Purchasing Department Tasks

The purchasing department collects and organizes information and facilitates decision making.

Regular, Daily Tasks

1. Receive and review Purchase Requisitions
2. Maintain log of requests and keep team up to date on progress of each request
3. Seek out possible vendors
4. Request bids from potential vendors
5. Organize Bid Committee meetings
6. Prepare Bid Comparison Forms and obtain approval signatures
7. Prepare Purchase Orders and obtain approval signatures
8. Deliver Purchase Orders to vendors
9. Keep well-organized, easily accessible files for each PRF
10. Monitor vendor performance, compile and maintain Vendor Database

Periodic Tasks

1. Do regular market surveys on commonly purchased items and keep price data up to date (this is common in regular times, but is less common in the early stages of an emergency response).
2. Monthly, quarterly reports to management on purchasing activity
3. Place newspaper ads for open tenders
4. Coordinate the preparation of tender bidding documents
5. Run tender bid opening meetings

Note what is NOT in this list:

Making payments to vendors

Receiving deliveries

The purchasing department staff should not do these tasks.   See this section for more information on what you must find other people to do.