department oversees the purchasing of all the equipment and materials needed by either a firm or an organization for the daily running of its activities. These materials vary with the specialization of a company for example in manufacturing firms; the need may include raw materials. The raw materials may include plastics, iron, aluminum, and steel. However, this may extend to the purchase of the machinery, other tools as well as trucks for delivering the good produced by the company(Clavel et al., 2002). In the case of retail businesses, the Department of Purchasing and Supplies Management is tasked with ensuring that there are adequate products for sale in the shelves and that the customers are happy with the stocks in the warehouses. In the retail business, the department keeps the inventories and making orders at levels that are reasonable.

2-Price evaluation

The Department of Purchasing and Supplies Management oversees the continuous assessment of whether the products received by the company as offered at the best prices possible. This is done to ensure that the organization can maximise its profits. The process may come with a lot of challenges particularly for the small businesses that make their purchases in lower quantities(Clavel et al., 2002). This is because the minor purchases made by these small businesses cannot receive a similar type of bulk discounts enjoyed by the major companies that make more large purchases. The staff at the Purchasing and Supplies management must be able to establish a proper communication network with the alternative sellers and negotiate for better prices for the goods purchased by the organization or firm. This will ensure that the company buys goods and services at lower prices.

3- Accounting and paperwork

The Department of Purchasing and Supplies handles all the paperwork of a firm as far as the delivery and purchase of materials is concerned. The department ensures that the materials are delivered on time as stipulated by the agreement between the firm and the suppliers. They also track and generate orders to be purchased. This means that the Department of Purchasing and Supplies works hand in hand with the accounting and receiving department to ascertain that the deliveries are fully made according to the number of products ordered and that the payments are made on time. The department also ensures that there are sufficient finances to buy materials to be purchased and that the cash in the firm is smoothly flowing.

4-Policy compliance

The Purchasing and Supplies department is tasked with ensuring that it maintains full compliance with the policies of the company. This means that before making any purchases, the department must adhere to the laid down protocols and consult the other departments on their various needs. After that, the budget is approved and the items purchased must be according to the policy of purchasing enacted by the firm or organization.

Identification of supply needs and specifications

The specification refers to the requirements of a product that are documented. These conditions must be satisfied by service, material, product or design to be accepted. The specification can be summarized as the information or documents that contain the properties of a material or machine. Requirement definition includes the description and definition of what a company or organization needs. This means that it outlines the materials or products that will be procured. It also involves the identification of appropriate solutions, the collection of information, and the specifications given for equipment and goods, statement of works (SOW) for works and the terms of reference for services (TOR). The TOR, specifications, and SOW form the basis for the evaluation and solicitation of the offers provided. They help in the determination of the ability of equipment and products to satisfy the needs as outlined in the documents of tender. TOR, SOW, and specifications are the centers for the writing and administration of contracts. They have a significant effect on the procurement of products, and these effects may have longlasting impacts i.e., through the award of contracts performance, planning, and evaluation of bids. Therefore, a precise and appropriate definition description and definition of the needs is very critical.

The role of requirement definition is the identification of the exact needs either quality or technical, restrict the incidences of over-specifications which may inflate the cost of purchase and under-specifications which will be a setback in meeting the needs of an organization or firm. A procurement officer must be able to determine if the technical description given by a requisitioner is not ambiguous. He or she must ensure that the descriptions are generic and precise and also promote a competition that is fair to the suppliers(Clavel et al., 2002). The procurement provides support in different areas. These include; providing information on the current, previous and even the upcoming activities of procurement activities for services or products of the same nature. Others include providing advice on the best way to use when obtaining services and goods in a manner which is timely and a review of the completeness of a requisite and ensure that the descriptions provided are not biased or restrictive.

The process of requirement definition that will be used by Waters, Inc is presented in the chat below.

https://www.ungm.org/Areas/Public/pph/ch03s02.html

Requirement analysis

This stage involves the identificationof the product requirements by the requisitioner. This involves the provision of the list of functions, technical characteristics of the products as well as their features. All these information must be included in the SOW/Specification/TOR. This will further explain where the product will be used and the conditions of use as well as the acceptable minimum requirements.

Gathering of information

This stage will include the definition of the information needs that are going to be gathered according to the products available in the market. Once again, the TOR, Specifications or SOW will be defined. At this stage, the procurement officers of the company will be involved in developing the specifications of the products the firm need. Waters, Inc. will obtain information from the potential sellers on the indications of prices, specifications that their latest products have as well as any other information that may be useful. This is a tool that is widely used in the process of sourcing, and it is critical in the development of the specifications.

Writing specifications/SOW/TOR

The stage will involve the company using the information and requirement analysis to write specifications. Clear language must be used which gives accurate descriptions of the products the company need. The information written at this stage will become part of the contract, and the documents must be reviewed and proofread.

The terms and conditions of the contract will be made at this stage where the responsibilities and roles of every party in the contract agreement will be outlined. These functions are included in the contract and solicitation document.

https://www.ungm.org/Areas/Public/pph/ch03s02.html

The company seeks to note that for the best performance and satisfy customers taste; the computer should have some standards to meet the need. The company also recommends the minimum specification and requirement to the customers. The minimum specification requirements for any windows computer in business to be applied on network should be;

The software runs the computer system. The software essential include the Firefox responsible for web browsing, the open office that consists of the Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, Keepass which is accountable for securing stores and also manages the passwords to access. The software such as pidgin, PDF creator and google chrome is much applicable to business use. These software’s are highly valuable, and the company offers the best for the client.

The company offers the clients and customers with best services as per their expectation. The installation of the software is the work of servicemen provided by the company who are computer experts. The technicians possess high-level skills to give the best outcome. The supplies are always on time and of high integrity. The gents purchase the products needed in a time frame. The services are of high quality and affordable to our clients and customers. Finally, the distribution of the RFP is the responsibility of the project manager. The RFP is distributed to the customers and clients to review and recommend the requirement.

TOPIC

REQUIREMENTS

Title

Computer equipment and software

Background information

Waters, Inc. is a supplying company. The firm is in need of a supplier of 75 computers that will be used by our customer service representatives. These computers and software must have the ability to be used for different operations alternatively. Interested parties must provide their tender documents and quotations to the procurement department for possible considerations in two weeks from the date of the tender advertisement. The selected tendering company will be offered a reasonable price for the computer it supplies. It will also be given a tender for the maintenance of the computers for the first year from the date of purchase of the products.

Standards

The computers must be in line with the international standards regarding the use and purchase of electronics. They must be new and without any traces of prior use. The companies participating in the tender must be ISO certified, and a copy of the document should be attached to the tender documents provided. The firm must also attach a copy of their financial status to prove their ability to supply the outline products. The company must also have been in the supplying sector for not less than one year and show proof of other tenders it has delivered before.

Requirements

For proper operation, a computer monitor should be 24-inch LCD.1080p for desktop computers. This monitor is visible, standard size and provides pest display. It also notes that the operating system of a desktop computer. The recommended specifications are windows 7/8.1, 64-bit, home premium or higher fully updated with firewall enabled. The processor /CPU best is the Sixth-generation Intel Core I5-6600 (Quad Core) or AMD A8-7650k (3-4 GHz, Dual module). The best graphics/GPU specifications are AMD Radeon R7 370 or Nvidia GTX 950 or higher with RAM 16GB(Lou and Alshawi, 2010). Hard drives are so important for data and information storage. The feature should be 256GB solid state drive (SSD) with either external or internal 1TB storage hard drive. Internet connection is of benefit to the business; the networking hardware should be 10/100/1000 ethernet adapter. The software office 365(Free- login with your UCSD credentials) are needed.

The OS (operating system) should be a windows vista with services park two. With regard, the Windows XP is usually not supported on the network. The processor should be Intel Pentium dual-core or AMD A4 APU with the memory of 2GB RAM. The hard drive of 80GB with at least 15% free space. Networking hardware should be 10/100 fast ethernet adapter/ 802.11g or higher WIFI adapter. The computer should also have a current firewall program, internet web browser, and present antivirus software package.

Marking

The computers must be marked properly with the supplier’s name, identification number, and details of the manufacturing standard provided. They must be marked as fragile goods to ensure that they are properly handled during transportation and delivery.

Packing

The computers must be packed in cartons. The cartons must be substantial enough to support stacking weight as well as protect the monitors during transit.

The monitors and the CPU must be packed in separate cartons, and each box marked.

Quality

The computers must be new in the state. Only those computers that are produced by suppliers that have adhered to the quality standards outlined by ISO 2008 will be accepted.

Part 3: Timeline of Tasks and Activities

Task/activities

Year 1

Personnel Responsible

1st Qtr.

2rd Qtr.

3rd Qtr.

4th Qtr.

The distribution of RFP to the customers.

_

Project manager.

Purchase the equipment/ products

_

Procurement officers

Supply the equipment in respective places

_

Supplier

Allocation of personnel to respective work

_

Company management

Monitoring and evaluation of the project progress

_

Project manager

Conducting drills

_

Customer/ client, work personnel, and technicians

Completion of the installation

_

Technicians

Payments of the technicians

_

Human resource

Final evaluation and monitoring

_

Project manager and customer.

Project closure

_

Project manager.

REFERENCE

Addenda, G. R. F. P., Damages, E. L., Subcontracting, I., & Cost, F. P. (2011). Request for Proposal. Contract.

Clavel, M., Durán, F., Eker, S., Lincoln, P., Martı-Oliet, N., Meseguer, J., & Quesada, J. F. (2002). Maude: Specification and programming in rewriting logic. Theoretical Computer Science, 285(2), 187-243.

De Boer, L., Harink, J., & Heijboer, G. (2002).A conceptual model for assessing the impact of electronic procurement. European Journal of Purchasing & Supply Management, 8(1), 25-33.

Lou, E. C. W., & Alshawi, M. (2010). Critical success factors for e-tendering implementation in construction collaborative environments: people and process issues. Journal of Information Technology in Construction (ITcon), 14(10), 98-109.