In support of the PBME mission, our Parts and Purchasing staff provide purchasing, shipping, and parts inventory management services to PBME. This document identifies the operational support provided.

Basic Resources

What basic Purchasing, Shipping, and Parts Management resources can I expect?

· The ability to order parts and supplies as needed.
· The ability to identify which parts and supplies are stocked in inventory, and where they are located.
· The ability to ship parts and equipment outside the institution as needed.
· The ability to document the use of parts and supplies as consumed.

Which can I do from within AMM, and how do I learn how to do them?

You should be introduced to the following during AMM training. Details can be found in the AMM User’s Guide:

· Create a Purchase Requisition and email it for approval and ordering
· Search for and view Purchase Requisitions according to criteria that you set
· Look up information on inventoried parts (Part Number Profiles)
· Search for and view Part Number Profiles according to criteria that you set
· Suggest parts for inclusion in the inventory
· Look up information on parts vendors
· Use an inventory or non-stock part in a Work Order

What are the components of the system?

The main components are:

· Staff who need to order and use parts, supplies, services, and some capital items for service- and project-related work
· Parts Specialists who place and receive purchase orders, manage the shipping process, and maintain parts inventories
· The Operations Manager who oversees the overall system
· Other managers and directors who are responsible for approving requisitions as well as budget and personnel management
· Systems Engineering staff who develop and maintain database applications in support of the program
· Physical parts inventories and the processes associated with their operations
· Shipping and receiving areas and the processes associated with their operations
· Asset Maintenance Manager (AMM) modules and features associated with parts and purchasing
· PeopleSoft modules and features associated with parts and purchasing.

Who is responsible for what?

Staff are generally responsible for:

· Creating requisitions for parts, services, supplies, shipping requests, and some capital items
· Requesting and placing a Designated Purchase Order where appropriate
· Getting a requisition approved
· Determining if a part is in the inventory and locating it if it is
· Requesting the addition of parts to inventory, where appropriate
· Documenting the use of an inventory or non-inventory part
· Initiating the device shipping process
· Following up on their incomplete Requisitions (See AMM User’s Guide “Parts and Purchasing” section on Purchase Requisitions Browser)
· Knowing what to expect of Parts Specialists

Parts Specialists are generally responsible for:

· Editing and maintaining requisitions from the time received from staff until requisition and associated purchase order completed
· Providing Designated Purchase Order and placing order where appropriate
· Receiving items and documenting in AMM, for both partial and complete shipments
· Following up on all site incomplete requisitions at least weekly, or more often to meet urgent needs, and documenting significant information change, e.g., back order status
· Reconciling differences between AMM and PeopleSoft records at least monthly
· Shipping items requested by staff
· Assisting staff in parts inventory inclusion analyses
· Assigning locations to new inventory parts and documenting the addition in AMM
· Performing ongoing physical inventory of parts areas, documenting results in AMM, and informing Operations Manager of discrepancies found
· Running reports to determine when stock items are below par levels and replenishing as needed
· Maintaining parts inventory and shipping and receiving areas
· Maintaining familiarity with operations across both sites so that Specialists can cover for each other during extended absences, e.g., vacation
· Knowing what to expect of staff

The Operations Manager is responsible for:

· Overseeing Parts Specialists activities as outlined above
· Filling in for Specialists as needed
· Approving all parts inclusion decisions
· Assigning any Inventory Part Numbers not automatically created by AMM
· Determining indicators of value, working with Systems Engineering staff to develop methods to track them, monitoring the indicators monthly, and reporting on their status to management monthly
· Identifying system problems, developing and implementing plans to address them, and monitoring the results
· Communicating expectations and problems to staff, Parts Specialists, Systems Engineering, and other managers
· Identifying changes in training requirements, developing a plan to address them, and implementing and monitoring the results

Team Leaders and other Managers are responsible for:

· Approving all requisitions
· Developing the annual parts and purchasing related budgets and working with the Operations Manager to monitor them once released
· Addressing problems as communicated by Operations Manager
· Monitoring the status of the system within their groups, e.g., by soliciting feedback from team members

Systems Engineering is responsible for:

· Developing and maintaining AMM
· Developing special reporting applications in support of the program as needed

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Parts and Purchasing