Material Control and Procurement for IT Projects
Purchasing and Material Control in IT
What else can a Senior Technical STI do? Manage supplies of materials for the implementation and maintenance of IT systems.
What do you get?
- Optimize costs.
- Meet deadlines.
- Ensure the quality of supplies.
Who performs it? A professional purchasing manager, whose function is to determine:
- What to buy?
- From whom will it be bought?
- When to buy?
- How to buy?
Bear in mind that:
Supply = Shopping
Supply Management = Shopping + Stock + Storage
Provisioning
The set of operations to manage devices, materials, and equipment for the deployment and/or maintenance of IT systems.
Purchase
An external function for acquiring needed equipment and materials.
Storage
This function allows the timely availability of equipment and materials in the quantities and quality required for the implementation and/or maintenance of IT systems.
Therefore, the overall objective of the procurement function is:
Having the equipment and materials available in the required amount, at the right time, of the required quality, and at the best possible price.
Purchasing is a complex process that requires stages and also depends on some parameters at the time of purchase, such as the quantity to purchase, service provider, the time of supply, etc.
Provider
A company that supplies the needs of another company.
RFQ (Request for Quotation)
An act by which pre-selected providers are requested to provide information on the purchase of materials, equipment, or services.
Features:
- Written.
- Clear.
- Complete.
Types:
- Direct.
- Indirect.
Request
Reference material, i.e., a purchase order to selected suppliers.
It is a physical document that contains the request for surrender.
Information it can contain:
- Order number.
- Provider data.
- Signature of the buyer.
- Etc.
Do you expect it to arrive?
No.
You have to keep track of the orders issued.
Logistics
Part of managing the development of systems that aim for:
- Forecasting.
- Organization.
- Material flow control.
From sources of supply to the project team in their jobs.
Types of logistics:
- Internal.
- External.
Activities:
- Warehouse control.
- Material handling.
- Packaging.
- Inventory Control (Inventory Management).
- Etc.
Inventory Management
Stock = Stock: Resource materials, which are in the company, waiting to be employed.
Why it is created:
- To avoid delays in projects.
- To maintain the continuity of implementation.
Types of stocks:
- Recovery: Used materials or equipment suitable for further use.
- Dead: New or old materials or equipment that no longer serve.
- Middle: Average per project.
- Zero: Which does not exist. This is the best stock.
Purpose of inventory management: To minimize high or low stock costs.
Factors Involved in Stock Management
- Demand.
- Costs.
- Deadlines.
- Stock level.
Types of Stock Levels
- Breaking: The store is unable to meet demand due to a lack of necessary stocks.
- Optimal: Uniform demand.
- Safety: To avoid running out of material resources.
This requires:
Inventory
A physical resource that leads to the detailed description and assessment of different components, materials, equipment, and systems of the organization at any given time.