Purchasing and Inventory Control

Examine purchasing practices and inventory control measures to promote savings and operational effectiveness. Learn straightforward approaches to control capitol expenditures. Identify Wisconsin laws that govern contracting and purchasing. Discuss common purchasing errors, and how to correct them. (PWSA)

• Public works supervisors who wish to sharpen their skills
• Supervisors and managers who are new to the field of public works
• Public works employees who wish to prepare for advancement
• Public works engineers who are new to supervision and management
• Public works professionals engaged in the APWA Donald C. Stone Center leadership and management career path

Purchasing Management and Control: the basics

• Business procurement objectives and principles: right goods and services at the right time, at the right price
• Special governmental requirements Review of Procurement Approaches
• Contract: informal bid, formal bid, blanket contract, sole source contract, request for proposal, 'jump start'
• Non-contract: procurement card
• Formal bids: purchase requisition, purchase order
• Request for proposal
• Procurement card Wisconsin State Statutes: Chapter 62
• Board of Public Works
• Public Works contracting

Co-operative Procurement

• Benefits
• Piggyback contracts
• Multi-government procurement
• Government-to-government procurement

Special Considerations in Construction Contracting

• Bid versus RFP
• Design-Build versus Design-Bid-Build contracts
• Construction contracting risks and risk mitigation

Inventory Management Basics

• Assigning inventory management responsibility and authority
• 'A' items versus 'across the board' inventory focus
• Physical, procedural and accounting controls
• Concept of economic lot size and 'Economic Order Quantity'
• Inventory management performance measures